Hyper Tough 24" LED From Walmart: Review

[ShadyStump]

I've seen these in the Walmart lighting section many times and have considered them based purely on the price, but was never confident spending money on them because nowhere on the packaging was there anything at all about the light output.
Today I decided to give it a go seeing as how I need a new light for work anyway. (I am SO keeping the receipt. )

Here's the box, and what's inside.



The light (happens to be light But seriously, I feel like it's going to break in my hand.), the power cord, wall mount brackets, and a secondary cord to link another light to it if desired. The instructions also contained no information on the light output quality.

I set up a quick test to take some measurements with my grow light app. I'm using Tent Buddy, and have had no lights reliable enough to do a full calibration.
The LEDs are arranged in alternating sets of red and blue along the length.

It's obviously intended to be an area light, so I measured at 24 inches distance.
The results measured at the center of the light.

Not too shabby for Walmart plastic garbage. If used with reflective walls, the readings might be better. I just wasn't going that far cheap plastic junk.

I'll set it up on my living room plants for supplemental lighting, and we'll see how long it lasts, or if the light quality degrades over time.

 

[penumbra]

Any additional light is good but these are only 12 watts, which in LED language is not a very strong light. I also don't much care for the spectrum. Plants will grow under that purple light but will not show normal colors as seen under white light. This blue and red light combinations were popular a few years back but most people have found the full spectrum to be superior.

 

[ShadyStump]

I agree.
I've seen this in the plants at work. Those bougies are all the wrong colors since I had to replace the one light that went out during winter break with a cheapo.

That's why this one is just for supplemental lighting. At home my tropicals and such sit in a big, but north facing window. This light should theoretically keep more of them happier than the tiny red and blue bulb I had before.
Like I said before, for the price it was worth the experiment, and sure can't hurt.

 

[ShadyStump]

This is what it looks like tonight.

Shade get opened and light turned on as soon as I wake up in the morning- around 630 to 7am- shades drawn when it gets dark and light off when I go to bed- usually 10ish at night.

 

[HorseloverFat]

If those are 12 watts.. they are pretty weak, comparatively.

I would "double up" the bars and use them 6-10" from plants with good airflow.

Gotta get some of those correcting LED glasses..

 

[HorseloverFat]

Remember.. regarding windows and supplemental light, how much LESS light can be USED by the plants every cm further from
that glass. (Pane OR bulb)

 

[HorseloverFat]

Also.... Once your "daylight" cycle reaches 16 hours indoors, you will notice a night an day difference in plant health.

 

[ShadyStump]

I did have a couple of these I was using on them until one failed.

Very much a one-per-plant thing, but enough extra to keep them alive and thinking it's winter. There are no markings on the bulb and I got it second hand so I can't even look it up.
Compared it to the Hyper Tough on the same test set up and got these results.

It does seem like higher quality light, but not the area-at-distance effect.

I'm hoping to get just enough more performance from the new light bar for my new gardenia to finish blooming in a timely manner.
For the price, totally worth the experiment, and I'm sure others have come across them and had the same questions I did.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I did have a couple of these I was using on them until one failed.
View attachment 418636
Very much a one-per-plant thing, but enough extra to keep them alive and thinking it's winter. There are no markings on the bulb and I got it second hand so I can't even look it up.
Compared it to the Hyper Tough on the same test set up and got these results.
View attachment 418639
It does seem like higher quality light, but not the area-at-distance effect.

I'm hoping to get just enough more performance from the new light bar for my new gardenia to finish blooming in a timely manner.
For the price, totally worth the experiment, and I'm sure others have come across them and had the same questions I did.

Absolutely!

Target sells White, domed GrowBulbs for "hangies"... they
work SPLENDiD for supplemental.. and I've been daily running still the FIRST one I purchased 2 YEARS AGO. Those where the "best cheap bulbs" I've found.

You never know til you try! Thank you for sharing your findings for "Compare/contrast hour"

 

[just.wing.it]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07527N1F7?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Here's the one I got this year, to add to my several smaller ones.
This thing is BRIGHT!
Seemed like a good price too.

 

[HorseloverFat]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07527N1F7?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Here's the one I got this year, to add to my several smaller ones.
This thing is BRIGHT!
Seemed like a good price too.
View attachment 418642

I have one JUST like this.. different brand.. but same(near) specs.. works well!

 

[Carol 83]

This blue and red light combinations were popular a few years back but most people have found the full spectrum to be superior.

I started out with the red/blue ones. They bothered my eyes (they were in my kitchen) and didn't do all that much. I switched to the full spectrum white ones a couple of years ago and they are SO much better for the plants and don't bother my eyes. Plus, only like $50 for four linkable 2ft lights.

 

[just.wing.it]

Any additional light is good but these are only 12 watts, which in LED language is not a very strong light. I also don't much care for the spectrum. Plants will grow under that purple light but will not show normal colors as seen under white light. This blue and red light combinations were popular a few years back but most people have found the full spectrum to be superior.

Many of the Blue/Red ones claim to be "full spectrum".
Any recommendations for a white one?
How about both?

 

[Treefer]

ShadyStump, I have used that HyperTough fixture for two winters. Last winter it kept my one tropical healthy enough but no noticable growth. This winter I supplimented it with a full spectrum white led flood light. Better.

 

[Treefer]

I should mention that I keep the red/blue about 2 inches above the plant.

 

[BrierPatch]

I've been contemplating on which light to get for my seedlings and starts. I've been looking at these 2. The HLG I can just get at Lowes for $150 or order the Spider Farmer from Amazon for $89.

 

[Tums]

For keeping plants on wire shelves I like these because they're 4ft long. https://www.amazon.com/Durolux-DLED848W-FullSun-Spectrum-Seeding/dp/B07CGRVWFF

I can confirm you could get 40000lx if the plants are close to the lights, but I wish they sold somewhere else besides amazon (and ebay which is probably secretly delivered from amazon with a markup).

 

[NaoTK]

Am I interpreting this right? You would need like 5 of these to veg properly? I don't do indoor much.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Plant / tree leaves are loaded with pigments beyond the "green" chlorophyll. One of multiple functions of the xanthins, flavonoids, and carotenoids, that are complexed in close association to chlorophyll is to capture other frequencies of light, and either pass an electron off to the same sequence chlorophyll sends electrons too, or absorb the light and emit it at a wavelength that chlorophyll can absorb. The result is many plants are capable of using a much wider portion of the visible spectrum than previously thought. Originally, it was thought chlorophyl could only absorb blue and red wavelengths. Which is true for pure chlorophyll, but in the plant leaf, it turns out with all the other pigments naturally present in a leaf, almost all the light, including some of the green light is used by most of the plants. Understory plants in particular can use green wavelengths. So using white light is very much an advantage. Using just blue and red, while it is a supplement, it is not a very efficient supplementation. Science discovered the significance of the boost to photosynthesis of the wavelengths across the spectrum only in the last couple decades. For may years it was assumed that only red and blue mattered. Turns out "All Light Matters" White light, a continuous spectrum is best, it is what trees use.

Demonstration of this, hold real creme de menthe up to light, light viewed through it will look red, due to blue being absorbed by the chlorophyll and fluoresced off as red because the alcohol solution is "dead", no where for the captured blue light to go, in a living leaf, the energy would make sugar. Red light captured is given off as heat. Cheap Creme de Menthe will only look green when viewing a light through the liquid, which means it was dyed with a chemical dye. Better Creme de Menthe the green comes from chlorophyll, and when a light is viewed through the liquid, the light should show red fluorescence.

 

[Tums]

Am I interpreting this right? You would need like 5 of these to veg properly? I don't do indoor much.

I could believe that, those figures are assuming you don't have any other source of light like a window. Plus if the recommendations are for cannabis, they enjoy full outdoor sun. If you search the internet for "DLI chart" such as https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ho/ho-238-w.pdf you can see the recommended levels for other crops.