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The Best LED Grow Lights
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Garpsen 4 Head Grow Lamp[ SAVE 15% ]
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Phlizon 1500W Hanging LED Grow Lamp[ CHECK PRICE ]
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KINGBO Full Spectrum LED Grow Light[ CHECK PRICE ]
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VIPARSPECTRA Pro Series P1000 LED Grow Light[ CHECK PRICE ]
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Woputne Grow Light Bar[ CHECK PRICE ]
LED Grow Light Reviews
- Unique design allows you to angle and position the lights in any location. Wide coverage area and very versatile
- Comes with a 3, 9 and 12 hour timer setting to save energy
- Has a combination of lights that can be used depending on the growth of the plant
- Very efficient to run so won’t cost you a lot of money
- Quiet to run so can be installed in areas used for working and relaxing
- Not suitable for those with very little light - more effective if installed on an already bright windowsill or room
- Instructions don’t tell you which combination of lights to use for specific purposes so you will need to research this yourself
- Cannot set the timer to start at a specific hour when you won’t be there - instead the timer starts when you turn the lights on
- Design
- 5
- Performance
- 4
- Features
- 4.5
- Energy Efficiency
- 4.5
- Value for Money
- 5
Most gardeners know the value of a set of grow lights, especially in our ever-disappointing UK climate! But the issue with many grow lights is they offer little versatility. Most grow lights consist of a large rectangular set of lights which needs to be hung at a specific distance from your plants or seedlings.
The Garpsen 4 Head Grow Lamp is a grow light with a difference. Incredibly versatile, this grow light consists of 4 adjustable branches which can be set in any position. Not only does this provide a far larger coverage area, it also allows you to set the lights at varying distances from your plants according to their stage of growth. The lighting modes can be adjusted so that any number of the 4 branches can be switched on individually.
So design-wise, this grow lamp is a real winner. But how about performance? Well, this grow light boasts 3 light modes and 10 dimming levels. The ‘Veg’ or blue light is made up of 28 LED chips, perfect for germination or plants beginning to sprout. The ‘Bloom’ or red light consists of 52 LED chips, suitable for the flowering or fruiting stage. For best results, the blue and red lights can be turned on simultaneously.
Extra features include an adjustable brightness, ranging from 10% to 100% to emulate natural sunlight and support the growth of plants at every stage. Setting up this grow lamp is also very easy. There’s a powerful clip that can be used to attach the light to any surface of up to 2.5” thick.
With a wide illumination area, this grow light is perfect for those with a lot of plants or seedlings to nourish. The flexible branches rotate 360°, and it’s easy to adjust the distance and angle.
Other features include a reliable timer. The lamp can be set to run for 4, 8 or 12 hours at a time. The only downside is you cannot set the lamp to turn on at a specific time, only the amount of time it runs for. However, compared to grow lamps that don’t come with any timer function, this issue is very minor.
Overall, this light is energy efficient. The timer ensures it won’t be switched on for longer than it needs to be, and it doesn’t cost a lot to run. For the innovative design, ease of set up and affordability, this grow lamp remains my top choice!
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- Very bright so a good option for darker areas or plants that need a lot of light
- Full spectrum design provides plants with all they need for growth
- LED lights are high quality and cost-effective
- Fans and vents do a good job at keeping the lights cool
- Some people found the fans a little noisy
- Fan is made from plastic so may not be as durable as other materials like metal
- No dimmer function which would be a welcome extra feature
- Design
- 4
- Performance
- 5
- Features
- 4
- Energy Efficiency
- 4.5
- Value for Money
- 4.5
For areas that don’t get a lot of light, the Phlizon 1500W Hanging LED Grow Lamp is a great option. This grow light is large and powerful, producing a very bright light across a full colour spectrum.
This grow light has a convenient hanging design and a huge coverage area. It’s suitable for large grow tents, with a range of over 160 x 160cm! It works best when hung at a distance of around 60cm from the plants and seedlings.
One of the most reliable on the market, this grow lamp produces a full spectrum of colour to give your plants and seedlings all they need. It comes with blue, red, IR, UV and white lights to simulate natural sunlight. The blue and red LEDs are essential for plant germination and growth.
This grow light operates at 1500W, while consuming just 200W. The LED chips are high power and long lasting, while they’re also very efficient. The unit is kept cool by 3 fans, although it does still produce a small amount of heat.
In terms of additional features, this lamp is actually very simple. The effectiveness lies in its brightness and large coverage area. Unfortunately, the brightness can’t be adjusted, and these lights cannot be stringed together like others on the market. Each unit needs to be plugged directly into the mains outlet.
As already mentioned, this unit is energy efficient and economical. It’s a great value for money option for gardeners with more plants to tend to, while the included hanging wires and adjustable rope pulley means there’s no separate purchases needed.
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- Powerful cooling system means the lights stay cool even when turned on for long periods of time
- Good build quality with a durable hanging kit that holds the lights secure
- Separate switches for veg and bloom control make these lights very versatile
- Works effectively for areas of 91 x 91cm, with a maximum coverage area of 121 x 121cm
- Some people found the fans little noisy
- Proper eye protection should be purchased separately as the lights are very bright
- There is no timer function so this set needs to be switched on and off manually
The KINGBO Full Spectrum LED Grow Light is a professional-grade grow light system that comes into its own in the winter months.
Built using a dual optic lens, this grow light has a fantastic light output. It has a reliable hanging design and a core coverage area of 91 x 91cm. The maximum coverage area is an impressive 121 x 121cm. Weighing just 3.4kgs, it’s very easy to install and hang up.
This grow light produces good results, offering plants all the light they need to flourish. It has a ‘Veg’ switch, consisting of blue and white LEDs. This helps promote plant growth, encouraging healthy germination and seedling. The ‘Bloom’ switch is for flowering and fruiting. This setting utilises red and white LEDs that help plants to flourish. The lights can be used together to meet the requirements of all stages of plant growth.
With powerful fans, this light doesn’t get hot. It runs 70% cooler than HID lights, although some users may find it a little noisy. It’s worth noting that there is no timer function, so this grow light does need to be switched on and off manually.
Compared with other grow lights, this model is very energy efficient. The improved high PAR and lumen output will help maximise your harvest, while each LED has a zener to protect it. If one LED goes out, the others will still work. It consumes just 240W so doesn’t cost a lot to run.
Overall, this grow light is a great value for money option thanks to the wide coverage area and reliable LEDs.
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- As there are no fans, these grow lights are very quiet
- Easy to adjust the brightness using the dimmer function
- Produces good results for all stages of growing and cultivation
- Easy to install and set up
- Wide range of brightness options to use according to the growth stage
- Much more expensive than other grow lights on the market with the same coverage area
- Design
- 5
- Performance
- 5
- Features
- 4.5
- Energy Efficiency
- 5
- Value for Money
- 4
For those with a little more to spend on their grow lights, the VIPARSPECTRA Pro Series P1000 LED Grow Light is worth considering. This grow light has a coverage area of 75 x 75cm, yet it’s the quality and safety that put this grow light up there with the very best.
This grow light boasts a standard hanging design and it’s relatively easy to get set up. Unlike many others on the market, this grow light is fanless. This ensures you won’t be disturbed by noisy fans whilst you’re trying to relax or work. Instead, the solid aluminium heat sinks help dissipate the heat and give the lights a long lifespan.
With a full spectrum of lights, this grow light can be used at every stage of the growth cycle. There’s 600nm of red light, IR, plus 3000K and 5000K of white light spectrum. Your plants will be supported at all stages from veg to flower.
Extra features include a dimmer knob which can be used to tailor the brightness according to what you’re growing. The height of the grow lamp can also be easily adjusted.
One of the key reasons this grow light is worth the extra cost is due to its energy efficiency. It uses SMD LED technology to provide a high PAR output, high energy efficiency and a long lifespan. Your plants will greatly benefit, and your electricity bill won’t skyrocket. It consumes just 100W of power!
While this light does cost more than others on the market, it works extremely well and the height/brightness can be easily adjusted depending on what you’re growing. The fanless design is also a big plus for some users, as it operates far more quietly than other models.
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- Produces very good results at every stage of growing and cultivation
- Easy to adjust the 4 light levels and colour spectrum
- Timer function means you don’t need to manually switch it on and off
- Power lead is a good length at 2m
- Stickers aren’t the best quality and may weaken over time causing the lights to fall down
- Timer function is limited to 8 hours, while others on the market can be set to 12 hours
- Gets fairly warm to the touch when left on for long periods of time
- Design
- 5
- Performance
- 4.5
- Features
- 5
- Energy Efficiency
- 5
- Value for Money
- 5
For those with just a few plants, the Woputne Grow Light Bar is a fantastic option. This 13.2” grow light helps indoor plants maintain their optimal growth status, yet it doesn’t take up a lot of space so can be used in very small areas.
Design-wise, this grow light is extremely convenient. It’s slimline, unobtrusive and easy to set up. Simply stick it to any wall, window or surface using the included sticky tabs. If needed, it can be screwed on for greater security, as it’s worth noting that the sticky tabs do tend to lose their stickiness over time.
Of course, this light lacks the coverage area of other grow lights I’ve mentioned, but for those with just a few plants needing tending to, it’s perfect.
This light is equipped with 48 LED bulbs; 32 red lights and 16 blue lights. The red LEDs contribute to optimal development during a plant’s early life, while the blue LEDs help the plants to grow strong and healthy stems and leaves. Unlike others on the market however, this grow light doesn’t have white light.
For such a small lamp, many people are surprised at the extra features. First of all, this grow lamp has a reliable timer. It can be set to work for either 2 hours, 4 hours or 8 hours at a time. It remembers the setting you chose, repeating everyday so that, once set, there’s no need to worry about turning this lamp on and off again.
Another helpful feature is the dimmable brightness. There’s 4 different brightness settings to choose from, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The brightness can be easily adjusted according to the needs of your plant.
This light is also energy efficient. The LED chips are high efficiency and don’t cost a lot to run, while the integrated timer ensures this lamp won’t be on for a second more than it’s needed!
If you don’t need a massive coverage area and you’re after a high performing yet simple lamp, the Woputne Grow Light Bar is well worth considering.
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Product Tester
I tested multiple products to find you the best LED grow lights available. I thoroughly compared and tested their design, performance, special features, energy efficiency, and value for money. These are the factors I considered when assessing each of these elements:
- Design: I looked at the quality of the product and the materials it was made with – those with more metal and less plastic were rated higher. I tested each LED grow light’s versatility and ease of moving and adjusting, as this makes it more suitable to cater to a wider array of plant’s growth needs. Whether or not it came with fans and vents to help keep them cool (on the more powerful models) was also considered, as was the noise those fans made, with noisy ones rated lower than quieter models. The LED grow lights were rated slightly lower if they couldn’t be strung together in series with other lights since each light would require its own plug. If it needed hanging, I gave it better ratings if it came with its own hanging kit that was sturdy and easy to use.
- Performance: I assessed how easy it was to set up and use and how broad its coverage was, as this meant it was better able to provide light to more plants and seedlings at once; those that covered greater than 100 cm x 100 cm were rated higher. I considered whether it would supply enough light on its own to give the plants everything they needed or if it was better used as supplemental lighting in an already bright space. It was also rated better if it could keep working after one of the LEDs burnt out.
- Features: When assessing LED light features, an important consideration was the built-in timer (if it had one) – those with timers were rated higher, as this improved its ease of use. LED grow lights with multiple settings rather than just one were also given higher ratings, as you could adjust them according to your plant’s growth cycle. I gave higher ratings to lights with specific settings, like a veg setting with blue lights, a bloom setting with red lights, and those where both could be turned on simultaneously (red + blue = purple). The grow lights were also rated higher if they had a full spectrum natural white sunlight setting. Units that allowed you to adjust the brightness level to emulate the natural sunlight at any stage also got top scores!
- Energy Efficiency: Even amongst efficient LED lights, their energy efficiency can vary, so I examined the power used for their light coverage to determine their efficiency. Those that used the least power (100 W) but still had a relatively high coverage area (75 cm x 75 cm) scored the highest.
- Value for Money: To test each LED grow light’s value for money, I looked at the product cost and compared this to its design, performance, and if it had any special features, as these give you more for your money.
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