It's always the same ones.
If you've checked out other lists of the best 600w LED grow lights, you'll have noticed the same lights on each.
That's because the sellers of those lights pay websites a commission every time someone buys a light on Amazon based on their recommendation.
You click on their link to Amazon and your computed gets logged in a "cookie." When you make a purchase, Amazon knows you came from their site and pays them 8%.
We don't link to Amazon.
Instead, we sell all the best brands ourselves. We make money on every sale through our website. If you go to another website and make a purchase there, we make no money.
Not even a commission.
Whether you buy from us our elsewhere, our recommendations are the same, because they are based on features, not commissions.
Below are the top four 600 watt lights currently on the market. These are the lights that give you the most value for your money.
All of them are excellent. Which one is right for you depends on your personal needs and preferences. This post will help you decide.
| Model |
|
|
|
|
| Brand | California Lightworks | Optic LED | California Lightworks | Black Dog LED |
| Actual Wattage | 400 | 605 | 400 | 420 |
| Spectrum | full-spectrum white | full-spectrum with UVA and IR | full-spectrum with UVA and IR | full-spectrum with UVA and IR |
| Light Output |  |
|
 |
|
| Canopy Penetration | |
|
 |
 |
| Coverage Area | 4 by 4 | 4 by 4 | 3 by 4 | 4.25 by 4.25 |
| Best Feature | price | price | customizable using controller | intense 5w LEDs for deep penetration |
| Weakness | home use only | power draw | coverage | no customization |
| Price | $449 | $699 | $799 | $1099 |
| Get it if you want... |
COB Light at low price
|
powerful light for low price
|
one controller for 1000+ lights
|
the best output per watt
|
This is the actual amount of electricity the fixture will use. 600 watt LEDs generally use around 400 watts when running at full power. The Optic 6 is a bit of an outlier, in that it uses more power (but also produces more output).
Some of these lights are customizable and can be set to use less than full power. During the vegetative stage of growth, plants don't need as much light as they do during flowering. A fixture that lets you turn off LEDs (or dial back their intensity) when they are not needed will save you money in electricity costs.
All 4 of these fixtures provide full-spectrum light and most also include UV-A and IR wavelengths. The difference is in the use of white light. Two use all white COB LEDs (one of them also uses colored diodes), while the others use different colors of diodes (white, blue, red, IR, UV)
For an explanation of the difference between all-white light and light made up of multiple colored diodes, see out article on the best 1000w LED grow lights.
2 of these lights allow you to control the makeup of the spectrum to varying degrees. The Optic 6 lets run only the COBs or the 5w LEDs or both at once and the SolarSystem 550 is customizable using a separately sold controller. The PhytoMax-2 400 and the SolarXtreme 500 have a fixed spectrum.
600w LED fixtures generally have an output equal to 600 watts of HPS light. For our ratings, we gave 5 stars to the fixtures whose intensity is equal to, or a bit above, that of the equivalent HPS bulb and 4 stars for an intensity lower than an HPS lamp. The Optic 6 is actually equivalent to 1000w HPS in terms of output and the SolarXtreme is equivalent to 800w.
Almost all manufacturers claim their LED light penetrates as deeply below the canopy as HPS light, but that is rarely the case. That said, we chose the lights here, because they actually do match, or beat, HPS light. We gave 5 stars to lights that actually beat the penetration of an HPS bulb and 4 stars if they are about equal.
This is the area in feet that the light will cover during flowering. During vegging, they can cover an additional one to two feet. So a light that covers 4 by 4 feet during flowering will cover 5 x 5 to 6 x 6 feet during vegging.
The California Lightworks SolarXtreme 500 (link goes to the product page) uses a brand-new direct AC drive technology, which eliminates the need for LED drivers. This drastically reduces the costs (and also weight), leading to the lowest priced top-brand light on the market.
This unique COB technology has been designed to maximize power and efficiency and the result is an actual power usage of only 400 watts in a light that equals the output of an 800w HPS system. We included it here, despite the higher HID equivalent.
The all-white COB LEDs emit a full-spectrum white light, that is great for every stage of growth. It does not color your plants in a pinkish hue. They look natural, so you can easily identify any problems (nutrient deficiency, etc.) immediately and take care of them before they grow too big.
The big disadvantage of the SolarExtreme series of lights is that they are not commercial fixtures. They are meant for home growers. You can not use them with the CLW controller and they can't withstand greenhouse conditions.
The Optic 6 from Optic LED is a bit of an enigma. In terms of power usage (605 watts) and output, it is equivalent to a 1000 watt LED light, but the coverage area is closer to the best 600w lights and the price is lower than all other quality lights. That is why we included it here, instead of our list of the best 1000w lights.
This light actually comes in two versions. The Optic 6 3000K features only 3000K COBs, which are heavy on red spectrum light, making this version a flowering monster. The Optic 6 3000K and 5000K has four 3000K COBs and two 5000K COBs. The 5000K COBS add blue spectrum light, making this the ideal version for all stages of growth.
No matter the version, the COBs are made by CREE and are supplemented with 96 red, white and blue Bridgelux/Epistar 5 watt LEDs to add a ton of power, especially in the red and blue ranges of the spectrum. This results in a great spectrum for plants.
The powerful XLAMP COBs (80w chips driven continuously at 55w) also ensure a deep canopy penetration beyond that of most LED lights and easily equal to HPS light.
The Optic 6 has a panel on the side that allows you to switch the COBS on or off and also the 5w supplemental LEDs on or off. It also includes a timer, so you do not have to purchase one separately as you do with many other lights.
Optic LED are a newer brand, but they have taken the market by storm due to their powerful lights selling at incredibly low prices. The reason is that the lights are made in China. The company is American (from Seattle), so you do get American quality control and an American warranty (5 years).
Unfortunately, customer service is closer to a Chinese brand. If something goes wrong, they can be a bit unresponsive. They'll get you replacement parts eventually, but it takes far more time than it should. Optic lights also have a slightly higher failure rate than the top brands.
California Lightworks (link to SS 550 product page) manufacture their lights entirely in the US from American and German parts. Their lights are exceptionally high quality and they enjoy a stellar reputation in the industry as a result. Like Black Dog, they do not make bogus or exaggerated claims about their lights.
The SolarSystem 550 is California Lightworks' newest fixture and features their most advanced technologies. It uses OSRAM SSL LEDs that are rated for 50,000 hours. The spectrum and intensity can be adjusted as needed, using an external controller.
The SS 550 is the lowest-priced light on this list, but the controller is sold separately, so you'll need to add that cost in. You only need one controller to control over a thousand lights, though.
Black Dog is the most honest LED company. This light uses 420 actual watts, so they named it the PhytoMax-2 400 (link to product page). Other companies would have called it the PhytoMax-2 600, because it is equivalent to a 600 watt HID light (update: you can now add Optic to the list of honest brands).
This is the most expensive light on this list, but it's also the most powerful (update: the price has dropped considerably since the time of writing). It draws 420 watts and easily outperforms a 600 watt HPS light. It covers the largest area of all the lights on this list (4.25' by 4.25'), too and provides an even coverage with more intensity and penetration.
If bud is not trimmed immediately upon harvest or quickly dried and cured before trimming, you could (will) run into these problems: Not Trimming Immediately Upon Harvest: Mold and Mildew Growth: Leaves can retain moisture and create an environment conducive...
Bud is often graded based on its quality, potency, appearance, aroma, and overall effects. Here are the common grades of bud and their typical uses: Top-Shelf (A-Grade or AAAA) Quality: The highest quality available. These buds are typically dense, well-trimmed, and covered...
Comments
Leave a comment