Cheap Lights for Strip Build

[Tkb88]

Hey everyone,

I'm diving into the world of LEDs after a ton of reading. For my first build I'm going with some Bridgelux EB mainly because they're cheaper to get my feet wet. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with any of the sellers on Alibaba or Ebay and some of the claims with the Samsung diodes that they're using? I've seen a few posts where it looks like some of you have tried them. I'm mainly wanting a reasonable setup for vegetative growth and seed starting before next spring.

[LEDG]

Hey dude!

The EB strips are a safe bet and are a great solution for the cost. I'd probably go EB strips rather than roll the dice trying to get LM561C strips from Alibaba. I'm sort of talking out of my ass here because I haven't personally bought from Alibaba and I'm sure there are vendors that sell the real deal with top bin and everything, but I have read reports of less-than-anticipated results from Alibaba strips.

Also, I'd keep my eye on Digikey for the 2nd Gen. EB strips. They are way more efficient than the 1st gen (they advertise 180 lumens/watt vs. 155 lumens/watt from the 1st Gen). Just in the past few days, I see that Digikey has now listed all the part numbers... there is zero stock so far though. You can tell the difference by the last letter in the part number. If it is an "A", it's 1st Gen. If it's a "B", it's 2nd Gen.

Here's a link for a Digikey search for Gen 2 to keep an eye out!

[Tkb88]

Thanks for the heads up on the second gen EB's! I'll keep an eye out for them. I've also been looking at the Samsung H and F series strips.

Regarding the "cheap" lights; is there any way of of tell for sure which diodes that they're using or testing efficiency? I see most of the suppliers are willing to send a sample before you place a larger order.

[Shkronis]

Thanks for the heads up on the second gen EB's! I'll keep an eye out for them. I've also been looking at the Samsung H and F series strips.

Regarding the "cheap" lights; is there any way of of tell for sure which diodes that they're using or testing efficiency? I see most of the suppliers are willing to send a sample before you place a larger order.

I think you need a sphere for that.

There are cheap strips that made with Epileds I believe, like 5050, 3528 - but they such a meh.
EB-series and F-series are the way to go right now.

[LEDG]

Thanks for the heads up on the second gen EB's! I'll keep an eye out for them. I've also been looking at the Samsung H and F series strips.

Regarding the "cheap" lights; is there any way of of tell for sure which diodes that they're using or testing efficiency? I see most of the suppliers are willing to send a sample before you place a larger order.

As Shkronis said, unfortunately, there is no practical way to do this unless you have a sphere or a lot of money. The H and F series are also very popular but a little pricier.

[Tkb88]

I think you need a sphere for that.

There are cheap strips that made with Epileds I believe, like 5050, 3528 - but they such a meh.
EB-series and F-series are the way to go right now.

As Shkronis said, unfortunately, there is no practical way to do this unless you have a sphere or a lot of money. The H and F series are also very popular but a little pricier.

Thanks, I'll probably just stick to what's tested and known. I just finished my first build tonight that I wanted for some supplemental light on my citrus. I used 4 of the 44" strips and man does that throw a lot of light. I'm debating on if I want to crank it up to 1400ma or leave it at 700ma. It's probably only going to be on for a few extra hours in the morning and evening due to the shorter days. It increases it's brightness almost by 2 times in lumens anyway.

[Grower]

Hey everyone,

I'm diving into the world of LEDs after a ton of reading. For my first build I'm going with some Bridgelux EB mainly because they're cheaper to get my feet wet. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with any of the sellers on Alibaba or Ebay and some of the claims with the Samsung diodes that they're using? I've seen a few posts where it looks like some of you have tried them. I'm mainly wanting a reasonable setup for vegetative growth and seed starting before next spring.

Hey! I contacted a lot of alibaba sellers but you can't be sure what you're getting.
I contacted Roget from Mofue and he seems to be a reliable seller but I can't understand prices, first time I contacted him I got a quotation of 180usd for a 40mt roll of constant current strip with lm561c but suddenly price bumped up to 300+usd lol.
You can also find the producer of quantum boards, I think that is a reliable seller.

[Tkb88]

Hey! I contacted a lot of alibaba sellers but you can't be sure what you're getting.
I contacted Roget from Mofue and he seems to be a reliable seller but I can't understand prices, first time I contacted him I got a quotation of 180usd for a 40mt roll of constant current strip with lm561c but suddenly price bumped up to 300+usd lol.
You can also find the producer of quantum boards, I think that is a reliable seller.

Thanks! I sent a message to a few to try and get a few samples to see what they're like. How do you know who the supplier of quantum boards is?