3 Year Warranty.
No Trial Period.
There has been a lot of hype recently over the 357w Magnum LED from Grow Perfect Technologies Inc. Today, I’ll take a deep look at the light and provide you with information that will hopefully help you determine whether or not the light lives up to the hype. There are six criteria that I always look at when evaluating a light: warranty, trial period, heat sink, spectral wavelength, actual watts drawn, and the beam angle. Now of course all this information is fine and dandy, but I also want to see real grows where this light has worked. At the end of this 357w Magnum LED review I’ll put up grow journals that will hopefully help you make up your mind. If you have your own grow journal, let me know and I’ll get it listed up here with the rest. Feel free to add any of your own insights on this light in the comments section. Without further ado… Warranty: A+ The 357 mag (named after a popular gun) has a three year warranty. The industry standard is only one year so this is a good sign. If it’s something small that needs repaired, Grow Perfect can simply ship you out the part that you need. If you’d prefer that they fix the light for you, then they have facilities in both North America and Europe. Trial Period and Return Policy: B- This is probably the biggest disadvantage to the 357 watt Magnum that I have seen. There is no mention of a trial period or return policy on 357magled.com. I decided to do some more digging and found their return policy over at the Grow Perfect Technologies Inc. official website: ledgrowlightsdirect.com. Basically they have a 24 hour return policy. The industry standard is at around 30 days. Not a deal breaker, but I’d personally like to see them bump this up (yes I’ve already contacted them about it and you’re welcome!). **Update** I just heard back from Grow Perfect about a potential trial period. They said it wasn’t necessary because of the number of successful grows their customers have had with their lights. They made it sound like it’s not something their customers ever ask them for. Heat Sink: A Those of us with some experience with LED grow lights know that the heat sink of an LED light is a big deal. Without proper heat dissipation, LED lights simply don’t last as long as billed (read more about this in my criteria for finding a good LED grow light post). The people at Grow Perfect realize that the heat sink is important. For this reason they developed a “patented double plate heat sink design.” This design allows the heat to diffuse quickly from the individual LED chips on the light ensuring a long life. Spectral Wavelength: A- I’m not sure if anyone in the world is really qualified at this point to give a grade on spectral wavelengths. I say this because there is always some debate about the exact spectra/colors and ratios that produce the best results. Experts seem to agree that blue and red light are important, but after that they have very different opinions (this probably has something to do with each type of plant being a bit different.). I decided to give the Magnum an A- on its spectrum because it went with the “more is better” approach. With 11 bands (420nm/439nm/469nm/483nm/3000k-3500k/642nm/667nm/680nm/720nm) of light they are definitely covering all of their bases. However, you don’t get a perfect score in school or in real life if you provide more than is necessary. You still get a good grade, but not a perfect one. Does this light provide more wave-lengths than are necessary? Some people think so. However, sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry. Actual Watts Drawn: A If a company provides you with the information to the actual watts drawn for their lights, then they’re probably a good company. LED grow light experts agree that actual watts drawn are a key indicator of the coverage area you are going to get with a light. The 357 Magnum actually draws 180 watts. They get an A grade for sharing the information. We learn from this that the light covers an area of about four square feet for flowering purposes (probably closer to 6-8 square feet for vegging purposes). This is a good amount of area for the price. Yes, their website says the footprint of the light is about 9 square feet. The sweet spot of the light is closer to four-square feet though (this is pretty standard for most high-powered LED grow lights). Beam Angle: A The 357w Magnum LED grow light has a mixed beam angle using LEDs that vary between 60 and 90 degrees. This is a good combination for getting both coverage and deeper into the plant. Also Worth Mentioning These are 3-watt LED chips which means they are better for penetrating down to the lower levels of your plants. Most companies nowadays offer a 3-watt chip option. *Update: Just learned that Magnum actually uses a 3w-3chip setup. Most experts (myself included) don’t think this is as good of a setup as a true 3 watt diode. You can go here to read more of my thoughts on the subject: http://growtutor.com/461/1w-vs-3w-vs-3w-3chip-in-led-growing-lights/. They get their diodes from Bridgelux (one of the top three LED makers according to most experts). The person I talked to that works at Grow Perfect mentioned that they will be releasing a new light on October 1, 2011 called the Magnum+. It might be a good idea to wait until then before you make your purchase if you decide to go with this light. Price: $799 for original Magnum. $1,199 for Magnum+. My Comments: This company seems to be taking a leadership role in LED growing technology. The Magnum LED grow light has been a game-changer and a lot of people have had successful results using it. Their marketing is a bit extreme for my tastes, but these lights get the job done. This light comes highly recommended. Grow Journals Using the 357 MAG LED http://www.thcfarmer.com/forums/f54/brainstorm-under-357-magnum-leds-29391/ http://www.thcfarmer.com/forums/f137/testing-357-magnum-39883/ http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/416863-9-purple-kush-under-360-a.html http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/865673-super-lemon-haze-magnum-led-journal.html If you know of another good grow journal on the 357 Mag LED, let me know in the comment section. Click here to go to the official 357 Mangum Website.
hey , i would really like for you to check out this led light for me. its a bd700 on blackdogled.com, i do plan to by one but i want to know what you think and for the price what would you buy instead to put out the same wattage.. well from the price what other led lights would you buy for the same or less price. thank you and ill be looking for your great advice. cant find any reviews or information on the internet about them and that makes me nervous
Hey Kenny,
I’ll put blackdog on my list of LEDs to review. I’ve heard of them and glanced at their lights but I haven’t had the chance to perform an in-depth review yet. From what I’ve heard, they are a legitimate company. I would put them in the mid-tier as far as popularity goes. Brands/ Companies I would look at that are ahead of them include HydroGrowLED, BlackStar, Magnum, Prosource, and Grow LED Hydro. California Lightworks is definitely one I’d keep my eye on too. I’ve got their SolarStorm and it’s looking very promising.
Keep in touch and let us know what you decide to do and how it works out for you.
Nate
Hey, why don’t you have a review of the new Magnum+ unit? I am hearing that this is the best led grow light money can buy.
Hey Eric,
I’m planning on reviewing the Magnum+ unit soon. I like the Magnum lights in general (though I don’t really like some of their marketing tactics).
I’ll be interested to investigate their new heatsink design.
Have you had some luck with the Magnum+?
Nate
Will u do a review on the Apollo 3-watt leds lights from china, they look pretty sweet..
Im confused you say a true 3 watt is better than a 3w-3chip? These (magnum357) use the 3 W/ 3 Chip bridgelux is that not as good as the 1w or the 3w for penetrating? Now there is a 5watt (solarstorm) so that would be even better? Your the pro – im just trying to figure this all out
Thanks –Chuck
Hey Chuck,
Thanks for stopping by. I’m with you that the true 3 watt diodes are better for penetration (as discussed in my 1w vs 3w vs 3w-3chip post). That was a typo on my part in the article (I’ll change it to reflect what you’re talking about. Thanks for the catch).
I’ve got a Solarstorm and I’m still skeptical of the true 5 watt diodes, but after my interview with George at California Lightworks I’m beginning to think that he might be on to something with the 5 watt diodes. In the past companies didn’t have the thermal management systems in place to run them at a high enough amperage, but George thinks he’s found a way to do it efficiently. We’ll see. I’ve got a SolarStorm and I’m just about to start growing with it.
I’m also in the process of purchasing a quantum sensor that will give us a better measurement about the true power of these lights.
Thanks for stopping by Chuck. Hope to see you around more often.
Nate
Nate, first of all, let me say thank you so much for all the valuable information on all these lights. Now, after hours and hours of reading and researching, I’ve narrowed my decision down to 4 specific models. lol Can you please tell me which of these 4 would probably produce the best quality plant, yield, etc? I know you probably haven’t used all of these personally, but I’m sure you’d have a little more of an educated opinion than most. Any help at all would be appreciated and $1500 is pretty much my maximum limit for a light, but I do want the VERY BEST one for my money. Also, feel free to mention anything new that’s not on my list if it fits into my price range. Thank you so much.
1. 357 Magnum Plus
2. Black Dog BD700
3. Spectra 500
4. Blackstar 900
Katie,
You’ve got a great list there (you’ve done your homework). A few questions for you before I give you my answer:
(1).Have you grown in the past? If so, did you use HPS or LEDs? My research indicates that LEDs are gaining drastically, but though I hate to say it you are probably going to get the largest yields in turns of quantity from an HPS light. LEDs can produce large quantities (don’t get me wrong). They also have other advantages (they solve heating issues, they run quiet, they don’t require a ballast, they save on energy, etc. etc.). However, if all you care about is quantity then I’d consider an HPS lighting system.
The quality issue is a bit different. Some people say that LEDs produce higher quality taste. It’s really hard to judge quality so your guess is as good as mine there.
(2). What’s your growing area look like? In general I’m seeing much better results when I (and other growers) go with multiple, smaller lights as opposed to one humongous light. The key is to make sure you have good coverage and light reflection. Seriously, right now I’m doing a grow without Mylar (for experimental purposes) and my plant is looking pretty sickly. haha. With LEDs you need to make sure you’ve got good light reflection in place. Many of us LED enthusiasts believe that each LED light has a sweet spot where the plant produces better. If you have multiple grow lights, then you have multiple sweet spots.
So for example, instead of buying the Blackstar 900 and hoping to cover a large area with it, you’d be better off purchasing 3-4 blackstar 240w for the same price. Here’s why: The Blackstar 900 is only 20 inches long and 10 inches wide. It is going to be very hard for something 20 inches by 10 inches to have a coverage area of 16 square feet like they claim for the 900. However, three of four 240 w lights will cover that area. Hopefully that make sense? If not, let me knkow.
Now at a certain point it doesn’t make sense to have a gazillion 240 watt lights hung up everywhere. For people growing in a large area, it might make sense to purchase several blackstar 900’s.
Okay, now that I’ve given you even more homework, here are some blanket statements that are sure to get me in trouble :).
I wouldn’t go with the Spectra 500 right now. Mike is coming out with a new 2012 model that I think is better than his 2011 model. It should be available very soon.
Blackdog is still relatively unknown to me. I wouldn’t recommend them simply because I don’t know about them. I’m just recently starting to hear more and more about them meaning I’ll soon be launching a full scale investigation.
The Magnum plus is a good light. You can read my full review on the magnum here (note that I still haven’t reviewed the Magnum Plus, I’m working on it).
Blackstar provides a good lighting option for those on a budget. You can read my Blackstar 240w Review here. Now, one thing you should keep in mind with Blackstar is that they aren’t built with as high of quality of materials as some of the leaders. You’ll notice that Spectra offers a five year warranty and Blackstar only offers a one year warranty. Blackstar has its issues, but at the end of the day it produces (I’ve seen lots of high quality grows with it).
To throw more flame on the fire for you I’d recommend taking a look at California Lightsworks SolarFlare/SolarStorm and HydroGrowLED’s Penetrator X-Pro series. I’ve already reviewed the Penetrators and I’m in the process of reviewing the SolarStorm/SolarFlare.
Anyways, send me back what your grow area looks like and I’ll give you a more precise recommendation.
Sorry for the huge response.
Nate
Nate, thank you for the information and sorry it has taken so long for me to reply. Don’t worry about the huge response. I’m just glad you took the time to be thorough. Okay, I’ve used HPS in the past with great results (600 watts). I’m looking for something for a personal grow that would consist of about three to four good size plants. Quality is the most important factor since it’s a personal grow, but yield is a very, very close number two. I want whatever would guarantee results that compare somewhere in the range of a 600 to 1000 watt hps, but preferably closer to the 1000. Since reading your last response, here are the three new scenarios I’m leaning towards now. lol I would be extremely grateful if you would tell me what you think.
1. Running one Black Dog Platinum XL – I know you said you’re not too familiar with the company, but it’s supposedly a quality light that uses 5 watt chips and 710 watts. It’s got me thinking.
2. Running two 357 Magnum Plus’s – You said running multiple lights over an area is better, so this option intrigues me, but I am concerned if their 3 watt chips will match the 5 watt ones on the Platinum XL.
3. Running two Blackstar 900’s – This option uses multiple lights and would probably be the most powerful choice, but it seems to be a little bit of a lesser quality light compared to my first two options. I do want something that will last.
I’m also sorry for the huge response, but I want to do my homework before dropping a huge bundle on something that I won’t be pleased with in the long run. Again, thanks for all your help.
Hey Katie,
Sorry for the slow response. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being thorough with your thoughts and what you’re leaning towards. It makes it a lot easier for me to give my recommendation.
Oh, and you are right to do your homework before making such a huge purchase.
First off, I hate to break it to you, but if you’ve been growing successfully with HPS for a while, then you might be in for a bit of a learning curve when transitioning to LED. I see it time and time again. People switch over, drop a bucket load of cash on these LED lights that are supposed to replace 1000w HPS’s, and then are about to blow a gasket when their first grow doesn’t produce as much as they wanted. Those who are patient are usually rewarded on their next grows as they adjust to the differences between HPS and LED.
Unfortunately, there is a learning curve and I need to write a small guide about how to transition from HPS to LED. I’ll see if I can hunt down some information that will smooth your transition. I’ll try to post it on the site where you can find it.
Anyways, sorry for the rant. What you need to know is that there might be a bit of a learning curve with your transition.
Okay, let me give you my opinion on your choices.
(1). First off, I’m glad to see that Black Dog lists their actual watts and not their “LED” watts. That’s a good sign. This Black Dog is only 20 inches long and 12.5 inches wide. So, for the light to cover three or four plants you are going to have to hang it relatively high in the air. This might not be a problem, because like you said, these are more powerful 5 watt diodes.
As you can see I’m really worried about your coverage area, haha. I couldn’t find out what the beam angles were on these XL’s. The beam angle will affect your coverage though. I’ve seen some really tight 15 degree and 60 degree beam angles. These are good for penetrating deep into the plant but they harm your coverage area a bit.
(2). I think we have the same opinion here. Two of them might give you better coverage, but the 3 watt 3 chip design by Magnum is not optimal.
(3). Again, looks like we are on the same page. I have to agree with you that the Blackstar is more of a bargain brand if that makes sense. I haven’t had one die on me personally, but their lower price indicates to me that they aren’t as durable as some of the other brands.
Well I hope that helped. I find it useful just to talk it through with someone else who knows what they’re talking about.
You’ve definitely got me interested in these Black Dogs. I’m going to have to contact the company and see what’s up. Most of these companies contact me for a review, but Black Dog seems to be avoiding me.
Please come back and let us know what you decided. Share your results with us if you remember as well!
Best,
Nate
I wrote a comment earlier but it was not posted.
Magnum+ does not have a finned heatsink. There is no space between the fans and the flat metal plate for air to be drawn through. It is a very crude design with 5 fans mounted flush on a metal plate which has LEDs on the other side. Fans are not quiet.
It was drop shipped to me from a chinese factory(not Canada).
Nate,
I am a medical patient. I have an indoor set up in a 4′ x8′ tent. I am currently running (1) 400w HPS/MH switchable light because it was cheap to start. (obviously not enough coverage for my area) I need to switch to LED systems and was wondering what you would recommend. Cost is a big issue, but does not out weigh quality/yield outcome. Do you feel a veg/flower (red/blue) combo light is better, or two systems, one for veg(blue) and one for flower(red)? I have been studying on these for a while now, and keep finding conflicting reports. I like your idea of multiple units for effective coverage, and had considered going with UFO’s because of price, but I am a little hesitant. I have been considering a system that would be comparable to a 600w-1000w hps/mh system. My overall price range would be a max of about $1200. Thank you SOO much for sharing your valued knowledge and experience in LED systems with us.
Hey Travis,
First off, I sympathize with you about the conflicting reports. I have traveled down that same path as well my friend. The problem is that due to the nature of these lights they are mostly researched online. This means that companies are always setting up fake grows and forum accounts in order to make their lights look the best. I do my best to weed through this information and I contact the companies personally in hopes that they won’t lie as much to me in person or over the phone. I also pay special attention to the trusted growers that have been doing this for years.
Anyways, I’m interested in hearing how your 400w HPS/MH performed in that large of an area.
Are you going for a scrog grow? How tall to you think your plants are going to get?
Right now here are the brands I would recommend in no particular order: HydroGrowLED (Penetrators), Spectras, California Lightworks, Prosource, and Blackstar. Blackstar is the best bang for your buck, but not necessarily the highest quality light. It produces great yields; the question is whether or not the lights last for a long time.
Which lights I recommend would really depend on the height of your plants. The reason being that these companies have different beam angles (some are better suited for taller plants and others are better suited for shorter SCROG grows.
Let me know and we’ll continue the conversation.
Best,
Nate
Have you reviewed the magnum + yet,,,whats everyone think?
Hey Mark,
Not yet. I’ve been a little turned off by some of Magnum’s marketing tactics. They set up a few fake grows, copied and pasted my website and a friend’s website, and then they stole a famous LED grower’s (Irishboy) name, started a website with it and claimed that he endorsed their lights. He was furious. haha I get nervous about companies that use aggressive marketing tactics like this, but I could be wrong.
Anyways, all that being said I’m still going to be testing their lights. I try not to be close-minded and I’ve heard some good things about their lights.
Best,
Nate
HI Nate ~ I am in the UK ~ and with freinds would like to thank your for your LED reviews ~ you guys are way ahead re LEDs : I am seeing new names but have not seen you mention Grow Stealth LED Lights ? These were recommended to me from a friend in the USA. Have you done a review ? Any comments? Last question ~ can you please clairy and confirm if one LED Grow Light can be used for the whole grow ~ veg through to flower ~ I want to grow 4 plants only and was considering using a 300w to 400w actual watt LED Lamp ~ but not sure if I will need 2 ? One for veg and One flower ~ many thanks ~ kind rgds Ron
Hey Ron,
Thanks for your kind words. I’ve had a couple people mention Grow Stealth LEDs so I’m going to be reviewing them as soon as possible.
To answer your other question: yes one LED can grow from veg to flower. I’ve grown from seed all the way to harvest under one LED grow light. Pretty cool right?
That being said, you’ll need to make sure you get an LED that has red in the spectrum. Some LEDs come with a veg/flower switch. These can work great, but they aren’t necessary in my opinion. Just make sure the light you get is setup for both veg and flowering (most of them are).
Best,
Nate
Nate ~ thanks for the info and look forward to reading the Grow Stealth review ~ let me know if you ever review a USA company called Lumigrow ~ this seems a really well funded company and the only grow light i have seen that uses 5w LEDs ? Friend in the USA sent me a link to their website ~ all very nice but the price seem high ~ but may be its good unit and we get what we pay for ! thanks again for all the reviews ~ which are now read by more and more growers in the UK ~ great work ~ thanks and regards – Ron Scarborough UK
Hey Ron,
Thanks for your kind words.
Lumigrow is on my short list. I didn’t know that they were running 5 watt diodes though. I know that California Lightworks runs a 5w diode on their lights. I have a SolarStorm from them and the thing is extremely powerful. The combination of 5w diodes with a wider beam angle is something that I’m excited about because I think it will mean larger coverage areas with the same amount of penetration.
Best,
Nate
Nate,
I just want to thank you for all the hard work you have done with reviewing led lights, (Thank You) it has been invaluable to my decision making process. Just keep it real and tell it like it is … if reviews lose integrity the forum will have no merit. I marvel at all the 5 star reviews on many led light manufacturers sites, such phony crap..I value honest opinions pointing out the good points and the bad with this new technology.. I recently called the 357 mag + people with a few specific questions about there lights. Yes these guys are aggressive super salesman. I personally smell shit when someone pushes something that hard. I have a back round in all things mechanical and scientific and have been around awhile so I get a kick out of some kid explaining to me why the 357+ magnum will outperform all other grow lights including HPS …lol….I think my choice will be the penetrator x because i like the name…lol….
Again,
Thanks,
Big Mike
Hey Mike,
I agree that the Magnum guys push too hard. I think they have some decent lights, but they have pulled some crazy marketing schemes that I’m unhappy with.
Glad you found the site helpful.
Nate