marshydro and there reps on these sites COVER UP ARTIST

Psyphish

Well-Known Member
So it's either, build your own light or buy a cheapo chinese fixture for a year or two and then replace it when it dies? Mars is cheap and grows bud, it seems like the perfect option for a beginner. When I started I went through all types of grow lights just to figure out that they're all crap, too bad Mars wasn't around when I started.
 

jeroly

Well-Known Member
If you don't want crap and can pay higher than DIY prices there are other options.

I went with the Area51 W90 lights.
Six cost $1,000.
If you DIY, you could probably make an equivalent for about $500.
The W90s use Vero29s which are appparently driven at 2.4A, so your DIYs could be architected to be more efficient and longer lasting than their commercial equivalent, plus half the price.

In any event, my W90s put out a lot of light, possibly even too much for my space.
Using my phone's lux meter and converting to PPFD, it seems that I'm getting over 1,000 PPFD in spots.
The plants seems to be loving the light though, although some strains (Pineapple Fields e.g.) seem much more susceptible to bleaching than others.

I know that there are other firms out there that sell COB based lights (Optic? others?) so you have other, non-Mars, choices as well.
 

blowincherrypie

Well-Known Member
Why do people feel entitled to buy champagne on a beer budget?
??

no offense but not sure how that really applies here.. Sounds like some shit picked up listening to fox news..

But for real It's only been a few weeks but I'm preferring the sun system cmh over any LEDs I've used including the veros. Just something to think about if you're trying to properly light a 3x3 for under a stack.
 

anzohaze

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone!!

I'm looking at buying the marshydro 400 2 black series, I've got a small grow tent, 60cm×60cm. Are these lights any good? I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about them but good results in general about LEDs

For the price they dont seem too bad
Read all post above before making a retarded comment. There is search options n shit
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Anyone considering any of these 3w/5w Mars LED's should have a look through a thread I ran a couple of years back. I had no agenda or ties to any manufacturer, just wanted to see if they could grow/flower. Tried a few runs, then tried throwing more wattage at it, regardless of what I did the plants flowered, the quality was decent, but no weight. When I finished that thread I switched to CMH for flowering, used clones from the same plants I ran under the "TOP LED Reflector panels" (now MARS, probably so they can avoid warranty repairs), ran them using the exact same techniques and environment, and TRIPLED the weight over those joke LED panels. I can't say anything wrong about them for vegging as I still use them and they work well with no issues. But if you're thinking of using them for flowering, don't waste your time or money, I already did and documented it. If you want efficiency, quality and production, COBs or CMH you can't go wrong.

I noticed a long time ago that any of the grows posted here using these MARS or TOP LED lights, rarely if ever posted the final weights, and I know why first-hand. I also noticed here and other sites, plus follow-up emails from the company, whenever I posted anything negative, they'd jump right in trying to defend/bend the truth. They're a joke, don't waste your time. I never responded to their follow-up emails, I'm sure I'll get one shortly after this post ;)
 

az2000

Well-Known Member
I wanted to comment on the suggestion of cover-up artists. I hung out on the 420mag forum where TopLED/Mars pays to play (support, marketing presence as a pseudo-member of the community). I had the distinct feeling most of the regular posters there were Mars employees (or, the same one posting under different IDs). It was just too gushing with love and "Mars has changed my life!" It didn't sound normal. (Like those infomercials where the audience members wave dollar bills at the guy demonstrating the Ginsu knife. It had that air of inauthenticity. The tone of love and devotion wasn't reasonable.).

Interesting Mars is getting into the big-boy game with Cree diodes. That kind of goes to show the epi-whatever diodes are everything that's been claimed.
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
I wanted to comment on the suggestion of cover-up artists. I hung out on the 420mag forum where TopLED/Mars pays to play (support, marketing presence as a pseudo-member of the community). I had the distinct feeling most of the regular posters there were Mars employees (or, the same one posting under different IDs). It was just too gushing with love and "Mars has changed my life!" It didn't sound normal. (Like those infomercials where the audience members wave dollar bills at the guy demonstrating the Ginsu knife. It had that air of inauthenticity. The tone of love and devotion wasn't reasonable.).

Interesting Mars is getting into the big-boy game with Cree diodes. That kind of goes to show the epi-whatever diodes are everything that's been claimed.
Yeah, interesting, just as the COB market is expanding and about to explode, with much better results than any diode based LED's, they're going to try and beat another dead horse... You noticed that too about their postings, I can pick out a Chinese product rep post from a mile away, they're so obvious it's not even funny anymore.
 

tstick

Well-Known Member
What about the idea of a DIY-minded person buying one of those cheap Mars fixtures, using it on seedlings (or something that doesn't require a ton of light) and then if and when it stops working, just gut it and use the chassis, switches, fans, cords, hangers, etc., and then replace the shitty parts with some Cree, Vero, Meanwell, Nichia, etc. parts?

I have no idea where to buy a chassis or the switches or the right type of connectors or wires or ANY of the "stuff" and thought that maybe there could be some salvageable parts that are all ready to go. Currently, there is a Mars fixture for sale for $63 dollars!

As far as an "entry-level" DIY, hobbyist aspect is concerned, would it be cheaper to buy all the "minutia" from multiple sources? Or, would it be cheaper to just gut a Mars and then upgrade it with whatever parts you favor?
 

GroErr

Well-Known Member
What about the idea of a DIY-minded person buying one of those cheap Mars fixtures, using it on seedlings (or something that doesn't require a ton of light) and then if and when it stops working, just gut it and use the chassis, switches, fans, cords, hangers, etc., and then replace the shitty parts with some Cree, Vero, Meanwell, Nichia, etc. parts?

I have no idea where to buy a chassis or the switches or the right type of connectors or wires or ANY of the "stuff" and thought that maybe there could be some salvageable parts that are all ready to go. Currently, there is a Mars fixture for sale for $63 dollars!

As far as an "entry-level" DIY, hobbyist aspect is concerned, would it be cheaper to buy all the "minutia" from multiple sources? Or, would it be cheaper to just gut a Mars and then upgrade it with whatever parts you favor?
Been there done that, not a bad option depending on where you are, in the US it may not make sense, in Canada everything is so expensive and suppliers of some parts are few and far between, if available at all, right now with our dollar it's extremely expensive to buy from the US. I bought a 200w Chinese COB fixture last year around this time on Ali and just replaced the no-name drivers with Meanwell's, once or if the COBs go I'll replace them. It would have cost me more for the heat sink which is essentially the only reason I bought the fixture, shipped for free from China in a week, I have no idea how they do that but wtf.
 

blowincherrypie

Well-Known Member
What about the idea of a DIY-minded person buying one of those cheap Mars fixtures, using it on seedlings (or something that doesn't require a ton of light) and then if and when it stops working, just gut it and use the chassis, switches, fans, cords, hangers, etc., and then replace the shitty parts with some Cree, Vero, Meanwell, Nichia, etc. parts?

I have no idea where to buy a chassis or the switches or the right type of connectors or wires or ANY of the "stuff" and thought that maybe there could be some salvageable parts that are all ready to go. Currently, there is a Mars fixture for sale for $63 dollars!

As far as an "entry-level" DIY, hobbyist aspect is concerned, would it be cheaper to buy all the "minutia" from multiple sources? Or, would it be cheaper to just gut a Mars and then upgrade it with whatever parts you favor?
Part of what peaked my interest with cobs was the ease of build.. I ended up popping open my htg or whatever it was and wound up with a table full of crap. I think I remember people doing things like that early last year and before but now I'm pretty sure you would be better throwing those couple cents into your build budget and cob it up.

Now if you had a bunch of older quality parts, a basic understanding of electronics and more time than money I could see it maybe ma.. No actually come to think of it you still probably won't get your 65 back from it and a single vero cranked up makes a better veg lamp IMO.

For 65 that may not make a bad heater or something but there's nothing inside worth enough to justify the purchase just to chop it up. I'm sure there r others who feel otherwise.
 

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
So it's either, build your own light or buy a cheapo chinese fixture for a year or two and then replace it when it dies? Mars is cheap and grows bud, it seems like the perfect option for a beginner. When I started I went through all types of grow lights just to figure out that they're all crap, too bad Mars wasn't around when I started.

Small HPS is 10% or more efficient than any of the MARs....and can last for years...So no, buying a cheap piece of shit LED fixture isn't the only addendum to DIY or quality pre built....

fyi DIY is usually cheaper watt per watt than any MARs I am aware of.
 

bggrass

Well-Known Member
What do you guys think of this:

http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1387543-Vertical-LED-Panels

Been watching it for sometime. I'm highly sceptical. You should look their prices, which recently dropped, shocker. It feels like a total scam to me, with the unfinished website and everything....

EDIT: By the way, it is a secret what lights exactly they use, and they have to buy a million of them in order to get them hahaha
 

az2000

Well-Known Member
EDIT: By the way, it is a secret what lights exactly they use, and they have to buy a million of them in order to get them hahaha
Probably SMD5630 strips?

I like the idea, but a lot of light is being wasted (above the plant). Seems like you could do the same thing with strips, make some hinged panels for sidelight, and hinged wings for the canopy. Just raise/lower it as the plant grows.
 
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