Solid for 4x4?

Led4x4 · Thu Apr 04, 2019 2:59 am

Hey guys, new here and just wondering in your opinion which is better for a 4x4x6.5 tent:
https://www.ledgrowing.com/products/equinox-1000 or Chilled's 4x4 grow kit? In canada btw.

unkle_psycho · Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:06 am

I don't really know what the chilled led kit is. Whats the general price/w in your location? I think you can get the first gen fluence lights on discount for cheaper then this canadian fixture.

This Canadian light prides itself for having tech that dim's automatically when temps go too high. In its price range you could just look for something with proper passive cooling, and not worry about such gimmicks. It does look like strips attached to an aluminum sheet, it will likely run pretty hot???

Anyway my general impression of the equinox is that the page has a shit ton of irrelevant information, mainly aiming to distract you. It's generic 80cri white light, you can pretty much compare options in terms of efficiency and total output. umol/j and lm/$ or ppf/$

Led4x4 · Thu Apr 04, 2019 1:30 pm

unkle_psycho wrote: ↑
Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:06 am
I don't really know what the chilled led kit is. Whats the general price/w in your location? I think you can get the first gen fluence lights on discount for cheaper then this canadian fixture.

This Canadian light prides itself for having tech that dim's automatically when temps go too high. In its price range you could just look for something with proper passive cooling, and not worry about such gimmicks. It does look like strips attached to an aluminum sheet, it will likely run pretty hot???

Anyway my general impression of the equinox is that the page has a shit ton of irrelevant information, mainly aiming to distract you. It's generic 80cri white light, you can pretty much compare options in terms of efficiency and total output. umol/j and lm/$ or ppf/$

Hey unkle, I really appreciate the reply, I only just heard about chilled kits myself and was hoping someone might have known. They are a diy kit for $1100 CAD, not much info and they are originally from usa: https://rapidledca.com/chilled-logic-4- ... -grow-kit/
The equinox is $1250CAD atm. I plan to grow 4x plants in the 4x4 so I wanted something half decent, my max budget for lighting is about 1400CAD. The 5 year warranty they offer is what caught my initial attention, I like to see companies that have no problem standing behind their product. but you're saying them like most companies are just pulling more marketing bullshit? Thanks again for any input!

/edit I also forgot to mention that on the left side of the equinox page contains pdf's with info.

unkle_psycho · Thu Apr 04, 2019 1:58 pm

I went to have a look at the chilled site, and their 4x4 light seemed to be with cobs?

I'm unfamilier with both of these fixtures, I do know chilled by reputation. I'm sure both of these products are great, and built to good standards. I agree with you about the guarantee, it's a pretty clear statement on how they see their product lasting. I'll try to word myself better to not be a hater

The led white light itself is semi generic, there are small variations in spectrums and diodes, and for example with these two fixtures there is the difference in the canadian using mid-size diodes and the chilled using cob's. The build quality is a non-generic element and both have it. This likely justifies the price as a no-hassle solution, but prices vary by location. Here commercial fixtures easily cost 3-4$/w, while the one's you are looking at are better and cheaper. It's all relative.

The website of the Canadian company was a bit of a turn off. All that talk but failing to deliver basic data points. They seem to suggest we should pick their light because of canadian gov regulations, as if there were no alternatives... its just weired.

The lm561c diodes that the canadian fixture uses are still relevant and rather efficient, even though samsung released their replacement ages ago. There is always the option of building your own fixture which will cost you around 0.7$ /w. For a few hundred you can build something equally efficient, and then the more strips you add to that, the more efficient your fixture gets.

Thu Apr 04, 2019 2:23 pm

welcome to the forum first off...

ChilLED is a great company.. it's Vitaly and Growmau5 that run it... basically that puck build is 640w split between 8 pucks.. ( 4 on each 320w driver in series) it's the recommended amount for a 4x4 using their numbers.. I know PedrosGrowRoom has half that build in a 2 x 4 and it has a good spread.. only downside to this light, is that frame work is heavy!!! I used the 4x4 RapidLED substrate with just 4 quantum boards and had trouble sometimes moving it solo!! ( and I'm a giant

normally it's not a problem with my wingspan ) it's just awkward!!

I kind of agree with unkle on the other website.. I didn't see a price for that equinox.. but if it's over 800-1000CAD is pretty much easier and cheaper to build that... all it is, is 6 double row F series strips and a HLG-480h-48 with a pretty looking piece of aluminum.. our awesome host's diy strip build only uses 4 of those and roughly costs $500 USD.. http://ledgardener.com/diy-led-strip-bu ... #more-2416. you could even add 2 more strips to get a better spread of light and still be cheaper than what they want for it..

there's always HLG Canada also https://www.horticulturelightinggroup.ca it's Grand Master Level on YouTube working as the Canadian HLG distributor.. your max budget is right around what the 550 costs.. imo that would be the better light to buy for a 4x4 if you aren't 100% on DIY your own..

again welcome to the forum

Led4x4 · Thu Apr 04, 2019 2:53 pm

Thank you both for your replies! As much as I'm sure I could handle a diy build, I really don't trust myself to have it hold up and function as well as something professionally constructed. The equinox is fairly new (released about 6 months ago I believe)and I have actually debated on the HLG 550 but they only offer a 3 year warranty..which honestly I don't understand. How can a company sell something for over a grand with an average hourly life of 50k-100k and then back it by only a 3 year warranty? It really says something when you see companies that stand by their product, if it's made to last that long why only offer a warranty worth less than 1/5th of it's claimed lifetime? I really appreciate the info guys, just want to make an informed purchase.

Thu Apr 04, 2019 3:06 pm

I get it...
Steve from HLG went into "why" it's only 3 year warranty on the GML show one night.. (i can't remember how long ago it was ) I don't fully remember all the reasons, but one thing is to cover faulty drivers or a miss print board... these will normally show up quick. and more than likely within the 3 years.. but as long as your not dropping the light on the floor, or beating it with a bat... it shouldn't have any problems pass the warranty.. it's just sometimes you get a bad driver.. or a string of diodes that don't want to corporate...

unkle_psycho · Thu Apr 04, 2019 3:17 pm

Does atreum have distribution in canada?

TheTinkerer · Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:56 am

I have four of the ChilLed logic pucks in the corners of my flower tent. I’m very happy with them. Love the mix of 3000k, 4000k, and deep red.

ATPinMotion · Fri Apr 05, 2019 3:17 am

I'm curious about the proprietary power management. There could certainly be something there, or it could be marketing, I can't tell.

Looks like Samsung F564B strips to me.

Is ~$500 in parts worth $1200? The more fixtures one considers the harder it is to justify.

For clarity, I think @Unkle_psycho quoting $0.70/watt must be USD. My DIY builds have been just north of $1/watt in CAD. I didn't think digikey was a bad place to shop..?