
What are the best HID lights?
Which Bulbs Are Better, HID, or LED?
- Brightness. The very first thing we should get out of the way is the fact that HID headlights are the brightest light source out there.
- Wattage. Next, we should talk about power consumption. ...
- Working Temperature. The downside of xenon headlights is the heat these bulbs exert. ...
- The Lighting Coverage. ...
- Start-Up Time. ...
Are LED lights better than hid?
LEDs are ideal as they are brighter but do not produce the same glare that HIDs are responsible for. LEDs are compact and energy efficient. Unlike the HID, LED headlights provide instant light when turned on.
What lights are brighter hid or led?
- Improves visibility by up to 200%
- Safe and durable
- Precise focal length avoids glare
- Mercury-free
- Brighter and more efficient than halogen headlights
- Water and dust proof
- Eco-friendly
- Constructed with high quality materials
- Uniform and accurate beam pattern
Are HID headlights worth it?
This also makes HID lights ideal for driving in foggy conditions. Reduced Energy Consumption. Finally, the energy they use is minimal. They have a low running consumption, and the only time they need a lot of energy is when you’re starting them up. Disadvantages of Using HID Headlights

Are HID lights good for growing plants?
Specifically, HIDs are able to generate plenty of energy and heat, and as such, they can stimulate plants a bit better. This is because HIDs provide both light and heat energy that's beneficial for plants.
Which is better HID or LED for grow lights?
LED Grow Lights Produce Less Heat LED grow lights at a similar power level to HID grow lights produce significantly less heat. This means you won't spend as much energy on cooling with an air conditioner. It also makes them a bit better for growing in small concealed spaces.
What is the difference between HID and HPS lights?
Both Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium bulbs are part of the HID family of bulbs. The primary visual difference between them is that metal halide light is white and the light emitted from a High Pressure Sodium bulb is amber orange.
Is HPS or LED better?
Essentially, we're talking about different technologies and calling them both “HPS.” LEDs are much the same. Though they're generally more efficient than HPS (with some clocking 2.8 µmol/joule), some LEDs are less efficient than high-quality HPS fixtures, and they give you less light.
What type of light is best for growing plants indoors?
When growing most houseplants, use light bulbs between 4000 and 6000 Kelvin, as the bulb's color temperature will borrow from a full spectrum of colors—cools and warms. With these lights, you can actually mimic the growth you would get in a greenhouse or outdoors.
What lights do professional growers use?
Today, the most widely used lights for professional use are HIDs and fluorescents. Indoor flower and vegetable growers typically use high-pressure sodium (HPS/SON) and metal halide (MH) HID lights, but fluorescents and LEDs are replacing metal halides due to their efficiency and economy.
Can you use HPS for the whole grow?
If you are growing plants that flower and your budget only permits one grow light bulb for the full grow cycle, we recommend going with an enhanced-spectrum HPS because it still provides good vegetative growth and the higher intensity tends to produce better yields.
Why is HPS better for flowering?
HPS lamps emit a lot of light in the red spectrum, which improves the flowering stage, and more than average light in the blue spectrum, which is beneficial during the growth cycle of the plants.
What is better than LED lights?
XED or Xenon Energy Saving Discharge Lamps are superior to the most popular LED or Light Emitting Diodes in many ways. XED lights are better in terms of spectral contents, power consumption as well as total running life hours. They produce less glares and are clearer under foggy weather.
Can you mix LED and HPS?
The way HPS lighting should be installed is so that the light overlaps so shadows are reduced, and light penetrates in a horizontal direction. Having a mix of both HPS and LED lighting provides an ideal distribution of both diffuse and directional light.
Do commercial growers use LED lights?
Breaking down the three growth categories, the report reveals that many growers used more than one lighting technology in all stages, but LEDs were consistently the most used. In propagation, 69% reported using LEDs, 33% used fluorescent, 22% used HPS, 13% used metal halide (MH), and 9% used an “other” light source.
WHAT LED is equivalent to a 600 watt HPS?
600w LED fixtures generally have an output equal to 600 watts of HPS light.
What is the best type of grow light?
What Color Light is Best for Plant Growth? Violet-blue light in the 400 – 520 nanometer range encourages chlorophyll absorption, photosynthesis, and growth. Red light in the 610 – 720 spectrum range promotes flowering and budding.
Do LED lights make good grow lights?
Halogen and CFL light bulbs have a much better usable output for plants compared to incandescent ones. Standard LED lights can also help, but they're less efficient than grow lights that produce the exact combination of red, blue and other wavelengths needed by plants.
Why is HPS better than LED?
The heat per watt is far greater with an HPS fixture compared to LED. This technology is far more efficient in transferring energy in to light, as it produces less heat and has a higher wattage equivalency to HPS (600w vs 1000w).
How many plants can a 1000w LED light grow?
6 plantsYield Lab 1000W HPS+MH Cool Hood Reflector Grow Light Kit (Price: $239.95) — With a 1000w grow light, you'll get 130,000 lumens from an HPS bulb and 110,000 lumens from an MH bulb. That's sufficient to provide coverage for up to 6 plants.
How do HID grow lights work?
HID grow lights work by passing electricity through a hermetically-sealed ceramic or glass tube that contains a mixture of gases. The gas blend determines the color of light given off by the lamp. HID grow lights are twice as efficient as fluorescent lamps. HID lights run on the regular 120-volt current at home.
What is a HID light bulb?
HID lights are categorized as metal halide (MH) or high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights. MH lightbulbs emit cool, white light that is ideal for compact and leafy growth. HPS bulbs are used by growers who desire lots of bloom. The bulbs’ red/orange light distorts the colors of the plants they illuminate.
How many LED grow lights does a tent need?
Most growers choose from 300w to 600w LED grow lights. Small plots or tents have 300W LED grow light installed. Larger tents may require one or more Mars Hydro 600W LED panels. Beginners with smaller tents are better off getting a 300w LED growlight, which can be augmented with more panels as needed.
Why do plants need light?
Plants need light to grow, and when plants are grown indoors, there may not be any sunshine reaching them. To compensage, grow lights are used to simulate sunlight. There are different types of grow lights that indoor growers can choose from.
Why do growers use LED lights?
However, other growers take into consideration also the other types of grow lights.Many indoor growers, especially weed-growers, are inclined to use LED grow lights over types because of the focused light and longer lifespan. However, some growers are used to the HID or other types of grow lights. Growers who have become comfortable ...
What is a high intensity discharge grow light?
High-intensity discharge (HID) grow lights are the brightest grow lights available. This type of grow light may be installed in any part of your house or greenhouse to either supplement existing light source or to serve as the sole source of light for your indoor plants.
What is a grow light?
Grow Lights. A grow or plant light is an electrical light that provides an artificial source of light to stimulate the growth of plants. Grow lights achieve this function by emitting electromagnetic radiation in the visible light spectrum that simulates sunlight for the important process of photosynthesis.
What is a HID grow light?
HID grow lights have been present for a long time even before the emergence of some of the modern light fixtures such as LEDs and Plasma grow light. For numerous years, they have been the most reliable choice a cannabis grower may choose for their farm. HID bulbs contain two different types of gas that light up when you turn them on. These two gases are Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS). With a high number of HID manufacturers releasing their product to the market, it has become even harder to get a top-quality HID grow light. Due to increased competition in bringing products to the market, it impacts the quality of lamps flowing into the market.
What is a grow light for cannabis?
The grow light is especially helpful during the flowering phase of your cannabis plants. The grow light registers a high lumen and PAR value. The lamp is made of top quality products and delivers top quality results. The lamp is environmentally friendly and free from lead. The grow lamp comes with a one year warranty.
How many lumens does a 600W grow light have?
The 600W grow light can effectively cover an area ranging from 4ft by 4ft to 5ft by 5ft. The lamp can produce a vigorous light intensity of about 90,000 lumens made up of different light wavelengths comprising of the yellow, red, orange, and blue spectrum.
How many volts does an iPower 1000W use?
The iPower 1000W can as well support a power input of 120 volts and 240 volts. You may control the amount of light to that of need by the plants using the dimming feature. It, however, produces a brighter light output of about 140,000 lumens.
How long do cannabis bulbs last?
It can have a long lifespan of 24,000 hours. The bulbs provide a light spectrum that supports dense vegetative growth together with the flowering stage. The bulb has a higher blue spectrum production than any other in the market. It leads to an increase in the budding of your cannabis plants by 20 percent.
How does the wattage of a grow light affect the plant?
The wattage of a grow light also determines the distance that you should hang your grow light above the plants. The higher the wattage, the higher the amount of heat the lamp provides. Therefore, you should place it a bit further from the plants to prevent any instances of burning.
What gases are in a HID bulb?
HID bulbs contain two different types of gas that light up when you turn them on. These two gases are Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS). With a high number of HID manufacturers releasing their product to the market, it has become even harder to get a top-quality HID grow light. Due to increased competition in bringing products to ...
What is the best HID light for growing plants?
There are many forms of HID lights available today, but the two important ones are Metal Halide (MH) and High Pressure Sodium (HPS). Metal Halide lights create blueish spectrum of light that’s best to use during the vegetative stage of a plant’s grow cycle.
Why use a hide grow light?
HID grow lights are praised high and low for their intensity and full light spectrum. Especially when using high quality HID grow bulbs. This is really helpful for generating bigger yields from the plants.
How long do LED bulbs last?
Expect HID bulbs to typically last around 10,000 hours for MH and 18,000 hours for HPS. A top quality set of LEDs can last as long as 50,000 to 100,000 hours. This means they require less maintenance. And you won’t have to worry about changing bulbs over top of your active grows nearly as frequently.
How many watts does a CMH bulb use?
These are also HID grow lights, but they use one or two special CMH bulbs, usually 315 watts each. These lights put out an impressive spectrum of light that replicates natural sunlight better than any light I know of.
Why do LED lights look purplish?
They are usually combined in a specific manner to maximize the spectrum of light they produce. When the diodes are combined, they can appear to create any color to our eyes because of the way light colors mix. However, LED grow lights usually appear purplish in color as you can see in the photo above.
What are commercial lights made of?
The lights are made from special gas-filled bulbs with two electrodes inside. The electricity arcs from one electrode to the other and interacts with the gas within the bulb, generating a brilliant light.
What does HID stand for in commercials?
The acronym HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. These lights are known for their impressive light output and brightness. I have seen these used in the biggest and best commercial grows throughout the world.
DE Grow Light System
The patented SafeDElock socket ensures safe installation of DE lamps eliminating shock and fire hazards which are common with standard DE sockets.
Air-Cooled DE Grow Light System
The only air-cooled double-ended fixture with Concealed Vacuum Airflow Technology (CVAT).
CMH Grow Light System
An upgraded version of the original OG, the OG-315 was designed specifically for 315W CMH lamps. The unique specular reflector with micro-bends intensifies 315W of light far beyond any other CMH system.
SE Grow Light System
Growlite was the first horticulture lighting company to specifically design a compact fixture for reduced jacketed 600W and 1000W lamps.
Air-Cooled Grow Light System
The first air-cooled fixture to offer air cooling without light loss due to air ducting. The Concealed Vacuum Airflow Technology (CVAT) utilizes 100% of the hood's reflective surface which far outperforms any air-cooled fixture on the market.
How Do LED Grow Lights Work?
LEDs, or light emitting diode grow lights, are powered electronically.
Types of LED Grow Lights
As we mentioned earlier, LEDs are some of the most flexible, tailorable options out there when it comes to grow lights for your grow room. In terms of power, the wattages you’ll typically find LED lights in ranges from 25w to 1000w. This is thanks in large part to their chip-based makeup.
What Are the Advantages of LED Grow Lights?
If it’s not already clear, the biggest plus of using LED grow lights is probably the amount of flexibility they offer.
How Do HID Grow Lights Work?
HIDs, or high-intensity discharge grow lights, are powered by gas. There are two main types of HID grow lights: high-pressure sodium lights (HPS) and metal halide lights (MH).
Types of HID Grow Lights
Although they may not be as customizable as LED lights, you do have a few options when it comes to choosing HID grow lights.
What Are the Advantages of HID Grow Lights?
HID grow lights offer some unique benefits that you don’t typically get with LEDs. This comes in the form of their heat and light intensity.
How Do Wavelengths and Lumen Output Compare?
Since HID and LED grow lights operate in different ways, this affects both their wavelengths and the way their lumen output works.
Why are HID grow lights so popular?
These lights have been a popular choice for years because they’re cheaper, and give great results. These lights are different from typical household light bulbs in design. With HID grow lights, electrodes at either side of the light transfer a current through the gas in the bulb. Generating a lot more light in the process.
What is a ballast in a HID bulb?
Ballasts are the engine that drives your HID grow light, as they regulate the flow of electricity to the light. High-quality ballasts allow you to get optimal brightness out of your bulbs. Some ballasts are designed for MH or HPS bulbs, while others allow you to switch between the two.
How many watts do grow lights need?
Grow lights are available in a variety of wattages. Most lights come in 400, 600, or 1,000 wat ts. Depending on the size of your grow room, the wattage you’ll need will vary. As a general rule of thumb, here’s how you can translate wattage to the size of your garden. 150w covers a 2×2’ area.
Can you use air cooled reflectors in grow room?
These reflectors are the most affordable way to get air-cooled lighting in your grow room. But, they have small reflectors that allow tons of light to escape, and they also need ducting. These lights are well suited for growers who want an air-cooled reflector but are have a tight budget.
Does cannabis produce more light?
Generating a lot more light in the process. Depending on the gas inside the bulb, the light produced will be of a different color. This is awesome for growers, as cannabis plants take advantage of different color spectrum throughout their growth cycle.
Can you use HPS or MH bulbs for cannabis?
As cannabis grow better when it gets both blue and red color spectrum. Good Results: It’s possible use only HPS throughout the cycle, many many growers do. If you have to chose one, HPS is the one. Better Results: Some lights come with both, MH and HPS. Start with MH bulb as they works best for vegetative stage.
What is a HID bulb?
The bulbs inside HID grow lights are tubes filled with gas and electrodes on either end. Electricity jumps from one electrode to the other, reacting with the gas to generate bright light. While HID technology is older than LEDs, these lights have higher light output and brightness.
How many colors can a HID bulb produce?
Unlike LEDs, which can shift color depending on which diodes are illuminated, HIDs can only produce one color. The type of gas inside determines the light spectrum a bulb generates. To switch from a vegetative or full-spectrum light to a bloom configuration, you must physically change the bulb.
Why are LED bulbs cooler than HIDs?
While HIDs become more efficient the hotter they burn, LEDs are more efficient when they are cool. Too much heat in the grow room can increase moisture and condensation, which reduces airflow to the plants. Since home growers often risk overheating their grow room with HIDs, cooler LEDs are easier to work with. An LED grow light will produce more photons per watt when it is cooler.
What type of light do I need for a grow room?
When choosing grow lights for your home grow room, you have plenty of options. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an increasingly popular choice. You’ll also find many high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting systems on the market. Even within HIDs, you have a choice between high-pressure sodium (HPS), metal halide (MH) and ceramic metal halides.
How many diodes are in an LED grow light?
LED grow lights contain a grid of hundreds or even thousands of individual diodes or chips. The chips convert electricity directly into light, which is more energy-efficient than other bulb types. Each diode produces a specific color. Blending different chips can create a broad or partial light spectrum.
What color diodes do LED lights use?
Many LED lights use broad-spectrum or full-spectrum diodes, resulting in different hues of white or yellowish light. Others have higher concentrations of red or blue diodes, producing light for vegetative or flowering plants. Some LED grow lights let you control the color temperature using an app or control panel.
How much light should I dim for flowering?
During flowering, growers using lights that offer spectrum control may dim the blue lights to 50% while keeping the reds and whites at full strength.
What is the difference between LED and HID grow lights?
You might be wondering what are the differences between the two of these lights and what purpose it serves to indoor cultivation. HID grow lights have a reputable legacy established already, while the LED grow lights have currently demonstrated promising features that are hard to beat.
What is a HID light?
HID Grow Lights. High-Intensity Discharge or in the shorter term, HID. This is a type of grow light that has demonstrated impressive discharge of brightness and light. Typically, the HID grow lights are utilized by the largest commercial cannabis growing around the globe. These grow lights are made of bulbs that are filled with a special gas, ...
What are grow lights made of?
These grow lights are made of bulbs that are filled with a special gas, including two electrodes within. As the electricity transmits, it connects with the two electrodes along with the bulbs, resulting in bright light emission.
How many grams of light does a 600 watt LED grow light produce?
An HID with 600 watts’ capacity, will potentially have a coverage of 300 grams and produce 0.5 gram per watts while the LED grow light can produce 1.5 gram s in every watt. This happens because LED grow lights are made to customize the needs of cannabis plants and how much light they need.
Why are LED grow lights so efficient?
Also, the engineering process of the LED grows lights are far efficient to prevent from getting heat problems due to its smart cooling capability.
What is an LED grow light?
LED Grow Lights. Light Emitting Diode or popularly known as LED grow light is composed of thousands of LED chips that act as diodes. These diodes can produce ranges of color schemes, including infrared, blue, ultraviolet, red, and many others. Moreover, these lights are even combined to produce a maximum spectrum of light.
How long do LED grow lights last?
Although it is already an impressive duration, the LED grow lights could last up to 50,000 hours at least and a maximum of 100,000 hours. It is more worthy to invest in LED grow lights if you are concern about its durability and efficiency.

Our Top Picks Best HID Grow Lights
- iPower 400 Watt HPS MH Digital Dimmable Grow Light System
iPower has dominated the horticultural industry for more than a decade as one of the leading grow light manufacturers. The iPower 400 Watt HPS MH Digital Dimmable Grow Light System provides your plants with the necessary light it requires to rise from the seedling stage till it start… - Hydroplanet™ 600W Digital Dimmable Ballast HPS MH System
If you are looking for versatility in the type of lighting that you use, then the Hydroplanet™ Digital Dimmable Ballast HPS MH System may offer just that. You can choose to use either the MH or the HPS lamps with the fixture. You may as well decide to use both types of lamps and covert fr…
What Should You Consider When Choosing An HID Bulb
- When purchasing an HID grow light, there are several factors you should consider that affect your growing setup. By considering these matters, you can be sure of experiencing bigger and better yield during the harvesting period. Every HID grow light requires a ballast to operate. It is, therefore, essential to get the right ballast. But how do you tell if a ballast is good enough? You s…
Led vs. HID Grow Lights?
- HPS and MH bulbs have been around the market for more time than LED lamps due to their reliability in an indoor setting. The bulbs are bright, powerful, and inexpensive. However, LEDs have gone through various innovations over time and today provide similar results to HID bulbs while solving some of the problems facing the HID bulbs. With an LED lamp, you can get a full sp…
Conclusion
- The most challenging part of setting up an indoor grow roomis selecting the light to use. The competition is not only in the different brands creating lights but the different types of lamps to use. However, one of the best ways to escape this confusion is by choosing a grow light by considering the phases of your plant growth. HID light bulbs can provide you with the best result…