I've become a pretty big nerd when it comes to LED grow lights. I'm constantly researching lighting and companies often email me with offers to send me over their newest lights to use in my grow. 95% of those offers I'll decline because the light just isn't good - to be frank. Recently though, I was offered a grow light that really caught my eye.
Growers Choice collaborated with Top Shelf Lighting and they sent me over their brand new LED grow light - the ROI E-680. Looking at the specs on paper, this light is an absolute beast! It comes in a plain brown box and it’s packaged very good. The light comes folded up and easily unfolds. When unfolded, the dimensions are 42.4” x 42” x 2.4”. It weighs 30 lbs and comes with wire hangers, a 240v adapter, 9’ connecting cable, and an instruction manual. I personally prefer light ratchets instead of wire hangers, so I got a few sets from Happy Hydro.
Tip for hanging: I like to put the fixture on the floor, connect the light ratchets, and then pull on the rope to lift the light off the floor - instead of trying to hold the light up off the floor and connecting at the same time.
This is a full spectrum LED grow light that pulls 680 watts from the wall full power. It does have a dimmer on it so you can adjust the light output down to 80%, 60% or 40%. PAR output comes in at a whopping 1700 umol/s PPF and PAR efficacy is 2.5 umol/j. Not sure what that means? Click here to check out my LED grow light buyers guide for an explanation. This is a very efficient light with one of the highest PAR outputs that I’ve seen on a LED grow light to date. It has an 8-bar design which allows for the light to be evenly distributed across the grow space. The manufacturer recommends this grow light for a 4'x4' or 5'x5' grow space hanging at a distance of at least 8” above the canopy. 12-18” above the canopy may be better if using in the larger grow space or if the plants are in the vegetation stage. I personally will be using this grow light in a 4'x4' grow space.
This LED grow light has top bin OSRAM diodes that have a lifespan of 54,000 hours. Some of the diodes are 660nm which is known to be beneficial for flowering. The light spectrum, as shown above, is Growers Choice famous 3k CMH full phase spectrum. The unit is passively cooled so there aren’t any active cooling fans using up wattage. It is compatible with the Grower's Choice Master Lighting controller which will allow you to control things such as: timed on/off, sunrise/sunset, and shows precise temperature readings. This grow light has several safety certifications - ETL, CE certification, as well as IP65 waterproof. It comes with a 5-year full warranty.
I personally think this LED grow light is one of the best on the market today. Quality components, extremely high PAR output, efficient, and the price comes in lower than a lot of the LED grow lights that cover the same area. I’ll definitely be using this one in my garden. You can get one on the Happy Hydro website here. Or, LED Grow Light Depot also sells this light here. What do you think about this grow light? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
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