Whether you’re looking to upgrade your current grow lights or you’re getting into growing for the first time, finding the best lighting option is no small endeavor. There are so many considerations . . . and so much information to juggle.
If you’ve decided on LED lights, congratulations! You’ve just narrowed down your search significantly, and you’ve made an excellent choice.
Top-quality LED grow lights offer the best option in terms of energy efficiency and longevity. Even better, spectrum variable LED lights equip you with total control over your output. You can adjust the light spectrum for every phase of growth, enabling you to increase yields, manage potency, and help your plants thrive.
But even though you’ve narrowed your search down to LED lights, there are still a lot of options out there. So we’ve compiled this list of our favorite LED lights for each type of grow operation.
What Will I Learn?
Best LED Grow Light for In-Home Growing
If you’re looking for a personal LED grow light and aren’t prepared to go heavy-duty with the SolarSystem® series, California LightWorks offers an affordable, quality option for home growers by way of the SolarXtreme® series. These full-spectrum lights feature the exclusive Optigrow light spectrum as well as the new COB (chip on board) LED design that makes these lights high-efficiency at a much lower cost than typical LED grow lights. The best light for you depends largely on the needs for your specific setup, but we’re suckers for extensive coverage, so we especially love this one:
The SolarXtreme® 1000
This light has the highest wattage in the series at 800 watts. It also has the greatest coverage area at an impressive 25 square feet. The SolarXtreme® 1000 was designed with grow tents and home-growing in mind, so if you have a small scale operation, you know this LED grow light has been made for your exact needs.
With this state-of-the-art personal LED grow light, you can expect:
- Low heat signature to reduce energy costs and protect your yield
- 5’ x 5’ coverage area
- 1-year warranty
- 500 PPFD Distance of 38”
- 800 PPFD Distance of 28”
- Direct AC drive technology (no need for LED drivers)
If you’re looking for a smaller unit, lower wattage, or need less coverage, you should also check out the SolarXtreme® 250 and the SolarXtreme® 500.
Best LED Grow Light for Commercial Indoor Operation
Every LED light in California LightWorks’ SolarSystem® series is constructed with top shelf Osram LEDs for the highest efficiency in the market. They are manufactured in the U.S. and feature an exclusive Digital Spectrum Control. We love every light in this series, but for simplicity’s sake, we’ll just get you caught up on our very favorite.
In-home growers take note: While these lights were designed with commercial operations in mind, their beginner-friendly design and U.S.-based customer support makes the SolarSystem® series a great option for personal operations as well.
SolarSystem® 1100 UVB
The SolarSystem® 1100 UVB should be first choice for the grower who’s not messing around. This product combines California LightWorks’ most powerful LED light, the SolarSystem® 1100, with the SolarSystem® UVB for the best possible yields. The package includes 1 SolarSystem® 1100, 2 SolarSystem® UVB, and a pair of brackets for mounting the UVBs to the 1100. This unit can be used as a single grow light system, or several of the 1100 UVBS can easily be chained together for a large-scale grow operation.
Here’s a quick glimpse at the two lights that make up the SolarSystem® 1100 UVB:
The SolarSystem® 1100 features:
- Fully programmable spectrum control
- 0-100% dimming
- High efficiency (2.23 umol/j and 0-800-W power consumption)
- Replacement for 1000-watt HPS, reducing energy use by 40%
The SolarSystem® UVB features:
- 25 watts of UVB from T5 flourescent
- Increased potency in plants when used during last few weeks of flowering
With these products combined in the SolarSystem® 1100 UVB, you can expect:
- Easy installation
- Maximized photosynthesis
- Higher yields and a better quality product
- Active thermal management system with peak operating temperature of 107 degrees
- 4×4 bloom coverage area
- Maximum wattage: 24 W
- 5-Year Warranty
- Lifespan of 50,000+ hours
Best LED Grow Light for Greenhouse Operation
Supplemental greenhouse lighting can be . . . complicated. You need to find a light versatile enough to give your plants the light they need in every season and at any hour without interfering with their access to natural light. For these special needs, we love this light from California LightWorks:
The GHPro340
Created specifically for use in greenhouses, the GHPro340 features a streamlined design to prevent shadowing. Even with its slim profile, this supplemental LED grow light covers a wide area and boasts industry-leading efficiency.
Here are all the nitty-gritty details on this powerhouse of a light:
- High efficiency: maximum 340 watts with up to 3.0 micromoles per joule
- Chainable with potential for up to 10 fixtures per power drop
- Fully integrated drivers
- Passive cooling, no fans
- Integrates with wireless photo sensor for automatic light balancing
- Wireless two-channel variable spectrum control
- Made in California
- 5-year warranty
No matter how large or small your operation is, you can always find the most cutting edge LED grow lights at California LightWorks. These lighting systems offer the highest efficiency and best quality on the market. None of our LEDs are made in China, and all our products are assembled in the U.S. with U.S.-based customer support.
If you’d like to learn more about our products or ask questions about finding the best spectrum variable LED grow lights for your unique operation, please feel free to contact us at any time. We love talking to growers, and we love helping you find the perfect solution for your needs.
