300 Watt LED Grow Lights (Even The Best Are Not 300W)

One light.

That’s how many of the top lights could actually be called a 300 watt LED grow light.

And even it does not use 300w, but it is equivalent to that amount in HID power.

The rest are not even close.

Unfortunately, misnaming LED lights has become standard practice among Chinese brands (and if you’re familiar with my site, you’re probably sick of me harping on it by now).

But I feel it is important to point out. Not just for the sake of informing, but also in the hope that some of those brands will realize we don’t like this exaggeration and stop doing it.

Yeah right.

That probably won’t change, but what is changing is the standard of the Chinese brands. They are making better lights and offering longer warranty periods. The biggest brands even have US service centers now.

Nevertheless, my top 300 watt LED plant light is still an American brand.

Let’s take a look.

 

Best 300W LED Grow Lights: Comparison Table

 

Reviews of the Top 300W LED Plant Lights

Advanced Platinum P300

My highest rated light is the P300 by Advanced Platinum. The main reason for the high rating is that is is the only light on this list that could conceivably be called a 300 watt light.

The P300 does not consume 300 watts, but it is equivalent to a 300 watt HID light. None of the other fixtures are. Several are listed as such, but they are a 250w equivalent at best, and probably a bit less than that. Misnaming lights and exaggerating claims is common practice among Chinese brands. Advance Platinum is the only American brand on this list.

Since it is the only light on this list that is actually a 300 watt HID equivalent, it should come as no surprise that the P300 is easily the most powerful light, with a dead center PAR reading of 1050 umol/m²/s at 18 inches. It also gives you the largest coverage area (apart from the Bozily, which you can read about below) at 2 by 3 feet.

The Advanced Platinum spectrum is another big strength. It gives you a ton of red and blue light, but also has a good amount of yellow and green, which plants need as well. The spectrum also includes both UV-A and IR light.

The P300 has separate veg and bloom switches, which allows you to save power during vegging, when you don’t need full power. In veg mode, the light consumes 93 watts, while it uses 180 watts at full power. It is rated for 100,000 hours of use, which is over 10 years.

When you buy the Advanced Platinum LED P300, you are covered by a very generous 5-year warranty and a 90 day return guarantee (both are by far the longest on this list). All of this combines to give this light (and all other Advanced Platinum models) the highest Grow Light Info rating I’ve ever given: a 9.6 out of 10 (or 4.8 of 5). As expected, they also top my list of best overall LEDs on this page.

You can read my full review of the Platinum Series lights here.

Pros

• Very powerful with 1050 umol at 18 inches
• Great coverage of 2 x 3 feet
• Perfect spectrum for all stages of plant growth
• 100,000 hour rated lifespan
• Separate veg and bloom switches
• 5 year warranty and 90 day money back guarantee

Cons

• Much higher price than the other lights on this list

 

Meizhi 300 LED Horticultural Light

The 300W LED light from Meizhi is easily the least attractive light on this list, but looks mean nothing. This light tops all but the Advance Platinum. It is not spectacular at anything, but has no real weaknesses.

Meizhi is a Chinese brand, so obviously the 300w label is pretty ridiculous. That is something Chinese brands always do.

In actuality, this light is equivalent to 200 watts of HID power and uses somewhere around 130 watts. Meizhi does not provide the wattage draw of this light, for some reason.

The light spectrum is heavy in red, with some blue and white diodes mixed in. It is a great spectrum for flowering and it works well for all other stages of growth.

I do wish it had more white diodes, though. Those provide green and yellow light, in addition to all other colors. And with all red and blue diodes, this light lacks yellow and green wavelengths. Plants do want some light in those colors.

The output is on par (pun intended) with most of the other lights on this list. It generates 443 umol/m²/s dead center at 18 inches from the plants. For flowering, you would want to move it to about 12 inches from the canopy, which increases the PAR to 970 umol/m²/s and shrinks the effective coverage area down to 1.5 by 1.5 feet.

The main thing that pushes this light above others on this list is (except the Advanced Platinum) is the 3 year warranty, the 30 day return policy and the fact that Meizhi has a local service center in the US. Both the long warranty period and the US center are unusual for a Chinese brand and thus not something you would expect from a light in this low price range.

Check out my full review of Meizhi lights.

Pros

• Good output and coverage area
• Great spectrum for all stages of growth (but could use more white diodes)
• 3 year warranty
• Local US service center

Cons

• Spectrum could use more yellow and green light (i.e. more white diodes)

 

Viparspectra Reflector Series V300

The Viparspectra Reflector Series V300 is very similar to the Meizhi. I ranked it just below, because it is slightly less powerful and I like the Meizhi spectrum a bit better, but apart from that, they are basically interchangeable. This one does look nicer.

At 18 inches, the V300 gives you 412 umol/m²/s dead center. That is just slightly below the previous fixture above. It gives you the same coverage area for flowering: 1.5 by 1.5 feet.

The Viparspectra spectrum is really good. This used to be its weakness, but now it has a great mix of red, blue and white diodes that gives you peaks on red and blue and a god amount of green and yellow light to really make your plants happy. It works great for any stage of growth. It also includes IR, but no UV.

The expected lifespan is 100,000 hours. You can daisy chain multiple lights and run them off one outlet. There is no need for an extra cord either. The regular power cord is used to plug one light into the next.

Like Meizhi, Viparspectra now has a US service center, so service and repair can be taken care of much more quickly. They have also upped their warranty to 3 years and give you the same 30 day return policy.

My in-depth review for the V600 is applicable to the V300 as well (apart from the specific numbers).

Pros

• Ideal spectrum for plants (all stages of growth)
• Rated lifespan of 100,000 hours
• Good coverage area (1.5′ x 1.5′) and output
• Daisy chainable
• US service center
• 3 year warranty and 30 day money back guarantee

Cons

• The main negative was always the blue heavy spectrum, but they have addressed that issue

 

Bozily Oversized 300 Watt Flat LED Panel

This ultra-thin, oversized LED grow panel from Bozily is completely different from the other lights on this list.

First, it is much larger in terms of surface area, but much thinner. Second, it features full-spectrum white diodes.  Both are advantageous in many cases, but not always.

The large surface area makes for a larger coverage area. This light covers an area of 2.75 by 2.75 feet, which is far larger than any other light on this list, apart from the Advanced Platinum. And that one costs far more.

But the biggest advantage of the large panel is a more even light spread. A smaller fixture projects the light outward, which means it has further to go to reach plants that are not directly under it. Plants around the outside of the coverage area get far less light output than those in the middle.

With this fixture, the distribution is more even. If you are only growing a single plant, this doesn’t make much of a difference, but if you have a larger space, then this light will serve you better than a smaller fixture.

When it comes to spectrum , the all-white LED diodes give you light in every wavelength, including green and yellow. Plants need all colors of light, so white light is generally preferred by plants to red and blue only. That said, some of the fixtures on this list have mostly blue and red, with a good amount of green and yellow mixed in. That spectrum is a bit better than this one, which has more green and yellow than plants need.

Bozily actually makes another version of this fixture that has more red and blue light, with less green and yellow, but still a good amount. For most applications (like full-cycle growing), I would prefer than version, but I wanted to feature the all-white version here, since there are already so many red and blue lights on this list, and I know many growers swear by all-white light (that is what the sun gives us, after all).

You can find that version here.

Both Bozily panels give you a great output. The PAR value is lower, but that is because they do not focus all their light into the middle of the coverage area (for a large PAR value) but spread it out over a larger area. Again, this is preferable if you have plants throughout the whole area. The light has a built-in timer, which is also a great feature.

Bozily gives you excellent after-sales service. You can return your light free for 30 days and they will replace it free for up to 3 years, in the case of product defects.

Pros

• Great full-spectrum white light for all stages of growth (with red/blue fixture also available)
• Large surface area makes for large coverage and even distribution
• Low power usage saves money
• Built-in timer
• Very lightweight
• No fans, so runs silent
• Great after-sale service, with a 3 year warranty and 30 day money back guarantee

Cons

• Less power than the top lights
• No adjustable ratchet hangers included

 

Mars Hydro Eco Series 300 Watt LED Fixture

The Eco Series 300 from Mars Hydro is a redesigned version of their old Mars 300. It is a good light, which is why it is on this list, but the previous lights are better.

I should also mention that I am always hesitant with Mars Hydro lights. A friend of mine had a bad experience with the company, where they were not honest with him at all and very difficult to deal with.

I always try to put that aside when reviewing their lights, but that is far from the only account of difficulties with the company, so there is clearly a bit of an issue there. That said, the same goes for all Chinese brands, to varying degrees.

This light is actually a bit more powerful than the previous 3, but the spectrum is not as good. It basically contains only red and blue, with minimal levels of green and yellow. Definitely not as much as your plants want. It also has no UV or IR diodes. The coverage area is the same as the Viparspectra and the Meizhi: 1.5 by 1.5 feet.

Like those other two companies, Mars Hydro also has a US service center now. I’m sure that will make it much easier and faster to get problems fixed when they prop up, but I don’t think it does anything to take care of the dishonest corporate culture.

If something does go wrong, at least you are covered by a 3 year warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee. If it seems like all of the lights have the same warranty, the top ones all do. This was not the case just a year ago, when the longest warranty you could get from a Chinese brand was one year and most had no warranty at all.

That said, I would not be 100% confident that they will honor that warranty period, since they are far from honest about the actual capabilities of their light (calling this a 300w light, for example).

Read the full review here.

Pros

• Good output and coverage
• 3 year warranty and 30 day money back guarantee

Cons

• Spectrum lacks green and yellow wavelengths
• Short power cord (6 feet)
• No UV and IR diodes

 

Mr Hua 300W UFO LED Grow Light

The Mr Hua UFO has a completely different look. As a UFO LED, it is round instead of rectangular. The main effect this has is that the coverage area of the light is also circular and not square or rectangular.

A circular coverage are is great for a single plant, but less so if you are trying to light a whole tent. Since a 300 watt light is really only good for lighting a single plant, that makes this light quite useful and is the reason for its inclusion on this list.

That and the fact that it is a very good light. It features a white COB in the middle and blue and red diodes that surround it. The result is a great mix of light in all wavelengths, with the peaks on blue and red. Basically the type of light plants like. It also has both infrared and ultra-violet wavelengths.

The main reason this light ranks at the bottom of this list is that it is less powerful than the other lights. But remember: there are hundreds, even thousands, of 300 watt LED plant lights on the market and this one is the 6th best. And if you are looking specifically for a UFO LED grow light, then it is number one. It also happens to be among the lowest priced lights.

When you buy the Mr Hua UFO, you get a 2 year warranty. It is unlikely you will need it, since the light is rated for 50,00 hours of use.

Pros

• UFO shape gives it a unique circular coverage area
• Lower cost
• Great spectrum for all stages

Cons

• Less power than other lights on this list
• Shorter warranty (2 years)
• Short power cord (6 feet)