Quote:
Originally Posted by sphelps
Radions are 120W, Vegas are around 100W I think. Radions have higher white to blue ratio and Vegas allow the ability to choose how much of the total power you want to sacrifice for colored LEDs. I would conclude the Vega has more valuable power. Plus they'll probably work while the Radions are much more likely to fail. 2 new Vegas run around $1000 plus controller which you may or may not already have.
Also as far as a deal goes I've heard of people being able to purchase new Radions for $650. I'm also sure refurbished with warranty will also become available soon at an even greater discount.
|
My understanding also is that Radions use 135 degree optics, and Vegas use 80 degree optics. This means the Vegas can punch through tank depth much better than Radions, but Radions blend better. My recent research points that Radions are the better option for shallower tanks (24" and less) since they blend better, where the Vegas are the better option for tanks deeper than 24" because of their punch and also because the greater depth allows more blending with the narrower optics.
Since the optics are so different from one fixture to the other it is difficult to compare PAR readings without doing some math after you get the numbers.
AI has been talking about making different colored "power pucks" and wider optics, but they haven't released anything yet. Many people have also been complaining about the Vega using cool whites rather than neutral whites.
The Radions seem to be having lots of warranty issues, but everyone had said very good things about the customer service. I imagine that might be a different story if you don't have warranty.
I'm thinking I might wait for the next generation of LEDs to come out before I try them out. I think there are still some kinks to work out (Radions I'm looking at you) and some modifications to make (Vega I'm looking at you).