My Top 5 Favorite LED Grow Lights Of 2024

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From personal experience I’ve come to find out that it is almost impossible to grow florae in unsuitable environments. Plants may object to overly cold temperatures or too much dampness. Yet, experienced horticulturalists have the capability of growing seedlings despite these conditions.

They do it by using LED grow lights to imitate the sunlight that enables photosynthesis to take place. Choosing a grow light is a challenge. You have to decide on spectrum, PAR, and penetration. There are so many available on the market today.

Because of this, I decided to list my top 5 favorite LED Grow Lights, that I have personally used and invested money in that brought excellent results in my indoor gardening endeavors. These are not listed in any particular order as that was so tough to do, but what I did was narrowed it down to the top 5 in my personal opinion.

I didn’t add it to this list, but there is a 6th favorite grow light of mine which was worthy of a detailed review of it’s own, and that is the Galaxyhydro 300w LED Grow Light. Without further a do, here are the Top 5 LED Grow Lights of 2018.

GoGrow’s V3 Master Grower LED Grow Light

GoGrow is one of the market’s most trusted suppliers of LED growing systems. They pride themselves on the durability of their grow lights and are conscious of the expense in using these lights over time.

A grow light will operate for approximately eleven hours each day, and if the unit outputs are high, the cost of electricity will increase significantly. This is no longer an issue with their V3. GoGrow uses red LED lights as opposed to the blue variety. The latter consume 50% more power and actually yield poor results.

The V3 is made specifically for home-growing vegetables and flowers. It provides 12 spectrums and a high PAR penetration. If you are a new horticulturalist, you are probably wondering what that all means. People and plants respond differently to light.

If you’re a human, you will be more sensitive to green or yellow light than you are to blue or red. Measuring the intensity of light for plants is a littledifferent. Plants are much more efficient when using red and blue light. PAR simply defines the most optimal kinds of light needed to enable photosynthesis.

While it is true that red LED lights promote better growing conditions than their blue counterparts, red lights are also far more expensive. Some go as high as $1200. The GoGrow V3 will cost a little less than half that.

The main reasons I like the Go Grow V3-Master Grower is that it is small enough to fit in a small grow tent while at the same time filling it with abundant lighting. I was impressed with how much light it gives off with only 130 watts with no excess heat dangerous to your plants.

I haven’t had to contact the company for any support but, according to customer reviews the company is very responsive and helpful and that’s always a plus.

The current price and rating is listed below:

King Plus 1000w LED Grow Light

KingLED’s King Plus is a grow light built with 10W double chips, something seasoned growers are raving about including me. Not only does it use less energy, making it more efficient and brighter, but it also provides a full spectrum of light, making it ideal for a wide range of plants and vegetables that can be grown indoors.

Most scientists agree that wavelengths from 400 to 700 nanometers are sufficient for plant growth, but a full spectrum has a real effect on their development.

The King Plus 1000w has a shelf life of 100,000 hours and can manage even 12 – 14 hour days. It comes with a timer, so you control precisely when the light is used, and the recommended distance to place it above the saplings is only 2 to 3 feet.

It has a coverage area of approximately 3.4 x 3.8 feet, and KingLED provides a 3-year warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee. This light is less expensive than GoGrow’s line of products, but it does requires a fan which is it’s main downside.

I especially like the control of the light exposure it gives off with the built-in timer. The light is large enough to cover a pretty large area of around 4×4 in square footage. The price was another reason why I liked this grow light. I felt that I got a good bang for my buck.

I noticed a discrepancy in how KingLED has measured their product. They are promoting it as 1000w; however, grow light wattage should not be compared to electrical watts. Electricity won’t help your plants grow, but the amount of light that is emitted by a grow light will so I’m not sure what that’s about.

The current price and rating is listed below:

Mars Hydro 300W LED Grow Light

Mars Hydro has created an LED grow light that is getting quite a few positive reviews. Its simulated full spectrum of light operates between 400 and 800 nanometers. This is the measure of the frequency of light in billionths of a meter. Plants can respond to lights in a wider range than humans, so the wider the range, the more conversion of light into photosynthesis.

It is another energy saver that covers a 2 x 2 foot growing area. It is ideal for hydroponics plants which do not necessarily need soil, like basil, lettuce, and spinach as well as other common fruits and vegetables. It comes with an auto-timer and works well in tents, grow rooms, and other indoor environments.

The Mars Hydro grow lamps have the stamp of approval of a nationally recognized testing laboratory and have been tested against ETL standards. That means this product has been tested for safety. It includes a 12-month authentic warranty and a 30-day money back guarantee.

I was skeptical of this grow light the first time I started using it but quickly noticed that is produced quality lighting. This in turn provided fast growth for my plants compared to other lamps that I have used even on this top 5 list.

Unfortunately, the lifespan of this grow light is much shorter than that of equivalent grow lights at 50,000 hours and also it is smaller in size dimensions compared to other models. You may need more than one lamp if you have to cover more than 4×4 square footage of plants.

The current price and rating is listed below:

Apollo Horticulture GL60 Grow Light

The Apollo GL60 is one of the least expensive LED grow lamps on the market and offers many of the same benefits that more expensive lights do. It has a 5 feet square coverage area and only draws 109 watts of power. This might be due to its 6-band spectrum that ranges from 430 to 730 nanometers, which is not too far off from its competitors.

It’s appropriate for tents, greenhouses, H2O systems and most hydroponic systems. It includes a quiet cooling fan and weighs less than other systems. Apollo offers a limited 2-year warranty.

I used this on my plants in one of my grow tents and got some pretty good results. I think it is mainly due to the fact that the light is more concentrated on the plant since it is round which is the reason I wanted to test the Apollo.

I also loved the fact that it is so light and easy to hang and mount inside a grow tent. I can’t say that it’s the best grow light from the other 4 of this Top 5 list but it will do the job well especially if you are not able to shell out big money for a grow lamp.

According to some of the customer reviews on Amazon, there are some downsides to the GL60. The grow lamp has a short shelf life of 50,000 hours, and its limited spectrum that might slow plant growth efficiency. It is not suitable for apartments due to its potential as a fire hazard, and there is a tendency for the panels to go out.

The current price and rating is listed below:

Viparspectra Reflector Series 600w LED Grow Light

Viparspectra has created a full spectrum grow light that is perfectly suitable to growing plants, vegetables, and flowers indoors. It is a powerful light that is perfect for people who are just cutting their teeth as horticulturalists.

The Reflector Series 600w provides outstanding results within all growth stages, and offers a uniform balance of both the PAR output and its coverage. It conserves power and runs approximately 70% cooler than its predecessors.

Additionally, this grow light has an impressive lifespan of 100,000 hours. It provides vegetative coverage of 9 square feet and slightly less for flowering coverage. The Viparspectra has a 3-year warranty as well.

This growing system weighs much more than the average LED grow light and comes in at almost 10 lbs. Its cooling fans have the reputation for making a lot of noise, running hot, and a few other issues. Apart from these few drawbacks, the Viparspectra did a great job of and my plants knew it and felt it.

I especially loved the fact that one of these lamps covers such a big area of almost 9 square feet. If you want to pay just a little more for one lamp but get almost double the coverage from one lamp, this is the one to go with.

The current price and rating is listed below:


Overall Pick/Final Thoughts

I’ve gone pretty long on this article but there you have it, my top 5 favorite LED grow lights of 2018. If I had to ultimately choose one out of the 5 given the prices, durability, and features of each of the five listed, the GoGrow V3 Master Grower ultimately has the edge.


Other Resources

Read my Top 4 Indoor Gardening Tips for Beginners here…

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The Top 4 Indoor Gardening Basics That Every Beginner Should Know

Indoor gardening could mean anything from having a few plants hanging by the windowsill to a full-fledged indoor garden. It really all depends what your end goal is as an indoor gardener. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to concentrate on growing a variety of vegetables.

But, before I learned about how cilantro grows, or how carrots grow or even how mustard greens grow, I had to learn the top 4 basic principles of Indoor Gardening. Keep reading to find out what you need to know to become the best indoor gardener that you can possibly become.

Indoor Gardening 101

 Basic #1 – Indoor Garden Lighting

There are plants you can raise indoors without supplemental light. These tend to be plants that naturally grow on the forest floor or the second tier of the forest – they’re used to shade. African violets, ivy and other common houseplants fall into this category.

There are vegetables and herbs that can grow indoors with natural light from a window provided it streams in for enough hours a day. However, you may need to supplement with grow lights.

For example, fruiting vegetables or herbs do best with 10 plus hours a day of light, and you may not be receiving that through your biggest window in the winter. If you’re trying to get long day plants to flower, those that are programmed to flower during the summer, they need 14 to 18 hours of light.

Another factor to consider is spacing of the plants. If you put all the plants in the window, they’ll be exposed to that maximum amount of natural sunlight, but they may be exposed to colder air leaking in through the window than if you placed them in the corner under a grow light. If the plants are on shelves, there is the possibility the shelves themselves shade lower plants from the natural light.

You could supplement with grow lights or simply put grow lights on all of the shelves. Just make sure the lights aren’t too close to the plants, since light too close could sunburn the plants or simply overheat them. You can read my post on the Top 5 LED Grow Lights of 2018 to get more info on the different brands of grow lights on the market right now.

Artificial lighting becomes critical when you’re trying to maximize certain aspects of a plant’s growth. Red light stimulates leaves, while blue light stimulates the stems. Broad spectrum grow lamps provide both. One such grow lamp that I currently use and highly recommend is the Galaxyhydro 300w LED Grow Light which you can find on Amazon.com right now for a great price.

If you’re trying to delay flowering in plants or maximize leaf production for certain vegetables, advanced grow lights become essential. If you’re growing garlic and mint in a pot, that’s overkill.

Basic #2 – Soil/Growing Medium

The growing medium is simply what your plants are growing in. A pot full of soil scraped up from outside has its growing medium. Or it could be cuttings sitting in water as they grow roots before you transplant them to soil, another growing medium. It is rare that someone actually needs a hydroponics or airponics system.

The ideal growing medium is loose and drain wells but holds moisture so that the roots can absorb it while nutrients don’t drain away. You can create your own or buy it. Note that the ideal growing medium for your plants depends on the plants themselves, since some plants need different soil pH or varying soil qualities.

Most potting “soils” actually don’t contain soil. They’re made from a mix of peat, sand, and perlite (to improve drainage). A few more expensive mixtures contain water-retaining crystals to slow the release of water into the soil so you don’t have to water as often.

You can find specialized potting mixes for hard to raise plants like orchids and cacti, but most plants you’d like to raise indoors can be raised in any sterile commercial mix intended for indoor plants. It’s the soil from the weedy lot outside that could bring in unwanted seeds, pests and fungus that’s more likely to be an issue.

Another issue is the container you put the plant in. Always research how much space the plant needs, since putting a plant that needs 8” of depth in a 4” tray means you’ll fail to raise a healthy crop no matter how well-lit and watered it is. They need adequate space for the roots to grow out and down. The amount of space they need vertically varies, too.

When selecting pots or planters (Link to Amazon.com), look for ones with weep holes so it can drain out extra water; this will happen even if you’re watering it perfectly. Yes, you’re going to want a tray or pad under the plants to absorb this extra water. If they don’t have weep holes, the water-logged soil could suffocate the plant roots.

If you’re doing well, you can tell the plant needs to be moved to a larger pot because the roots are growing out the drainage holes. A plant that has no new growth probably needs to be moved to a larger container as well.

Basic #3 – What About Watering

All plants need to be watered. Whether you need to mist them daily or drench them every other day depends on the species. If you’re growing a mix of plants indoors, learn what their watering schedule needs to be or set up automatic watering systems (Link to Amazon.com) to water them for you. This is where putting the same plant on the same row simplifies things dramatically.

Plants also need a certain level of humidity. And the modern home runs too dry, especially in the winter. Don’t assume that a high level of humidity from misters or dripping from other plants reduces your need to water the plants.

However, you know that the plants are suffering from low humidity if the plants are withered, puckered, turning brown or losing their leaves. Don’t put plants in a tray of water to try to offset humidity, since this may over-water the roots or foster fungal growth.

An indoor gardening 101 note for new gardeners – you can use tap water in some cases but distilled water is better. Don’t use water leftover from cooking or other applications to water the plants, since it probably contains salts and food residue that your plants shouldn’t be exposed to.

Basic #4 – Temperature

Most plants we regularly grow indoors need temperatures of 65 degrees to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. A good indicator that it is too cold for the plants is yellowing of the leaves. This is where grow lights can cause plants to overheat, so be careful as to the right distance of the bulbs from the plants. The right distance varies between species, but too far means they don’t get enough intensity while too close means they get too much and risk overheating.

Sometimes plants are brought indoors after sitting on the deck or windowsill. Even these plants that need to be brought inside need to be acclimated by potting them, letting them spend some time in a shady spot part of the day to get them to thin their cuticle, and then move them inside.

If you were moving plants from your indoor garden to the outdoors, they’d need some time spent in direct sunlight that increases by an hour or two a day. This forces the plant to grow a thicker cuticle and prevents excessive water loss.

They’ll need to spend the night indoors for at least a week regardless of which way they’re going. This ensures that the garden plant that’s adapting for cold fall weather doesn’t get sick when you put it in indoor garden and that the seedlings you started off indoors don’t die when you plant them outside.

Conclusion

Just like learning and mastering anything else, indoor gardening is no exception, but it’s very rewarding. You will be in a position where you are growing your own vegetables, flowers, house plants etc. and also have the enjoyment of seeing a seed that you planted and nurtured come to fruition. For more information about indoor gardening visit the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponics or view the video below:

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What Can The Galaxyhydro 300w LED Grow Light Do For Your Indoor Plants? – 2024 Review

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The Galaxyhydro 300w Dimmable LED Grow Light by Roleadro

The name Galaxyhydro now owned by Roleadro is not a stranger when it comes to grow lights. According to Roleadro, their dimmable 300w LED grow light was originated from years of rigorous research and development.

There is no doubt that Roleadro (Galaxyhydro) makes some of the best and most cutting edge grow lights on the market for plants and the Galaxyhydro 300w LED Grow Light is not an exemption.

I personally own this grow light as well as the Galaxyhydro 600w which is also an excellent grow light with the main difference being the wattage it outputs. You can read my detailed review of the Galaxyhydro 600w here.

Of course this review is on the 300 Watt version so before we continue you can view it’s current price and rating below from Amazon.com

Features at a Glance

  • Unique Dimmer Design: The Galaxyhydro dimmable plant grow light is exclusive on Amazon, and not only is it high-quality but also very affordable.The light comes with a dimmer on the backside of the grow light, that allows you to adjust the brightness of the bulbs from 0% to 100%.
  • Adjust the brightness by the dimmer knob to apply different amounts of light through all of the different stages of plant growth instead of having to adjust the hanging height of the actual plant light. It’s a perfect solution for all your plants growth stages.
  • Full Spectrum: Includes 430-440nm, 450-460nm, 610-615nm, 620-630nm, 650-660nm, white, IR(730nm) , UV 380-400nm, 470nm. These lights contain the most useful light needed by plants without any useless light.
  • Blue and red light provide the best results for plants, which of course increase your harvest yield. UV light is also capable of killing bacteria which reduces the chance of plant disease and help promote healthy cell division as well.
  • Efficient Cooling System: The unit comes with three quiet cooling fans, which provide better heat dissipation than most grow lights which only come with 2 fans. The light emitted by the unit doesn’t generate any extra heat. As a matter of fact it can work up 6hrs a day straight without emitting any extra heat.
  • Daisy-Chain Function: The unit is daisy chain compatible which allows you to connect to more lights to extend the light coverage and also help in cord control. This works by having two or more lights connected and used together by their power cords. This provides not only Energy saving but money and time saving as well.
  • Warranty and Customer Service: A 2 year warranty plus a 30 days money back guarantee is provided. Galaxyhydro (Roleadro) are a specialized grow light manufacturer  that produce grow lamps with excellent quality.

Why Grow Plants Indoors?

Growing plants indoors creates an attractive internal environment and if your and indoor plant aficionado like me, it makes you want to stay indoors all the time just to enjoy the serenity created by the plants. To create it however requires you to have a grow light that is quite similar to the sun in terms of producing the light as well as the spectrum bands that are produced by the sun.

If you are growing the plants in dark areas like a basement, you definitely need to buy an effective grow light that can support the plants at different stages as it grows. The Galaxyhydro 300W LED Grow Light has been specifically designed to provide just that right amount of light to help give you the best possible results that you can get out of your indoor gardening endeavors.

Grow Light Specifications

The Galaxyhydro LED Grow Light only weighs 6.8 pounds. This of course makes it pretty portable within the house. It measures around 15.8 inches length by 8.3 inches width and 2.4 inches height. When I hung it in my basement area where I usually use the lights I immediately noticed the minimal space it took up. This of course made me wonder how do you get such power and value yet so minimal in both space and weight.

In terms of power consumption, it is rated 300W although it consumes 140 watts on average from the tests that I did. The LED lights are placed at 90 degrees and 120 degree angles in order to enhance proper distribution and dissipation of light. The complete package comes with 1 power cord, 1 dimmable grow light and 1 stainless ratchet hanger.

Click picture on the right to see dimensions and specifications in detail.

Let’s Talk About Features

The Galaxyhydro 300w grow light comes with several features to ensure that you grow plants indoors with great comfort. The plants grow naturally as if they were exposed to the natural sun. Below is a look at it’s main features and what these can do for your indoor plants.

The Dimmable Setting

The Galaxyhydro comes with a unique dimmer knob that you can use to adjust the intensity and brightness of light. This means that as the plant grows, you don’t have to adjust the hanging height of the actual light fixture as the plant grows like you do with most plant lights.

The knob can be adjusted between 0% and 100% depending on the stages of the plants. This also means that you can use this grow light for the seedling, vegetative, as well as the flowering stages of the plants just by turning the knob and increasing the brightness with each stage.

The Cooling System

We all know that most grow lights produce both light and heat. However, with the Galaxyhydro 300w, all of the heat is dissipated away by 3 built-in cooling fans. This assures you that your plants won’t be harmed by the excess heat produced by the bulbs.

Full Spectrum Lighting

The Galaxyhydro also produces a full spectrum of bands between 380nm and 730nm. It thus contains all the spectrum bands useful for growth and flowering of plants. The blue and red wavelength bands are very key when it comes to flowering and fruition.


The Infrared promotes cell division while the UV rays destroy any bacteria that could harm the plants. This full spectrum aspect was so key when I tested it on my basement plants because for one, you don’t have to have multiple lights to help the plant grow in each of it’s different growth stages, but two, the harmful bacteria protection it provides to the plant means less chemical spraying on your plants.

100 LEDs Bulbs

The Galaxyhydro comes with 100 LED bulbs that produce enough light intensity and brightness to your growing plants. It is good to note that the better the brightness of the bulbs the faster the blooming. This also means that this grow light can be used on indoor plants that require high light intensity.

Furthermore, the bulbs are placed at 90 degrees and 120 degrees angles in an alternating fashion in order to increase coverage and minimize the risk of ‘hot spots’.

The Daisy Chain

One of the other convenience features of this grow light is the fact that you can daisy chain multiple grow lights at one time. There might be times where you have quite a few plants that you are trying to provide light to which means more grow lights are required.

The daisy chain feature can help you connect one grow light to another using it’s power cord and having only one of the lights be connected directly to your main power source. Very handy and convenient especially if you are a hard-core grower like me.

Below is an image of how this feature would work (Click image to enlarge):

Pros & Cons

Like most grow lights on the market today the Galaxyhydro 300w is not without it’s pros and cons. Below I’ve listed some of the pros and cons that I personally experienced using this light for a few months.

Pros

– Low energy consumption since it consumes about 150 watts

– Flexibility in terms of varying the light intensity and brightness using the knob without having to physically reposition the light.

– Produces healthy plants since it produces all of the light spectrum needed by the plants.

– It is super durable as it does not overheat thanks to it’s 3 built-in cooling fans.

– Can be used at all plant growth stages for most indoor plants.

Cons

– One of the main complaints and cons that me and many other users have run into is the lack of light coverage if you are using just one grow light. However this con is quickly mitigated by the daisy chain feature that the light provides.

If you are going to be purchasing more than one grow light anyways, then the convenience of the daisy chain feature to hook multiple lights up in order to expand the light coverage is incredibly convenient.

Pricing & Warranty

With just $86.99, you can actually get the Galaxyhydro 300W on Amazon. The bulb comes with a 2 year warranty as well as a money back guarantee 30 days after you purchase. However, almost everyone who has bought it before says it is an amazing grow light and the percentage of customer returns is very minimal. I personally haven’t returned mine yet. 🙂

Overall Conclusion

The Galaxyhydro 300W grow light would be the only grow light you would ever need especially if you are just wanting to cover a small area of plants. However, because of the grow light’s smaller dimensions it wouldn’t be ideal for larger area coverage.

This of course is where the daisy chain connection feature of multiple lights comes in handy because of the minimal stress and hassle of connecting multiple grow lights at one time. Not to mention the affordable price for a full spectrum grow light makes this a very useful and all-around grow light that will benefit your plants at all of their growth stages.

Other Resources & Interests

The Advanced Platinum P600 LED Grow Light Review

See what my Top 5 Favorite LED Grow Lights of 2018 are…

See what my Top 4 Gardening Tips That Every Beginner Should Know…

For more information about grow lights and indoor plant growing visit this link

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