ECO Farm LM301B UV&IR 600W Quantum Board VS AgroMax RAW 550 4000K LED Quantum Board Grow Light

LED Grow lights come in two different types.

First, there are LEDs that emit only a specific color or a specific range of colors.

In such cases, you need to use combinations of lights of different wavelengths.

The second and easier alternative to these narrow-spectrum LED lights is full-spectrum LEDs.

Full-spectrum LED lights emit all wavelengths of the necessary electromagnetic spectrum from infrared (IR) to near-ultraviolet (UV), thus imitating real sunlight.

When your plants need sunlight but don’t have access to it, full-spectrum LED lights are an excellent substitute.

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.

Quantum board from the front
The diodes are arranged in rows that are run in parallel configurations by a high-powered constant current driver. There are now many different boards available from multiple manufacturers, with varying configurations.

Advantages Of Quantum Board LED Grow Lights

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 number 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 gives 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 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 grow lights cost less than traditional LEDs or COBs that produce 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

ECO Farm LM301B UV&IR 600W Quantum Board

Features:

The ECO Farm grow light is equipped with high-efficiency white light boards with Samsung LM301B diodes, high efficacy 2.7 μmol/J.
White-light full spectrum for optimal canopy penetration and easy viewing.this particular quantum board is one of the best quantum boards that you can find, and, thus, it is almost equally appropriate for all kinds of plants, no matter how big is the area you want it to cover. However, according to several reviews and regarding its power, The grow light is perfect for full-cycle plant growth and specifically good for flowering. Subsequently, it also does a very good job when it comes to veg.Its performance is identical to the 1000 Watt HID system, although its maximum power is 600 Watts. Additionally, it is one of the best quantum boards because it spends less power and produces less heat than some other quantum boards. Its Samsung LED lights emit full spectrum white-light, whose temperature is 3500K. Besides, if you want your plants to have a significant uplift during the blooming stage there is a 660nm deep red light.

AgroMax RAW 550 4000K LED Quantum Board Grow Light

Features:

AgroMax RAW 550 fixtures pair top-shelf Samsung LED Chips with a premium Meanwell driver to deliver industry-leading LED grow light technology. They produce an impressive 2.5 micromole/watt output that is more than capable of supporting 6′ x 6′ of growth space or 4′ x 4′ of blooming coverage. Designed with a sturdy aluminum heat sink and dust/water-resistant conformal coating the AgroMax RAW is also well equipped to withstand conditions in the cultivation environment. The AgroMax RAW 550 is designed from the ground up to maximize the power of Samsung LED chips and Meanwell driver. With an incredible PPFD of 2.5 umol/watt, the RAW 550 delivers more light per watt making it one of the most efficient grow lights available.

How To Choose The Best Full-Spectrum LEDs For You

With so many full-spectrum LED grow lights available, it can be overwhelming to choose the best light that suits your plants.

Here are 5 things to look for when you’re shopping for the best full-spectrum LED grow lights for your system.

1. Spectral Range
Not all LED lights advertised as full-spectrum are actually full-spectrum, and some of don’t distribute the of all wavelengths evenly.

Full-spectrum can’t really be measured, so you have to decide the quality of a grow light based on the manufacturer’s reputation and customer reviews.

2. Draw Power
The actual draw power may be less than the theoretical draw power. If the LEDs operate at very high power (their full capacity) they produce a lot of heat, bringing down the lifespan and efficiency of the light. The low draw power means your grow light won’t emit enough light for your plants.

Vegetative: 30–35 W per square foot
Flowering: 35–50 W per square foot
3. Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)
PAR is the amount of light produced in the 400–700 nm range, which is suitable for plants to use for photosynthesis. The higher the PAR, the better.

PAR requirements for different stages:

Vegetative: 300–350 μmol/s
Flowering: 700–800 μmol/s
4. Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF)
The photons that plants use for photosynthesis are called photosynthetic photons. Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF) is the total amount of photosynthetic photons (or PAR) put out by a light source.

5. Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD)
Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) is the density of photosynthetic photons falling on a surface per second.

The PPFD varies on different points on a given area and also depends upon how close or far the light is from the surface. You shouldn’t buy a light just because its PPFD is high in the middle. You should also check the overall PPFD values at different distances. The higher the PPFD, the better, as your plants will have more access to PAR.

Conclusion

Purchasing a quantum board grow light is a great investment and it’s always hard to pick the best, especially if you are new in gardening and have a lot to learn about it and we hope that this article helped you at least a little bit.

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