AquaIllumination Blade Announced

[rtparty]

Does that mean one can adjust Grow to AB+ being less efficient and Glow can be AB+ being more efficient yet both can be run as Pro or Blue as desired similar to G5/G6?

They are controllable but don't have as many colors as the Radions. Not sure it is truly needed but the jury is still out on that.

I found you can't run AB+ on all Radions even though they claim that. Put a Pro next to a Blue and set both to AB+. They look nothing alike. The Blue is WAY too blue for AB+.

ReefDudes' video from yesterday does a good job going over them and showing both off with PAR readings

 

[GARRIGA]

They are controllable but don't have as many colors as the Radions. Not sure it is truly needed but the jury is still out on that.

I found you can't run AB+ on all Radions even though they claim that. Put a Pro next to a Blue and set both to AB+. They look nothing alike. The Blue is WAY too blue for AB+.

ReefDudes' video from yesterday does a good job going over them and showing both off with PAR readings

Noticed his video. Haven't watched it yet but saw several others. I'll check it out.

Not a fan of Blue tanks and why I got the Pro but haven't opened it yet and curious how they compare to the Blades. Sounds like the Grow being more comparable with the Pro as you stated and don't need all the adjustments but do want my fish to show best. Within reason. Hard balancing the corals and fish for best aesthetics.

 

[enb141]

This is just me, and I'm not going to read through 7 pages to see if someone else mentioned it, but it looks as if AI is trying to get in on the Current Orbit IC light scene. I have had the Current Orbit lights for a while now, and do not have any issues with them. Only funny thing is, when I bought these lights, they were considered a lesser to the "fancy, flashy, shiny, new" technology. Advertising definitely has its place.

Current USA took the idea of T5 then AI took the idea of Current USA, the difference is in that they are more powerful.

I'm like you, I currently have 1 Current USA strip in a combination with one G3 Radion XR15, so now I'm thinking about adding one Blade and replace my old Radion with a ReeFi

Kind of like how Ferrari is trying to jump into the Hyundai scene?

Comparing the Blade to the Current IC is pretty far out there. They are both a light and that is where the similarities end

Not necessarily, the Blades have better power probably better colors but I would say the distance is more like comparing a Ferrari with an Audi.

In other words the Current USA are much better than those el cheapo Amazon nameless chinese lights, but the Blade are better than the Current USA, but how better? I don't know.

 

[Hooz]

Grow equals Pro and Glow equals Blue

(Yes, there is slightly less spectrum but this at least helps understand the colors a little more.)

I mean, except the Pro and Blue both offer the FULL spectrum, with the Blue replacing some of the Pro's white LEDs for extra blue ones. The majority of the core spectrum (basically AB+) remains the same with each light.

The Grow and Glow are completely different animals. The Grow contains none of the "UV" (low end) of the full spectrum, and the Glow contains none of the white (high end) of the full spectrum.

This is really my ONLY gripe with the Blade. You have to have BOTH the Grow and Glow to get the full spectrum.

On a tank that would require multiple Blades, it's not as big a deal. I have one tank that would need three total strips, so two Grows and a Glow would work fine. I have another tank that would only need one Blade (at probably 60% power), so which do I pick? Or, do I spend more than double the money to buy a second Blade that I don't need, just so I can get growth AND pop on that tank?

I would've much rather that they offered a "full spectrum", tunable option. Like a long, skinny AI Prime. The you could just get however many strips your setup required and not have to worry about missing all the other important parts of the spectrum.

 

[rtparty]

Current USA took the idea of T5 then AI took the idea of Current USA, the difference is in that they are more powerful.

I'm like you, I currently have 1 Current USA strip in a combination with one G3 Radion XR15, so now I'm thinking about adding one Blade and replace my old Radion with a ReeFi


Not necessarily, the Blades have better power probably better colors but I would say the distance is more like comparing a Ferrari with an Audi.

In other words the Current USA are much better than those el cheapo Amazon nameless chinese lights, but the Blade are better than the Current USA, but how better? I don't know.

Nah. Even Audi has the R8.

Nothing Current makes is quality IMO. I’ve used or tested a ton of their stuff going back to Ecoxotic days. The Quanta bars are Amazon specials just redone and they are definitely ahead of Current.

 

[enb141]

I mean, except the Pro and Blue both offer the FULL spectrum, with the Blue replacing some of the Pro's white LEDs for extra blue ones. The majority of the core spectrum (basically AB+) remains the same with each light.

The Grow and Glow are completely different animals. The Grow contains none of the "UV" (low end) of the full spectrum, and the Glow contains none of the white (high end) of the spectrum.

This is really my ONLY gripe with the Blade. You have to have BOTH the Grow and Glow to get the full spectrum.

That's what I've been mentioning before, they want to sell more lights, in order to do that, they are releasing 2 models so they are forcing us to buy two instead of one, or at least 33% more lights (2 grow + 1 glow)

 

[rtparty]

I mean, except the Pro and Blue both offer the FULL spectrum, with the Blue replacing some of the Pro's white LEDs for extra blue ones. The majority of the core spectrum (basically AB+) remains the same with each light.

The Grow and Glow are completely different animals. The Grow contains none of the "UV" (low end) of the full spectrum, and the Glow contains none of the white (high end) of the spectrum.

This is really my ONLY gripe with the Blade. You have to have BOTH the Grow and Glow to get the full spectrum.

No LED unit has full spectrum. They all lack in something if one wants “full” spectrum comparable to a halide or daylight T5.

The Grow’s spectrum is almost spot on with a Blue Plus T5 but has more white

I highly suspect we see a Radion style Blade in the future with more channels and higher cost

 

[rtparty]

That's what I've been mentioning before, they want to sell more lights, in order to do that, they are releasing 2 models so they are forcing us to buy two instead of one, or at least 33% more lights (2 grow + 1 glow)

T5 companies were making different bulbs just so we would buy more?

Looking at the clusters in each Blade, there was only so many they could add before blending became a challenge.

 

[enb141]

Nah. Even Audi has the R8.

Nothing Current makes is quality IMO. I’ve used or tested a ton of their stuff going back to Ecoxotic days. The Quanta bars are Amazon specials just redone and they are definitely ahead of Current.

In my case, I have tried several Current USA products, non are high quality but they are not junk either, for example I'm using their return pumps because those are the only ones that I found that can tune them between 0-100% at a low price, the rest Ecotech costs 3 or 4 times more at least and after 3 years they are still working without issues.

Their circulation pumps are bad, I replaced them with AI, back when I bought the Current USA AI didn't have circulation pumps so I had to replace them because one of the pumps was failing, the second smaller one I'm still using it for my freshwater tank.

The Current USA lights, I use it to fill give a more light spread and cover some gaps that my Radion can't cover.

 

[Hooz]

No LED unit has full spectrum. They all lack in something if one wants “full” spectrum comparable to a halide or daylight T5.

The Grow’s spectrum is almost spot on with a Blue Plus T5 but has more white

I highly suspect we see a Radion style Blade in the future with more channels and higher cost

As noted in my original post, the "full spectrum" I was referring to was basically the AB+ spectrum, which has proven to be the "standard" by which reef lighting is measured... for better or worse.

In general, Radions (Pro and Blue) offer all the important components of AB+. Primes/Hydras offer all the important components of AB+. The Blades do NOT, without buying multiple versions.

 

[enb141]

T5 companies were making different bulbs just so we would buy more?

Looking at the clusters in each Blade, there was only so many they could add before blending became a challenge.

T5 were limited to what they could produce but still, Yes they were forcing you to buy at least one more light to get the color you want.

 

[nereefpat]

Current lights are pretty weak, and I wouldn't recommend them for anything but fish only or really shallow tanks with LPS/soft corals. I guess I don't get why Blades would be seen as being that much more powerful.

A 4' Current PRO is 96 Watts. A 4' Blade is 100 Watts. Sure, you can run multiples, but can't you do that with Currents? It looks like Blades are 3" wide instead of 7.5", so that would make it easier to run several.

 

[enb141]

Current lights are pretty weak, and I wouldn't recommend them for anything but fish only or really shallow tanks with LPS/soft corals. I guess I don't get why Blades would be seen as being that much more powerful.

A 4' Current PRO is 96 Watts. A 4' Blade is 100 Watts. Sure, you can run multiples, but can't you do that with Currents? It looks like Blades are 3" wide instead of 7.5", so that would make it easier to run several.

Half the wide sounds nice, by weak I mean that you can't use them for SPS, at least you would need 3, so instead of that I use them as a companion of my G3 Radion XR15.

The same could be applied to AI Blades, 1 or 2 Blades with 1 or 2 ReeFi

 

[ScottD]

Current lights are pretty weak, and I wouldn't recommend them for anything but fish only or really shallow tanks with LPS/soft corals. I guess I don't get why Blades would be seen as being that much more powerful.

A 4' Current PRO is 96 Watts. A 4' Blade is 100 Watts. Sure, you can run multiples, but can't you do that with Currents? It looks like Blades are 3" wide instead of 7.5", so that would make it easier to run several.

Comparing watts isn’t always the best relationship of light output. I’d take one radion xr30 over 2 of the 4’ current pros any day. Probably 2 AI prime 16s would be better than 2 current pros on a 4’ tank at almost half the wattage.

 

[nereefpat]

Comparing watts isn’t always the best relationship of light output.

Not always, no, especially comparing LED to MH or T5. But between 2 different LED fixtures with the same form, similar wattage should get you pretty darn close to lumens. Wattage = power. Red Sea 50 v AI Prime, or 2 different LED bars, or a Hydra 32 v XR15 for example.

I’d take one radion xr30 over 2 of the 4’ current pros any day.

Yeah, that's an apples to oranges situation. 192 watts over a 4' tank with the Currents wouldn't be my choice for corals either. Neither would a single xr30, as no way do I believe a single 11" LED panel would cover that area. 2 XR15s might be an okay choice.

Probably 2 AI prime 16s would be better than 2 current pros on a 4’ tank at almost half the wattage.

Could be. I don't think a single prime covers a 2' area very well either.

 

[ScottD]

Not always, no, especially comparing LED to MH or T5. But between 2 different LED fixtures with the same form, similar wattage should get you pretty darn close to lumens. Wattage = power. Red Sea 50 v AI Prime, or 2 different LED bars, or a Hydra 32 v XR15 for example.

Circuit design, wifi modules, efficiency of the individual leds, how much of that power is being converted to heat instead of light amongst others affect how much that input power of 96 watts is related to actual lumens outputted.

 

[SoggyNW]

I keep looking at these and the biggest sticking point for me keeps coming back to price. The single module unit starts at $139 which makes sense you have to pay for all the other components plus the actual light. But then each additional module goes +$50, +$50, +$90, +$70, +$100, +$100. The heck is that, the price per module should go down not up. Unless they are loosing money on 2&3 module units I can't see how they can put this out and not charge $50 per additional module.

 

[liddojunior]

I keep looking at these and the biggest sticking point for me keeps coming back to price. The single module unit starts at $139 which makes sense you have to pay for all the other components plus the actual light. But then each additional module goes +$50, +$50, +$90, +$70, +$100, +$100. The heck is that, the price per module should go down not up. Unless they are loosing money on 2&3 module units I can't see how they can put this out and not charge $50 per additional module.

It’s not the module that adds cost. This one makes sense in terms of size and shipping. Once you hit certain lengths shipping cost increases a lot, Im think that certain lengths just cost them much more to ship parts between and out of factories

 

[ScottD]

It’s not the module that adds cost. This one makes sense in terms of size and shipping. Once you hit certain lengths shipping cost increases a lot, Im think that certain lengths just cost them much more to ship parts between and out of factories

It’s also each additional module adds more power requirements so wiring has to change and power supplies has to be increased.

 

[GARRIGA]

Food for thought. Four 48" blades costs approximately $1,600 and get T5 like spread over a 120. Seems like enough PAR to grow SPS with less hot spots with better spread. Going to need (2) G6 XR30 or (3) G6 XR15 to get the same spread and PAR requirements. Won't have the same flexibility with spectrum but seems cheaper after taking into account mount options. XR15/XR30 are about $120 each. :thinking-face:

(2) Grow and (2) Glow me thinks.