How to Choose LED Grow Lights

Growing LED
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Okay so there are a lot of LED grow lighting options out there these days, but how does a grower go about evaluating these fixtures for performance and ROI?

We get this question a lot, and here are a few quick tips for comparing the best professional LED grow lights…

Durability

Make sure you’re buying something that is durable and robust, not flimsy and easily broken. Our fixtures are made of extruded aluminum and powder-coated steel for a nice strong fixture housing that isn’t overly heavy but strong enough to last several years in intense growing environments. Ingress Protection ratings and other certifications can help you determine how tough a fixture actually is.

PAR

Since plants only grow under ample PAR levels, check the listed PAR, PPF, and PPFD measurements of the lights. You want to see strong levels of PAR and an even, uniform distribution of that light with high PPFD averages.

Efficiency

LED naturally saves on your energy consumption, but some LEDs are more efficient than others. Consult the photon efficacy rating to determine how many micromoles of PAR you’re getting from every watt of energy consumed. SpecGrade LED grow lights boast a competitive 2.3-2.45 μmol/J.

Warranty

Last, check to see how confident a lighting manufacturer is in their product by their warranty. We offer the industry’s only 10 year warranty on our LEDs, 7 years on drivers, because we believe in the engineering behind our quality products.

Those are a few considerations, but we’re eager to hear your thoughts too!

What factors do you consider when choosing or comparing professional for your operation?

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How about color?

Are white chips enough?

Or better add some red, blue and UV?

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Good questions, @vritzka
Color is a very subjective choice for many growers, as preferences and technique varies. While we use primarily white chips, plants perform best under color spectrums that incorporate some far end reds and blues, each having its utility for different phases of the grow. So our standard spectrum uses a little of each, but we create custom spectrums for growers depending on the needs of their particular operation, the plants they’re working with, and the goals in question.

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