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a Qualified LED grow light

If you do decide to go with an LED grow light, then let’s talk about some of the things you’ll want to look at, before deciding which light to purchase.

For some items, like food or Levis, it’s okay to purchase a generic (no-name) brand. You’ll still get a decent loaf of bread even if you don’t recognize the name brand. With new technology (like LED lights) purchasing a no-name brand is a bad idea. With new technology there is always an over-zealous group of people who know that they can produce the technology at an extremely low cost by lowering the quality of the materials. This leads to an extremely low-quality product that doesn’t last for long. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I’m all for getting the cheapest lights as long as they last. The thing is you have to wait for the technology to mature. In twenty years, I’ll be recommending that you purchase the cheapest LED lights you can find because in twenty years the technology will have matured enough that it won’t matter.

Brands I Recommend: Philips, CREE, and BridgeLux Now the problem here is that Philips, Cree, and Bridgelux don’t actually make the grow lights. They only make the actual diodes that go into the lights. This means that when you are searching for your grow light you need to make sure that the company you are dealing with is using one of these brands in their light.

As you now know, most LED companies promise that your lights are going to last at least 50,000 years (cough, I mean hours). People get really frustrated (I’m talking extremely angry) when their lights don’t last that long. So what’s going on here? Are the LED companies just filling us full of, well you know what? Most LED companies aren’t out to trick you. What happens is the LED lights get too hot and break. What???? I thought that LED lights didn’t produce that much heat and that is what makes them better than traditional growing lights. It’s time to learn about heating for traditional lights versus LEDs.

What is a Heat Sink? So traditional lights don’t need a heat sink because the heat escapes out of the bulb, but we just learned that isn’t the case with LEDs. LEDs don’t produce much heat, but they still need a way to release what little heat they generate (see how it is done in the image below).

Small amounts of heat build up in the LED Chips. This heat needs to go somewhere or else the chips will break (this is why some LED lights don’t last for years like they should). By some scientific miracle aluminum can suck this heat out (it acts as a conductor) of the LED chips. The good LED lights have fins that hold some of this heat. This way cold air can come through and keep the whole system cool. This is all built into the LED light, no special equipment required. Some of the cheap LED lights out there will have a heat sink that doesn’t have fins. These lights don’t last as long. These fins go a long way in keeping the light cool. You’ll want to make sure your LED grow light’s heat sink has fins. 3. Let’s Talk Wattage A 90 Watt LED light is actually made up of lots of little LED lights placed together (for example, it could be 90X1 watt LED lights placed on a panel).

Some people insist that you need each individual LED to be at least 3 watts. This isn’t necessary. Three watt lights have their advantages (deeper penetration into the plant), but so do 1 watt lights (more efficient). My suggestion is not to worry about it. Conclusion The two main things you want to look for when purchasing an LED grow light are a quality brand name and a good heat sink. If you take this advice, then chances are you are going to have a much better experience with your first light. Remember, not to over-analyze. At a certain point, you just need to get out there and start growing. In the next section, I’ll provide my recommendations and reviews.