VIPARSPECTRA XS4000 VS ECO Farm 480W LM301B Quantum Board Reviews

LED Grow lights are a new technology, and it may not always be easy to spot the light that will work the best for you.


But there is no doubt that finding the best led grow lights will significantly improve your work.


Whether you’re replacing an older light system or you’re only just now starting a grow project, you may be overwhelmed by the number of choices you’ll be confronted with when you purchase your first LED grow lights.


And finding the best grow lights as we know is essential.


While all LED lights are superior to competing lights, there are a few that stand out from the rest due to their superior features and value.



UNDERSTANDING GROW LIGHTS: WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT



The most basic thing that one needs to know about growing weed is that it requires some basic elements of nature – air, water, heat, and light! While all four of these are available in the outdoor growing setup and exist freely in nature, the problem with growing weed outdoors is that it does not allow the grower to have any control over these factors. Basically, there might be a day where the sun might be behind the clouds – which means that both light and heat are being cut off – and there might be multiple such days. Furthermore, there might be a dry spell for a really long time and water might become scarce!


Hence, it is essential for any good ‘grower’ of weed to grow their cannabis indoors and under controlled environment which would ensure that they can emulate a ‘best-case scenario’ for their plants by providing heat and light with the help of grow lamps and air and water can also be provided in just the right amount!


Grow lights, in particular, are the most important because essentially what they are doing is that they are emulating the natural light and heat that the sun provides to the plants. Plants need light and heat because they use that to create pigments and energy with processes such as photosynthesis. This is what helps them grow stronger and healthier. Furthermore, especially for cannabis plants, grow lights are of another importance – based on the kind of heat and light you provide at different stages you can somewhat alter the chemical composition of the plants getting a stronger or a lighter flavor in the weed that you are going to smoke! Hence, it is essential to know about grow lights and understand their functions.



What is a Quantum Board Led Grow Light?



Quantum board grow lights are the next step above chip on a board (COB) LED grow lights. The LEDs are connected to a carefully wired board. The quantum board may be sold as just a circuit board. In these cases, you combine it with a pin heat sink or conventional extruded aluminum heat sink.


The LED bulbs themselves share the same advantages as other LED lights such as a long life expectancy and energy efficiency. Quantum board LEDs are as controllable as other LEDs. For example, a 300 watt system can typically be dimmed down to 120 watts in the early stages of growth. A quantum grow light that matches a 150 watt CFL in light output uses around 80 watts while covering a roughly two foot by two foot growing area.


Quantum grow lights that cover a 6 foot by 6 foot area for vegetation growth may only provide enough light for a 4.5 by 4.5 blooming crop. But it will consume only 350 to 500 watts of power while matching the light output of a rough 1000 watt bulb.


The best quantum board led grow lights are properly sized for the growing area. Know that this may mean setting up several grow lights to get full coverage.


VIPARSPECTRA XS4000 LED Grow Light



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It produces short and stout plants if you use this product for the veg stage of the plant. It is because of the light’s intensity that the grow light produces.


This light penetrates very well through the canopy and permits the little growth to advance and help bush the plant out.


Overall, this product is highly recommendable. It has a super nice light and gives you very good yields for the price.



  • Larger size spreads of light, better than more compact LED lights

  • Weight makes the product easier to hang

  • Ten band light spectrum provides excellent attention to growth stages

  • Durable construction allows the light to be used for a very long time

  • Modular design allows for an easy upgrade

  • Penetrates plant’s canopy effectively

  • Comes with power cords and hanging equipment

  • Bright light

  • Affordable

  • Well-built design


ECO Farm 480W LM301B Classic Quantum Board



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It has been a pleasure running the 240 since flowers are dense and frosty, and smell much better than when grown under HPS.


My fellow indoor growers say that their vegetation growth doubled within just the first two weeks of changing from HPS to this LED.


It has no problems with any over-heating because it keeps the area at around 65 degrees Fahrenheit all the time.


Overall, this is an excellent product because of its good design and strong cables.



  • 7-pound weight makes moving light a breeze

  • Designed to optimize the cross-coverage process in areas that contain more than four plants

  • Can penetrate up to 60 inches past the plant canopy

  • Lack of ballast simplifies installation

  • Comes with a power cord and hanging equipment

  • 8-band genuine light spectrum

  • Comes with Zener protection to maximize life when diodes may blow over time

  • Covers over six square feet

  • Bright light

  • Does not require a ballast

  • Doesn’t generate much heat



The Benefits of Quantum Board Led Grow Lights



Chip on a board LEDs reduce the loss of power through circuit boards sending power to each LED in a grow light array. Quantum boards are even more energy efficient. This dramatically reduces their power consumption. This can also reduce the waste heat generated by the grow light.


A side benefit of the large and often exposed board has excellent ventilation, since the large flat board is exposed to the air. It may not need fans to keep it cool. The quantum grow board can be combined with a large, board-like heat sink. In this case, the heat created by the grow light array is continually pulled away from the board.


That’s why the best quantum board led grow lights never cause your grow tent to overheat. On the other hand, you may want ventilation to minimize smells or manage the humidity inside the grow tent. Yet the lack of fans may make the growing operation nearly silent.


The standard lightweight board is perfect for do it yourself projects. Its design may allow you to install it in tighter spaces than the standard LED grow light with a large plastic protective shell. You may be able to stick it to the top of a grow tent or the top of your closet to provide light to the plants underneath. Now you don’t have to deal with a hanging kit. Note that this approach means you can’t raise and lower the grow light as the plants grow.


Quantum grow lights are typically broad spectrum light similar to white LED or HID bulbs. This includes the red light that growing plants need. Whether or not you can put out predominately red or blue light depends on the quantum board design.



 WILL LED GROW LIGHTS GROW PLANTS?



LED grow lights are designed to provide your plants with lights similar to the sunlight spectrum required for growth. The LED mimics the sunlight spectrum needed for every and different stages of growth. These lights provide your plants with systematic daylight for hours needed and can be switched on and off for users to regulate. They have bloom and vegetative mode, wherein specific light is provided to trigger bloom and vegetative stage in the plants. These lights are designed to help you grow indoors, just like you can grow in sunlight outdoors or way simpler.



WHAT SIZE LED GROW LIGHT DO I NEED?



Your grow light must be in accordance with your grow area and spread of your plants. You need a size that covers your grow area with its efficiency with wattage output. Like a 250 watts of grow light is ideal for grow space of about 3 x 3 feet of area, a 400 watts will cover 4×4, a 600 watts will cover 6×6 feet and likewise. You will need coverage the most when your plants begin to grow and spread along with enough output. So, measure your grow area and order a size close to it or order in multiples. You can check out amazing grow lights in our article above.



Final thoughts



Your plants are living beings just as you are. You wouldn’t mind someone taking you to an all-you-can-it buffet so why not do the same for your plants. Choose wisely, see what our requirements are. If it is a bigger operation or a business project, you will have to spend that extra buck for a bigger light such as  Spider Farmer. If it’s a small cupboard sized greenhouse, a simple  ECO Farm quantum board will do you good saving you electricity. Anyway, we hope this was a helpful guide. We wish you all the luck in finding the best LED grow light for cannabis.