Maxspect Razor or Zetlight Qmaven II? Other options?

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Looking for a more budget friendly but powerful lighting option for a 48" tank (tank-mount only; hanging not an option). Kessil, Radion way too much money for good coverage and I was disappointed with my AI Prime HD's so I'm avoiding AI. I have a 36" T5 fixture but was concerned about the weight on the tank's glass when mounting and I don't think it will provide enough PAR. Was looking at:

Reefbreeders Photon 48 -- Best option but always sold out and appears to have worst disco ball effect
Zetlight Qmaven II 6800 -- Cheapest option but app sucks according to reviews
Maxspect Razer 200 or 300w fixtures -- Middle ground but worst shimmer according to reviews and not a fan of the spread

I think all of these fixtures, on my 48" tank, support flipping the tank mount brackets to get a nice height for light dispersion (normally they mount like 6" off the water but with the brackets flipped it's like 10-12").

I will likely make my own diffuser and skirts (for spill) for all of these lights which will probably give it more of a T5 look so shimmer probably isn't a big deal at this point.

Keeping softies, LPS, and SPS at the top.

Looking for people's experiences on these or any better ideas?

 

[Sheripie]

Looking for a more budget friendly but powerful lighting option for a 48" tank (tank-mount only; hanging not an option). Kessil, Radion way too much money for good coverage and I was disappointed with my AI Prime HD's so I'm avoiding AI. I have a 36" T5 fixture but was concerned about the weight on the tank's glass when mounting and I don't think it will provide enough PAR. Was looking at:

Reefbreeders Photon 48 -- Best option but always sold out and appears to have worst disco ball effect
Zetlight Qmaven II 6800 -- Cheapest option but app sucks according to reviews
Maxspect Razer 200 or 300w fixtures -- Middle ground but worst shimmer according to reviews and not a fan of the spread

I think all of these fixtures, on my 48" tank, support flipping the tank mount brackets to get a nice height for light dispersion (normally they mount like 6" off the water but with the brackets flipped it's like 10-12").

I will likely make my own diffuser and skirts (for spill) for all of these lights which will probably give it more of a T5 look so shimmer probably isn't a big deal at this point.

Looking for people's experiences on these or any better ideas?

May I ask are you keeping sps LPS or softies?
I'd suggest have a look at illumagic x mini... 2 of them, it come with hanging kit but you can buy mounting for little extra money.
I'm using them and very happy with the result.. Just bought x-60 (2ft model) today for my upcoming tank

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

May I ask are you keeping sps LPS or softies?
I'd suggest have a look at illumagic x mini... 2 of them, it come with hanging kit but you can buy mounting for little extra money.
I'm using them and very happy with the result.. Just bought x-60 (2ft model) today for my upcoming tank

Edited my first post to add that info. Standard mixed reef with soft, LPS, SPS; SPS only at the top.

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

Ordered a couple 360x's and the controller. I will add a 3rd and T5 strips when the tank matures. I hate the disco effect and they're really the only fixture that completely eliminates it.

I had 3 360we's and 2 t5 strips over my old 525xl and it looked epic so will aim to achieve that in the next year or so when the tank matures.

For anyone else reading, the options I gave in my OP all had mounting height and spread issues (though the Reef Breeders lights were still a strong option). The Orphek Atlantik started to look like a great option but I had concerns with the disco effect and also people's frustration with the terrible user experience.

The Radions look great but, again, have a disco effect (unacceptable for their asking price), AND the mounting hardware is a slaughter. I have vortechs and wasn't impressed with the quality vs money spent (though continue to buy and use them because of the appearance and power) which turned me off of the Radions as well.

The Kessils aren't as powerful and have more shadowing issues but those problems are easily fixed in a more budget friendly way with T5's down the road. Kessil's hardware (looks and quality) is top notch, they come in at a decent price, and have a handheld controller which is a huge plus (all of these awful outsourced apps are infuriating to use and bluetooth sucks). I dunked a couple of my previous 360's in the tank and had no issues disassembling them, rinsing in RO, drying, and getting them working. Also their customer service is fantastic.

So, those budget friendly options are cheaper and more effective up front, but long-term IMO the Kessil's are the way to go (or any high-end modular fixture).

Hope this helps other people searching for opinions.