LED Grow Light Forum

Hello,

I am looking at making the change to led's but am unsure of which brand or type to go for. Ive been doing some research and came across a brand called Evolution Grow Led, They look pretty tough and I like that they are modular and made in the usa. My question is does anyone have any experience with this brand? Possibly compared it to another brand in real world use? The change from hid to led is going to be expensive so I want to get the best I can for the money, Obviously. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forums!

We haven't had any members using those lights so we have no journals for them. I'll take a look at them and give an opinion later...



SME

I would appreciate the advice. Sorry about the link, didnt know it was against the rules and just wanted to make sure whoever answered was thinking of the same light as I searched evolution grow led and it came back with multiple brands with evolution and led in the name.

Im also wondering if you know of any other similar type of lights with a "computer" and that can be put together and taken apart like legos?
The ability to take em apart and build them into bigger lights looks awesome. I definitely like the idea/design and think I would like something with similar bells and whistles. Again any input would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately we've had a number of spammers looking to advertise so I've restricted links pretty severely. I may be relaxing those restrictions in the future but it is what it is for now.

There are some lights with some "modular" features but not to the extreme that evolution has taken it. There are some that have "computers" in the form of controllers and microprocessors but not quite like evolution's implementation either.

That said, grow lights don't have to be complicated and you do pay extra for the latches and "computers" too.

Here's my take on what I've read:
1) Only 100w per panel and a max of 6 panels daisy-chained. 600w isn't much.
2) $600 (sale price not retail) per 100w panel with a slight discount for buying multiples is still *very* expensive.
3) The $800 (also sale price) "control module" is a huge rip-off, imho, which sends a red flag for the whole company.
4) Only a 2 year warranty which is less than most.
5) Some of the manufacturer's marketing claims are suspect, at best.
6) I'm not sure if the LCD display can be dimmed or turned off during the night cycle.
7) Only 3w diodes.

On the UP side; they don't make outrageous claims about how large of an area they can cover like many manufactures do. In fact they don't mention area coverage at all. That could be seen as a negative too but I take it as a positive since no claim is better than a false claim.

That's probably not what you wanted to hear but that's my opinion, based on nothing but reading their site. If you buy them you can start a grow journal here and prove me wrong.

Much appreciation for the info and opinions SisterMaryElephant, Thats what I was looking for be it good or bad. I actually just received an email from the owner a little bit ago (shortly after my second post) Apparently they are still pretty new and are still working on the website.
I had asked about a discount if I bought 6 (5 regular and 1 of the control modules) at once and I was offered $500 each if I bought 6, Plus did get some helpful information from the owner though which I thought was positive. Apparently they use 5w led's which actually run at 3w each. I did notice that on the website they mention everyone advertises rated watts, not real wattage. This made me curious so I just checked the stealhgrow 1250 (another brand I was thinking of getting) and its true. The StealthGrow 1250 is actually only 600 watts! That kind of blew that brand out of the running as I dont want to pay for something Im not actually getting, Calling it a 1250 is very misleading.

Anyways he said each module has a "prime" area of 2x2 and a max of 4'x4'. Is that not realistic for a 2'x2' area? What kind of area would you suggest per 100 watts for good + results? As far as pricing goes I dont disagree it seems a bit pricey, Ive definitely come across many brands that are a lot cheaper but they all look really flimsy and simple. Im still unsure overall but do know whichever brand I end up getting must be made in the usa. Thats one thing the Evolution lights have going for them, they are actually made in the usa and not imported and relabeled.

Is there a US made brand you would recommend, I noticed theres a substantial California Lightworks banner/logo. I take it thats the preferred brand for this forum? I checked on them as well and the solarstorm 800 is only at its highest setting 650 watts, Whats up with even the big name brands deceiving people? Why not be upfront and call it a solarstorm 650? Anyways, If you have any specific suggestions it would be appreciated. It seems like every brand has its drawbacks, either in quality, price, or effectiveness. I definitely dont want to spend several thousand dollars and later find out the brand I chose was a lemon. Thanks in advance for any advice.

500 each is still *way* too high, imho.

Almost every manufacturer uses "rated" or LED watts for the naming of their lights, this is more prevalent on lights that have different settings for flowering and veg for example. The better manufacturers also include "true" wattage or actual power draw in their specs. The less reputable manufacturers don't tell you actual draw (true watts) so people think that they're getting more. SG has a good reputation. You'd be surprised how many less reputable/new manufacturers try to advertise/spam by pretending to be customers when they're really employees.

100w for a 4x4 would be 6.25w/sqft which is horrible even for veg. 100w for a 2x2 is still only 25w/sqft which might be OK if you're growing wheat-grass or lettuce. So if they suggest that 2x2 is "prime" for 100w light growing cannabis, they either don't know what they're talking about or they're not being honest. No wonder that info isn't in their website.

CLW has their own forum here for their Growers Feedback Program (GFP) so I guess that makes them a sponsor but AFAIK this forum doesn't promote any one light. CLW lights are made in the USA and they have a very good reputation and exceptional customer service. They have a good warranty and their 5w diodes run at something like 4.2w which is very efficient compared to most. I'd say that they're one of the best LED lights out there but I still prefer HID lights. CLW does list the actual draw (true watts) for their lights on various settings and CLW has the least amount of questionable marketing claims on their site.

In your example, the SS800w is *named* SS800w because it uses 160 5w diodes but they honestly provide the actual draw for the veg/bloom/boost settings. Since you can change the output settings they couldn't call it the SolarStorm450w(veg)_620w(flower)_650w(UVB-boost) light because that would be a mouthful. As long as the company provides the actual draw in their specs they are being honest. Does the evolution say what the wattage is for *each* of their 5 settings? I think not.

While some have accused me of promoting CLW lights or working for CLW, it's simply not true. I have talked people out of buying CLW lights when they're not a good fit and I often say that HID is still the king of all indoor grow lighting.