LED vs CFL Grow Light: Which is Better?

When getting started with growing your own weed, it’s easy to get bogged down with which is the best grow light to make the best weed for your needs. The answer will, of course, depend on what the  ‘best’ means for you. Does it mean the best value, the best on the market, or the best light variant? Here, we look at the pros and cons of the different types of lighting.

LED lighting is better for:

  • Use over the full growth phase
  • Energy savings & lifetime
  • Yields

CFL lighting is better for:

  • Beginners as the cost is low
  • Clones & seedlings
  • Growing smaller plants/keeping plant size under control

$$$Key Lighting Tip$$$
Once your plant has gone through the vegetation phase you should not switch the type of light it is receiving (ie. from LED to CFL or vice versa). This change will be too stressful for your plant and lead to reduced or failed yields.

What Does CFL and LED Stand for?

CFL stands for ‘compact fluorescent lamp’ and is a highly efficient bulb used by many indoor growers as they produce low levels of heat, are energy efficient, and are reasonably priced. They will typically last up to 10 years too.
LED stands for ‘is light emitting diode’ and is an even more energy efficient bulb in terms of transforming energy into delicious light for your plants to use. They will also last up to 25 years, saving you money on bills throughout their life-cycle.

What are the Pros and Cons of CFL Grows?

CFLs are the cheapest grow lights available on the market, making them a good choice for beginners. As they don’t pump out loads of heat, you also won’t need to worry about putting together a complicated setup with large extraction fans to make sure your plants don’t get singed and burnt.
CFLs are particularly good for growing clones, seedlings, and if you are happy with small plants. They are also readily available in most stores and have a variety of color temperatures suitable for different grow phases. However, as they put out less power than other lighting options yields will be lower per meter cubed, they need to be placed very close to your plants for them to get the light they need, and growth rates will also be slower.

What are the Pros and Cons of LED Grows?

LED grow lights have been available for some time now, but it is only recently that technology has progressed far enough to make them a good choice. This means you have to be a bit more careful you’re not getting a shoddy product when investing in LED lighting systems for your grow space. However, with more Chips on Board (COBs) modern variants can provide intense penetrative light that surpasses both CFL and HID lighting.
Like CFLs, LEDs produce very little heat making it easier to control temperatures and reduce the risk of burning your plants. They are also even more energy efficient and actually way more powerful than CFL lighting so will lead to better comparative yields. However, cheaper variants are widespread on the market, and to reap the benefits of higher yields you’ll need to invest in a much more expensive LED setup that actually lives up to what its stated output is.

What is the Best Grow Schedule for Cannabis?

Whether you choose a CFL or LED setup, a great grow schedule is the 18/6 to 12/12 hours. For the first few weeks, you want your plants to think it is spring as it will focus on leaf and stem growth. To do this you give it a full 18 hours of light a day and just 6 hours of total darkness.
After around 4 weeks, when your plant has a decent amount of vegetation growth behind it the light schedule should be gradually tapered down towards 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness, helping it to realize summer is coming to an end and it is time to focus its energy on bud creation! Whether you’ve opted for CFL or LED lighting, it’s a good idea to change to a flowering light bulb (one that is redder) at this point.

Top 6 Best CLF and LED Grow Light Review

#1 Best CFL Light for Vegetative Growth: Hydrofarm Agrobrite FLT24 T5

Hydrofarm have been making great CFL lighting systems for years and this setup is great for producing a healthy and vibrant vegetative growth phase. Its flexible design means you can easily install it vertically or horizontally and it has an impressive rating of 18,800 lumens that your plants will love when guzzling 18 hours of it up per day. With the option to use 7 differently sized tubes you can also use this in the flowering stage with equally excellent results.
The major pros of this product are that: it has a super high and efficient lumen output (and has full daylight 6400k spectrum capability); it is ‘daisy-chainable’ (you can run more than one from a single outlet if you have a large grow space); it has a useful reflector hood that more efficiently directs the light to where you want it to go, and; it is great value. The downsides are that it is not as energy efficient as an LED lighting system and has a lesser lifespan.
#CFL #Full_Spectrum #6400K #Efficency #Lumens

#2 Best CFL for Hydroponics: Hydroplanet T5 4ft 8lamp

If you have a big grow space, but not a huge budget, then this excellent CFL light is a great option as it has 8 bulbs, is daisy-chainable, and will efficiently distribute full spectrum 6500K light with its built-in reflective aluminum casing. The 2-year warranty provides you with decent security and the included fittings mean you can set this up horizontally or vertically as required. The included bulbs are only really suitable for the vegetative growth phase but are easily changeable.
The major pros of this product are that; it will cover a wide area whilst also providing the penetrative rays your plants crave; it is great for big grow spaces; it is very easy to install, and; it is very powerful in comparison to small CFL lights. On the negative side, it is not compatible with LED lights and you will need to buy additional lights to make it suitable for the flowering stage.
#CFL # Full_Spectrum #6400K #PPFD #DIL

#3 Best LED for Complete Cannabis Grow Phases: BESTVA DC Series 2000W

This light might cost a pretty penny, but it really stands above the rest in terms of what it can do and we love the fact that this setup is ready to take you through the whole grow phase without having to mess around with lightbulb changes once you have it installed in the perfect spot for your plants. You’ll have no risk of burning your plants with this cool running system and it has great light spread that is hard to beat.
The major pros of this light are that: it is designed to maximize light penetration; it is easy to set on a timer to switch off; it is suitable for every phase of the growing cycle; it has a quiet built-in cooling fan, and; it offers 1400-watt HPS at a fraction of the energy cost! The only downside of this product is that it is quite expensive!

#4 Best LED for Potent Cannabis: King Plus 2000W Double Chips

If you love your harvest to be strong, then this high Luminen and PAR value LED system will be a great investment for you to draw the most from your favorite plants. With 10W double chips, this unit pumps out brighter light than most lights in its price bracket and the high-tech design ensures this light is evenly distributed and penetrates the plant with vibrant intensity. This clever design will soon lead to your plants producing some of the finest potent buds you’ve ever seen.
The major pros of this light beyond what it does to your plant’s potency are that; it is easy to install and suitable in grow tents or bigger grow spaces; it evenly and efficiently distributes light with the perfect PAR and Lumen balance; it fosters rapid plant growth; it has a built-in cooling system, and; it provides full spectrum lighting suitable for the whole growth phase. One issue with the design is that the power cord is annoyingly short.

#5 Best LED for cannabis flowering: ViparSpectra VS1000 150W led Grow Light

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This Full Spectrum led Grow Light from ViparSpectra is the ideal choice to support the flowering of cannabis plants that are struggling during this period. This model contains infrared light and red light, which are excellent types of light to stimulate plants for optimal flowering.

This LED light uses the latest and most advanced technology. It provides better light penetration while also producing more usable light. Samsung LM301B diodes bring maximum working efficiency as well as outstanding durability to this model.

This model has a full spectrum of 730nm, 660nm deep red, 5000K white and 3000K warm white infrared light. This full spectrum acts as a natural light source for healthy plants even when grown indoors.

This LED grow light has a compact design that is not too heavy and is easy to set up. It has a dimmer button that allows you to adjust the brightness level from 0-100%. It also includes a Mean Well driver that works very well.

The cooling system of this model is monolithic aluminum and does not use a fan. So it keeps this LED cool even for a long time, and doesn’t make any noise.

#6 Best LED for germinating seedlings: ViparSpectra V1200 1200W led Grow Light

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This is another product from ViparSpectra that we would like to recommend to you. You may not know it but ViparSpectra is a well-known and reputable LED grow light manufacturer, they produce a wide range of quality models and good value.

This ViparSpectra V1200 1200W led Grow Light is especially good for the germination process as well as promoting the early plant cycle. With blue and white LED, your hard-to-sprout cannabis seeds are sure to be better supported. And with the mode mainly blue and white LED, it is called VEG channel.

This model also has another channel called the BLOOM channel. This channel, with mainly red wavelengths, has special support for the flowering of cannabis plants, and the fruiting of some other plants.

So you can switch between these two channels to choose the right support for each stage of the plant’s growth.

Besides, this model gets UL Certified, it can be fireproof and not dangerous. The cooling system of this LED also works safely and reliably. The high-speed quiet fan will keep the LEDs cool even after long periods of continuous operation.

Conclusion

It is clear that LED lighting systems are moving ahead in terms of the smart technology they are able to offer and that will usually come built in. They are also best for the whole grow phase without the need to change bulbs. However, you need to be careful what you buy with LED lighting as the cheaper variants don’t beat what CFL has to offer, so CFL still has much to offer if you are a beginner to growing and don’t want to spend a huge amount on new lighting.

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