ECO Farm Z6–600 Samsung LM301B LED Grow Light VS LUMATEK ZEUS 600W LED GROW LIGHT
LEDs have overtaken HPS and other HIDs as the best grow light for nearly all home growers. Although there are some situations where LECs or HPS are a great choice (for example in a cold space where the heat of the lights is a positive thing, or if you’re making concentrates and want to use special bulbs to increase trichome production and terpene levels/smells), generally most home growers will be happiest with LEDs.
LEDs grow magnificent plants indoors without much heat or electricity. Today you’ll learn about some of the best LED grow lights for plants.
Why LED Grow Lights?
More light, less heat — LEDs produce more light and less heat than HIDs, watt-for-watt
Better for heat control — Not only do LEDs run cooler, plants under LEDs actually prefer warmer temperatures. That means they are the perfect grow light to deal with heat. If your grow space is room temperature or warmer, LEDs are your best grow light choice when it comes to controlling heat.
More colorful buds — LEDs tend to bring out colors like pink and purple on buds and leaves. Although some strains will stay green no matter what, many strains have the ability to turn color in certain environmental conditions. LEDs will almost always bring out colors in those strains especially as plants approach harvest.
Excellent bud yields & potency — In my side-by-side grows using clones, modern LEDs produce similar or higher yields, better bud quality, and even significantly more THC than comparable grow lights like HPS and LECs.
ECO Farm Z6–600 Samsung LM301B LED Grow Light
Features:
The ECO Farm LED grow light is paired with Samsung chip 1632 high-efficiency SMD LEDs, with market-leading efficiency of 2.7 µmol/J and 2.5g per watt yield, 30% higher average PPFD, and 600 watts of actual power. The light intensity can be adjusted according to the needs of the plants. The LEDs are all new technology SMD LEDs. This grow light features 6 passive cooling strips, aluminum heatsink, heat dissipation performance and long life, 50% lower electricity bill than HID lights. The sturdy design and quality components make the grow light a durable light with an impressive longevity. An all-aluminum radiator provides better cooling and eliminates noisy cooling fans to keep your space cool and quiet.
LUMATEK ZEUS 600W LED GROW LIGHT
Features:
Lumatek full-spectrum LED grow lights balance light quality (spectrum) with light quantity (intensity and duration) sufficient to provide single-source illumination for the entire growth cycle from vegetative to flowering. LED arrays produce uniform light spread over short distances to the crop, providing single-source grow lighting for multi-level grow systems, individual benches in low rooms, and grow tents. Built using high quality Lumatek drivers and top box LEDs from Osram and Lumileds, the Zeus produces a full spectrum light source suitable for vegetables and bloom cycles. High-efficiency and low-power LED configurations with six LED strips reduce LED temperature, increasing output and improving lighting maintenance.
What to Consider When Choosing the Best LED Grow Lights
The following sections detail some of the most important qualities to keep in mind when shopping for the best LED grow lights for your needs.
Light Spectrum
Natural sunlight features all the colors on the electromagnetic spectrum. Some LED lights can reproduce only certain color frequencies, while full-spectrum white LED lights produce all the hues necessary for every stage of the growing process.
Blue light helps plants grow in the earliest stages of their lives. It’s the first color plants can absorb in their vegetative state.
Purple light is also used in the vegetative state; however, it’s not as effective for photosynthesis as blue light.
Red light helps in the latter stages of growing and is essential for buds to flower.
White light encompasses all the colors of the spectrum. Used alone, it can be effective for every developmental stage.
Power
It’s a bit difficult to compare LED grow lights because manufacturers use a variety of metrics to measure the power of their lights and the amount of light they emit. The brightness of LED lights is measured in lumens. Seedlings require approximately 2,000 lumens per square foot to thrive, while flowering plants may need as much as 10,000 lumens.
While lumens measure visible light, biologists often use photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) or photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) to measure light intensity in terms of the light that indoor plants will actually absorb. PPF is measured in μmol/second (or micromoles per second), which is the number of photons of light emitted every second. PPFD is also measured in micromole/m2/s and measures the density of light distributed per square meter per second. The higher the PPF and PPFD, the more effective the light should be.
Heat Output
One of the risks when using a grow light is that the heat emitted by the bulbs can damage your plants. However, LED lights give off very little heat relative to the amount of light they produce. But they do produce some heat, so many models are equipped with built-in cooling systems to ensure proper temperature regulation.
Some LED lights have aluminum heat sinks, and others come equipped with fans. A unit with a fan might be loud, so factor noise level into your choice when selecting a grow light.
Coverage and Wattage
To choose the right plant grow light, you’ll first need to establish how much coverage you need. To do this, group the plants together and measure the square footage they take up. Most grow lights will clearly list the coverage they provide.
To establish how much electricity a light uses, look for its “actual power draw” or “actual power consumption.” This is measured in watts and gives a good indication of the light’s power. Bulb wattage is not a good indicator because LEDs are designed to be energy efficient.
Connectivity
Many LED grow lights are designed to link to other units to cover larger areas, which is typically referred to as “daisy-chain connectivity.” Products with this capability simply plug into each other and then plug into one outlet, which minimizes the number of cords required for setup.
Conclusion
After reviewing this guide, you should now know more about shopping for plant grow lights for your indoor plants. We recommend the LED grow light for its low power consumption, full-spectrum LEDs, and relatively affordable price. Those on a budget may appreciate the the full-spectrum grow lights above, which offers great performance at a lower price point.
