Spider Farmer SF Led Grow Light Review

Features:

100 watts – you save around 50 percent of the electricity bills; the output is significantly higher than other expensive brands.
Similar to 200 watts HID system at a lower cost.

Efficient – High output at lower power use, (2.7 μmol/J)

50,000-hour rated – Four to Five years without a bulb change.

Meanwell driver – Dimmable, and removable from the unit for keeping the heat under control.

Samsung Diodes – Expensive HLG fixtures use these diodes too, a prominent feature that makes this product stand apart.

2.2 grams/Watt yield – equivalent to what top brands offer.

Core coverage: 2 by 2 feet.

Spectrum ideal for plants – 760nm IR, 660 nm red, 3000k, and 5000k white light; perfect for each growth stage of plants.

Warranty: 3 years – with a money-back guarantee of 30 days; you get it with a peace of mind.

Service centers: US, Canada, UK, Germany; get it repaired whenever there is a problem quicker than Chinese brands.

Benefits:

The most prominent benefits of the Spider Farmer SF are its high-quality components, the spectrum of colors, large output at low consumption, inexpensiveness, and even coverage.

Each benefit will be discussed in detail so that you can make a purchase decision based on accurate and meaningful information.

Quality Components:

One of the most desirable features of any product is its quality; and, while examining the quality of its components, you need to compare them with other brands in the market. While the price is a significant factor to consider before making any purchase, the quality of the product should be the top priority.

Just like most expensive brands like the Horticulture lighting, the Spider Farmer SF uses premium quality dimmable Meanwell drivers and Samsung chips. The dimmable drivers let you adjust the power according to your needs, enabling you to save electricity costs.

While HLG usually names there Samsung diode boards “quantum boards,” the term is now famous for lights that use Samsung diodes on flat panels. The SF series uses flat panels.

These SF kits are not sold as DIY; they sell at low prices and are ready-made. The components save energy and last longer despite being cheap. Premium quality drivers and bin-diodes yield high efficiency. After all, we all look for something cost-effective, giving us value at an optimal or low price.

With the output of 2.7 micro-mol/Joule, this light from SF is one of the most efficient ones out there. With the input of only 100 watts, the SF1000 generates a significantly high output. This shows that the product, along with low initial cost, has a reduced running cost as well.

Plus, the heat generated is amazingly low because of the optimal combination of Meanwell drivers and Samsung diodes. The fixture remains cool despite having no fans.

However, the light, like any other in the market, produces heat as there are no fans to cool. So, the fixture from Spider Farmer runs a little hot when compared to the other brands because of no internal fans.

Consequently, it is recommended that you use external fans in the grow room for better air circulation near the fixture, especially for the two heavier models.

Additionally, the diodes are safe from corrosion and vulcanization because of its waterproof glue, making them durable. Exposed wires are covered with protected material for any potential shock or accident. Both these features potentially prolong the life of the product.

Spectrum:

Let’s analyze the spectrum of Spider Farmer. You might have heard that purple is the best light for LEDs. However, that’s not true. Full-spectrum white light is considered to be significantly better than just purple, and all consumers would second that. The addition of red and blue to the white light is even better.

Manufacturers are producing white LEDs because of their increased demand in the market. The two types of these lights are COB LEDs and ones with many small diodes. COBS are not used by the Spider Farmer lights; they use multiple small diodes.

The multiple diodes feature makes these lights similar to the LEDs from HLG and fixtures from the Green Sunshine company.

Mars grow lights are the only one which comes close to the price range of these fixtures with similar spectrum. However, there are a few component differences.

A Spider Farmer fixture has 3000k and 5000k diodes, plus 660nm red and 760nm IR diodes. The majority of HLG fixtures contain white light, and 660nm red is added to some fixtures. The Electric Sky Lights feature white light, red and Infrared. The Mars TS and SP lights vary in this regard.

Output and Coverage:

Similar to the HLG fixtures, the form factor is the most prominent feature of the Spider Farmer. The fixtures contain large, flat quantum boards with LEDs spread over the whole surface.

This feature makes these large fixtures a lot better than the smaller boards on the market.

Small fixtures’ light emanation originates from a smaller point in the middle of the coverage area. The light which travels to the outside of the coverage area must go farther than light coming down to the center.

A distinct property of light is that it loses its energy after traveling some distance; this means that the light loses most of its power when it finally reaches the canopy outside of the coverage area.

Fixtures with high surface area get the diodes close in proximity to the outside of the coverage area. This means that the light does not have to travel much to reach the entire area. Because the light does not have to travel as far to the edges of the growing area, it has more power, which allows it to penetrate deeper into the canopy—this allows the outer edge plants not to suffer as much.

The PPFD readings of the Spider Farmer SF tells us that the readings on the corners are high; they are more than half of the value at the middle. This is not normal, as most of the PPFD readings yield a decreasing number when you go from the center towards the corners. The corner readings are usually tiny; usually, they get a value of 100 μmol/m²/s.

This feature of the Spider Farmer shows that the larger the size of the quantum boards of SF, the more even the spread of light is achieved. Plants at the corners and outside of the coverage area get enough light for their growth and flowering, a feature not common in most of the small fixtures out there.

With the consumption of merely 100w, the PAR reading shows us how big of an output the Spider Farmer offers.

Additionally, when you don’t need as much power, you can just dial it down as the drivers are dimmable; this may be the case during vegging, cloning, and seeding, enabling you to save electricity and running costs.

Other Advantages:

The Spider Farmer offers a 3-year warranty in addition to a 30-day money-back guarantee. This offer lets you make your purchase decision even if you are hesitant or having any doubts about the legitimacy of the product.

Whenever there is a problem or something of concern, the service center is always there to help. The Spider Farmer has service centers in the US, UK, Germany, and Canada. So, if anything goes wrong with the lights, you can get it fixed in a significantly less amount of time than many of the Chinese companies.

The lights also come with excellent Stainless Steel hooks and flexible rope hangers.

Disadvantages:

As already mentioned above, the Spider Farmer lights do not have internal fans to cope with the heat; you will have to install an external cooling source if you want to run it cool. An oscillating fan would be more than enough to dissipate extra energy. Because of the lack of in-built fans, Spider Farmer lights may run hot. However, the amount of heat generated by Spider Farmer is less than other lights.

Additionally, the fact that it’s a Chinese brand makes it stand lower than American brands. This also means that American brands usually have far better customer service and quality control. HLG, an American brand, doesn’t have excellent quality control or customer service, but it’s somewhat more expensive than Chinese brands.

Plus, you may also have to deal with dishonesty when it comes to Chinese brands. For example, the SF 1000 uses 100w, and not 1000w, and is not equivalent to HID light (1000w), it’s about 200w. The similar trend goes for the 2000 and 4000 ones.

The Spider Farmer does not put a “w” with the “1000” so, they are not explicitly claiming that the product has a 1000 watt light. However, their transparency in marketing is still questionable. Because everyone knows that when you call a light SF1000, you are implying it is a 1000w light; the people will automatically presume 1000 as wattage.

The Chinese brand is trying to trick the consumers that are not well equipped with enough information. The strategy makes potential customers think they will get a higher power light.

One thing important to mention here is that while choosing your final product, do not consider the wattage as a factor; the wattage and output are two different things, and they don’t have anything to do with each other. However, avoid buying a product if the wattage is enormous, and you are getting a meager output.

We think that every brand should be transparent in their marketing. It is annoying when a company does not clearly state what it is offering in the real sense. Plus, almost every Chinese brand exaggerates like this.