Finding a suitable grow light is crucial for indoor growers who expect large yields. In recent years, LED grow lights have achieved a high reputation with their full-spectrum coverage, cost-effectiveness, and low heat emission. These features make LED lights stand out from HIDs, HPSs, MHs, and so on. But how to pick up the best or right one from those hundreds of LED grow lights in the market?
Regardless of the price, researching before purchasing is of great importance. To choose the right one, you have to make a meaningful comparison among these hot sale ones. Here, we list some options of the best indoor grow LED grow light 2021 for small grow areas, considering their efficiency, power, PAR, Lumen, and other key specifics.
ViparSpectra XS1000
Build with the latest Samsung LM301B LEDs, XS1000 has become the most popular small LED light since it came to the market in March this year. It shines brightly with high luminous efficacy of 161.42 lm/w (PS: Luminous efficacy refers to the number of lumens a bulb/light produces for each watt it consumes). In real testing, the input power of XS1000 has reached up to 121.34W, though it has rated power by 120W. ViparSpectra XS1000 is sold at $129.99 on Amazon. Considering its 291.29umol/s PPF, it only charges 0.45 dollars for each umol PPF. Meanwhile, it has better heat dissipation with a delicate-designed heat sink. Frankly, XS1000 is an efficient and long lifespan for small grow areas.
Specs You Must Know
Total Lumens: up to 19587.3 lm
Mean Well driver: XLG-150-H-AB
PPF: 291.29umol/s
PPE (PAR Efficiency): 2.4 umol/J
Vegetative Coverage: 2.5 x 2.5ft at 16” height
Flower Coverage: 2 x 2ft at 14” height
Warranty: 3 years
Spider Farmer SF1000
SF1000 adopts Samsung LM301B LEDs with 157.51 lm/w luminous efficacy, which is somewhat less than that of XS1000. The real input power of SF1000 is 91.98W, less than its rated power (100W). But SF1000 sells at $159.99 on Amazon, much higher than similar LED lights. We tested its total PPF is 230.03umol/s. That means, at the same condition, you need to spend 0.7 dollars to get one umol PPF from SF1000. There is a 0.25-dollar higher cost per umol for SF1000, compared to XS1000. While the good news is SF1000 supports the daisy chain function.
Specs You Must Know
Total Lumens: up to 14487.52 lm
Mean Well driver: XLG-100-H-AB
PPF: 230.03umol/s
PPE (PAR Efficiency): 2.5 umol/J
Vegetative Coverage: 2.5 x 2.5ft
Flower Coverage: 2 x 2ft
Warranty: 3 years
Mars Hydro TS1000
TS 1000 is a typical fixture from Mars Hydro. Indoor growers tend to choose this product because of its good performance. But TS1000 uses unknown brand LEDs with only 147.6 lm/w luminous efficacy. In real growing tests, we can see its brightness is not as strong as that of the previous two types (XS1000 and SF1000). But its rated power reaches up to 150W, and the actual-tested input power gets to 144.89W, which is quite a powerful feature. Also, it has a good cost efficiency of 0.42 dollars per umol. However, TS1000 is not the cheapest one in small LED grow lights as it sells at $139.99 on Amazon. At the same time, TS1000 supports the daisy chain function.
Specs You Must Know
Total Lumens: up to 21385.7 lm
Driver: MOSO X6-150M041
PPF: 329.46umol/s
PPE (PAR Efficiency): 2.27 umol/J
Coverage: 2.5x2.5ft; max. 3x3ft
Warranty: 2 years
ViparSpectra P1000
Similar to TS 1000, ViparSpectra P1000 adopts unknown brand LEDs with 147.82 lm/w luminous efficacy. That is almost the same as TS 1000 possesses. Though P1000 has rated power by 100W, it can, sometimes, reach up to 101.2W in real tests. What makes growers thrilled is its friendly selling price of $99.99 on Amazon, which is a big save for new-level growers at the beginning period. Meanwhile, P1000 only charges 0.44 dollars for each umol PPF. Yes, this fixture is a perfect budget.
Specs You Must Know
Total Lumens: up to 14959.65 lm
Driver: SOSEN SS-100VA-40B
PPF: 229.16umol/s
PPE (PAR Efficiency): 2.26 umol/J
Vegetative Coverage: 2.5 x 2.5ft at 18” height
Flower Coverage: 2 x 2ft at 14” height
Warranty: 3 years
Final Verdict
Both of the above four LED lights provide full-spectrum design. Despite their wavelengths are slightly different from each other, they could meet the requirements of different growth stages. Meanwhile, these four are all good options for cultivating plants in small areas, from 2 x 2ft to 2.5 x 2.5ft. Only TS1000 can get up to 3 x 3ft at the maximum size. If you still don’t know which one to choose, here, we made some recommendations according to different cases.
- If you pursue the newest light with high performance, we recommend ViparSpectra XS1000 LED grow fixture. Also, XS1000 has a moderate selling price of 129.99 dollars.
- If you think the daisy chain function is indispensable, you can turn to Spider Farmer SF1000 or Mars Hydro TS1000. While TS1000 charges 20 dollars less than SF1000.
- If you have a limited budget, ViparSpectra P1000 will be the best option for you as it is the only one that sells less than 100 dollars per unit.
