LED Grow lights are excellent alternatives to sunlight that can help plants grow. Yet, it may be challenging to choose the best indoor grow lights. That is why you should consider based on certain deciding factors.
You should check on the technical specifications of LED grow lights, like heat loads, programmability, and productivity. Besides, the components and scalability are essential to ensure effortless operation and maintenance. Remember to look for reliable and certified suppliers that offer safe products at reasonable pricing.
We’ve listed the top 10 things you should consider when purchasing LED grow lights. They are based on our detailed research and years of experience. Read on to learn more!
1. Heat Loads
One of the most vital factors when purchasing LED grow lights for indoor plants is their heat output. It is because LED grow lights need to be close to plants for a long time.
The poor construction of LED grow light could cause overheating, and it tends to burn out faster. You’ll need to replace it sooner, resulting in higher maintenance costs and time. Excessive heat will also damage the plant, such as the burning of plants.
In this case, I’ll suggest you LED grow light as LEDs produce low heat output. It allows protection and proximity to plants, besides a longer lifespan for LED grow lights. You should also choose a light with a proper cooling system like attached heat sinks to eliminate the heat.
Darkless LED Lighting has a thick real heatsink which is 25% cooler.
2. Productivity
This is the second important factor in sourcing the best indoor LED grow lights. Look at the Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) Value. It is measured µmol/m2 per second to calculate the number of light that reaches your plant per second. You can use a PAR light meter to determine how many photons are given out by our LED grow light.
It is recommended that you provide your indoor plantation 700-900 µmol per second. You should also allow even light distribution to have proper buds size. The LED grow lights from Darkless LED produce 1730 to about 2,300 µmol per second. It is a relatively high Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF) and uniform output.
Remember that you need to switch on the LED grow light for around or over 10 hours per day. That is why you need to keep your total light output within 300W to 1,000W – anything lower or higher will not be efficient. High productivity means good energy proficiency, and it will save more energy as well as your electricity bills.
3. Programmability
It means the available settings in various variants, like light intensity, spectrum, and color. Why do we need so? Because plants require different types of wavelengths for each growth stage for photosynthesis. For instance, vegetative and flowering growth need red lights, while microgreens need blue lights. Plants will also need adequate ultraviolet and infrared for healthy growth.
A LED grow light with flexible settings will be a perfect light source for indoor seedlings and houseplants. You’ll be able to grow a vast range of plants as you want, regardless of the season or region you’re in!
You might want to consider schedule settings for your indoor plantation. It allows remote control or pre-set schedules to switch on or off and what lights to produce. Don’t you think it will save you a lot of hassle?
In this case, the LED grow lights by Darkless LED could provide a superior full spectrum for your plants. This high-energy efficiency could help you achieve greater output at harvest. Besides, our controllers are protected against short circuits with double temperature safety features. You can auto-shutdown at its temperature settings.
4. Components and Materials
You should purchase durable LED grow lights made with high industry-standard materials and certified production methods. In this case, LED grow light is a good choice as it can last for around ten years.
It is vital to check on other additional accessories, like the lights, fans, filters, ducting, and grow tent. With the best components, you’ll have fewer changes needed to prevent extra costs and hassles.
Note to consider the quality of semiconductor chips, as it is the core of LED grow lights. The purpose of these chips is to convert electricity to light and define the required wavelength. Make sure they are at least 3watts to provide adequate illumination.
5. Scalability
LED, HID, and CFL are popular grow lights today. Let’s compare their scalability:
LED grow light is the leading-edge technology that surpasses HID and CFL. You can find many scalability advantages in LED grow lights. You can learn more about How to Choose a LED Grow Light in this article.
HID grow light is a rather good grow light for most commercial use, yet less advanced than the LED grow lights.
CFL grow light has the least efficiency in light output and yield among the three options. It best suits small-scale plant growth by hobbyists.
| Type of Grow Lights | Pros | Cons |
| LED (Light Emitting Diode) | Low heat output- Best in energy efficiency – Long lifespan- Uses standard outlet | Higher initial cost |
| HID (High-Intensity Discharge) | Efficient production- Simple installation and operation | High heat output- Limited lifetime- Need special socket, hood, and ballast |
| CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) | Cost-Efficient- Widely available- Suitable for small scale- A wide variety of color temperatures | Low light output- Less efficient- Must be placed close to plants- Less fit for bigger scale |
6. Safety
You should also evaluate LED grow lights’ safety before purchase. It is crucial to check on the color and intensity of the LED grow lights to be comfortable for your eyes.
Besides, choose a LED grow light with less fragile materials. In case of collision or knocking down, the LED grow lights will be less likely to break, shatter, or explode. It is due to the smaller-sized diodes and the production way of lights.
Other safety concerns are fire and mercury. Make sure you have a suitable electrical outlet suitable for the long-time operation of LED grow lights. Grow lights except LEDs might contain mercury that is harmful in case of light breakage.
So, make sure you communicate your concerns with your supplier before purchasing LED grow lights.
7. Applicability
You should choose the appropriate LED grow light according to the plants to be planted. It is because some grow lights are specially used to grow specific plants. Besides, the light wavelengths required by different plants in different growth stages are not the same.
It is crucial to match different plants to maximize planting efficiency. That is why you should select the most suitable LED grow lights based on the growth characteristics of the plants.
In addition, you must also take into account the size, number, and density of plants. From there, you can analyze and opt for the best lighting scale, and quantity of LED grow lights required.
8. Ease of Use and Maintenance
In choosing the best indoor grow lights, consider ease of installation. For instance, some LED grow lights only require plug-in and mounting, and you can already start using them. Remember to use the proper circuit to prevent fire hazards and slow-growing plants.
It is also crucial to purchase adjustable LED grow lights for color, intensity, position, and height.
You’ll be able to fine-tune them with minimal effort for different plant types and growth stages. You can learn how to use LED grow lights for indoor plants here.
We also recommend importing those with simple maintenance, like the LED grow lights. These lights can typically last 50,000 hours or above. Though higher upfront costs, you’ll find long-lasting lights with low maintenance. You can save more workforce and accessories, not to say other invisible costs like effort and time!
9. Reliability of Supplier
Regardless of how well the product represents, you should verify the reliability of suppliers before purchasing. Check on their brand reputation, company history, and research and development team. You can study these on their social media, website, or review section of marketplaces. It’ll tell you how strong the background of the suppliers is.
Besides, it is also helpful to ask about the available product warranty and return policies. LED grow lights can last for about ten years. Hence, the ability of suppliers to give a 10-year warranty signifies their confidence in product quality. In Darkless LED, we provide a 5 years trusted warranty to provide you with peace of mind.
Also, you are recommended to make a sample order to test and inspect the product quality. It will only cost you a small amount of money to prevent potential big losses from inferior products.
10. Price
You get what you pay for, so do not settle for the lowest price. Poor product quality could lead to more spending on repairing or replacing lights. Instead, you should look for lasting quality and trustworthy suppliers to wholesale your LED grow lights. We advise you to choose medium to high-end grow lights for indoor plants that can last longer.
LED grow light is an ideal type of LED grow light for many. It could be expensive upfront, but you can save many maintenance costs in the long run. To compare, fluorescent light comes with broad-spectrum, low heat output, and lower price than LED; Whereas incandescent light is the cheapest but less efficient and has high heat output.
11. Certifications
Last but not least, you should check suppliers’ credentials and products’ certifications. These certificates define the safety standards of grow lights to protect your plants.
Canada and the United States use specific safety standards for grow lights. For instance, ANSI/CAN/UL 8800:2019 for fire and electrical shock hazards; IEC 62471 for optical radiation hazards; And IEC/TR 62471-2 for non-laser optical radiation.
The IP (Ingress Protection Rating) is an international standard to categorize the degree of protection of light to prevent other objects like dust or water from entering it. Some of the most common ratings in LED grow lights for indoor plants are IP54, IP65, and IP 66. They protect the light from the dust, solid objects, humidity, and water.
How to Find a LED Grow Light Manufacturer
Listed above are the top 11 criteria to consider when you want to purchase LED grow lights. But, it is vital to find the right LED grow light manufacturer. Besides checking on the quality and price, you must also verify the company background and reliability.
You can research online by visiting websites or social media accounts of these manufacturers. For instance, the manufacturers’ product quality, services provided, customer reviews, and so on.
Click on these links to learn how to import LED grow lights from China and how to find LED strip manufacturers in China.
Final Words
LED grow light is an excellent tool for professional and hobbyist growers. Your plants will get an optimal environment for healthy and speedy growth with these LED grow lights. You can save much effort and time, not to mention other advantages of LED grow lights for indoor plants.
I hope this post is helpful for your purchasing decisions on LED grow lights. Make sure you research properly to find trustworthy suppliers and quality grow lights. DarklessLED offers a wide range of certified LED grow lights to suit your needs. Talk to us today to get the LED grow light for your plants!
