Need advice. 3x3 grow tent LED.

Hey people,

I'm getting an indoor grow planned once my outdoors are almost finished. I need a recommendation on a LED for a 3x3 grow tent. I'm planning on doing 2 plants LST style to fill the area. I narrowed it down to 2 options but other recommendations are also welcomed. I'm thinking either 1 x 260W HLG QB V2 DIY kit or I was thinking of doing 2 x 135W QB V2 DIY kits instead to get a better spread. I don't care about the extra money I rather do it right once than half assed twice. I would also like to keep the wattage to this range and don't want to go higher.

Like I said any recommendation is appreciated.

Cheers!

I'd go for the two 135 kits. Being able to adjust height and intensity for each plant is quite nice.

Nappertunity said:

I'd go for the two 135 kits. Being able to adjust height and intensity for each plant is quite nice.

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Thanks for the suggestion. Ya I'm finding too many benefits to the 2 lights instead of the 1.

You might consider the QB96's. I'm really happy with mine. You do need a bit more headroom however.

Same I would go with the 2 x 135W QB V2 DIY kits instead of 1 x 260W HLG QB V2 DIY kit. Speaking watt wise you get yourself a +10 going with the 2 135's lol but I would recommend it more for the spread and control that you would have.

I ran a 260w qb v2 in a 3x3 and it worked well however light spread was not ideal and so I made a fixture and added some f-series strips to even it out. In retrospect, 2 135's would have been better from the start.

PJ Diaz said:

You might consider the QB96's. I'm really happy with mine. You do need a bit more headroom however.

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The ideal setup is 4 points of light, each one around 75-80w. The qb96 is on sale and will only cost you 62$ for one with RIU10 code, its a bargain. Diy and you got a great setup for less than a 260 kit. And also the qb96 is very scaleable: if you expanded to a 4x4 you just need another 240 driver for about 50$ and your golden. They run fine up to 160w with no extra cooling.
Op: if youre in the US this is one o f the best deals around

Definitely go for the two 135w. Or try and see if you can grab two boards and the applicable driver to power both.

This vegged a 4x4 beautifully but would rock a 3x3 in veg and flower.

PJ Diaz said:

You might consider the QB96's. I'm really happy with mine. You do need a bit more headroom however.

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I took a look and they're nice. The problem is that I'm in Canada and they are sold out
Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe I'll keep an eye out for when they are back in stock but for now I'll probably go with the 2x135w.

Rocket Soul said:

The ideal setup is 4 points of light, each one around 75-80w. The qb96 is on sale and will only cost you 62$ for one with RIU10 code, its a bargain. Diy and you got a great setup for less than a 260 kit. And also the qb96 is very scaleable: if you expanded to a 4x4 you just need another 240 driver for about 50$ and your golden. They run fine up to 160w with no extra cooling.
Op: if youre in the US this is one o f the best deals around

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Ya unfortunately I'm in Canada and they are sold out. I'll keep an eye out and maybe grab a couple if they ever come back. Thanks anyway!

bigmikey86 said:

Definitely go for the two 135w. Or try and see if you can grab two boards and the applicable driver to power both.

This vegged a 4x4 beautifully but would rock a 3x3 in veg and flower.

View attachment 4609877
View attachment 4609878

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Beauty setup bud! Did you use a light meter to find the optimal positioning for the two lights or did you just eye it?

BeavTek said:

Beauty setup bud! Did you use a light meter to find the optimal positioning for the two lights or did you just eye it?

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Just eyeballed it’s for the most part. For a 3x3. Just draw a box and work out the spacing to obtain equal distances Between boards and walls.

Just picked up 2 of the 135 watt diy kits from HLG for $355 shipped. Pretty good deal and its just the start of many of them to come. Seems like using smaller boards will give me added flexibility down the road when I want to split lights between different tents.

Here’s a pic from when I vegged a 4x4 with it. Solid growth and a fast pace

What did you

bigmikey86 said:

Here’s a pic from when I vegged a 4x4 with it. Solid growth and a fast pace

View attachment 4611449

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What did you use to flower

I built my own 6 board fixture for a 4x4, each pair of boards is powered by an hlg240. I’m more than happy with it and it’s pumping out some really great weed.

bigmikey86 said:

I built my own 6 board fixture for a 4x4, each pair of boards is powered by an hlg240. I’m more than happy with it and it’s pumping out some really great weed.

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Can I ask what boards you used.

I used KingBrite QB288 copy boards in 3000k and meanwell drivers. I purchased three 240w kits with individual heat sinks. Then used some aluminum angle stock as the framing which allowed me to position the boards where I wanted. I’m very happy with KB’s quality thus far.

bigmikey86 said:

I used KingBrite QB288 copy boards in 3000k and meanwell drivers. I purchased three 240w kits with individual heat sinks. Then used some aluminum angle stock as the framing which allowed me to position the boards where I wanted. I’m very happy with KB’s quality thus far.

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I've just looked them up, wish I knew this a while back, just wondering about shipping costs.

Did you use a heat sink on those?

insomnia65 said:

I've just looked them up, wish I knew this a while back, just wondering about shipping costs.

Did you use a heat sink on those?

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Owch forgive me you already said heat sinks, just excited because I think I can do what you have done and the price is brilliant.

bigmikey86 said:

Here’s a pic from when I vegged a 4x4 with it. Solid growth and a fast pace

View attachment 4611449

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That's a great veg, I bought a HLG QB 135 V2 a week ago, I could of got what you have done for pretty much the same price, but as with life it's a learning curve and I have read no bad reviews for HLG thanks for all your help mate.

Hey at least with HLG you might have a better shot at the warranty if it’s even needed. I had that veg light at around 180w for the entire 4x4 so a 135w isn’t far off. The advantage to more boards is being able to run them at a lower wattage, helping with efficiency and longevity. I would definitely recommend my setup to anyone looking to light a 4x4 with boards.

I also just installed two T5 fixtures with UV bulbs. Should be a fun experiment on my current run.