Are LED plant lights any good?

You obviously already know something about the big advantages of LED grow lights. Your best bet for getting the true lowdown on LED is to read through and decide for yourself which led grow light is best for you.  Now I list the benefits of the LED grow lights:

Energy Savings – The first thing that you see when looking at LED grow lights is claims of efficiency. While some claims are overstated, you can expect to see a 40% to 75% decrease in electricity costs when you switch from HPS or MH grow lights

As an example we will take the Magnum Plus because it is pretty much the model all other led grow light manufacturers are striving to achieve. The Magnum Plus has 230 x 3w diodes, therefore  the total power rating is 230 x 3 = 690w. Now for the actual draw, in the case of the magnum plus that I have personally tested the actual power draw for the entire fixture is right around 350w. What this means is that you are only paying the power consumtption on the actual draw which is 350w as opposed to the maximum power rating of 690w. The magnum plus is also a great example because it realistically does replace a 1000w HID using about 1/3 of the power consumption. If you are looking for a good led grow light, the rule of thumb is that they actually draw about 1/3 of their HID counterparts.

Long Life-Span – With an average lifespan of 50,000 to 100,000 hours, LED grow lights continue to pay for themselves over time. Compare this to HPS grow lights that need to be replaced as often as every 5000 hours and the choice is obvious.

Near 100% Efficiency – At best, an HID light is only 35% efficient which means nearly 2/3 of the light produced is totally wasted as heat or as light that is not used in photosynthesis. With LED Grow Lights, plants can use nearly all of the light emitted from Led grow lights. You can achieve 90% or better efficiency because the light produced falls within the spectra of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). This just means plants can use the light created by LED grow lights directly for photosynthesis.

Near Zero Heat Output – LED grow lights emit very little heat and most come with modest built-in fans to keep the chips cool. No special ventilation or air conditioning is needed.

No Extra Accessories – Ballasts, reflectors, heat removal systems, fans . . . they all cost cash and add up rapidly. On top of that, these items do break down over time and replacement costs cut into your potential profit.  LED grow lights don’t need for these things.

Here are some of the photos and you can see the effect.