Affordable but good growlight for small space

The less expensive vipar and mars lights are fine.. they will get the job done. In many cases, it is actually cheaper cost of ownership if you spend a bit more upfront, and reap benefits of greater efficacy and longer lifespan (explained below in nitty-gritty). Check out first sentence of nitty-gritty to determine how much you need for your area. The cheaper lights run a bit hotter - something to consider for some climates and less important for others. more heat produced per second intrinsically means less light produced per second. Stick to something with majority LM301B or H diodes. 3000k CCT is great for both vege and bloom, but errs toward a better bloom light -- this is where it matters more. in general, the more expensive lights will save you money per month, reduce heat added in area, and last longer. It can often be the less expensive option over time depsite more upfront. It does not mean they grow better weed... as long as you provide enough umol/s per area of coverage, you will grow similar quality weed. They all do a pretty good job at providng the right wavelengths of light to the plant, nowadays -- you'll see that familiar curve that may shift left or right slightly (=CCT differences) but retains similar shape. So, the inexpensive lights with the samsung diodes are going to do a good job growing weed, too. Many contexts make the less expensive lights great options, too. So, consider cost of ownership... a couple hundred more today may save you much more than that over the months you use the light... plus longer time before you buy a replacement light. Check out alibaba. Can find a high end light for 1/2 the cost, but still more than the basic vipars/mars. the FC-XXXX models, not the FCE, by mars is an example of a higher tier light with good efficacy and likely longevity too. It's a bit high CCT, in my opinion, but still a really nice series of lights by mars... can use that as a comparison to things you find on alibaba.. it's a bit intimidating to search through alibaba, i'd understand why some don't do it. Nitty gritty, if you care.... first, work backward from area you want to fill... if 1m^2, this makes a lot of the math easy, but it's all proportional if you some algebra skills, it'll be apparent. Let's say 1m^2. By referencing a DLI chart, we can guesstimate your lower and upper limits of light relative to ambient CO2 (assume you are not adding CO2 based on context). We'll focus on 12 hours per day, as that will have the higher values than 18hours/day (again, it's all proportional). Over 12 hours per day you want at least 500-900 PPFD -- ppfd is just a fancy way of saying umol/s (intensity of photosynthetically avtive wavelengths of light) per meter-squared. If you do autoflowers, you will run your lights 18+ all the way until end. in this context you don't need as strong of a light to get similar results. Figure ~350-600 PPFD as min/max with ambient co2 with autoflowers... You can cover a larger space with a cheaper light. (not suggesting it as the better option, as there are reasons to avoid autoflowers too) if your space is less than 1 m^2, simply divide listed umol/s by the fraction of a m^2. Let's say you have have of that... so 250umol/s divided by .5m^2 is 500 PPFD. If the space is larger, it obviously reduces that listed umol/s. obviously, you need less in a smaller space and more in a larger space.... One last caveat Mid and entry level lights rarely have accurate specs. here are some simple things you can do to spot check... If you stick to models with the LM301B or H diodes, there is some simple math to double check their specifications. Dividing total number of diodes by watts will inform about the fibbing. This is directly based upon Samsung's spec sheets, which are not a lie. 0.5w per diode and greater is probably the lower range that you will find. This will only have an efficacy of 2.2-2.5umol/J at best. you simply take that value and multiple by watts.. that will tell you umol/s. if significantly different than what is advertised, they have most likely lied about it... use this guesstimate over light manufacturer's spec sheet. This greatly impacts longevity... don't expect to get ~50k-60k hours until 90% intensity running the diodes that hot.. that specification is based on the ~0.25w/diode range. it will dim faster than advertised. i'd wager 3-5 years before having some concern about it 0.35 to 0.4watts per diode is a much higher quality light... you will push 2.5-2.8umol/J with these lights... same process, multiply that range by watts... compare to spec sheet. if drasticalyl different, use this guesstimated range. (less likely to see fibs on a light like this, but also a bit more expensive). Again, won't reach the advertised ~60k hours of use until 90% intensity... it will dim faster than advertised but not as bad as previous tier. 5-7 years before it starts to dim? (again depends if autos vs photo or if vege only vs bloom only etc...) 0.25watts per diode -- this will be an expensive light. Less likely to have a complete bullshit lie about umol/s with these lights. You'll get 2.7-3.0umol/J... multiply by watts, and you get umol/s just as above. This type of light will reach 60,000 hours before it dimes to 90%. You'd probably have to replace the driver before the diodes start dimming quickly. 10 years as a bloom light would be possible. (7-10 year light) at 0.25watts per diode we are well into diminishing returns... adding more diodes doesn't help much with efficacy. No reason to go beyond that unless someone wants to waste money on purpose. these are just ballparks.. this last bit is a diminishing curve. i.e. not proportional like other bits above.

Hello, I think your plant looks really good for what you have to work with. Ideally you are looking for a min 25W/sqft input power. The mars TS600 draws a little over that but good for a 2x2 space in flower. I use a light company called invisible sun led, based in the UK. Slightly more expensive than the Mars and spider but makes up for it in less heat emitted from the light. Making my environment more controllable. It was my first light and I'm very happy with it. Mars Hydro, spider farmer...they are all good lights. Just as long as the input power is right for your space you should be fine with any.

Your light it the single most important part of the grow. Now yes Mars is on the less expensive end. However I heard their quality control and build quality kinda fall short. You want cheap you get cheap. I’m not saying Mars is bad because they do have better lights at a higher price point but the higher price point seems to be a deterrent to you. I recommend that you do some research and buy the best light your budget can afford you. Just keep in mind that to grow good weed you need a light that can push 900 PPFD/PAR minimum for flowering. Also preferably something with a dimmer. Anyway best of luck 🤙