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Mars Hydro is one name that growers, regardless of how long they’ve been growing weed for, are likely to have heard of! The company makes some of the best grow lights as well as some other growing equipment and is quite the force in the world of gardening! Marijuana growers all over the world trust the brand and use their grow lights to grow bigger and better buds of the cannabis plant indoors. The grow light that we are going to review in this article is the Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light, which is one of the best options for growers out there!
Not only shall we be discussing this grow light, but also everything about the parent firm that is Mars Hydro. Moreover, we shall also shed some light on the state of the gardening industry and about the different types of grow lights out there, and what is the particular need that growers have for grow lights. However, our key focus is going to be on providing you with a detailed product review of the Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light.
Our review of this grow light is divided into multiple sections, where we discuss all its aspects in great detail. Starting from the build, design, and durability to the lighting and spectrum details of this grow light, the power consumption, heat dissipation, as well as other aspects such as the cost, warranty, delivery, etc. We also take into consideration the brand credibility and believe in providing our readers with every information about the brand, including their turnaround time as well as how well they are at honoring their warranty promises. However, before we deep-dive into this grow light, here’s a short note on what grow lights are and what Mars Hydro is:
What Are Grow Lights?
Growing plants indoors can be quite a challenging task largely because of the fact that you do not have access to most natural resources which you can easily find outdoors. Growing marijuana plants indoors requires you to artificially recreate many elements of nature – and lighting happens to be one of the most important such things. In order to artificially recreate lighting inside a grow tent or a grow room, you are required to make use of a grow light. Using a full-spectrum grow light helps you get the kind of light that the sun produces, complete with all the different wavelengths and spectral distribution.
When we look at sunlight, we see it as white or yellow light. However, when you take a closer and scientific look at it, it is actually composed of lights of different wavelengths – which fall either in the red or the blue spectrum (leaving some in between, but they have their own roles to play). The blue lights are important for the plants during the first phase of their growth cycle: the vegetative phase. These lights help the plants get greener and develop more foliage. These lights are also responsible for improving the taste, smell, and THC content in the plant. Then there’s the red lights, which are helpful to the plants during the second half of their growth cycle. These lights are essential for the flowering phase and help the plants develop bigger buds and increase their overall yield per square feet.
Sunlight is recreated indoors using grow lights, which are hung on top of grow rooms or grow tents and help provide light that is quite similar to the natural light, but in an indoor setup. The kind of light that we will be reviewing does it with the help of LEDs of different colors where the lights combine to provide a full-spectrum lighting experience for your plant. With this basic understanding behind us, let us take a look at the brand that Mars Hydro is and everything that it has to offer to the growers:
Understanding Brand Mars Hydro
Mars Hydro as a brand has been around for quite some time now. The company has been coming out with a number of grow lights, as well as certain other equipment that gardeners require, such as grow tents. Usually, growers prefer getting a combination of their grow lights along with their grow tents because of the amazing price-quality combination that they get here. Their grow lights are also very safe to use as they have undergone the ETL certifications for the US markets and the CE certification for the European markets.
The lights go through a quality check multiple times before they are shipped. All their grow lights offer a three-year warranty as well, which makes them quite an attractive choice for many growers. Lastly, Mars Hydro has a presence across all major markets such as US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia, etc. and have their service centers at these locations! All of this put together makes Mars Hydro one of the best and the most preferred brands among growers looking forward to buying grow lights.
Mars Hydro 600W LED Grow Light
Mars Hydro 600W LED Grow Light Review
Let us now begin with our review of the Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light. We have tried to provide an extensive and all-around look at these lights. Here, we have provided a complete and honest review of this grow light – as we cover various aspects of the light, ranging from how they look and how durable they are to the kind of lighting that they provide, to the power and heat-related issues and even a look at a brand value of the grow light. Let us begin without any further delay:
1. Design and Durability
In terms of design and durability, this grow light is well balanced. It is tough as nails and quite durable. The design is also pretty unique as unlike many other black-panel grow lights, this one comes in a white reflector panel which has bubble-like designs all over it, giving it a unique look instantly and making it quite attractive to look at too. The reflector has been angled in a way to maximize the light output which improves the efficiency of the light by about 20%. What further adds to the durability of this grow light is the fact that it has a waterproof coating on front, which ensures there’s no risk of any accidental water related damage.
In fact, when you take a closer look at the way this grow light has been designed, there are actually five layers that you are looking at. The first layer is the white reflector panel that it comes with. The second layer is that of a thermal insulator, followed by a third layer of aluminum which helps dissipate the heat well, lastly, there’s the layer of the diodes, followed by a final waterproof coating. The grow light weighs about 2 pounds and measures 14.02 x 12.2 x 1.42 inches, and is an impressive product at the price point it comes in at!
2. Lighting and Spectrum
The lighting and spectrum that this grow light has to offer is quite impressive as well. It provides a total output equivalent to 600W of lighting with the help of 225 LEDs. It is a full-spectrum grow light, meaning it carries the reds as well as the blues and mimics the natural sunlight quite closely. You get about 12410 lumens of lighting from this grow light (expect a variation of about 5%). The light operates at the spectrum labelled “3000K 5000K and IR 660nm 760nm” which is great for your plants. One thing that you must know about this grow light is that there are no separate red and blue channels here for VEG and BLOOM mode – and you get the same light throughout that has been designed to sustain your plants all through their growth cycle.
The presence of an IR light here is also quite beneficial for your plants, especially during the flowering phase. While these lights are pretty effective by themselves, the presence of the reflector adds on to it by quite a bit. With the help of the reflector the lights are angled better and the plants can make the most out of it. These lights also provide a very high PAR per lumen output which results in most of the light getting absorbed really well by the plants resulting in bigger and better growth. This helps the growers get maximum yield per square foot possible.
3. Power Consumption
In terms of power consumption, this grow light is quite a standout! It provides a 600W output while consuming only about 100W of power from the power socket – just 1/6th of the total output! The numbers are pretty good and you get a very high watt to lumen ratio while using this grow light. In terms of power consumption, Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light is a total 5-star product and there is perhaps no other grow light at a similar price point which provides a better power consumption. Besides being quite bright and consuming less power, the grow light is also very safe to use and has been certified by various global agencies including the CE and the ETL.
4. Heat Dissipation
One of the key things that any grower should consider is the heat dissipation aspect of it all. While this is a fan-less grow light, one still doesn’t need to worry about the kind of heat dissipation that it provides, because it is pretty good. The grow light makes sure that no heat remains trapped inside and the aluminum does not heat up while not adding too much weight to the light as well! The diodes used here, too, do not generate a lot of heat. Lastly, being fan-less has one major advantage (at least for old school growers who have been growing for a long time) – the sound that the fans create is gone, which can be quite irritating at times. All in all, the Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light rarely heats up and the dissipation system functions like a charm!
5. Coverage Details
Coming now to a very important thing – the coverage details of this grow light. This is a very important factor that many growers like to consider before they buy their light. In fact, this, for most growers, can be a complete make-or-break sort of a thing. The more coverage you get the better, however, this grow light is focused on those growers who have smaller needs – the lighting footprint that you get here is about 2×2 ft during the vegetative phase and 1.5 x 1.5 ft during the flowering phase – this is because the light is generally moved a little closer to the plants during the latter phase and hence the footprint reduces. For larger needs we suggest combining two or three of these lights together. The smaller footprint is one of the problems that growers often complain about when it comes to this grow light.
6. Brand Value and Credibility
When it comes down to the aspect of brand value and credibility, growers need to make sure that they are going for a trusted and good company because otherwise there might be problems with after-sales support, and in some cases the resale value that they get might not be good. Besides, it is always best to get products from a company which has its service centers in the region. When it comes to all of these questions, Mars Hydro ticks all the right boxes! The after-sales support is quite good (in the rare occasion you might need it), and the company has service centers present in all the major regions across the world. This makes it a highly credible brand in the world of indoor gardening and particularly for those growers who grow marijuana indoors.
7. Cost, Warranty, and Delivery
Coming to the final section of our Mars Hydro 600W grow light review, the cost, warranty and delivery details also matter quite a bit! Growers often consider these as some very important factors that they consider before they purchase the light. First off, the cost. The grow light costs under $80 and provides you with a full-spectrum growth and a reflector that makes sure that the light reaches your plants really well. The warranty that you get is a 3-year standard warranty from Mars Hydro, which is excellent considering the low price point. Delivery is fast and secure, and also discreet – three things you can always trust Amazon with.
Final Verdict on Mars Hydro 600W LED Grow Light: Is this the grow light you were looking for?
All things considered this grow light is a solid 3.5/5 – not the best out there but a great choice at this price point and certainly one of the best names among its peers in a similar price bracket. The points that we’ve deducted come from the fact that you cannot separate the veg and the bloom modes in this grow light, there’s no fan here, and that the Mars Hydro 600W grow light covers quite a small area. Nonetheless, the biggest benefits are the price point, the bright lights along with the reflector – and the 3 year warranty.
This is a great grow light if you are a small-scale grower or a beginner, or if you’re someone who is looking for an additional light to boost your plants, or looking for a backup grow light. If you are a large scale grower you might want to check out some larger and more intense grow lights from Mars Hydro which will be better suited for your needs. We’d suggest growers growing up to 4×4 sized tents to check out these lights, or go for bigger lights from the company.
Pros and Cons of Mars Hydro 600W LED Grow Light
Let us now take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of this grow light from Mars Hydro:
Pros
- Pocket friendly prices – at under $80, this grow light doesn’t cost too much
- Full spectrum lighting ensures that your plants are getting the right kind of light without having to change the light
- Great for personal scale growers
- Reflectors help angle the light in a better manner
- The light does not heat up too much
- Certified safe to use by multiple agencies across the globe
- 3-year warranty period
- Service centers in every major regio
Cons
- Coverage area too small – supports flowering growth of only 1.5 x 1.5 ft
- No separate switches for VEG and BLOOM mode
- No extra fan for heat dissipation
- Cannot be dimmed
Frequently Asked Questions about Grow Lights:
Having fully understood the grow light and everything that it provides to the growers, it is time to look at some commonly asked questions. These are a set of questions that we get asked time and again so we have collected them together for your easy reference. Do go through them as you might be having some similar doubts:
1. Can more than one grow light be used at the same time?
Yes, more than one grow light can be used at the same time – sometimes growers get two small sized grow lights instead of getting one large grow light. Similarly if you have to cover a larger area, you might want to use two large grow lights. Most grow lights also support daisy chaining, allowing you to hook one on to the other instead of plugging them all individually to power sockets.
2. Why are full spectrum lights better than single-spectrum lights?
Full spectrum grow lights such as the Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light are generally considered better than single-spectrum lights because they offer the growers with all the wavelengths of light that a plant needs to grow. During the first half of its growth cycle, the marijuana plant needs blue lighting while the flowering stage requires red lights, both of which operate at different wavelengths. Hence, instead of changing bulbs during different times, a full spectrum light allows you to use the same light to grow your plants year-round because of the kind of light that they offer.
3. Can grow lights be used outdoors?
Yes, grow lights can be used outdoors too, though their primary purpose is for indoor growers. For outdoor growers, they are helpful in extending the sunlit hours after sunset. Furthermore, in large-scale setups, grow lights can be used to provide lights from different angles so that this artificial light can reach parts of the plant where natural lights cannot reach. These lights are also helpful in times when you would like to give an extra boost to your flowering plants outdoors.
4. Can this Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light be used for growing plants hydroponically?
Yes, this grow light can also be used for growing plants on the hydroponic model. Given that the needs of plants are pretty much the same and that this is a full-spectrum grow light, growers can easily use it for these kinds of plants.
5. How to choose the right grow light for cannabis plants?
The grow lights you choose should provide the full spectrum of light to your cannabis plants. This is needed for the photosynthesis process which helps the plants growth. Before buying a grow light make sure to check whether it provides a full colour spectrum or not.
6. Can any LED light work as grow lights?
The answer is yes, you can use any LED lights as grow lights for your plant. However, this doesn’t ensure that your plants will grow healthy. That’s because regular LED lights don’t contain enough light or colour spectrum that is needed by plants for photosynthesis.
Conclusion
This grow light is meant for a certain kind of a grower. One who might not really use it as a primary source of light, but one who will need it for either a backup light, or for an add-on light. However, if you are a grower who plans to grow like three of four plants for personal consumption this light is your best friend as you don’t really need an elaborate setup with too many features to grow a few plants. All said and done the key feature of this grow light is the price point and the Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light is the best name in the markets when it comes to affordable grow lights! If you have any other questions or queries about this grow light from Mars Hydro, feel free to leave a comment here or send us an email and we shall get back to you as soon as we can! Till then…
..Happy Growing! 🙂
A rotating team of writers and editors dedicated to providing reliable information for the readers of American Promise. We’re all passionate about cannabis and actively engaged in this “budding” industry.
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