Horticultural LED grow lights, also called LED plant lights, emit a very specific range of light that is designed to provide the optimal stimulation to indoor and hydroponic plants and vegetables, ensuring your plants keep growing regardless of the external environment and seasons.
For an indoor grow room or grow tent setup where natural light is compromised, LEG grow lights will keep your plants growing healthy, flowering well and delivering optimal yields.
Here are the best LED grow lights on the market in 2024.
More...
Best LED Grow Lights 2024 (Reviews & Buying Guide)
Benefits of LED Grow Lights
What is PAR and Why Does It Matter?
Are LEDs as Good as HPS?
What are the Best LED Grow Lights?
Best LED Grow Lights - Top Rated
How To Choose The Best Grow Light
Interesting Facts About LED Grow Lights
Best LED Grow Lights For 2024
Get Ready for Bumper Crops with the Best LED Grow Lights!
Product | Our Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
1. VIPARSPECTRA Reflector Series-300W |
|
| |
2. King Plus 1000w Double Chips LED Grow Light |
| ||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
|
Benefits of LED Grow Lights
Why use grow lights at all? Here are the benefits:
Low energy cost
LED light bulbs only use about 10% of the energy that regular light bulbs use, so they are very cost effective to run.
This means they are ideal for larger grow tent setups as well as cheap indoor grow setups for anyone concerned about costs.
Optimal growth
You can run LED grow lights all day and all night without running the risk of burning the plants or significantly increasing your energy bill.
Because of this, the harvest cycle is not only faster than it would be in an outdoor setting, but it also helps produce a higher, better quality yield due to the consistency of lighting.
Optimized light spectrum
The energy that LED bulb output can be adjusted to specific frequency bands, which means that you won’t be wasting energy in producing light in the wrong area of the spectrum.
This allows you to fine tune the light you are supplying to your plants to best match their growth needs.
Long lifespan
LEDs typically last 50,000-100,000 hours, easily 50 times longer than an ordinary incandescent lightbulb. This translates to about 10 years of effective lighting, after which they tend to dim rather than going out.
They are also fully recyclable, which makes them the most environmentally-friendly light bulbs too.
Low heat
LEDs emit very little heat and are relatively cool to the touch even when running 24/7, so it is easier to control the temperature in your grow tent and there is no risk of the bulbs burning the plants.
Fluorescent lamps and incandescent lamps will interfere with the plant growth. In comparison, incandescent lamps typically produce about 80% more heat than LEDs, potentially harming the plants.
This also means that you save on HVAC costs and can water your plants less frequently.
More control
The best grow lights allow you to control the amount of light the bulb emits, the lighting schedule and even the color spectrum of the light.
This allows you to tailor your lighting to a specific plant type and harvest schedule with ease.
Compact
LEDs are the best compact grow lights, so you can easily set them up even in a smaller grow tent or room without creating clutter.
There are also LED lights that can be chained together, which will help in eliminating extra wiring.
What is PAR and Why Does It Matter?
PAR, or Photosynthetically Active Radiation, is the type of light emitted by grow bulbs. These bulbs are designed to mimic the qualities of sunlight, which plants use in the process of photosynthesis and growth.
Regular light bulbs produce very little PAR in comparison to LED grow lights.
Are LEDs as Good as HPS?
LEDs are the better choice in every way. They produce just as much light while using a fraction of the energy and producing far less heat.
This means that you save on lighting costs and you don’t have to worry about ventilation and airflow systems.
LED grow lights are also more effective at delivering the full spectrum of light, supporting your plants through all stages of growth.
What are the Best LED Grow Lights?
The best LED grow lights offer full spectrum white light (all colors, visible and invisible are represented), are exceptionally energy efficient and eco-friendly, have inbuilt cooling technology and features that make installation easy.
Other features to look for include dimming capabilities, reflective hoods and the ability to link sets of lights together for larger grow spaces.
Best LED Grow Lights - Top Rated
Above is all the information that you need about the best LED grow lights that you can purchase for grow room.
Of course in every review, there will always be one that will stand out from the rest.
Source: Amazon
For this review, VIPARSPECTRA Reflector Series-300W is the one who stood out.
The reason behind this is because it has a full spectrum and 5 diodes, which can help in assisting your plants to grow well.
The daisy chain capabilities that it has will also let you add more lights if needed, especially if you decide to expand your grow room.
How To Choose The Best Grow Light
Plant Needs
Different plants have different lighting needs and respond differently as light waves change, so you want to do some research on what the plants you’ll be growing need to thrive.
Marijuana, for example, needs PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) values for blues within a range of 440-470nm and reds between 640-660nm.
Wattage
Choose an LED chip that offers 3W or more, as less simply won’t give your plants enough stimulation for optimal growth. 3 W chips also offer the best quality in terms of white, red and blue light.
Spectrum adjustability
This is very helpful in managing the type of light that your plants need. For instance, you can match the output spectrum to summer time or the season of flowering.
If your LED has an adjustable output, then you can help stimulate the light changes to ensure that it matches the plant’s growing cycle.
Quality
A good quality LED grow bulb will cost more in the short-term but deliver great long-term results. Look for products that have been built out of durable materials that won’t get damaged easily.
A good indication of quality is a 5-10 year warranty and a guarantee longer than one year on parts.
Cooling
While LEDs run significantly cooler than other types of lightbulbs, they do create some heat behind the bulb, especially if you are running them 24/7.
Good quality grow lights will have a thick aluminum heat sink attached to the back of the bulb to keep the heat away from the chip. Multi-fin heat sinks are the best option for grow setups and plants that need a lot of heat to grow.
Lens
The lens on grow lights work to magnify and intensify the light emitted by the bulb, which can improve light wave penetration for your plants by as much as 25%.
Constant driver circuit
The best LED grow lights have an electronic circuit, which will help power the LED lights. The role of the circuit is to help transform the power of AC to direct current within the current level and proper voltage that your LED can handle.
An appropriate circuit should be able to provide a consistent supply of the intensity to be regulated based on the changes of temperature.
MCPCB
LED with an MCPCB(Metal Core Printed Circuit Board) is an essential component for your LEDs, especially if you need higher levels of power for your plants.
It allows your LED lights to operate at higher temperatures without degrading, so it’s a very useful feature for growing hothouse plants.
Did you know – If you live in an area with limited daylight hours, or a home that doesn’t get a lot of natural light, exposing your indoor plants to an LED grow light will help ensure healthy, vibrant growth by aiding in the process of photosynthesis.
Another advantage is that it will help you control the light needed by your plants, so you don’t overdo it and burn more sensitive plants.
Interesting Facts About LED Grow Lights
Here’s some more useful information about LED grow lights that will help you with your indoor gardening projects.
Plant Growth Results
These lights enable you to stimulate the growth of many different plant varieties that you can grow indoors or in a grow tent setup.
This includes peppers, tomatoes, roses, cilantro, basil, thyme, and even medical herbs like marijuana. It also helps you control how the plants grow by changing the light spectrum and exposure.
For example, blue lights can help with the production of sturdier seedlings and control trailing or sprawling, while having the grow lights on 24/7 can also speed up growth and make multiple harvests through the year possible.
Increases Plant Growth
Whether you decide to use grow lights, the growth rate of your plants will drastically increase. This is because the process of photosynthesis in plants takes place consistently throughout the day and night, and is not affected by cloudy weather or even seasonal changes.
This helps to boost growth without stressing the plants.
Red Light
Red grow lights are important for flowering and fruiting plants, as well as supporting plant development in the early stages of germination, helping to grow strong roots and bulbs.
If a plant is not flowering or fruiting even though it is in a good grow tent setup or near a sunny window, it likely isn’t getting enough light from the red spectrum (windows, heavy weather conditions and pollution can sometimes filter this out).
Blue Light
Setting LED grow lights to the blue spectrum has a significant impact on chlorophyll production, so it boosts the healthy, strong growth of stems and leaves.
If your plants are spindly and leggy or the leaves are paler than they should be, the plant is likely not getting enough blue light. These lights have a lot of applicability and they serve as the best alternatives for plant growth without much sunlight.
LED grow lights come in different options and designs; you should choose the one that best fits your plant growing needs accordingly.
Above are all the advantages of using LED grow lights that you will inevitably experience once you purchase the one that you will use for your indoor gardening.
Now that you already know how to choose one and the advantages that you can reap out of them, then knowing the best LED grow lights available today is essential.
Best LED Grow Lights For 2024
1.VIPARSPECTRA Reflector Series-300W
for Indoor Plants Veg and Flower
Source: Amazon
VIPARSPECTRA Reflector Series-300W is efficient, light, and compact, which means that it can be used no matter what you are growing.
The output of the high lumens is engineered perfectly to ensure that it won’t produce too much since PAR is essential to the growth of the plant.
The panel of the VIPARSPECTRA has 12 band panels of spectrum light from 440 to 730, which is known to optimal photosynthesis of the plant.
The VIPARSPECTRA Reflector Series-300W is known to be energy efficient because the LED grows lights is using a lighting HPS systems. These systems are essential to ensure that the growth of your plants especially when planting indoors.
Another good thing about the VIPARSPECTRA is that it has a chaining fixture which means that if you are planning to expand your indoor garden.
Pros
- Warranty is excellent
- 5 watts diodes
- Daisy chain capabilities
- Full spectrum
Cons
- Provides blue spectrum for growth and not optimal for the flowering phase
- Spectrum is not adjustable
2. King Plus 1000w Double Chips Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights
Source: Amazon
for Greenhouse and Indoor Plant Flowering Growing
King Plus 1000w Double Chips Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights is known to have powerful and high-quality lights at a very low price. This LED grow light uses a high-quality light source of 6W.
Its lifespan can last for over 50,000 hours, and 90% of the produced light will always be absorbed by the plants that you have.
The King Plus LED grow light is also known to have an energy saving feature, which will only consume 320 watts to 340 watts of power, while it is still providing the needed brightness for your plants.
The King Plus 1000w Double Chips LED Grow Light Full Spectrum’s color ratio has carefully been studied to ensure that it is replication the sunlight. This includes the UV, IR, white, yellow, blue, and red colors.
The infrared that this lighting has helped in promoting seed germination and stem elongation. Another good thing about the UV is that helps lessen the plant diseases and as well as the bacteria.
Pros
- Provides high power
- Have bright lights
- Provides full spectrum
Cons
- Not durable enough
3. Advanced Platinum Series P150 150w Band LED Grow Light
Source: Amazon
Advanced Platinum Series P150 150w Band LED Grow Light offers the best when it comes to spectrum. This LED plant grow lights consumes 50 watts of power and does not produce excess heat.
The light that is provided by Platinum is used 100% and is tuned specifically to the wavelengths that are needed by the plants to enhance the process of photosynthesis.
The Advanced Platinum Series P150 150w Band LED Grow Light is perfectly equipped with 90 degrees of secondary lenses and a 60 degrees lens.
The aluminum heat cooling sinks that it has equipped with twice the speed but produce little to no noise at all. Another good ring about this LED grows lights is that it perfectly blends with 11 bands of spectrum.
Pros
- 11 Band spectrum
- Less expensive than the rest
- Enhanced heat sinks
- LED has an optimized lifespan and output
- High PAR output for different units
Cons
- Power draw on the lower end
- Secondary lenses can easily manipulate the light and redirect it
4. King Plus 600w Double Chips LED Grow Light Full Spectrum
Source: Amazon
King Plus 600w Double Chips LED Grow Light Full Spectrum is equipped in a white case and an assortment of even diodes and place in the grid pattern.
These diodes are not the usual that you can see in a LED grow light because they are known as the double chips.
This means that they can produce brighter lights compared to others. Instead of the single 3W diode, the King Plus has two 5W diodes in just a single chip.
The King Plus 600w Double Chips LED Grow Light Full Spectrum panels have different heat sinks, which will ensure that their temperature will remain in the ideal range.
As you all know, proper cooling is important, which is why the King Plus have different entries for ventilation, which helps in the airflow while they are operating.
If you think a 600 watts is what you need, see our review on the best 600 watt grow light available online.
Pros
- Provides the plants' needed light
- Energy efficient
- Very compact
- Perfectly made and durable
Cons
- Lights can stop working after 400 hours
- Customer service can be a problem
5. Roleadro Grow Light, 1000W LED Grow Light
Source: Amazon
Roleadro LED Grow Light, 1000W Indoor Plant is equipped with IR and UV. Since there are more red lights in this LED grow light, this means that it can help with the photosynthesis, which is ideal for plants that are fruiting and blooming.
The Roleadro helps on the fruiting, flowering, growing, and seedling stage of the plant, for you to ensure that they will grow successfully.
The Roleadro LED Grow Light, 1000W Indoor Plant is also equipped with the largest number of light per watt, which will help your light to last for a long period.
It will also assist you in saving money when it comes to your electricity bills.
Another good thing about the Roleadro is that it has 2 cooling fans to ensure that the light is in lower temperature even if it is working for how many hours every single day.
This will also help the light not to burn, which is a common problem for some.
Pros
- Full spectrum
- Energy efficient
- Integrates IR, UV, white, blue and red
- Comes with a 2-year warranty
Cons
- Low wattage which can lower the number of plants grown
6. iPlantop Daisy Chain 1500w LED Grow Light
Source: Amazon
Ideal for 3x3 foot grow tent setups or indoor grow spaces, this LED grow light is compact and designed to reduce excess wiring, connecting up to 5 units with 504 LEDs each in a daisy chain configuration.
It also features a variable dimmer, an aluminum reflective hood to ensure all light is directed to the plants with minimal loss, and it offers a full white spectrum to ensure all light colors are delivered to your plants to maximize growth.
Pros
- Compact, fuss-free design (lights only need one socket)
- Able to connect up to 5 units in daisy chain configuration
- Minimal wiring
- 4000K full white spectrum
- Dimmable
- Runs cool
- High-quality build and materials
- Full kit for installation included
- 4 year warranty and 90 days unconditional money back guarantee
- Affordable
Cons
- Low wattage which can lower the number of plants grown
7. BESTVA 1000W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum Dual-Chip Growing Lamp
Source: Amazon
This LED grow light uses dual-chip LEDs for brighter, more efficient light, often outperforming 3W and 5W LEDs by delivering the highest PAR output per watt of energy.
It is made up of several different bands of LEDs to offer full-spectrum light that supports plants at every stage of growth.
It has a powerful inbuilt cooling system, and only uses 185W to deliver the same performance as a 600W HPS. It is ideal for grow tent setups and indoor grow spaces that are around 5x4 feet.
Pros
- Full white spectrum
- Affordable
- Highest PAR output per watt of energy
- Ideal replacement for 600W HPS/MH
- 3 year warranty and 90 days unconditional money back guarantee
Cons
- Very bright – remember to wear glasses to protect your eyes and to install at the correct height
- Not dimmable
Product | Our Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
1. VIPARSPECTRA Reflector Series-300W |
|
| |
2. King Plus 1000w Double Chips LED Grow Light |
| ||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
|
Get Ready for Bumper Crops with the Best LED Grow Lights!
Grow lamps make growing plants indoors easy and rewarding, whether you are growing flowering houseplants, vegetables or marijuana.
These lights are exceptionally energy-efficient and eco-friendly, so you save on your lighting bill. They also run very cool, so there’s no need to use HVAC or additional ventilation to control the temperature.
The best LED grow lights offer full-spectrum white light, supplying your plants with the optimal light needed for exceptional growth, health and crop yield, allowing you to keep your plants thriving throughout the year, day and night.
We hope this article helped you find the best LED grow light for your row room or grow tent!
About the AuthorPat Moreno
Pat is our gardening tool expert here at Sumo Gardener. Working for many years as a private and commercial landscaper, Pat has used almost every type of gardening tool there is. Along with a vast knowledge for types of plants and putting together an amazing looking and maintainable garden, Pat developed a passion for gardening tools as he found that using the right tools vastly improved the ease and outcome of any landscaping job he undertook. When spending hours, days or years using a particular tool, you want to make sure you’ve got the best one for the job, and Pat is the right guy to guide us to the best gardening tools.
