Best 400W Quantum Board LED Grow Lights in 2022
People jump on trends and get pretty obsessed. And few things are as trendy in the indoor growing community as quantum board LED grow lights.
But what are they exactly?
And perhaps more importantly, are they as good as they say?
And if they are, which brand is best?
We’ll tackle all those questions and more. By the time you get to the bottom of this page, you will know everything you need to know about quantum boards, and you’ll know whether they are right type of grow light for you, and exactly which one(s) you should get.
Let’s start with the most basic question.
What Is A Quantum Board?
The term “quantum board” was first introduced by Horticulture Lighting Group (HLG for short), a relatively new supplier of LED grow lights. It referred to a new style of light where a large number of small LED diodes are affixed to a flat board.
How Do Grow Lights Work?
Grow lights convert electrical energy into photons, light particles that stimulate photosynthesis and encourage plant growth. The best light sources for photosynthesis include a variety of wavelengths that the human eye perceives as color. Red light works best for fruiting and flowering plants, while blue light enhances vegetative growth.
ECO Farm LM301B UV&IR 450W Quantum Board
Features:
The ECO Farm LED grow light uses the high-efficiency white light board with Samsung LM301B diode is highly efficient at 2.7 μmol/J. Higher output but lower electricity consumption. Making these lights more efficient than other lights on the market. ECO Farm LED quantum board uses full-spectrum (3000K), red light at 660nm and IR 730nm and UV 395nm are designed to provide everything that plants need under natural sunlight and promote healthier and more balanced plant growth by stimulating photosynthesis. No Fan, ZERO Noise, and Water Resistance. Passively cooled with a large area of the solid aluminum plate heat sink, no exposed wiring. Considerable design, against electric shock, High safety performance. Waterproof LED, high safety performance, and dimmable MEAN WELL driver.
Spider Farmer SF4000 LED Quantum Board
Features:
SPIDER FARMER LED Grow Lights utilize today’s latest high yield LED technology — Samsung LM301B diodes with high energy efficiency of 2.7 umol/J, providing powerful light output and uniform canopy penetration to maximize yield. Consumes only 450w and runs 50% less power than HPS or other SMD LED or Blurple lights. Upgraded SF4000 grow lights. The arrangement of diodes gathered around the edges makes the PPFD more uniform, and the dimming knob can adjust the light intensity at will. Multi-light connections with uniform dimming are especially beneficial for large areas of indoor and commercial cultivation. Turn your seeds into your own supply. And the light looks quite natural, so it’s good for accurate monitoring of plant health.
UNIT FARM UF4000 LED Grow Lights
Features:
The spectrum of this LED grow light is a mix of 3000K, 5000K, and 660nm red, perfect for full-cycle growth. Plus special infrared and ultraviolet light to stimulate growth. A better diode arrangement provides a more even output, working as well as a strip light. Allowing each leaf to get enough light can increase yields by 20%. This grow light consumes 400 watts, which is equivalent to 700 watts of blur light or HPS. 100,000-hour long life Osram diodes are used. The CRI is as high as 90, 10 times higher than blur light and 30% higher than cheap SMD LED. The detachable drive has a total length of 13 feet (4M), and you can place the drive outside the tent to keep the ambient temperature cool in the summer or keep it warm inside in the winter. Ultra-thin and strong bearing capacity, built-in fans can be set on it, providing more growth space for plants
Advantages of Quantum Board LED Grow Lights
So what’s the big deal with these things?
They look pretty basic and not nearly as well-made as most traditional LED grow lights. Are they really any better?
Generally speaking, yes. Quantum boards have a umber of advantages over regular LED grow lights. In fact, we always recommend either quantum LEDs or COBs (read Quantum Board Vs COB for a comparison of the two) for anyone wanting to get into growing indoors.
The primary advantages of quantum boards are:
Efficiency
Quantum board give you more output while consuming fewer watts.
Light Spread
Because the light emanates from many points across a large board, it has a more direct path to the canopy on the outside of the coverage area than a light that comes from a smaller fixture and has to emanate further outward.
This results in less intensity in the middle of the coverage area and more intensity around the outside. In other words: a more even light spread.
Spectrum
The Samsung diodes (and the cheaper alternatives many brands use) emit a full spectrum white light that contains every visible wavelength of light. They are available in several different color temperatures, but all are close to natural sunlight. This makes it an excellent spectrum for plants.
While blue and red LEDs were common in the past, the industry is coming to realize that white LEDs are better for plants, so more and more manufacturers are switching to white. This switch began with HLG and their quantum boards.
These days, quantum boards often have additional diodes mixed in among the white ones, most notably deep red and sometimes UV and IR.
Thermal Management
Quantum boards are generally mounted to a to a thin piece of aluminum (or sometimes a heatsink), which suffices to passively cool the diodes. No fans are needed (note that the fixtures do still get hot; see disadvantages below).
Low Price
On average, quantum board lights cost less than traditional LEDs or COBs that produce a similar output. Yes, there are far cheaper lights, but those lights do not come close to giving you the output of a quantum board.
DIY Options
HLG and some other manufacturers sell DIY kits that make it easy to build your own light and save even more money
How to Use Grow Lights
The success of grow lights will be a process of trial and error. So have fun, give it a try and don’t get discouraged too soon.
Here are a few steps to help you succeed:
Choose your bulbs wisely. Figure out what you want to do with the light before buying. Remember: More expensive lights may only take a fraction of the time compared to cheaper lights.
Place lights close to plants. It varies by lamp, but six inches is a good rule. If a light is a foot or two away, it reduces the intensity significantly, by about 75%. If you’re using a row of store lights, hang them on adjustable chains so you can easily move them around as the plants grow.
Use a timer. Some plants do better with constant daily light. If your plant is sensitive to day length, it can be confusing to give it 8 hours a day and then another 22 hours.
Study the amount of light each plant needs. Think of a plant’s light needs as filling a bucket. That bucket is full of photons. The rate at which it fills depends on the intensity of the growing light and the natural light the plant gets.
maintenance and safety. Clean the lighting as needed for maintenance, but be careful.
Conclusion
Ultimately, quantum board LEDs are the perfect solution for replacing inefficient HID systems.
If you’re ready to push the envelope of your indoor garden — there’s no better time than now to buy a quantum board LED.
Alternatively, jump over to The Best LED Grow Lights for Plants Cultivators if you want to learn about other types of LED systems.
Once you buy a quantum board LED — it’s time to head over to our Grow Guide to learn all the essential tips and tricks to growing top-shelf plants.
