Are you happy with your LED's???

[sphelps]

Take the poll for what it's worth guys, no point calling people out. There are many reasons why people might not be happy with LEDs. Could have been a lower grade fixture which didn't perform as expected, could have been a PFO which I don't believe many happy customers still exist, could be a little regret not waiting to buy the newest model, or maybe just maybe some people still prefer MH. Not everyone wants to drive a Prius and you're always going to find some people unhappy with a purchase no matter how strange you might think that is. There are also many reasons why people wouldn't post there experience, one is the risk of being harassed by the new followers of LED religion, I mean you're already calling them out for posting on an anonymous poll.....

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Take the poll for what it's worth guys, no point calling people out. There are many reasons why people might not be happy with LEDs. Could have been a lower grade fixture which didn't perform as expected, could have been a PFO which I don't believe many happy customers still exist, could be a little regret not waiting to buy the newest model, or maybe just maybe some people still prefer MH. Not everyone wants to drive a Prius and you're always going to find some people unhappy with a purchase no matter how strange you might think that is. There are also many reasons why people wouldn't post there experience, one is the risk of being harassed by the new followers of LED religion, I mean you're already calling them out for posting on an anonymous poll.....

ummmm what sphelps said lol i think you all scared them away lol fact of the matter is not a product in the world that every single person is going to be happy with regardless of how many that are and im sure everyone has their own reasons

[naesco]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Take the poll for what it's worth guys, no point calling people out. There are many reasons why people might not be happy with LEDs. Could have been a lower grade fixture which didn't perform as expected, could have been a PFO which I don't believe many happy customers still exist, could be a little regret not waiting to buy the newest model, or maybe just maybe some people still prefer MH. Not everyone wants to drive a Prius and you're always going to find some people unhappy with a purchase no matter how strange you might think that is. There are also many reasons why people wouldn't post there experience, one is the risk of being harassed by the new followers of LED religion, I mean you're already calling them out for posting on an anonymous poll.....

It is not a matter of 'calling people out' or harrassing them. I am simply interested in the reasons and it could be for one of the reasons you stated.

The original poster wanted to hear from those who were unhappy as well. If they choose not to post their reasons that is fine with me.

[aquajeep]

I'm sticking with halides till the prices come down more. My corals do great but there's always the heat problem will switch in a few years for sure. My mom upgraded to an 800$ led unit on her cube tank and its amazing. Of corse the diff was huge as she had compacts on it b4.

[Delphinus]

I'd actually love to consider a move to LED. When I look at the options though .. and I'll give this thread as a perfect example, someone early on mentioned a unit over their size tank that is similar in size to mine - and for the briefest of instants I toyed with the fantasy of switching - so over to the vendor mentioned, find the unit listed and .... oh wow 4 grand, ok, this fantasy is over. To use the Prius metaphor .. that's like buying a Prius but paying the price of a Porsche GT4. Unless I'm overlooking something it feels to me there's a HUGE disconnect between investment and return. To me the question isn't about whether LED's can "work" or not, that's immaterial. They work well enough, I believe that without question. The problem to me is the enormous cost burden up front. With my current setup I probably spent less than $500 to get it set up but I can mix and match as time goes on or add another T5 here or a spotlight LED there .. I can buy a LOT of replacement lamps and pay the difference in electricity for many many many MANY years before I hit 4 grand. I'd love to make the plunge but until I get a huge pile of money to burn it doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon.

[doch]

I'm definetly not 'calling anyone out' as you say. To me however, the purpose of this community is to share info. If that info is how to keep an animal or coral, perfect. In this case, I along with several others, am wondering about a new technology, and people's experiences with it. If it were me, I would share with you guys. If I had purchased an inferior LED fixture, I would let you guys know that it would potentially work for softies, but not for SPS. If it broke soon after purchase, I'd warn you guys.

Unless I miss my guess, most of the 'unhappy' section likely purchased a low end unit that did not work out for their tank, and their plans for their tank. If I remember correctly, there are 3 people that are unhappy with their LED, and it is their first tank, and first light. I assume that they made an uneducated decision and it didn't work out for them. We've all done it... at least I have.

All I'm saying is that it would be nice to hear from them. No big deal... ALL of the people that have written down info are in the positive column. This leads me to believe that LED's are scoring well.

That said, I'm not 100% convinced, and as said, the prices for the factory units are still very high IMO. That being the case, (and since I've already purchased my T5's) I'll be sticking with my T5's on the display, and likely purchase a cheap ebay fixture like Dez has. That fixture will go on my frag tank where I can gauge the technology and decide if I want to make the switch in the future.

To all who have shared info, I appreciate it! I feel like this poll will help many in the near future. Hopefully it doesn't get burried too deep.

[naesco]

Tony, Doch.

What are the dimentions of your tank?

In the meantime, take a look at www.fish-street.com under LED lighting. I have the Key model.

Wayne

[lastlight]

I really identify with what you're saying Tony.

The costs of going LED on larger tanks is unreal. I had previously collected used mh parts as they showed up and need a reflector or two for the new tank and voila... lighting is handled. I can replace bulbs and pay the electric for many years before the costs outweigh what an LED setup may cost me.

I certainly want to try LED more all the time but I highly doubt it's going to happen.

[Delphinus]

Hi Wayne, my tank is 72x30x30. Looking at a single unit for that tank, I see two comparable options:

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/vt...2+Inch%29.html (almost $5k )

http://www.thereefshoppe.ca/index.ph...4b84f6d9596c71 ($4k)

If I look at the Key model you mention, the largest unit I see is 78cm x 27cm at $630ish. I'm not sure what kind of coverage you get off that, in the worst case scenario though I could fit 4 of those over top of my tank and $600*4 = $2400, still a pretty respectable purchase price.

I was looking at these Orphek units that fit inside a T5/T8 socket and they look pretty neat but even then it looks like something like $160 per unit (I assume they mean one T5 replacement). I assume that it's fair to expect 5 to 10 times the longevity out of one of these over one T5 lamp so maybe that's fair but then you lose the ability to "mortgage" that part of the tank expenses over time.

I have very little doubt that with most units available today, that most people don't "regret" the jump to LED, per se. I doubt I'd regret buying a Porsche one day, although that doesn't mean I can afford to get into one. Life's funny that way.