p woodard
Valuable Member
I know you get what you pay for but they are have the price Aquarium 36 LEDs Dimmable DIY LED kit with optics
good or bad leds
- Thread starter p woodard
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poolkeeper1
Valuable Member
Up you get what you pay for, Those are not Dimmable Drivers they include a dimmer control and it looks like they are not Cree Led's nor do they tell you the Wattage of them or the type of Optic they are. Plus they all are No Name Items most likely Chinese Rip Offs. Buyer Beware I would say. JMO
Bill
Bill
Bishop
Active Member
There is a huge thread on these lights on nano-reef forums. Lead to many people buying them and many people satisfied. I recently ordered the 36 LED kit without heatsink and ordered a 4.25" x 23" heatsink from rapidLED. Haven't got it all together yet but I love what I got for the money I paid. These may not be CREE but they are still a 3w LED and the only people that have anything negative to say about them are the people that know nothing about them.
I didn't like the size options that Ray has for heatsinks which is why I ordered elsewhere.
I didn't like the size options that Ray has for heatsinks which is why I ordered elsewhere.
Bishop
Active Member
These Lights really bring the truth in that statement out... You really do get what you pay for and you get a whole lot of it without having to pay a whole lot for it.
Cree may be a better LED, I don't know. A 3w LED is a 3w LED. If there is any real difference, I would place it at the driver.
As far as optics. These are the exact same optics that are in BoostLED lamps as well as the LEDwholeseller's Dimmable PAR38 lamp. The optics sit inside a second piece that easily attaches to the LED.
I really don't think there is much difference in Bridgelux LED and Cree. The Drivers feel a little cheap but then again... these didn't cost $35 each either. As can be seen in the description image, the drivers have 6 wires. two for power, two to go to lights, and two for controlling the Pots for dimming the lights.
Do they put out light? They come with a tester (AA batter pack with two wires) I have one stuck to it and this LED seems to put out way more light than one of the LED's on my BoostLED Par30 lamps. These are not something that dissappoint the way a 1w LED does. If they put out less light that Cree then I would chalk it up to the Driver just not pushing the LED's to their limit. This could result in a longer LED life.
dakotasreef
Prestige Worldwide
A friend of mine has them and likes his. I have not seen it to compare to my cree setup.
They are bridgelux 3w leds from what I understand.
They are bridgelux 3w leds from what I understand.
poolkeeper1
Valuable Member
I know enough about Led's to tell you that you are making claims that you know little about other than it being a 3W Led. Drivers, Optics and the color range of these Led's are very important to keeping Coral alive! Being Bright does not make it a good product. Bridgelux are not bad as far as i know but what the color spectrum and NM range is makes all the difference in it being a viable kit or not?? One thing for sure is they are not high quality components that most would prefeer JMO
Bill
Bishop
Active Member
Thanx for telling me what I Know.
Your Opinion on Bridgelux LEDs is actually much lower than the opinions of the people that actually have them. That is understandable. One thing that I do know is that I could not find one person less than satisfied with what they got in looks, quality, PAR readings and most of all... Price. Read the 366 reply thread here.
poolkeeper1
Valuable Member
I Actually have some Bridgelux Led's, They came pre tinned and do not fire with the solderless connectors that i prefeer to use with Carlco Optics. I think you are taking my comments the wrong way as i am just giving my opinion on this kit and personally it does not matter to me what you buy. The Cheap Drivers and optics are not of the quality i want in my fixture as i want it to last for at least 10 years. And without being able to use the Apex with these drivers to Dim them to me that's a deal breaker for sure.
After 30 years in this hobby one thing i have learned is that the cheapest products always cost more in the long run!
Merry Christmas, And good luck with your kit...
Bill
Bishop
Active Member
finally got my 36 LED kit fired up over my tank. I really am not into the DIY crap and still got some work to do later like building a box around the rig. I am very happy with what I got for the price. The actinics really are a nice Royal Blue and overall this rig puts out an insane amount of light. Much brighter that the dual 150w MH I had on the tank previously.
I am not the person that expects for lights to last 10 years on my tank usually so the value is on my side. In the past year I have gone from t5 to mh. Now to Full LED. If I upgrade LED's, It's gonna have to be Cree and solderless if not a Ecotech Radion. As it is, I think these are a great value and may last me a long time though.
I am not the person that expects for lights to last 10 years on my tank usually so the value is on my side. In the past year I have gone from t5 to mh. Now to Full LED. If I upgrade LED's, It's gonna have to be Cree and solderless if not a Ecotech Radion. As it is, I think these are a great value and may last me a long time though.
I have been running 96 of the brideglux leds that i got from aquastyle for a few months, and my growth is great and color is awesome. I spent like a third on what i would of with the cree leds. In another few months they will have paid for themselves when i have to skip the bulb change (use to run halides and vho)
bob
bob
Bishop
Active Member
I was way overdue for a bulb change on my halides myself. My option was to replace the bulbs or replace the halide system. These almost paid for themself the moment the halides came off my tank. Got the kit with two Red LEDs. Have the reds hooked in with the actinic side. Got home last night to see my O.clowns glowing the most amazing color.
CJO
Valuable Member
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