ChilLED Growcraft Review (A Viable Spyder Alternative?)

Two of the most popular grow lights right now are the Fluence Spyder and the Gavita 1700e.

But both are insanely expensive and constantly sold out.

Luckily, other brands have started offering similar lights, so that we now have a lot more options.

Most of those options come from Chinese brands and leave a lot to be desired.

But the ChilLED Growcraft series is actually a viable alternative.

These lights deliver similar results to the Gavita and the Spyder, but at a much lower cost.

Read the rest of this ChilLED Growcraft review to find out if they are the right choice for you.

 

ChilLED Growcraft Series Comparison Table

 

ChilLED Growcraft X6 Review

We’re going to focus this review on the ChilLED Growcraft X6 1000W, because it is the most powerful of the ChilLED fixtures. We focus on one specific model, so that we can provide specifications in the review.

Everything apart from the values for output, wattage, etc. is the same for all lights in this series. For the specifications for the other lights, see the comparison table above.

 

Advantages

The biggest advantage of the ChilLED fixtures is their even light spread, with high PPFD values throughout the coverage area.

All models have a great light spread, but the more bars a fixture has, the better its light distribution. Other advantages include the spectrum, the efficiency and the passive heat dissipation.

 

Light Spread

Just looking at these fixtures, you can understand why they offer a much better light spread. Instead of concentrating a bunch of diodes into a small fixture and having that light radiate outward to cover the entire grow area, ChilLED lights use many diodes that are spread out over a larger area.

This means that the light does not have to travel so far to reach the outsides of the coverage area, so it is more intense when it reaches the canopy there. It also means that you don’t have an incredibly intense concentration of light right in the middle of the coverage area.

Take a look at the PPFD foot print of the 1000 watt Growcraft X6 at 18 inches from the canopy to see how you still get values of well over the minimum of 100 umol/m²/s even in the corners. And you don’t have a super high PPFD right in the center.

A light spread like this is so much better if you are growing an entire garden, and not just a single plant smack-dab in the middle of the coverage area.

This concept was first pioneered by HLG with their quantum board lights and those soared in popularity because of it. Since then, many brands have copied their design and some have even improved on it.

Using multiple bars like the ChilLEDs is one such improvement (pioneered by Fluence, I believe). It allows for air flow between the bars, which makes heat dissipation even more efficient than on the quantum boards, while retaining the great light spread.

This type of design is especially well suited for grows with a flat canopy, like Sea of Green or Screen of Green. It also works well if you lollipop your weed plants or if you have a vertical grow, a small grow tent, or some other type of grow with a low ceiling height.

In addition to the great light spread, these lights also retain the spectrum of the quantum boards, which is another reason for their skyrocketing popularity.

 

Spectrum

Before quantum lights, “blurple” was all the rage. LED manufacturers pushed the theory that plants need only red and blue light, since those wavelengths are the most absorbed during photosynthesis. And they pushed it hard.

But it’s only part of the story. Plants also need light in every other wavelength, just like they get from the sun. That is why CMH lights work so well. And when LED manufacturers like HLG began adopting a similar spectrum to CMH in their fixtures, growers couldn’t argue with the results.

Now the industry is heading more and more toward all-white LEDs with some supplemental deep red (and, in some cases, infrared). ChilLED gives you exactly this spectrum.

Most of the diodes on their fixtures are all-white, with a mix of warmer 3000K and cooler 5000K light. They supplement that with 660 nm deep red diodes, to give a boost to yield quality and quantity during flowering. Take a look.

You can see peaks in the blue and red wavelengths, which is exactly what plants need. But unlike “blurple” lights, which often only have blue and red diodes, the Growcraft Yieldmax spectrum also includes plenty of light in between, in the green, yellow and orange wavelengths.

It is a true full-spectrum light and perfect for plants during any stage of growth, but especially flowering. If you are only using the light for vegging, ChilLED actually offers a specific vegging spectrum that has been fine-tuned for vegetative growth. You can select that on the product pages.

 

Amazing Efficiency

The 1000w X6 delivers 2.58 to 3.08 μmole/J. That makes it easily among the most efficient grow lights on the market today. This efficiency is a result of high-quality MeanWell drivers (two MeanWell HLG-480H-48B LED drivers) and low-wattage diodes. The great heat dissipation adds to the efficiency.

 

Incredible Heat Dissipation

Using smaller diodes means less heat per diode. Spreading them out across multiple bars, with free space in between allows air to circulate, which aids cooling.

When diodes run hot, they deteriorate faster and become less efficient. The great heat dissipation of this fixture allows the LED chips to run cool, increasing their life span and their efficiency.

It also makes your life easier. A lower heat output means less need for cooling equipment that is expensive to purchase and to run.

The specific heat load of this LED grow light is 3,412 BTU/hour. That is on par with most 1000 watt equivalent LEDs (that consume between 600 and 700 actual watts). Remember, this light consumes 1000 actual watts and is equivalent to around 1500 HID watts.

 

DIY

Another nice feature is that ChilLED offers DIY options for all of their fixtures. If you are not afraid to do your own assembly, you can save a bit of money.

Putting the lights together is not difficult at all, unless you simply aren’t the DIY type, or your time is more valuable to you than the cost difference. Whichever you prefer, it’s great to have the option.

 

Disadvantages

There are no huge disadvantages to these lights. The main thing is that they do not use the Samsung diodes that industry-leading brands use. But they do use the MeanWell drivers, which is the more important component. And the LEDs that they do use are still rated for 60,000 hours.

Unfortunately, they do not provide any info about the specific brands of LED chips they use. A ChilLED rep informed us they do not disclose this information to avoid any knock-offs or copycats of their designs (this is a HUGE problem in this industry), but he assured us they use only top bin diodes.

 

ChilLED LED Grow Light Review: Final Verdict

The ChilLED Growcraft X6 1000W, as well as all the other Growcraft series LED grow lights, give you all the benefits of the Gavita Pro 1700e and the Fluence Spyder, at a much lower cost.

Part of the cost savings comes from using cheaper materials. The fixture casings are not as solid and the LED chips are not a name brand. But they are still highly efficient and the drivers are all made by MeanWell, which means they are virtually indestructible and come with a lifetime warranty.

OF course, there are even cheaper options, but they are all Chinese brands. However, some of them are quite good these days. Spider Farmer is our favorite, with Viparspectra coming in just behind them. Between the two of them, you should find a light that fulfills your needs.

Despite their higher cost than the Chinese brands, the ChilLED Growcraft fixtures are a pretty amazing deal. That’s why this series gets a rating of 4.8out of 5.