What’s the best light for a 5 plant setup in a 48x48x80 tent?

What Should I Look For in the Best Grow Lights?

Is it marketing or is it quality? What are the real benefits of LED grow lights, or the features to look for? The primary factors you should look for in LED grow lights are these.

Full Spectrum Grow Lights

The best LED grow lights deliver full spectrum wavelengths from 380 to 840 nm. This includes blue, red, IR, and UV light for all of the growth stages.

To be sure, this recommendation is relatively new in indoor horticulture; in the past we didn’t have these kinds of lighting systems to use. However, using full spectrum lighting for indoor grows can yield plants with more flowers and healthier buds.

Energy-Efficient and Cost-Effective

LED grow lights use far less electricity, too—and the buy-in cost is still lower, because LED grow lights last significantly longer. A high-quality LED light system will last for years while running 10 to 12 hours daily. Even higher wattage LED lights with their powerful output are more cost-effective because they ultimately reduce electrical use overall.

LED lights also run much cooler despite producing a greater amount of light, which means you don’t need to add fans to reduce the temperature low. They are more durable and well-made, so they last longer and fail less.

Closer Control Over Your Indoor Garden

The ability to closely control light levels improves the health and yield of your plants. The ability to do so remotely yet precisely improves your quality of life, and that’s where LED grow light systems come in. Tailoring your lighting cycle also saves you more money, so consider more tweaking features both a yield and cost benefit.

PAR/Lumen Output

To achieve optimal light for your plants, aim for a balanced spectrum with a high PAR/lumen output. Typically the best way to achieve this is with a mix of 3-watt and 5-watt diodes.

Coverage

It is important to be precise in your measurements when considering the area that the lights project. Plants that receive less light will produce less and can dwarf. Occasionally, product descriptions aren’t totally accurate, so it’s critical to check reviews like this one to confirm coverage.

How to Choose a LED Light for Your Specific Setup Using Watts

As a general guideline, you should try to get a minimum of 50 watts per square foot with a LED grow light. This guideline is by no means perfect but will help to get you started.

30-40 watts per square foot means that:

• A 250W LED grow light will cover a 2.5 X 2.5 ft space.
• A 600W LED grow light will cover a 4 X 4ft space.
• A 1000W LED grow light will cover a 5 X 5ft space.

Example: This means that with a 4×4 ft. space (16 sq. ft.), you will need at least 16×30 = 480 watts of actual power draw ;16×40 = 640 watts of actual power draw

So under 4*4ft grow tent ,you need 480W-640W LED grow light 

Let's get started with our most recommended LED grow light.

1.Gavita Pro 1700e LED Grow Light 120-277V

2.ECO Farm ECOF LM301B 600W 8 Bars LED Grow Light

3.GrowCraft X6 ChilLEDTech

4. Rayonled GLM 640 LED Grow Light

5.NextLight Mega LED Grow Light – 650W

Gavita Pro 1700e LED Grow Light 120-277V

This strong light output is provided by eight separate LED bars, each passively cooled to provide versatile and efficient use. These LED bars put out full-spectrum UV light to give optimal indoor growing support to help encourage the vegetative and flowering stages of plant life. The 1700e is at the top of its class when it comes to the number of diodes it possesses, boasting 3,300 of these light-producing elements, far above most of the competition. Complementing this are less power-hungry drivers that help to produce an average lifespan of up to 30,000 hours. 

The lighting fixture’s passively cooled design allows the Gavita Pro 1700e to be used in various growing situations from small spaces with low ceilings to tents to standard table/bench setups. A key feature of this grow light is the ability to dim light output by up to 50% without losing any efficiency, although you will need a separate adapter to make this happen. This is a well designed and constructed unit that utilizes quality components such as Samsung LEDs and Philips Drivers – meaning it’s built to last and deliver consistent output. The 1700e is also FCC compliant and wet-rated to handle moisture considerations in indoor operations. 

Pros

• Full-spectrum light output
• Passively cooled light bars allow for versatile application
• Wet-rated 
• Easy vertical and horizontal installation
• Quality components throughout design
• 5-year warranty

ECO Farm ECOF LM301B 600W 8 Bars LED Grow Light

Compared with other LED grow light, illuminated area of this light is 6% larger, reaching an incredible size 6.5x6.5ft for veg and 5.5x5.5ft for bloom. Newest Samsung LM301B chip technology provide light output PPF up to 1680umol/s, high energy efficiency at 2.8umol/J.The best solution to get more and better quality fruits
The ECOF intensity can be changed by dimmer knob according to the different growth stages of plants.With 180°folding design, the angle and range of light can be adjusted appropriately and storage space saving. One will meet all your needs. Use only one light for 4'x4', 5'x5' or 6'x6' tent.
This full spectrum LED Grow Light uses 3496 pcs upgrade Samsung and Osram beads (3500K and 660nm). Adequate and sun-like light can prevent the growth of plants from spindly and moulding. The best lighting solution for indoor hydroponics and soil cultivation.
The actual power is 600w. Increasing the heat dissipation area by utilized a special surface treatment of the aluminum heat sink. Saving up to 50% energy and 30% cooler than than other grow lamp. Low energy consuming fast heat dissipation. No fan. IP65 Waterproof and mute.

Pros

A light that comes from a reliable and reputable company that has its products tested for many years by thousands of growers;
Great build quality;
Run cool;
Cheap price
3-year warranty

GrowCraft X6 ChilLEDTech

When we look at the output and efficiency numbers, we can only conclude that they must be made with the highest quality diodes.

The numbers:

• Efficiency: 2.81 umol/j
• Output: 1647 μmol/s

As you can see the efficiency is as good as lights that are powered by Samsung LM301H diodes, while the output is a bit lower.

While I can't say with certainty, looking at the numbers, there's a big chance Samsung LM301H diodes power these lights.

When you look at the PAR spectrum of light wavelengths covered by this light, you see that all the wavelengths are covered well, just like you would see with other high-quality white lights.

The GrowCraft X6 has especially good coverage of the red and far-red spectra. What this means is that this light will perform exceptionally well in the flowering stage.

This light, as well, comes with Mean Well dimmable LED drivers. It has a dimmable watt-range of 30-600 watts.

The GrowCraft X6 comes with two different options:

• Flowering optimized spectrum, and;
• Vegetative cycle optimized spectrum.

If you have a lot of money to spend, you could get both of them.

However, if you only want to get a single light, I highly recommend getting the flowering optimized version. Looking at PPFD-chart published by ChilLED themselves, this may also be the highest-yielding LED grow-light on the list for a 5’x5′ canopy area. It has the highest PPFD values even towards the edges of the coverage area.

 Rayonled GLM 640 LED Grow Light

SPECIFICATIONS
IP: IP65
CHIPS: SAMSUNG LM561C S6 TOP BIN DIODES
WATTAGE: 640W
EFFICACY: 2.35 μmol/J
PPF: 1,506 μmol
DIGITAL CONTROLLER: RJ14 port not included but optional
RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 23%RH-90%RH
LIFESPAN: L85-50,000Hrs
DIMMABILITY: Manual Dimming Knob
WORK TEMPERATURE: -25°C~+50°C
WATTAGE: 640W
EFFICACY: 2.35 μmol/J
PPF: 1,506 μmol
DIGITAL CONTROLLER: RJ14 port not included but optional
RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 23%RH-90%RH
LIFESPAN: L85-50,000Hrs
DIMMABILITY: Manual Dimming Knob
WORK TEMPERATURE: -25°C~+50°C
CERTIFICATION: ETLc, ROHs, CS

NextLight Mega LED Grow Light – 650W

This unit claims to effectively replace DE 1000w HPS lights that have been used in the industry for years, but use quite a bit of power and generate plenty of heat. By using less wattage while delivering wide light coverage, the Mega LED does indeed make for a recommended replacement for any antiquated lighting you might be using. 

The Mega provides a 5×5 footprint for flowering cycles and a 7×7 footprint for vegetative growth, providing plenty of light when you need it, without consuming a huge amount of energy. The unit itself is roughly 3×3 so puts out more light than its size and has a life rating of 100,000 hours, which is pretty impressive. It is UL certified and comes with a full 5-year warranty as well. The light comes with everything you need to get started with your setup including the lighting fixture, v-hooks, and 120v and 240v power cords. This is a somewhat larger unit that comes with a higher price tag but makes for an effective solution to handle ongoing needs for a variety of growers. 

• 650-watts
• Effectively replaces DE 1000w HPS lights
• Efficient and long-lasting design 
• High-intensity full spectrum light

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