Kessil Lights: Why is everyone selling them?

Gil03 · Jun 9, 2017

I have a 50 gallon cube and for the first two years I used AI for my light source, Although the programming and features were great on it I was not happy with growth nor color on my corals overall. Since then I swapped the AI out with a Kessil A360we and what a difference all around this light has been in comparison. I don't need to tool around with several different channels, i set the intensity and color and the unit does the rest for me. I've developed colors on paly's, lobo's, clams, acans, meat corals that I never had with the AI fixture. My biggest observation were some brown paly's that just looked like garbage and quite honestly I tried to give them away to other hobbyists with no luck, after being under the A360 for a few months they've since turned a light neon green and an amazing deep neon green slit at the mouth, needless to say they're wanted now lol. I'll be upgrading to a 125 gallon rimless very soon and I am certain to stay with Kessil's simply because I've seen tremendous growth and color from softies and LPS, I can't speak to SPS much because I don't really have much besides an acro i just picked up but I will say my monti's color is bright and it has grown faster under the kessil's as well. FYI my unit is nowhere near running at full power so I'm not sure what people mean by their not powerful...

HolisticBear · Jun 9, 2017

Gil03 said:
I have a 50 gallon cube and for the first two years I used AI for my light source, Although the programming and features were great on it I was not happy with growth nor color on my corals overall. Since then I swapped the AI out with a Kessil A360we and what a difference all around this light has been in comparison. I don't need to tool around with several different channels, i set the intensity and color and the unit does the rest for me. I've developed colors on paly's, lobo's, clams, acans, meat corals that I never had with the AI fixture. My biggest observation were some brown paly's that just looked like garbage and quite honestly I tried to give them away to other hobbyists with no luck, after being under the A360 for a few months they've since turned a light neon green and an amazing deep neon green slit at the mouth, needless to say they're wanted now lol. I'll be upgrading to a 125 gallon rimless very soon and I am certain to stay with Kessil's simply because I've seen tremendous growth and color from softies and LPS, I can't speak to SPS much because I don't really have much besides an acro i just picked up but I will say my monti's color is bright and it has grown faster under the kessil's as well. FYI my unit is nowhere near running at full power so I'm not sure what people mean by their not powerful...

Thanks for sharing. I have an AI and I've wondering the same thing. Tagging @GoVols

RoyalGrammaJohn · Jun 9, 2017

Okay first of all. Kessil makes their OWN leds. So they are able to put way more power into much fewer led chips on the fixture because of that. So you can't go by wattage really with kessil because there not using as many led chips on the fixture but they pack more punch. I have two a160s on my 55 gallon and there great. It also depends how high or low you keep the fixtures. I personally think they perfectly strong enough for sps.

GoVols · Jun 9, 2017

MrMichael said:
Thanks for sharing. I have an AI and I've wondering the same thing. Tagging @GoVols

JMO...
The AI's are nice but their optics are very tight like 80 degree optics. Also there colors are not pre-mixed.
The Kessils W's have a real wide spread right out of the gate, the colors are mixed coming from the lens and the Kessil Logic does the rest.
You still need to buy enough Kessil's to get the spread right.

SPS grwoth?????
Has anybody seen Slief's Kessil 500 gallon build.

Here's one of mine below.
April 13th

June 5th

dragon99 · Jun 9, 2017

RoyalGrammaJohn said:
Okay first of all. Kessil makes their OWN leds. So they are able to put way more power into much fewer led chips on the fixture because of that. So you can't go by wattage really with kessil because there not using as many led chips on the fixture but they pack more punch. I have two a160s on my 55 gallon and there great. It also depends how high or low you keep the fixtures. I personally think they perfectly strong enough for sps.

I think Kessil makes great lights, but don't buy into all of their marketing speak, the numbers are what matter. And there's a reason they don't publish them.

Gil03 · Jun 9, 2017

I would really find it hard to believe that someone could assert that Kessil's aren't powerful enough and or that they don't grow or color up corals as good as any other premium fixture on the market and up against T5's or halides I'd choose Led's all day long especially as the technology progresses.

GoVols · Jun 9, 2017

Gil03 said:
I would really find it hard to believe that someone could assert that Kessil's aren't powerful enough and or that they don't grow or color up corals as good as any other premium fixture on the market and up against T5's or halides I'd choose Led's all day long especially as the technology progresses.

I will take great spread and technology over a par monster any day of the week.

hart24601 · Jun 9, 2017

dragon99 said:
I think Kessil makes great lights, but don't buy into all of their marketing speak, the numbers are what matter. And there's a reason they don't publish them.

+1 exactly!

Use what you like but just be aware of pro/cons. Just because you like something doesn't mean it's perfect. Notice that is a g15 vs a360...

GoVols · Jun 9, 2017

dragon99 said:
I think Kessil makes great lights, but don't buy into all of their marketing speak, the numbers are what matter. And there's a reason they don't publish them.

Bose Audio does not publish anything either but my Lifestyle surround system sure sounds good.

Fr4nkthet4nk · Jun 9, 2017

I want two of them but too expensive.

dragon99 · Jun 9, 2017

GoVols said:
Bose Audio does not publish anything either but my Lifestyle surround system sure sounds good.

That pretty much sums up both sides of the argument. Some will argue that you paid too much for it, or that something else sounds better, but at the end of the day you are happy with what you have.

Back to the thread's topic. I think there are lots of Kessil's for sale because they sold LOTS of them. The 360 at least is fairly old tech, and we like our new toys.

hart24601 · Jun 9, 2017

GoVols said:
Bose Audio does not publish anything either but my Lifestyle surround system sure sounds good.

That's a great analogy to Bose really.

HolisticBear · Jun 9, 2017

dragon99 said:
I think Kessil makes great lights, but don't buy into all of their marketing speak, the numbers are what matter. And there's a reason they don't publish them.

I've seen that chart and I find it hard to believe. People have growth with Kessil and is that really at peak PAR of 40? There are no shortage of bad data from inaccurate hobby test kits of PAR meetings. BRS testing showing the Apogee meter had a fundamental flaw, basic 101 testing, makes me the question the quality of those PAR measurements.

Unpowered and lower PAR than a Radion is one thing, saying it has average PAR of 24 and Peak of 40 yet corals thrive seems to imply lighting is more complicated than PAR or the data is incorrect. Is this like measuring the quality of a race-car purely by the HP number alone? I don't pretend to grok lighting complexities, but 20 & 40 PAR have to raise some doubts.

SashimiTurtle · Jun 9, 2017

GoVols said:
Bose Audio does not publish anything either but my Lifestyle surround system sure sounds good.

[emoji122] [emoji122] [emoji122]

Gil03 · Jun 9, 2017

dragon99 said:
That pretty much sums up both sides of the argument. Some will argue that you paid too much for it, or that something else sounds better, but at the end of the day you are happy with what you have.

Back to the thread's topic. I think there are lots of Kessil's for sale because they sold LOTS of them. The 360 at least is fairly old tech, and we like our new toys.

IMO I think with the bells and whistles that a fixture like say AI's hydra 52/26HD has it leaves kessil owners wondering when the hell their gonna get a pendant that has the wifi built in and a simple phone app that you can download instead of a dated controller. Now that's not speaking about kessil's ability to grow or color up coral but it may have something to do with why someone would sell their unit in favor of an AI unit or something comparable that has features like say Storm mode and a simple app. I'm a tech nut myself and am intrigued by the latest greatest but I can't deny the production I've gotten from the 360we and IMO the look of the pendant is more sexy than most of the fixtures on the market.

siggy · Jun 9, 2017

Mr_Banana_Pants said:
I'm noticing the only kessil that people are not happy with is the 160 and 360... I'm ordering an ap700 this week so I got my fingers crossed it'll do a 36x18x18 well

I wanted to do a 700 but the 48" wouldnt work unless i did 2 , too much $$$$$

bif24701 · Jun 9, 2017

I have a PAR meter. APEX PMK which is just an Apogee 210. My Lowest PAR in my entire system at 8" and 70% intensity is just under 200. The AP700 has plenty of power and so much in fact I've learn that of you do not feed the corals and have proper NO3/PO4 they will bleach the corals due to high intensity. I keep NO3 >5ppm and PO4 ~.04. This has been the perfect ratio for colorful and fast growing SPS/Acros. My lights are 8.5" from water 8 hour peak and two 60" T5s ATI Blue Plus for 10 hours. I've got 400-600 PAR on most all my Acros.