Identifying strength of LED Lights

murihikukid · August 30, 2016

Hi..AS usual I am still looking at LED Lighting....When I go to ebay I see a
3W 36 Led Panel Grow Light listed....Does this mean there are 36 x 3W light diodes on the panel within the bulb...and does that equate to 108W of light...the equivilant of a 100W incadescent bulb..

Thanks Ron

Worth1 · August 30, 2016

Hard to tell because there is no standardization for light descriptions.
If its output is the equivalent of a 100 watt light it is a rip off.
Anything named (Grow Light) is a rip off in my opinion.
Ebay is crawling with rip offs.
Here is an example of robbery.
The guy buys 2 CFL lights and a Y connector and sells them for 17.00 on Ebay.
This is like 10 times the cost to do it yourself.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200-WATT-CFL...wAAOSwiLdV~Ajw

Scooty · August 30, 2016

There are multiple issues when comparing LED to a bulb. If its pure white, neither are really efficient cause you want more red and blue and even then you need to compare PAR not lumens. As a rule of thumb, LEDs are the way to go simply because they are more energy efficient and waste less heat, which mean less burnt tops or stressed scions for tomato greenhouse growers.

ChrisK has a great writeup on his blog about a DIY LED setup for seedlings.

dmforcier · August 30, 2016

"Watts" refers to power consumption, and has no connection to light output level. There should be a specification for lumens or the equivalent. If there isn't, you can't make a reasonable comparison.

Take advantage of eBay's messaging to ask the seller questions. Chances are you'll find out whether he knows what he's doing.

Gardeneer · August 30, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by murihikukid

Hi..AS usual I am still looking at LED Lighting....When I go to ebay I see a
3W 36 Led Panel Grow Light listed....Does this mean there are 36 x 3W light diodes on the panel within the bulb...and does that equate to 108W of light...the equivilant of a 100W incadescent bulb..

Thanks Ron

If I had to make an educated guess , "3W 36 Led Panel" means that there are 36 LED incorporated in the panel each with 3 watt consumption. That would be a total of 108 watts or 3 time as much wattage as a T8 - 48" bulb. JMO

Scooty · August 30, 2016

If this is about the E26/E27 bulbs. The 3W rating is for the whole bulb, but the aren't really cost effective options if you're going LED honestly.

August 30, 2016	#1
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Identifying strength of LED Lights Hi..AS usual I am still looking at LED Lighting....When I go to ebay I see a 3W 36 Led Panel Grow Light listed....Does this mean there are 36 x 3W light diodes on the panel within the bulb...and does that equate to 108W of light...the equivilant of a 100W incadescent bulb.. Thanks Ron

August 30, 2016	#4
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	"Watts" refers to power consumption, and has no connection to light output level. There should be a specification for lumens or the equivalent. If there isn't, you can't make a reasonable comparison. Take advantage of eBay's messaging to ask the seller questions. Chances are you'll find out whether he knows what he's doing. __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

August 30, 2016	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Hard to tell because there is no standardization for light descriptions. If its output is the equivalent of a 100 watt light it is a rip off. Anything named (Grow Light) is a rip off in my opinion. Ebay is crawling with rip offs. Here is an example of robbery. The guy buys 2 CFL lights and a Y connector and sells them for 17.00 on Ebay. This is like 10 times the cost to do it yourself. http://www.ebay.com/itm/200-WATT-CFL...wAAOSwiLdV~Ajw

August 30, 2016	#3
Scooty Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Chicago-land & SO-cal Posts: 583	There are multiple issues when comparing LED to a bulb. If its pure white, neither are really efficient cause you want more red and blue and even then you need to compare PAR not lumens. As a rule of thumb, LEDs are the way to go simply because they are more energy efficient and waste less heat, which mean less burnt tops or stressed scions for tomato greenhouse growers. ChrisK has a great writeup on his blog about a DIY LED setup for seedlings.