Spider Farmer vs Mars Hydro LEDs?

i ordered this one and im highly satisfied. i have a hlg 300r spec and it actually gets brighter. plus you can control the times, and brightness percentage all from your phone. not to mention it basically puts out little heat.but right now im only running it at 57% in veg. also it has a cover over the leds so moisture and humidity dont mess it up

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DKYV51J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

check it out i dont think you can go wrong
 

Severed Tongue

Well-Known Member
They are not garbage, what they are is entry level budget lights for people doing home grows of all kinds, not just cannabis.

Marshydro also sells commercial lights with Samsung diodes and Meanwell drivers (FC series).

I have a TSW1000 & TSW2000. Got them both on sale on Amazon last fall and zero complaints for the price. They perform well and I monitor wattage with smart plugs.

20210119_151145.jpg

TSW2000 running at 100%
TSW1000 running at 50%
Screenshot_20210120-102121_CE Smart.jpgScreenshot_20210120-102346_CE Smart.jpg
 

berulakide

Well-Known Member
I know I am crazy to say it but there is another brand lights I ordered from china with 640 watts and samsung lm301b and osram folding bar style lights with meanwell driver. You could choose between 3 or 4 different leds to use and either a sossen, inventronics or meanwell drivers whatever you choose depending on your budget. You can also get your choice of colors and even get a logo on your light the cheapest starts at $279 us and goes up to $479 us depending on what you choose for components they cover from 4x4 to a 6x6 and if you are really power hungry they make a 1000 watt model that I don't know the prices on I don't know if they are a sponsor for not so i wont mention any names until I know
 

RenaissanceBrah

Active Member
I was recommended this light, The GooingTop QB2000, supposedly almost as good as the Spider Farmer SF-2000, Samsung diodes and Meanwell driver, but with 240W for only $150.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0895ZMNMH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Sounds like an amazing deal, but some reviews were saying the build quality was a bit shoddy (exposed wires, etc... I have to leave my apartment sometimes for a few weeks, would make me a bit nervous. My neighbor checks in for me every few days, but still).

Would be stoked if it didn't seem shoddy... $300 for 480W
 

Quintana

Well-Known Member
I'm looking to add about 200W-300W to my grow, the Mars Hydro TSW 2000W (300W) at $269 seems like a good bet... the Spider Farmer SF-2000 (200W) is 100W less and $300.

Are the Spider Farmer lights are much better over Mars, and if so, in what way?
Watts isn't necessarily the key measurement for lights. I personally would go with the light that has a higher output of micromoles (µmols) per second, the best light distribution, and is dimmable. Micromoles is the measurement of photons per meter per second.

Here's a link that should help: https://pllight.com/demystifying-light-levels-for-cannabis-grows/
 

Powertech

Well-Known Member
I was recommended this light, The GooingTop QB2000, supposedly almost as good as the Spider Farmer SF-2000, Samsung diodes and Meanwell driver, but with 240W for only $150.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0895ZMNMH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Sounds like an amazing deal, but some reviews were saying the build quality was a bit shoddy (exposed wires, etc... I have to leave my apartment sometimes for a few weeks, would make me a bit nervous. My neighbor checks in for me every few days, but still).

Would be stoked if it didn't seem shoddy... $300 for 480W
amazon pretty good with returns though
 

BurnzAU

Well-Known Member
amazon pretty good with returns though

Gonna be a bit hard to get a return when the light is destroyed after his house burns down after the fire it has caused.

He said he leaves his grow unattended for long periods, spend a little extra and get quality components to give you a little peace of mind while you are away.
 

GlassJoe

Well-Known Member
My experience with boards is that you have to count the actual diodes to compare them because many will list similar wattages. I got my two boards from Ecofarm and I'm pretty happy with them, they use samsung LM301Bs (It's like $15-20 per board more to swap them for LM301Hs and I'm not that bothered by the efficiency difference) and ran me ~$190 apiece with shipping, it came with a dimmer switch, and they threw in a box-fan type LED as well with 216 1-watt SMD LEDs in a mix of warm and cool whites with additional reds that seems surprisingly decent. My gripe would be that each board only has 420 diodes, but they're very reasonably priced and have done a great job so far.
 

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RenaissanceBrah

Active Member
My experience with boards is that you have to count the actual diodes to compare them because many will list similar wattages. I got my two boards from Ecofarm and I'm pretty happy with them, they use samsung LM301Bs (It's like $15-20 per board more to swap them for LM301Hs and I'm not that bothered by the efficiency difference) and ran me ~$190 apiece with shipping, it came with a dimmer switch, and they threw in a box-fan type LED as well with 216 1-watt SMD LEDs in a mix of warm and cool whites with additional reds that seems surprisingly decent. My gripe would be that each board only has 420 diodes, but they're very reasonably priced and have done a great job so far.
In your opinion, how much do the efficiencies really matter? Between let's say a Spider Farmer and something like the GooingTop light?

I grow for effect, I don't mind smaller yields, still learning about all the technicalities of the lights.
 

GlassJoe

Well-Known Member
In your opinion, how much do the efficiencies really matter? Between let's say a Spider Farmer and something like the GooingTop light?

I grow for effect, I don't mind smaller yields, still learning about all the technicalities of the lights.
I would say that for a home grower the ~ 20% increase in efficiency of the lm301h diodes relative to lm301bs is not a big deal but for canopy penetration, heat control, lifespan, and decently competitive pricing I think SMD LEDs are preferable to those two chip diodes, with or without reflectors, and get better coverage than similarly priced COB LEDs.

Honestly that board looks good for the price; doesn't have much to dissipate heat, but says it's made with lm301b SMDs which are a nice brand-name diode for a home grower. By my count the QB2000 has 468 diodes, with 52 reds, and therefore 416 of the lm301bs. It's all 3000k, so better for flower than veg, but will do the job. The QB1000 isn't necessarily a bad deal either, it's 227 diodes per board, 26 reds, so 201 lm301bs. Two of them as opposed to a QB2000 would have 14 fewer lm301bs but cost 10 dollars less. You could move them around, but there would be two power cords.

I forget the last time that I counted a spider farm board but I remember that they have a lot of diodes; a SF-2000 has 288 lm301bs on each half for a total of 576 lm301bs in a mix of warm and cool white, plus 28 reds, and 2 IR; 606 diodes total. It costs twice as much as that QB2000, but you can see why people pay for it. It's a well known brand and they've got a good density of brand-name diodes.
 
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RenaissanceBrah

Active Member
I would say that for a home grower the ~ 20% increase in efficiency of the lm301h diodes relative to lm301bs is not a big deal but for canopy penetration, heat control, lifespan, and decently competitive pricing I think SMD LEDs are preferable to those two chip diodes, with or without reflectors, and get better coverage than similarly priced COB LEDs.

Honestly that board looks good for the price; doesn't have much to dissipate heat, but says it's made with lm301b SMDs which are a nice brand-name diode for a home grower. By my count the QB2000 has 468 diodes, with 52 reds, and therefore 416 of the lm301bs. It's all 3000k, so better for flower than veg, but will do the job. The QB1000 isn't necessarily a bad deal either, it's 227 diodes per board, 26 reds, so 201 lm301bs. Two of them as opposed to a QB2000 would have 14 fewer lm301bs but cost 10 dollars less. You could move them around, but there would be two power cords.

I forget the last time that I counted a spider farm board but I remember that they have a lot of diodes; a SF-2000 has 288 lm301bs on each half for a total of 576 lm301bs in a mix of warm and cool white, plus 28 reds, and 2 IR; 606 diodes total. It costs twice as much as that QB2000, but you can see why people pay for it. It's a well known brand and they've got a good density of brand-name diodes.
Thanks Joe for the detailed explanation, I'm understanding a bit more about all this light stuff.

Do you think any of these variables would have a final effect on the effect of the flower smoked? Not potency or anything, but do you think one light might make the effect more "positive" over another one? Less paranoia? Stuff like that, I wonder.

I have 1 Mars 100W light already, if I added the spider 240W one, that would be 340W... that would only be enough for 2 plants no? Was hoping to grow 3 or maybe 4 plants each run. (I grow in my tiled shower, it's about 5'x3')
 

insomnia65

Well-Known Member
I was recommended this light, The GooingTop QB2000, supposedly almost as good as the Spider Farmer SF-2000, Samsung diodes and Meanwell driver, but with 240W for only $150.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0895ZMNMH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Sounds like an amazing deal, but some reviews were saying the build quality was a bit shoddy (exposed wires, etc... I have to leave my apartment sometimes for a few weeks, would make me a bit nervous. My neighbor checks in for me every few days, but still).

Would be stoked if it didn't seem shoddy... $300 for 480W
There's tons of stuff you could put with it temperature meter, smart plug a WiFi camera, an intake fan to lower temps, you can view and do actions remotely.
 

GlassJoe

Well-Known Member
Thanks Joe for the detailed explanation, I'm understanding a bit more about all this light stuff.

Do you think any of these variables would have a final effect on the effect of the flower smoked? Not potency or anything, but do you think one light might make the effect more "positive" over another one? Less paranoia? Stuff like that, I wonder.

I have 1 Mars 100W light already, if I added the spider 240W one, that would be 340W... that would only be enough for 2 plants no? Was hoping to grow 3 or maybe 4 plants each run. (I grow in my tiled shower, it's about 5'x3')
Wattage is just a measurement of input, what you care about is output. The two-board setups like the SF 2000 are usually rated for a 2x4 area for flowering and a larger area for veg (possibly even the entire 3x5)

The general rule of thumb with horticulture is 1% more light translates into 1% more yield, but the potency of the bud will be mostly determined by genetics, good training to expose and control the bud sites, and getting a sufficient amount of light to develop.

There are articles about UV light and its positive effects on terpene and cannabinoid content, but you don't need UV to be able to grow good bud.

If you want something that is less paranoid I would go for cultivars/strains with a mix of cannabinoid content (CBD, CBG, etc) assuming you can find one.
 

farmingfisherman

Well-Known Member
How big of a space do you have?

You could also spend $15 more for the HLG that's built here in America. $315 after "RIU10" discount.

The other lights will work too, but HLG is top of the line for QB's. And for $15 more, why the hell not?
Agreed. SF aren't horrible. I've got two SF 1000's in my tent I'm using for veg currently. But for flower I'll switch out to my HLG 260's 3000ks. The HLG's are easy to upgrade which can't be said for the mars or Spiderfarmer's.
 
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