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Old 05-07-2012, 04:32 AM
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mike31154 mike31154 is offline
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What kind of answers are you expecting for those questions on a forum like this? Why not go directly to the Cree or Bridgelux web site & look up the specifications for the type of LED you intend to use & make the comparison. Same goes for the drivers. Only the manufacturers themselves will be able to provide the true answer. Their specification sheets will show you exactly what the colour spectrum is & how many lumens/watt the LED provides. Who knows what kind of agenda some person on a forum has that claims one is better than the other. In the end, it depends on the application.

The LED business is a rapidly evolving & highly competitive game at the moment with new innovations & products appearing almost daily. To the best of my knowledge in the 3 watt category, certain Cree LEDs have the best efficiency, i.e. most lumens per watt. That doesn't mean a Bridgelux is no good. It depends on what you're wanting to light up & whether a few more lumens per watt are going to provide any significant payback over the long or short term. If your hydro rates are low, you could save a few $$$ by getting a few more Bridgelux or cheaper generic LEDs for your build to get the same amount of light as fewer, more expensive Crees. Besides, there are other manufacturers out there designing LEDs with colour spectrums specific to marine tank requirements. Again, whether it's really worthwhile pursuing that is questionable when any old mixture of 10,000K & Royal Blue LEDs will do the job for you.

Maybe you are overthinking the deal. My own DIY LED fixture consists of generic, no name 10 watt multi-chip LED emitters. They may not be as efficient as a 3 watt Cree, but the price was right & 27 of them are doing a fine job of lighting up my tank. I run them below their maximum rating, using ony a fraction of the power I did with my retired 2x250 watt MH, 2x60 watt T5HO set up.
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DIY 10 watt multi-chip LED build http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=82206
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