With so many indoor grow light options, especially in the LED market, it has become confusing to figure out which grow light to buy.

And when it comes to buying a full spectrum LED grow light, not all LEDs are built the same way. You need to pay attention to both the quality and quantity of light a fixture produces if you want to understand the real power that LED grow lights can deliver to your canopy.

In this article, I’ll help you figure out how to buy the best full spectrum LED grow light for your money. I’ll do this by helping you to understand what terms like Spectrum and PAR mean, how they relate to each other, and how you can use them to choose the best full spectrum LED fixture you can buy for your garden.

What does ‘Full Spectrum’ really mean?

Should the term even be used? Well, when a company decides to call their products a Full Spectrum Grow Light, they usually mean that their product outputs a broad, continuous, and significant light across most (if not all) of the PAR range. That’s it. Remember this: “Full Spectrum” as a term, is only as reliable as the Grow Light manufacturer. It is by no means a certification standard; whether legal, industrial, or otherwise.​

The fact is: as of right now, LED grow light technology is moving away from using specific bands, and instead the industry is focusing on providing the broadest possible spectrum. You can see this if you noticed that most reputable LED companies are moving away from pink/purple lighting and replacing their LEDs with “white” chips.​

These white chips are produced by a phosphor-coating method, where the coating is deposited on the LED diodes. The exact shade or color temperature of white light produced is determined by the dominant wavelength of the blue LED and the composition of the phosphor. And the thickness of the phosphor coating produces variations in the color temperature of the diode.​

Alright! Now that we know how today’s top-notch LED grow lights are made, we can talk about the “best spectrum”.​

The perfect grow light would be one that replicates the spectrum of our sun while allowing us to adjust the light intensity to our exact needs. This would be the pinnacle of “Full Spectrum.”

For our intents and purposes, the Sun’s radiation spectrum is very evenly spread and peaks in wavelengths around the PAR spectrum.

Important Aspects to Consider

Now that you have an idea about the science behind full spectrum LEDs, here are some important factors you should consider when you are opting for the purchase.

• Price

Full-spectrum LED grow lights are expensive. Compared to HPS or HID setups, the costs of setting up a system that depends on these lights can be more expensive. 

But comparatively, it will save you a lot of money in the long run because of the efficiency of LEDs vs. HID lighting. You can run a full spectrum LED setup for 15 YEARS before you need to consider replacing it. For instance, the average lifespan of an HPS bulb is around 10,000 hours. Compare this to a 50,000-hour lifespan for LEDs. 

• Size

The full spectrum fixtures are comparatively small in size and do not require ballasts or reflectors, release space in your grow tent or grow room.

• Heat​

Light and heat are always tangled. Grow lights are one of the biggest reasons for rising temps. That’s the reason why grow room ventilation is so important. 

Many growers have to heat their rooms artificially during winter due to how low the heat output is from this type of lighting. If you’re growing in a warmer climate then no need to worry about overheating your grow room. 

Now the question is which one is best for your plants? Think… ok let me tell you, ViparSpectra grow light pro series lights are craftily made with perfection and precision, therefore it gives along with lasting service to you and gives the accurate spectrum of lights that the plant needs while growing. ViparSpectra Pro Series LED grow light has adopted the NEWEST SMD LED Technology to increase efficiency and lifespan while improving light penetration. An added dimmer knob is featured to manipulate the brightness level of the entire light from 0-100%, allowing flexibility to obtain perfect growth performance.