EcoTech Radion LED - Research, opinions and speculation

[abcha0s]

No doubt, there lots of hype around these LEDs. One of our customers has been nice enough to share some good research links with me. I thought I would post them for everyone else.

Aqua Digital - Official Canreef Anouncement
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...threadid=78275

Advanced Aquarist - Positive Review
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog...radion-preview

Captive Aquatics - Negative Speculation
http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/cap...nd-a-miss.html

Here's a couple of questions for everyone:

* Where's the line between hype and effective?
* Is the price point (apq. $800) more inline with value than EcoTech's competitors?
* What do you think of the technology when compared to other LED solutions?
* Do you see any major drawbacks of the lighting system other than criticism of LED in general?

My personal opinion is that the Capitive Aquatics speculative comments miss the point. The author focuses on the full power spectral output when the point of the lighting system is to have an adjustable spectrum. They do raise some good discussion points though.

I think the marketing strategy around these lights has been excellent, but I try to see past advertising. I am optimistic that the lights are more than just hype. I see real potential in them, but I am reserving my final judgement for just a bit longer.

The price point seems to position the lights better than most of the serious high end competitors.

I still love the single fixture solution from Vertex. Other than cost and possibly full spectrum control, I don't see any major advantages of the EcoTech solution. Although, I guess cost and spectrum control are a big deal. It's nice to see the cost on entry for LED coming down.

We do have enough confidence that these lights will be awesome that we have a large pre-order in with Aqua Digital. That's not the point of this thread, but it should highlight our overall support for this product.

Open debate welcome...

- Brad