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Sunlight is very important for growing any kind of a plant, not just weed. It is due to this natural light from the sun that your plants can photosynthesise and prepare ‘food’ in the form of various enzymes and sugars which are then decomposed and carried across their entire body which helps them grow. However, when you are growing your plants indoors, you might face a problem because there is no access to sunlight when doing so indoors. In such cases you need to make use of indoor grow lights which replicate the natural light of the sun. ViparSpectra 900W LED grow light, which happens to be the focus of our article, is one such solution that you can try out!
Over the course of this article, we shall be taking a quick look as to why sunlight is important and how grow lights can help you recreate this light indoors. Besides that, we shall also be looking in detail at this particular grow light from ViparSpectra and dissect each and every feature of this grow light and provide you with a complete review of the ViparSpectra 900W LED grow light. We shall be looking at each feature in great detail and provide a rating to each of them – ending up with one final review and rating.
We shall also be taking a closer look at ViparSpectra the brand and give you insights about them. Besides that, we will be taking a detailed look at the pros and cons of using this grow light to grow your weed. We shall also be addressing the need and importance of lighting and why a marijuana plant needs a grow light. Let us begin with this last point first, as that will answer many basic queries that growers might have.
Understanding the Importance of Grow Lights
Grow lights are very important for growers who want to grow their plants under non-natural conditions. This basically means if you want to grow your plants anywhere apart from under the sun, you have to rely on these lights. When you grow your plants indoors, you need to artificially recreate the natural light of the sun, and this can be done with the help of grow lights, especially full spectrum grow lights like the ViparSpectra 900W LED grow light here (but more on that later).
A full spectrum grow light basically combines lights of different wavelengths together and is as close to sunlight as you can get in an artificial environment. These lights are important for the plants that you are growing indoors because it helps them with the process of photosynthesis and with the generation of chlorophyll, as well as with the preparation of their ‘food’ which is in the form of sugars, enzymes, etc. The light also helps them break it down and helps them grow. Light also helps the plants grow taller and stronger, and there’s a natural affinity for the plants to grow towards the direction of the source of light.
This is the reason grow lights are important. Many growers cannot really grow their plants outdoors, especially because marijuana is a plant that is often seen as a taboo in the US and if you are found growing it outdoors you are looked down upon! Hence, you’d best want to grow it indoors using these grow lights – one such light is the ViparSpectra 900W LED grow light, which we are about to review up next.
Brand Review for ViparSpectra: Is it Credible?
Before we reach the actual product review, here’s a quick look at ViparSpectra the brand.
ViparSpectra is truly an international brand, with their head office based in Richmond, California. The company has their presence in the UK, Australia and Canada as well and has a strong network of suppliers and warehouses via which their grow lights can reach you very quickly and they can also be repaired very efficiently if there’s a need. The company has been around since 2011 and in 2021 it marks its 10th year – which is quite impressive for any company, let alone for one which makes LED grow lights.
However, while LED lights are what they are best known for, ViparSpectra actually manages some other gardening equipment as well! Their grow tents are quite reputed and are among the best selling grow tents in the markets. Last year, in 2020, ViparSpectra added another gem to their crown by tying up with Samsung and Mean Well for LEDs, making sure that their grow lights use only the best quality products available in the markets! The company also has a very good reputation of honoring their warranty and a quick service turn-around-time! Let us now look at their grow light:
ViparSpectra 900W LED Grow Light Review
ViparSpectra makes a large number of grow lights in different series. This one offers a 900W wattage which is quite unique and is a number you’d usually not see out there. Apart from an interesting number to it, there’s much more to that grow light that’s likely to catch your interest. Here’s a closer look at some of the top features of this grow light, discussed in detail so that you get a complete picture: a 360-degree understanding of how it functions.
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Design and Durability (3.5/5)
Design and durability are two things which really work in the favor of this grow light. Straight up, it’s a little bulky, and has got six compartments! Each of these compartments carries 30 LEDs, giving you a total of 180 LEDs glowing at 5W to give you a total output of 900W. There are two separate switches for the VEG and the BLOOM mode, which is always a plus point compared to those lights which have only one switch on them. On all four sides of this grow light you would find vents and openings via which the hot air would escape. This is also a UL certified grow light which makes it completely safe to use!
There are three fans located on the back of the grow light which make sure that the heat exits the device and does not damage it or the plants. Four hoops on the back make sure you can hang it with ease. The main power cord can also enter the grow light from the back portion. There’s nothing extraordinary about this grow light’s design – but the overall value that you get out of it is quite impressive. It is a very durable grow light that can last you for a long time and can easily survive a few bumps and falls.
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Lighting Details (4/5)
When you take a detailed look at the lighting system of this grow light, you will notice that there are 180 LEDs attached to the body in six different compartments. Simple math can help gauge that each of these lights function at 5W to provide a total output of 900W. This is a full-spectrum grow light which is as near to the natural light of the sun as possible! There are 12+ wavelengths that function together ranging from 440nm to 730nm and even bands of 3000K and 7500K which help your plants get the best possible lighting experience that it can get indoors!
Thanks to the different VEG and BLOOM switches you can customize the lighting based on the phase of growth your plant is in. Plants which are in the vegetative phase require blue light from some distance while plants which are in the flowering stages require red lighting and the light needs to be moved closer to them. All in all, in terms of lighting, it’s got everything that you need and packs in a little extra bit with just the perfect wavelengths.
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Coverage (3.5/5)
The ViparSpectra 900W LED grow light is just the best option out there for you if you are a small-scale grower who is looking forward to growing plants in a 3×3 setup. If you are someone who has larger needs, you might get hold of two or three of them based on the area your plants occupy. The light that comes from this grow light is enough for a 3×3 and even for a 4×4 grow tent but not beyond that.
At the vegetative phase of growth, when you hang this grow light at about 32”, you can cover about 4×4 sq. ft. of area. During the flowering stage, this reduces to 3×3 sq. ft. as the light has to be lowered to 24”. People generally look at the larger figure of the vegetative growth and get confused. This is a rookie mistake and looking at the flowering coverage is what can give you an accurate estimate of how much area this grow light will cover. This could have been a little larger but suits the needs of most small-scale growers quite well.
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Brand Value and Credibility (5/5)
In terms of brand value and credibility, ViparSpectra is as good as it gets! The company has now completed 10 years of being around the LED grow lights markets and the ViparSpectra 900W LED grow light is a shining example of a product that has come from a brand which knows their market really well! The company has a very good reputation and is well loved among growers all around the world!
ViparSpectra not only makes good products that are affordable, but also takes care of the needs of the customers really well. Their after-sales service is also pretty good and most users who had to get their products repaired or serviced have claimed that they were really helpful and prompt. Given their strong US presence, ViparSpectra offers quick service which has been appreciated by a large number of the user base.
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Power Performance and PAR Scores (4/5)
This is a 900W LED grow light. However, it does not mean that it consumes 900 Watts of power from the power socket! That would be too much. This grow light consumes only about 405 Watts (with a +/- variation of 3%) when operated at 120V. This is a really impressive statistic, meaning it consumes less than 50% of its total output. The light also comes with a reflector design which makes sure that the PAR output is 50% higher than most of its competitors out there. One drawback, however, that you should be aware about – is that there is no support for daisy chaining here, so if you want to use additional lights you’ll need to hook each of them individually on to power sockets.
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Cooling (3.5/5)
All the basic needs have been satisfied when it comes to keeping the device cool. First off, as an LED grow light, it does not heat up as much as you’d expect other grow lights to. On top of that, there’s still space for even more cooling (just in case), as there are three fans which function just to keep the light cool and to propel all the hot air away. Even in the front chambers, there’s some space made so that heat does not get trapped and has the space to move out. Some growers have pointed out that the fans do make some noise, but it’s still way lesser than what most of their competitors have on them!
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Lifespan, Warranty, Cost and Delivery Details (4.5/5)
This grow light can last you for an impressive 100,000 hours (and often longer than that). You also get a three year warranty period which is honored really well by ViparSpectra. Besides that, there’s also a thirty-day money-back guarantee. The delivery is by Amazon – and is, as always, quite fast and efficient. The grow light costs $239 and also comes in 600W and 1200W variants if you wish to buy a low intensity or a high intensity model.
Final Verdict – 4/5
All said and done, this ViparSpectra 900W LED grow light is a really great option for growers who wish to grow plants indoors and on a small scale. The light covers quite a bit of area which is good enough for a small sized setup. The absence of daisy chaining is one minor inconvenience but everything else is top notch! ViparSpectra continues to impress us with every new product they launch.
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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