Grow Lights

Best LED grow lights for weed in 2018!

August 23, 2017

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Looking for the best LED grow lights for weed? You’ve come to the right place!

Although LED grow lights for weed are relatively new on the market, they have become very popular over the last few years among marijuana growers. There are very good reasons for the rapid acceptance and popularity of LED lights.

The best LED grow lights for weed can be used for the entire life cycle of your marijuana plants. In addition the best LED grow lights are energy efficient, and simple to set up and run.

Let us help you select the best LED grow lights for weed for your circumstances. There are literally hundreds of LED grow lights out there. Many are cheap knock offs that certainly do not live up to the manufacturer’s claims.

Buying the best LED grow lights for weed is a substantial investment. It is important that you do your research with care.

Buying the best LED grow lights for you may cost a lot more than comparable HID grow lights, but it will be worth every penny in the long run.

Benefits of using the best LED grow lights for weed

The best LED grow lights for weed offer so many benefits.

Here are the most important reasons to choose the best LED grow lights for weed:

Space saving design: LED grow lights do not require a lot of space when compared to other types of grow lights. Nor do LED grow lights need to be supplemented by other equipment, like a cooling system. With these comparatively small grow lamps, you can maneuver more freely through the grow room. You don’t have to worry about extra equipment and cooling systems that take up a great deal of space. With better access to your marijuana plants, you can provide better care and attention.
Energy efficient: The best LED grow lights for weed are extremely energy efficient, and far more efficient that traditional forms of indoor lights. LED grow lights are preferred because they have the power to produce a great deal of light without drawing much power. In the long run, this is an enormous saving on your electricity bill.
Long Lifespan: With the best LED grow lights, you will be able to grow for years without having to replace your indoor lighting system. The best LED grow lights run for between 50,000 and 100,000 hours. They are hardy and durable compared to other types of grow lights.
Low running temperature: The best LED grow lights for weed run extremely cool. The temperature of the grow room is crucial for the success of your marijuana grow. LED grow lights have an advantage in that they run at a temperature that is only just warm to the touch.
Intense light generation: The best LED grow lights generate considerably more light per watt than fluorescent or HID lighting.
Built in cooling: The best LED grow lights come with small built in fans. This, in addition to the fact that most LED grow lights run relatively cool in any event, means that grow rooms that run on LED grow lights only require extra ventilation in exceptional circumstances.
No ballast: LED grow lights do not flicker or need a ballast.

All experienced marijuana growers know the problems and hard work it takes to setup a grow room with HID lighting. HID lights and ballasts are heavy, need a lot of support to hang and require frequent replacement because the lights decrease in brightness each year. With the best LED grow lights these issues are a thing of the past.

While the initial investment in the best LED grow lights you can afford may be a substantial, you will more than recoup your outlay over time in cheaper running costs and better marijuana yields.

Full spectrum lights are the best LED grow lights

The best LED grow lights on the market are full spectrum LED grow lights because they mimic the sun’s light spectrum and intensity.

Full spectrum LED grow lights result in greener, lusher marijuana plants with healthy buds. The best LED grow lights come with specialized lenses that increase light penetration by pointing light directly on the marijuana plants. The result is better yields for the same amount of light.

The best LED grow lights ensure your plants get what they need in both the vegetative and flowering stages by providing full spectrum light that includes a wide range of colors (including blue, red, white, and ultraviolet light) at the correct ratios.

Understanding how full spectrum colors work in the best LED grow lights allows you to really take charge of your marijuana grow to ensure the best results ever.

Understanding the color spectrum of the best LED grow lights

Natural sunlight features the entire spectrum of light. The best LED grow light manufacturers use only certain kinds of LEDs that produce a specific color and provide your marijuana plants with exactly what they need.

Here are the different colors and how they relate during the marijuana plant growth cycle:

Blue LED lights: Suitable for for the vegetative growth stage, but not helpful during the flowering stage. Blue is in the mid-400nm range and creates tall, leafy plants during vegetation. When used during flowering it can cause bushy plants without many buds.
Red LED lights: Suitable for budding and flowering. Red is in the 600-640nm range and too much red light during vegetative growth produces unhealthy plants.
White LED lights: These are very contentious LEDs. There is no clear cut answer on whether they are beneficial to plants at all. At best white LEDs assist humans to see inside of the grow room. If only red and blue LED were used, it would be impossible properly or at all.
Ultraviolet LEDs: Ultraviolet light is not always used, but it is well worth experimenting with it. Growers started using with ultraviolet LEDs, because they noticed the higher potency of equatorial strains of marijuana, despite the plants being exposed to the most damaging ultra violet rays of light. Research has shown that ultraviolet light in short bursts increases THC production in cannabis plants.

To ensure healthy growth, your marijuana plants need the right blend of light at the right time. It is relatively simple to replicate the right wavelengths for indoor plants.

For the optimum color ratio a LED panel should be as close as possible to:

55% Red LEDs rated at 660nm
20% Red LEDs rated at 630nm
15% Blue LEDs rated at 470nm
10% Blue LEDs rated at 425nm

You cannot simply use one set of red LED grow lights and one set of blue LED grow lights. This setup will fail because it does not provide your marijuana plants the full range that they would receive in nature. When grown outdoors, the kind of light a plant receives fluctuates as time progresses and the seasons change. The best LED grow lights replicate natural sunlight inside your grow room and are a crucial part of a successful harvest.

How to select the best LED grow lights for weed

The best LED grow lights for weed produce precisely the correct light spectrum for your marijuana plants, and do not waste energy radiating light in an unneeded spectrum.

We recommend LED grow lights that have a wide range of wavelength options available. You can adjust the best LED grow lights to provide only the needed light spectrum.

Here are the most important factors to evaluate when choosing the best LED grow lights for your setup:

Coverage: This is the first aspect to consider when selecting the best LED grow lights for weed. Coverage is the area the LED grow lights can reach.
Wattage: Wattage typically refers to the wattage of equivalent non-LED grow lights that the LED grow light can be used as a substitute for. Non-LED lights include High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), Metal Halide (MH) and High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lights (see more below).
Full spectrum: We recommend you choose full spectrum LED grow lights that you can use throughout the marijuana growth cycle.
Angle of the LED lens: Take note of the angle of dispersion of the LED grow light. Generally, a bigger angles mean more coverage, while the smaller angle mean less dispersion and more intense direct light.
Built in cooling: The best LED grow lights have a built in cooling system. This is very important for the lights longevity, as well as the overall temperatures in the grow room.
Price: Last, but by no means least, the price of the LED grow light is also a factor. The price tags of the best LED grow lights vary vastly. Aim for the best you can afford. You will recoup your outlay in saved electricity and increased yield.

Determining wattage and coverage of the best LED grow lights

There are no real standards measuring LED output in wattage. The number of watts a LED grow light actually draws from the wall is not the same as the advertised wattage. This is misleading.

A LED grow light advertised as 300 watt means that the light can be used it as an alternative for other types of 300 watt grow lights. The real wattage of the light could be as low as 140 watt because LED grow lights use far less electricity. When determining the wattage needed for your grow room, it is easiest to work with the advertised wattage.

The optimal wattage range is between 50 and 80 watt per sq ft. For example, a 3 x 3 ft grow tent (9 sq ft of grow space) requires at least 450 watt of LED lighting (9 x 50 watt). You can accomplish this either by purchasing a single 450 watt (or more) LED grow light or by daisy chaining a number of smaller LED grow lights together.

Best LED grow lights for weed on the market

This section contains our list of the best LED grow lights for weed growers.

1. Advanced Platinum P-Series grow lights – Best LED grow lights overall!

We recommend the Advanced Platinum P-series as the best LED grow lights on the market today.

Advanced Platinum is a huge brand that produces reliable, powerful, high quality LED grow lights that are good value for money. They back up their products with a five year warranty and 90 day money back guarantee.

Advanced Platinum LED grow lights use platinum LEDs that offer the highest lumen output per watt of any LED grow light.

All of the grow lights use revolutionary full-spectrum technology to keep your grow room and plants cool while meeting all your marijuana plant’s light needs.

Advanced Platinum LED grow lights come in six sizes: 150W, 300W, 450W, 600W, 900W or 1200W and range in price from $230 to $1300.

Watch how the 450W Advanced Platinum LED grow light performs against a 600W HPS.

You can daisy chain these LED grow lights to customize your grow room.

Advanced Platinum P-series LED grow lights provide a complete 12 band spectrum ranging from ultraviolet to infared. The lights have an easy vegetation/flowering switch to modify the LED lighting to the different stages of your marijuana plants growth cycle.

Each light has a very quiet, built in fan, and an aluminium cooling heat sink to further reduce heat in your marijuana grow room.

The Advanced Platinum P-series LED grow lights are about as close to sunlight as you can get, and the panels are excellent for all stage of cannabis growth.

Adapting to your marijuana plant’s needs is as easy as hitting the Veg or Bloom switch

The 90-degree angle of the LED focusing lenses sends the light down into the canopy of your plants to encourage massive growth.

We recommend the Advanced Platinum LED P-series grow lights without hesitation as the best LED grow lights on the market.

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2. Marshydro Reflector LED grow lights

The Marshydro Reflector Series of LED grow lights gets our vote as the second best LED grow lights on the market.

Marshydro Reflector series LED grow lights are priced at the cheaper end of the market and range from $100 to $350.

Unlike other LED grow lights on the market, the Marshydro Reflector series is not named by equivalent wattage. This series is named and specified by the number of LEDs and the true wattage of the grow light.

Marshydro is a reliable LED grow light manufacturer that has been around for many years. All their LED grow light models have received good reviews on Amazon.

Marshydro offers a two year warranty on all models and has a service center in the U.S..

The Reflector series uses a unique design of compact reflectors around each individual LED. This design produces a high PAR output that is superior to most LED grow lights.

The compact design is perfect for use in small areas. The Veg/Bloom switch makes usage a breeze for all stages of marijuana growth.

These LED grow lights offer high energy savings since they do not require as many bulbs for the same output.

Each light has a full spectrum of lighting including blue, red and white for both vegetative and flowering stages of growth.

Marshydro claim that more than 10 000 indoor grow rooms worldwide are lighted by their LED grow lights.

The Marshydro Reflector series includes four LED grow lights:

240 watt LED grow light: Coverage: 2 x 2 ft Veg and 1.5 x 1.5 sq ft Bloom – Substitute: 150W HPS/HID/MH
480 watt LED grow light : Coverage: 3.5 × 2 ft Veg and 3 × 1.5 ft Bloom – Substitute: 250W HPS/HID/MH
720 watt LED grow light: Coverage: 2.5 × 4.5 ft Veg and 2 × 4 ft Bloom – Substitute: 350W HPS/HID/MH
960 watt LED grow light: Coverage: 4 × 4 ft Veg and 3.5 × 3.5 ft Bloom – substitute: 450W HPS/HID/MH

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3. Viparspectra Reflector LED grow lights

The ViparSpectra Reflector series of LED grow lights is our third choice for best LED grow lights on the market.

All LED grow light models in the ViparSpectra Reflector series make excellent grow lights for any grow room.

ViparSpectra Reflector LED grow lights are are good looking and well designed. These LED grow lights include all the features of top quality lights.

ViparSpectra claim that their LED grow lights are scientifically engineered to keep a perfect balance of PAR/Lumen output and coverage.

There are many satisfied customers on Amazon and the 600W model gets the vote as an “Amazon Choice”.

ViparSpectra models produce full spectrum light. They include a mix of red, blue and Infared LEDs, making them suitable for all stages of marijuana growth.

Each LED grow light has two switches that allow you to turn the appropriate set of LEDs on and off, for the vegetative or flowering growth stages.

All models include 4.72 inch built in fans and 0.8 inch aluminum cooling heat sinks for heat dissipation in your grow room.

Hanging equipment is included and the LED grow lights are well balanced and easy to hang.

ViparSpectra backs their LED grow lights with a 3 year warranty and 30 day money back guarantee.

The ViparSpectra Reflector series of LED grow lights range from 450W to 1200W, and are priced from $140 and $460:

450 watt LED grow light: Coverage: 2,5 x 2,5 ft (max 3.5 x 3.5 ft) – Substitute: 400W HPS/HID/MH
600 watt LED grow light: Coverage: 3 x 3 ft (max 4 x 4 ft) – Substitute: 600W HPS/HID/MH
900 watt LED grow light: Coverage: 4 x 3 ft (max .5 x 4 ft) – Substitute: 1000W HPS/HID/MH
1200 watt LED grow light: Coverage: 4 x 4 ft (max 5 x 5 ft) – Substitute: 1000W HPS/HID/MH

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4. Galaxyhydro 300W LED grow lights – Best budget grow lights

The Galaxyhydro 300W LED grow light range is our 4th pick as best LED grow lights on the market. The standard 300W model also gets our vote as the best budget LED grow light.

Galaxyhydro is a well-established manufacturer who has been in business for half a decade. They have a excellent reputation for quality products, backed by good service.

Galaxyhydro offers three 300W models. Amazon reviewers give each of these LED grow lights a rating of at least 4.5 out of 5. Prices range from $80 to $250, and are often heavily discounted.

All models are backed by a 2 year warranty and 30 day money-back guarantee.

300 watt Galaxyhydro LED grow light

This is an Amazon best seller with more than 500 customer reviews that score the product 4.6 out of 5.

The Galaxyhydro 300W grow light is one of the least expensive grow lights and a firm favorite among beginner marijuana growers.

This LED grow light offers an optimal light spectrum of 430nm, 450nm-470nm, 620nm-630nm, 740nm and white. In other words, 9-band spectrum light with a 7 to 1 ratio of red to blue LEDs, as well as UV and IR.

The 300W Galaxyhydro LED grow light is efficient and utilizes 100pcs 3W Epileds chips to enhance light penetration and absorption.

The LED grow light compares to a 250/400 watt HPS/MH and provides coverage of 2 x 2 ft -vegetative, 3 x 3ft – flowering.

300 watt Galaxyhydro LED grow light (daisy-chainable)

The daisy-chainable 300W Galaxyhydro LED grow light has all the features of the standard 300W model with an added daisy chain feature. It is only a bit more expensive than the standard model.

You can buy two or three 300W Galaxyhydro LED grow lights for the same price of a larger light and link them together to cover a large space.

300 watt Galaxyhydro LED grow light (dimmable)

The dimmable 300W Galaxyhydro LED grow lights has all the features of the standard 300W model, and is both dimmable and daisy-chainable.

This LED grow light has a dimmer on the backside of the light that allows you to adjust brightness from 0% to 100%. Instead of adjusting the hanging height of marijuana plant light during the different growth stages. You simply adjust the intensity.

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5. King Plus Double Chip LED grow lights

King Plus Double Chip LED grow lights are our 5th pick for the best LED grow lights on the market.

The King Plus LED grow light range uses innovative LED technology, the 10W double chip, to achieve brighter output for plants with less energy consumption.

Their double LED chips consist of two 5W LEDs for a total of 10W per LED. Their research claims that this maintains the optimum balance between the PAR/Lumen output and coverage.

This grow light is much brighter and more efficient than individual 3, 5 or 6 watt LEDs that you find in most grow lights.

King Plus lights provide a full spectrum of red, blue, yellow, white, IR and UV light. This gives them a close match to natural sunlight.

The LED board and the cover glass have holes for heat dissipation, and built in fans are also included.

King Plus LED grow lights are backed by a 3 year warranty and the manufacturer guarantees a customer service response within 24 hours.

King Plus LED grow lights come in four sizes: 600W, 800W, 1000W and 1200W and are priced from $100 to $230 depending on size.

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6. Roleadro COB LED grow lights

The Roleadro COB LED grow lights are our 6th pick for the best LED grow lights on the market.

The Roleadro COB LED grow light series use Chip on Board (COB) technology which is a fairly recent innovation in LED lighting.

With COB technology numerous LED chips are connected together into one light module. The light looks like a panel of light instead of a single diode. COB lights can increase the lighting area by up to 10 times, while decreasing the glare. This means more light coverage for less electricity and less heat output.

Roleadro COB LED lights also have a reflective cup around each panel. This increases the heat radiation and lumen output.

Roleadro COB LED lights have a unique daisy-chain connection mechanism. You can connect between 2 and 5 light with the power cords.

Each light has a built in radiator and high-quality fans for heat dissipation.

Roleadro lights are designed to be modular, with each COB emitting 200W.

Roleadro COB LED lights come in 200W, 400W, 800W, 1200W and 1600W. and range in price from $100 to $1000.

All LED grow lights in the series have received reasonable to good reviews from Amazon users, with the 800W system topping the charts at 4.7 out of 5.

You can daisy chain any of the lights in the series together for a truly unique lighting system. These lights are perfect if you intend to increase your system over time.

The lights are easy to set up and each light comes with hanging equipment and power cords.

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7. MEIZHI Reflector Series LED grow lights

The MEIZHI Reflector Series is our 7th pick for the best LED grow lights on the market

MEIZHI Reflector LED grow lights are high quality lights that compete well with the leading brands.

MEIZHI LED grow lights feature an upgraded 120° reflector panel. The panel connects with a plating process to reflect all dispersed light on the plants. The system provides maximum light need with minimum energy consumption.

MEIZHI LED grow lights are full spectrum lights that can be used during all stages of plant development. They have a 12 band full spectrum, with Bloom and Growth switches to control the light spectrum.

All MEIZHI LED grow light models have an excellent heat dissipation system that includes premium aluminum heat sinks, high-speed, quiet cooling fans and dense vents around four sides of the lamp.

All models are daisy-chainable.

The MEIZHI Reflector Series includes 5 models which range in price from $83 to $321:

300W MEIZHI Reflector Series grow light: Coverage: 2 x 3 ft (height 18 in) – Substitute: 300W HPS/HID/MH grow light
450W MEIZHI Reflector Series grow ligh: Coverage: 2 x 3,5 ft (height 18 in) – Substitute: 450W HPS/HID/MH grow light
600W MEIZHI Reflector Series grow light: Coverage: 3 x 3 ft (height 18 in) – Substitute: 600W HPS/HID/MH grow light
900W MEIZHI Reflector Series grow light: Coverage: 3 x 4.5 ft (height 18 in) – Substitute: 900W HPS/HID/MH grow light
1200W MEIZHI Reflector Series grow light: Coverage: 4 x 5 ft (height 18 in) – Substitute: 1200W HPS/HID/MH grow light

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8. G8LED Veg/Flower grow lights

The G8LED Veg/Flower grow light series gets our vote for the 8th best LED grow light on the market.

G8LED Veg/Flower LED grow lights are formulated for both vegetative growth and flowering. During flowering, 90W Red Flower Boosters are added to increase the total ratio of red wavelengths and to add wattage to achieve maximum yields.

The 600W model was awarded “2016 Best LED Grow Light” by HIGH TIMES Magazine.

G8LED Veg/Flower LED grow lights are made and tested in the USA. They are backed by a 2 year warranty.

All G8LED Veg/Flower LED grow light models need to be supplemented with 90W G8LED All Red Flowering Boost grow lights during the flowering stage. G8LED maintains that this is a superior lighting system that uses LED grow lights to their full capacity without any wastage. These LED grow lights therefore do not have a switch to turn off a portion of red diodes during vegetative growth and turn them back on during flowering.

There are a lot of happy growers on Amazon and reviewers give all models in the range more that 4.2 out of 5 stars.

G8LED Veg/Flower LED grow lights produce an optimal 8-band ratio light spectrum that G8LED maintain produces the highest yield per unit of energy.

This is an excellent range of LED grow lights. The only downside is that they are fairly pricey compared to the competition.

The range includes 4 models, plus the flowering boost light, and ranges in price from $310 to $1100

240W G8LED Veg/Flower grow lights: Coverage: 2 x 3 ft – Add 1 Red Flowering grow light during flowering stage.
450W G8LED Veg/Flower grow lights: Coverage: 3 x 4 ft – Add 1 Red Flowering grow light during flowering stage.
600W G8LED Veg/Flower grow lights: Coverage: 4 x 4.5 ft – Add 2 Red Flowering grow light during flowering stage.
900W G8LED Veg/Flower grow lights: Coverage: 4 x 6 ft – Add 2 Red Flowering grow light during flowering stage.
90W G8LED All Red Flowering Boost grow light: Add one booster light per 10 square feet of grow area during the flowering phase to increase yield. Can be added to any LED, CFL or HID system

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9 Viparspectra Dimmable Series LED grow lights

The Viparspectra Dimmable Series LED grow light is 9th on our list of the best LED grow lights on the market. This is the second Viparspectra grow lights series to make our top 10.

Viparspectra dimmable LED grow lights are exemplary and offer three dimmers, with full spectrum light, and a secondary optical lenses for better growth.

The product is backed by a 3 year extensive warranty and 30 day satisfaction or return guarantee.

When using this lighting system you will see an increase in the quality of your plant and the size of your flowering pods.

Viparspectra dimmable LED grow lights allow you to dim or intensify different colors as needed for the different growth cycles. You can turn the red, white or blue LEDs on and off.

Each LED grow light comes in cool aluminum housing that protects the LEDs with built-in heat sinks and 3.2” front-fans for heat dissipation.

Viparspectra dimmable LED grow lights are scientifically engineered to balance light with quality PAR/Lumen coverage. The secondary optical lens magnifies the PAR and increases penetration by up to 200%.

There are four models in the Viparspectra dimmable LED grow light series, and the price ranges from $190 to $480:

450PAR 450W Viparspectra dimmable LED grow light: Coverage: 2.5 x 3 ft (max 3 x 3.5 ft) – Substitute: 400W HPS/MH grow light.
600PAR 600W Viparspectra dimmable LED grow light: Coverage: 3 x 3 ft (max 4 x 4 ft) – Substitute: 600W HPS/MH grow light.
700PAR 700W Viparspectra dimmable LED grow light: Coverage: 3 x 4 ft (max 4 x 5 ft) – Substitute: 600W HPS/MH grow light.
1200PAR 1200W Viparspectra dimmable LED grow light: Coverage: 4 x 4 ft (max 5 x 5 ft) – Substitute: 1000W HPS/MH grow light.

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10. Morsen Full Spectrum LED grow lights

The Morsen Full Spectrum LED grow light series is our final pick for the best LED grow lights on the market.

Morsen full spectrum LED grow lights are for serious growers with larger than average growing operations. The Morsen LED range includes very high-powered LED grow lights

The Morsen full spectrum LED range includes multiple sizes: 1500W, 1800W, 2000W and 2400W. The range is priced from $180 to $360.

Morsen’s 2400W model is one of the largest LED grow lights on the market today. It consists of 180 individual 10W LEDs. The smaller models use individual 6W LEDs. Each light includes red, blue, orange, white, infared and ultraviolet LEDs for the full spectrum light your plants need in all stages of growth.

Each lamp has two On/Off switches on the back to easily control light brightness and for convenient use.