Were the first LED grow lights any good? 10 year old MARS HYDRO II grow light review

[@MuenchnerGrow]

Crazy how technology improved!💚

[@jm12green31]

They work fine I've used them on and off for over a decade. Perfect spectrum for veg and a single plant flower

[@E-rexion88]

I grew with one of these back in the day it was my 1st LED light along with a reflector model that I still have & still works.

[@RookieBuds]

It looks like the Lite Brite I played with when i was a kid!

[@Grow-Meister]

Good old Blurples :)

[@volvo09]

And this was even an "upgrade" over the basic blurple!

[@Spiderdan-59]

Shit 😊

[@WN_Byers]

When my T5s died in the same week, I swapped to my old blurple. Only complaint was the small footprint. Plants in veg, loved it

[@EBrassfield]

Because veg plants need roughly half the PPFD of flowering plants

[@dutchdykefinger]

i have 2 different blurples, one is more heavy on the blue at a wider lens angle and does nice for veg, it gives of this brighter pinkoish color rather than a dark purple the other one, is prtty shit for veg even

[@levinestegard2674]

@@EBrassfield he didn't say anything about veg vs flowering with the light. he just says it works good for veg but u got to be bill nye the grow guy and ppl that know these lights are not noobs. we know.

[@EBrassfield]

@@levinestegard2674 very proud of you

[@2Skullk]

I'm so glad you did this. Takes me back.

[@ashleystretton973]

The fans inside the unit have been upgraded to quieter corsair ones, i did exactly the same with my old lights

[@volvo09]

Yeah those aren't the cheapo ones that came with it.

[@grilledxcheeze]

I picked up my first LEDs from a now defunct company called AdvancedLED. I still have several of them lying around. For the last few years I've kind of wondered how they stack up to lights available today. Very cool video, thanks!

[@simonmarks1545]

I remember them. They looked so cool at the time.

[@grand372]

Great Idea for reviewing this!!!!!! Vintage Retro Cool 🍻

[@jimmyharris2408]

I still have the Diamond LED’s and the bluepurle is quite nostalgic. They were the best back in the back, circa 2013-2014

[@ChrisB...]

I have a few of these old lights in storage, thought about using them for mothers and clones until the cost of new panels dropped and dimming became a common built-in.

[@eagle1492]

Wouldn't the newer leds 100 watt off of ebay, like Spider Farmer SF1000, Samsung LM301H EVO Led Grow Light, Full Spectrum Plant Grow Light, Dimmable & High Efficiency & Deeper Penetration Lamps for Seed Starting Vegetables Bloom in 2x2/3x3 Grow Tent. Would be excellent choices... I have two of these running over 2 giant sequoia trees, 2 Coastal redwood trees and 2 Dawn redwood trees that I'm looking to bonsai. What you save from extra heat and light qualities makes up in the efficacy of the light mentioned.

[@hiroyopoetker]

awesome doing the OG light review!!!

[@MarsHydro_official]

We are amazed that you still have a Mars Hydro lamp from 10 years ago and that it's still functioning-what a surprise! LED technology has advanced significantly over the years. The performance of LEDs from a decade ago was limited due to the technology and expertise available at the time. As the industry evolved, so did we. We have continuously progressed, and today, we offer even better products. We Mars Hydro are committed to staying at the forefront of technology, using advanced innovations and professional expertise to develop superior products. Thank you for being a part of our journey, and we look forward to bringing growers even more cutting-edge solutions in the future.

[@louche33]

600w hps replacement tho, yeah? 😂

[@ciarankeating5404]

How do I go about getting a tent off yall 🤔 my man here has my lights sorted unless you want to send me an old 1 lying around, I want to see how it was for you old timers,,, 😂😂😂😂

[@metatron6066]

You still sell sub par shite tho. I'd be embarrassed

[@yogi4202]

@@MarsHydro_official 🤮🤮🤮 mars dosent care aboute customers just profit...

[@TerpyTen]

This was fun! I still have the Mars Hydro booklet for the TS600. I bought it 3+ years ago because in their booklet and on the website, it said, and I quote, "Replaces a 600w HPS bulb" I tried growing 4 plants under it and they were so thin, after a watering, they would lay down on the floor for a bit before they could lift themselves up again. I kid you not, Shane, I can post the pictures in the Migro Discord, IT....WAS.....HILARIOUS 😂😂 I still have and use that light; for seedlings.

[@anakinsolo4529]

Still have two in the attic. They did me well for several years

[@CheesieGamer]

I remember you tested a platinum led 150 and did not look bad... I still use my platinum led in veg

[@kevin-hp7vg]

I still have my old blurple mars hydro reflector 48 ( An interesting fact, it was LG led who supplied these LED panels before mars hydro and there was no mars hydro inscription on them ) . It's a tiny panel compared to today's technology, but it's still capable of growing a single, beautiful plant of incredible quality, it's always amazed me.

[@dylanmuller2611]

I have this light. It works pretty good.

[@SeaOrcRonnie]

Had the biggest version of that Mars square box. Grew some bangers with it and it lasted a good while before the diodes started to go. I still have my original progrow 360, company isn’t around anymore or was bought, one of the first lights with the toggle bloom and veg spectrums that you’d ultimately use collectively as “full spectrum” when flowering. It’s a tank of a light and still works well to this day, I still use it to veg or as supplemental lighting at times, the only thing really wrong with it is it’s just not super energy efficient and it’s a bit loud like you’re doing some home renovations but it’s still works great, grabbed that back in 2012.

[@truthseea5473]

We missed you mate ❤great video

[@richardmarsden6516]

Its amazing how far led have come

[@frostyjakfarmer473]

😂 that's definitely a blast from the past. Love the videos as always Shane, I hope you're keeping well! 🙏✌️

[@-.O.-]

I still have my decade old LED but will never use it again because of how loud the 4 fans were and how hot it got the grow room.

[@rene4510]

i got mine from 10 years before also haha, i think to hang it on my wall bcs it was my first light. i got 1 900W viparspectra and 2 300W

[@Gh4cv]

Umm...leds have been a thing since 2005. Saltwater aquarium guys were testing them in 05. My local store was testing it on a clam tank and the class were doing well after months. If you don't know, clams need lots of lights so since it worked for class it was good enough for weed. I bought a light, it was generic and costed I believe $600 out the door, maybe 5. I grew big buds with them. It worked as well as my 400w hps but I switched back to hids.

[@vimknighter]

I still have the mars hydro 1 LED as a spare light for brightening extra dark spots. Not the best light but fine for the purposes listed, I believe it claims 300 w draws 180

[@BenLee-j3h]

What an amazing testimony shows your struggles with beginnings from grass routes into the new millennia and devoted to explore what science how they are progressing😮🎉 it's good though play mother earth with the light and recipes I think we'll see a huge shift in what will be created🎉❤ keep doing what you doing and a big thank you for me.

[@ptmmatssc13]

I still have some Black Star LEDs and they still work. They were great when I bought them. They still work, but are nowhere near what I have now. But at the time they were better than running HPS or HID. Less heat and less power.

[@1337iMoH]

yea we all started with at some point. but marshydro did a good job, im still using this brand. thanks for the information :)

[@tomdankz]

intresting throwback now id like to see the next phase of led the diy led that actualy competed with hid the cx3590 and veros that brought alot of these channels to life

[@AtzeD109]

Correction: as a pc modder i can tell you with certainty that the fans (Corsair SP120's) which are actually good quality fans, are not blowing onto the heatsink but rather sucking the heat away upwards

[@timpage5021]

That’s how mine worked too.,Blew up out the top and sides., I’d take all mine apart after each room clean em real good and I still got bunch of blurples in the closet. The Vipars worked really well for the time. I actually got a PAR700 with the dimmable spectrume tuning and the original Spiderfarmer ( Mehezii)

[@vornamenachname1572]

I still like to add the blue to my 2 xs1500 pro during the stretch and it works great to keep em down

[@Easy-my9gk]

I'm interested to see what fixtures will look like in another decade.

[@Dino_Hunter_420]

Would be interesting to see boards with true green diodes and powerful ones , like our current light chips … probably will unlock not known gardening secrets

[@TerpCrazy]

Damn I still have my mars hydro blurple they are beast n still do its job but tech definitely has improved for better results

[@herbsmith6236]

They did a cob back then too

[@JBB75]

Díky!

[@TG.34295]

I had two of those blurple mars lights, big noisy heavy expensive fkers they we're. But they did the job way back when.💚 I think one of my mates was using one a year or so ago.

[@TG.34295]

@MIGROLlGHT your not MIGRO

[@richardgrimbleby7853]

Hello Shane i bought a Mars hydro 300w blurple light (not 300) after seeing your review back then and it was a suberb seed /clone light thank you for all you do UK 👍

[@user-ch5rt6wo9w]

Still use these blurples on plants in sitting room because the blurple is nice at night!

[@volvo09]

I guess it can look good as an accent light in a room, but I hate how plants look under them.

[@NoemadZ.]

​@@volvo09I hate how my eyes feel when I'm too close to them...

[@jay71512]

The man you talked about at the end.... i was that man too, But im not skeptical anymore and will be making the jump into led soon!

[@ledgrownmedicalgarden7378]

That was a kool trip down memory lane

[@12345615192]

I used to have the green one from Mars hydro as I couldn't afford that model but they were both rubbish and based on the black dog light that used Cree chips. Thank god I discovered grow Mouse and Cree cobs.. Use to run the 110 watt cobs at 20 Watts for uber efficiency and elevated my grow out of that Mars hydro crap grow level

[@marcusries3179]

Hey Shane! Would be really cool if we could see a review on the GML Tarantula Voyager!!

[@graemebuchan1919]

Glad i waited until just before the quantum board generation, did the same sort of things with my first 3d printer just last week since its foolproof and cheap now, great time to be alive if you have the patience and can wait for the bugs to be ironed out before investing to much, i just printed this crazy bio-plastic plant pot i couldn't even buy

[@hotdogsarepropaganda]

rapid cycles in tech is a great benefit for those who can wait

[@Poppin-Seeds]

That’s awesome I had to use my old 800w light like that for my veg room and I was supprized how they reacted was good any who was only for a month use to use it in a 2x2 one plant and would produce amazing

[@truthhurts361]

Nice, reminds me on what Gear i Used over the Last years to grow some Plants 😂 today you get Something Like that for 29,-€ on Amazon 😂

[@NicksGotBeef]

They did indeed. I tested the first mars for Cammie. Think it was 300 w if I remember. Was able to pull a gpw.

[@winstonpratt604]

That's actually very well engineered cooling wise 💯🤙🤘

[@tronalddump8776]

i have the same light ten years old now still running in my veg room. occasionally i put my veg room into flower when im ready to start new moms and she still functions to produce. i also use uva plus t5s when i flower in any room. my flower room im using mars hydro ts1000 with the same uva plus bulbs.

[@SuperMike2507]

I was one of those early adopters of the blurple lights and it was a huge disappointment . Mine was a "450w" light from aliexpress that barely drew 180w from the wallsocket and produced more heat than a 400w HPS. Used it for one grow and never again. went straight back to HPS. Took me until a couple of weeks ago to give LED a second try, got a Mars hydro FC 3000-EVO. So far it looks promising and an actual improvement over a 600w HPS.

[@saul1679]

I got stung by this light when it came out. I was on a uk gorum and a rep offered a discount to be one of the first uk orders. I beleived the hype and wow did i get stung. I was sour for years towards leds (still am towards marshydro). Now i use lumatek leds and mh/hps mix. I will never go back ahahah

[@MarkusMh]

Would you consider reviewing and adding the AC infinity lights to your "Best lights of 2024" blog entries? AC infinity is extremely popular so it would be nice to know how their lights compare to your lights and to viparspectre, and spiderfarmer and HLG Etc.

[@lasker1895]

This is such a great idea for a video!

[@420styletomatoes6]

The white ones where series 1, I believe they done a 300w and a 600w model, i still have a 300w light few blown leds but still going strong years later.

[@saul1679]

And yes shane. I believe number one was white and much heavier if my memory serves me right

[@healthfreak79]

Thank you for the video. That was good to know.

[@squirrelmaster5485]

Those are the 1st LEDs i owned

[@meghrichedzW]

Whouah the price 540$ 😮 It's the same Price of FC 6500 of Mars Hydro 2024 or a TS 3000 of 2023 and 450W Incredible

[@NoemadZ.]

They grew plants just fine when the led's weren't blowing out...

[@simonmarks1545]

The version before the Mars 2 was the Mars 300 and 600 I think. I had a 300 which I used for a couple grows. If love to see you test that one.

[@nawdog187]

Shane , did you ever do a test with the Phantom cultivator GL 250 ?? If so got the link ??

[@timpage5021]

These Mars were horrible But the Vipspectra V300s I got few of them almost 12 years old still work like new.. The Viparspecta PAR7000 was a great light for its time I had the original dimmable burpee Spiderfarmer as well. Did really well in veg. The plants really responded to the heavy blue spectrum

[@BugsGoneWild]

Fun video thanks shane

[@ronevergrow8319]

Try the 3.75g JamSung SZGSTSF lm301h x3 Got it off the Bay ( it’s on the Zon too) for $40 with a dimmer 150 watt ir uv …. They’re listed for $250 $129 $49 etc . It’s a Great light !!

[@ronevergrow8319]

I would still use it just add a few 6400k bulbs to the grow area this will clear up the spectrum it’ll be just like new ….

[@Moose19]

they were called 900w models because they use 180 5v LEDS but they are only using 2.5 of the 5v's

[@Lissica1]

OMG, yes these were really bad lamps but i liked the purple light and had some nice grows with them 😄

Still running a budmaster god 4 I picked up from the product earth event many moons ago

[@saschapurner9579]

I had the luck at this time LED comes out that i was good informed from other Growers. So i ordered a german companys Cree 3590 DIY Set und what should i say? I am realy happy with it until today. I have two of these Chips and they perform very well in my opinion.

[@kevin-hp7vg]

Yeah cree 3590 are good ol cob even now , but these ol blurple are even older like 4-5 years older than cob

[@saschapurner9579]

@@kevin-hp7vg Yes, we call them the "Pufflichter" in germany. That means the decorative light in a house where a man can buy a womans love. :-) These lights i did not want at this time, becouse the dudes in the forum tell me i should not buy one and i think they was right.^^

[@dursunbilinmis8643]

Firat off all thank you for all the information u giving out. I have a question about the ARAY 3 is it overkill for a 80x80cm tent ? I dont know i think the ARAY 2 might be not powerfull enough

[@UbiquitousRomp]

Role call for Shane's lighting nerds 😂😁😂

[@Brod504]

Cool video brother

[@alfioplays7443]

I personally would like to see a led light with a covering lens with "aumentation" like people who can't see really good have to use...i have aleays wondered what would happen..would it burn the plants? Would it have double the par? This came to me when i accidentally burned one leaf with a couple of water drops..i have a Mars Hydro TS 3k., first indoor., eight outdoor., cheers to everyone everywhere

[@zacharytaylor8523]

Looks like someone really took the liberty to change out the fans, I guarantee you the unit was much louder when it was made, I highly doubt Mars would have used Corsair fans which is usually a brand associated with custom PCs and would be fans bought separately on their own. These fans would also command a high price relative to generic fans befitting a low-cost fixture Still blows my mind just how many companies got away with trying to claim any type of efficiency. If only the tools for measuring this stuff were more available at a better price.

[@mostlyindica]

Those aint original fans.. corsair would be way to expensive to use.

[@superkoopatrooper4879]

Those are the original SP120 Corsair fans. expensive at the time. I have to imagine this was a user modification. I remember them being 20$+ per fan.

[@RetroBerner]

Nice, how about the California Light Works SolarSystem 550? I still use 2 of those in my 5x5 tent

[@MegaChoy2]

I watched your test a mars hydro lamp about 5 years ago, thank you for that and for everything I have learned after. I got the ts-2000, the 2x150w panels. One driver failed me last year, but it did the job of getting me in on a budget. Does the name Mars Hydro stem from Yara (before named Norsk Hydro)?

[@T.H.C.-TheHempConnection]

Sunco has a 4 pack of 4’ 80 watt blurples. I use them in my veg and the plants love them! Would like to hear your opinion about them?

[@christianklasen640]

The Fans are pulling heat tru the radiator fins and push them out at top. Not the opposite way.

[@kevin-hp7vg]

No , fan pull air on heatsink and hot air coming to side on these lights , i have one fairly different

[@JOESSECRETGARDEN85]

@Migro one study I wanna know is why does my channel get restricted I'm trying to show a room of plants gets restricted but lots of other people show a small tent grow and get thousands of views I don't understand why they don't get restricted to

[@drodriguez3935]

I wonder if you could do one on this particular light (HL Zelion Osram 3x2) Osram was one of the best an quite possibly is till this day one of the highest seek after chips so when I found one on eBay, I purchased both of them and I’m 100% satisfied 😉 would like to know the lowdown on this

[@MrE1981]

I've got news for you. Those fans are blowing out the top, not sucking in and down. You've put them the wrong way around. Clearly you replaced the old ones with Corsair AF 120's.

[@BEAST.420G]

You'd think as a grow light tester that he'd know better 😂

[@MIGROLIGHT]

Yes the air blows up. I am very sorry for my mistake. Shane

[@ciarankeating5404]

I'm growing 2 plants whit the 2 - 150 s just got 11 ounces . It's my first time getting it right .I'll be up soon to get more 150s or 125s , my grow space I nearly small ,I'll buy it if you selling it looks perfect for my space all my stuff is migrow always ,so ima stich whit you , & do you sell brackets to connect the 125 to a 125 if possible ,if you can get back to me much appreciated ma

[@ciarankeating5404]

Well not now😂😂😂😂😂 can you get back to me iv 2 side by side and it's heating up, the only thing separated them is the foam from the boxehich works gr8 but if I can hook all 4 up together that be cool . + I'm gona need a new light so il send Leo up for me , peace ✌️ out migrow fam

[@ciarankeating5404]

That's exactly what I'm useing , woo I was drunk writing this iv 4 ov the 125s they are the perfect fit for a sliding door wardrobe grow 2 hz and 2 cali ,I wish 11 ounces whit 2 plants 1 day it would be nice aint there yet,, limited space is no excuse but ye have to learn and I think I just about made every mistake known probly a few extinct ways to, any tips on a good seed store Dublin

[@seranne]

Could you please test a blackdog phytomax 2.. the best blurple light( withe added green) there was that day.. thanks

[@justinwood2881]

Cool Thank You...🎉😮🎉😮🎉

[@stevolyons18]

Hi Guys, I am looking at getting my first kit but find the options on the EU website a bit confusing. Can anyone explain the difference between the Ifresh option (differences) and the normal option? also is the Iconnect smart controller required to use the Ifresh features?? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!! Basically in your opinion is the additional cost for the Ifresh and connect smart controller worth it? Aprox 70/80euro extra in price! Also has anyone had any issues with their customer service some comments online are really putting me off, i couldn't afford to be returning parts at my own expense?

[@scotbalfour339]

Are the fans the wrong way?every one I've had has air pushing over heatsinks idk

[@WiseOldManShow]

Grew some fire with my GroBlu.

[@scottyoung7852]

I hav some 8 or 9 year old lights they are still growing a # a light. there's 3 I do hav some new ones as well the heat that comes off these new lights is the only difference..

[@fourtysix4646]

Corsair fans inside? I wonder if those are stock or upgrades by that customer.

[@imothy]

is it safe to say that blurple isn't even worth turning on? I had one i couldn't even sell it, i gave it to my friend for free, but i kinda feel bad for him lol. I have another friend that has like 6 of these old blurple viparspectras the big ones too, i told him he's gonna want to get rid of all of them and just get 1 new light and he'll be saving so much electricity and getting about double the yeild!

[@michealturner5701]

Most us in Aus agreed with the 10year old leds well most of were shit unless you could afford some of the real good ones but cost out of reach for most back then, but still here in Aus there are a lot of na sayers still about leds from out of country e.g. mars, not sure why as I've used couple em for 2to3 years now an still going hard, would you know why most of the Aus hydroponics shops downgrade such equipment an seem to push hps, mh, or something thats like 10times the price. I been a fan for a while an is why I gave some of the cheaper lights a go an I do mean a few some better than others but still did job. I was hoping you mite know why they are doing this still when the tests are done? An information on net,

[@lendersbagels01]

They ate money baby!

[@yogi4202]

They dont ship with crosair fans from the factory 😂 so the dude clearly did somme upgrades cus thats not how they look when you open them up 😂😂

[@MIGROLIGHT]

Yes the air blows up. I am very sorry for my mistake. Shane

[@Mainley-Free]

As always... Shane delivers. Those lights sucked but, still were better than nothing.

[@its_notta_cedar]

Back in the day when mars hydro was a marketing company.

[@Ridvepis]

Blackdogled still making these box leds with fans 😂

[@Syntax1963A]

no wonder there are still many people who do not trust LED lights and they prefer the huge power-hungry HPS bulbs, some people even claim they are able to smell and taste the difference of the grow/smoke - LoL... Thank you for the video as it showed some very interesting facts...