2020 Best Quantum Board Reviews: Mars Hydro TS2000 vs Spider Farmer SF1000

LED Quantum boards are all the rage.

It started with HLG, but now several budget brands have started offering quantum boards with Samsung chips and Meanwell drivers.

Spider Farmer LED Grow Lights

Energy Efficient
These grow lights are more energy efficient than traditional LED grow lights. That’s partially due to the fact they don’t use cooling fans. Another reason is the LEDs they used in these designs are newer versions of diodes compared to grow lights that were designed years earlier but are still for sale today.

Spider Farmer’s 2.7 micromoles per Joule is at the very high end of efficiency compared to most other grow lights that typically fall between 1.5 and 2.4 uMol/Joule.

Features

• Uses 100 watts — save about 50% on your electric bill over HID lights
• Equivalent to a 200 watt HID system — but costs less to buy AND to operate
• Ideal spectrum for plants — 3000K and 5000K white light, plus 660 nm red and 760 nm IR; the perfect light for all stages of growth, with peaks on red and blue and a lot of light in every other color, plus deep red and IR
• Highly efficient — great output from a low power usage (2.7 μmol/J)
• 2.2 grams per watt max yield — yields equivalent to top brand lights, but at a fraction of the price
• 2 by 2 foot core coverage — the coverage for vegging is a bit larger at 3 by 3 feet
• Samsung LM301B diodes — the same diodes used in much more expensive HLG fixtures
• Meanwell Driver — the industry standard; it is dimmable and can be removed from the unit and placed outside your grow tent to keep heat down
• Rated for 50,000 hours — 4–5 years with no bulb changes
• 3 year warranty — and a 30 day money back guarantee; they have service centers located in the US, Canada, UK and Germany

Mars Hydro TS Series

Every indoor gardener is well aware of the effect a top LED grow light can have on a plant’s growth.

Since the market offers multiple varieties of some of the best LED lights for growing, it can be difficult to opt for one.

To get the best results possible, we have provided three LED grow light reviews in the following article.

If you somehow think that all lights will function in the same way, you are wrong.

The TS series has four lights: the 1000 is the smallest, the 3000 is the largest and the TSW 2000 and TSL 2000 are both in the middle and about the same, differing mainly in their form factor.

Features

• Uses 310 watts — save about 50% on your electric bill over HID lights
• Equivalent to 450 HID watts — but costs less to operate
• Ideal spectrum for plants — the perfect light for all stages of growth, with peaks on red and blue and a lot of light in every other color
• Highly efficient — great output from a low power usage (2.35 μmol/J)
• 3 by 3 foot core coverage — the coverage for vegging is a bit larger at 4 by 4 feet
• Epistar diodes — not the best on the market, but very good and keeps costs down
• Meanwell Driver — the industry standard; it is dimmable and can be removed from the unit and placed outside your grow tent to keep heat down
• Rated for 50,000 hours — 4–5 years with no bulb changes
• 3 year warranty — and a 30 day money back guarantee

Pros and Cons of the Mars Hydro TS Series

Pros

• Great spectrums for every stage of growth ensuring your plants are cared for at every stage.
• The lights are more powerful than the SP series of lights.
• They are noticeably different from the SP series of lights, which some may appreciate.
• They are square, which makes them ideal for use in your growing area or a tent.
• The lights are quite large which allows you to have even coverage.
• The New SMO LED’s ensure a higher light output and a longer lifespan.
• LED diodes have IR.
• There’s a reflector cup design, which helps to ensure full coverage.
• There’s no fan, which means there’s also no noise.

Cons

• The names TS 1000 and TS 2000 may lead some buyers to believe the wattage is 1000 and 2000 respectively.
• There are no UV diodes, although this makes no difference to the yields.
• They are more expensive than other lights made by Mars Hydro.
• The lights get very hot. So hot, you can’t touch it after several hours of operation in summer.

Quantum Boards are increasing in popularity among indoor growers. Check out the HLG 550 V2 if you’re interested in comparable boards.