Having just finished my ChilLED Logic 6-puck 600W light, I was thrilled to hear from Elevated Grow Light Systems when they offered to send 6 of their ELR-45 reflectors for me to test on my new light. In this hands-on review, we’ll be examining these reflectors in both a 4×4 grow tent as well as an open-air setting, and we’ll see if they’re worth shelling out a little extra cash for in your next build.
About EGLS
Elevated Grow Light Systems has been in the DIY LED game since 2016 and has made a name for themselves in the community with their unique approach to creating optics for LED grow lights. The ELR-45s they sent, as well as the rest of their reflector catalog, are 3D printed. EGLS currently also offers reflectors for a variety of COBs as well as the Horticulture Lighting Group QB96 and QB144. A design for the new Red Shift PCB Anthelion is also in the works.
ELR-45 Physical Characteristics
The ELR-45 reflectors are printed using ABS filament, which offers strong heat resistance. This is an important property for high-powered LEDs, which can throw a lot of heat – the last thing you’d want is for your reflectors to melt and warp after your lights get up to temperature. These reflectors are printed on a PolyPrinter 229 which was chosen for its high-quality ABS prints.
The reflectors are printed fairly thin and are much more flexible than I had initially expected. They hold their shape very well but still allow you to maneuver the mounting holes into place easily.
Once the reflectors come off the printer, they’re hand-sanded to remove rough edges and to smooth the surface out. They’re then hit with 3 coats of high-gloss white paint. The reflectors I received had their model name hand-written on them in sharpie. I think this detracts from the aesthetic a little and I’d prefer they were either somehow labelled in a more precise, consistent manner, or just left blank.
The ELR-45s utilize a 4-hole mounting pattern, which is compatible with the latest version of RapidLED’s 140mm heat sinks. I have the first generation of the Rapid 140mm sinks and found out that these outer mounting holes don’t exist on the first iteration. I had to drill and tap the holes on my 6 sinks, which wasn’t much fun. As is tradition, I broke the tap off in a hole about halfway through the process and had to get another to finish the job.
The “45” in the part number refers to the beam angle of the reflector. They direct light away from the pucks at a 45 degree angle, which helps spread light over the canopy of your plants, rather than sideways at your grow space walls.
Test Results
The first test I wanted to run with these reflectors was to determine whether or not they had any effect in a grow tent. I currently have my Logic puck light set up in a 4’x4′, so I slapped all the reflectors on and got the tent ready to test. The EGLS page for these pucks recommends a hanging height of 18″ from your plant canopy, so this is what I based my testing off of.
4’x4′ Grow Tent Results
The PPFD chart below shows measurements in a 4’x4′ grow tent with reflectors (red numbers) and without reflectors (blue numbers), in micromoles per meter squared per second. Click on the image to enlarge it to a more readable size:
To summarize, the average PPFD over the whole space with the ELR-45 reflectors was 864 µmols/m²/s. The average without reflectors was 843 µmols/m²/s. This represents a modest increase of about 2.5%. It’s not a whole lot, but it’s an increase nonetheless, and the only sacrifice to be made is the cost of the reflectors. I was concerned that the modified canopy spread might reduce light in some areas of the tent, but the ELR-45s produced an increase in 31 of the 33 measurement points, with the remaining 2 having less than a 10 µmol/m²/s difference.
4’x4′ Open Air Results
After compiling my results for the tent, I was eager to see what these reflectors could do when reflective walls were taken out of play. I took my 4’x4′ measuring template out of the tent, slapped it on the floor, hung the light to the same height as it was in the tent (18″ off the ground) and recorded the results once more. Again, the measurements taken with reflectors on are shown in red numbers and those taken without reflectors are in blue. Click on the image to enlarge it to a more readable size:
This time, the reflectors were considerably more effective than the naked pucks. The average PPFD over the 4’x4′ space was 622 µmols/m²/s with ELR-45s installed, and 583 µmols/m²/s with no reflectors. This works out to a 6.7% increase in light using the ELR-45s.
Final Thoughts
It’s great to see new start-ups like Elevated Grow Light Systems popping up in the DIY LED space. I think 3D printing opens up a whole new avenue for innovation and lowers barriers to entry for up-and-coming companies.
The ELR-45s are light, flexible, and made using quality materials. They’re already a nice-looking product, but with some minor cosmetic improvements (most notably ditching the hand-written model number), these could look just as polished as the mass-produced optics that are currently available.
In terms of utility, I don’t think these reflectors are necessary in a grow tent. The ELR-45s improved the numbers across the board in a tent, but only marginally, and not enough, in my opinion, to justify the cost. However, as soon as you’re dealing with a light that’s not pressed up against 4 reflective walls, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these reflectors.
If you’re in a grow room that has no reflective walls, or even one that has reflective walls but they’re a ways away from your light, the ELR-45s are a no-brainer. With an increase of nearly 7% over naked pucks, this is an easy way to throw more photons down at your canopy without having to add any power. At $10 per ELR-45, with no need to purchase any additional adapters to mount them, and low shipping cost due to the light weight and stackability of the product, I think the cost is justified for the gains you get. Stop wasting light and get the most out of your pucks with these reflectors.
Check them out for yourself on the Elevated Grow Light Systems website.
Still not sure why you would choose to use discrete LEDs like this….? Why not use a COB…?
You simply don’t need a reflector, or, any type of lens….!