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Model: 240w Blackstar
List Price: $386
Sale Price: Find out at Amazon (Bilal, consider inserting your affiliate link here)
Click Here to Buy Now from Amazon (consider inserting your affiliate link here) |
The 240 watt BlackStar made by Lighthouse Hydro is currently the best-selling LED grow light on Amazon. I think the reason this light sells so well is due to its combination of power and price. There are better, more powerful lights on the market, but not for the amount of money you pay.
Normally finding a good LED grow light that works will cost you an “arm and a leg.” These initial costs scare a lot of growers away. Some growers decide to buy cheap versions that don’t work. The best thing about the 240w BlackStar is that it’s a great combination of power and price. It gets the job done and it is relatively inexpensive when compared to similar lights. Below is a complete review of the light.
There are really four things you want to look at when buying LED grow lights: the manufacturing brand of the diodes, the warranty, the heat dissipation unit, and the beam angle(s).
Manufacturer of the Diodes
When we’re talking about diodes we are talking about the individual 
bulbs that go on an LED. These bulbs look like the picture on the right. When purchasing an LED grow light you want to make sure that the diodes are manufactured by a reputable company (otherwise they won’t last as long). The top three manufacturers are Cree, Philips, and Bridgelux. Most experts agree that Cree diodes are the absolute best.
The 240w Blackstar (shipped by Gotham Hydroponics) has 3w Cree diodes. This is a good sign that the lights are built with quality in mind.
The Warranty
Lighthouse Hydro is the manufacturer of this 240w light and Gotham Hydroponics is the company that stores and ships the lights. Lighthouse Hydro offers a 1 year warranty on these lights. This is a good sign that the company has confidence the lights will be around for a while. Some companies offer no warranty and some companies offer 3 year warranties, so the truth is that this warranty is somewhere in the middle.
One thing worth mentioning is that Gotham Hydroponics is a real brick and mortar store (they are based in New York). This means that if you have any problems with your 240 watt BlackStar you can call someone and get help immediately.
Heat Management and Dissipation
When LED grow lights were first being introduced to the market, people would get frustrated because the LED lights didn’t last as long as promised. The actual diodes were overheating and breaking. This was partially due to poor heat sink designs.
Today, it is still important to make sure the light has a good heat sink in place. The 240W Lighthouse Hydro has a quality heat sink with additional fins built into it for heat dissipation purposes (see picture below). These fins absorb the heat from the actual diode and then the fins are cooled off by fans that are built within the light.
Beam Angles
One of the biggest advantages of LED grow lights over traditional grow lights (HIDs) is that the light beam sent out by LEDs can be controlled and angled. Traditional lights shoot light out in all directions (360 degrees). The 240 watt Blackstar has beam angles of 120 degrees and 60 degrees. This means that light isn’t wasted (good for the environment, good for your energy bill, and good for your plant).
Recommendation
There are LED grow lights out there that can outperform the 240w LighthouseHydro/Blackstar from Gotham Hydroponics, but those lights all cost around $500. At around $290 the Blackstar really provides the best bang for your buck. It comes highly recommended for those who want a good light and are on a budget.
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