Chinese LED Lights
- Thread starter cmac23
- Start date
Since the site is running so slow these days I won't ask "did you actually read this thread". Lots of people have them and the programming works. It jumps from one % to the next instantly at set times instead of gradually moving to that level. The other minor concern is that the touchscreen buttons are sensitive and it takes some time to get the "touch"
Hope that helps!
josephv
New member
thanks
After reading the first 50 pages of the old thread + 10 last pages of this new thread, which alone took me a couple of days, I just pulled the trigger on an IT2060. Everything is made in China these days anyways, and why a bunch of stupid leds should cost twice as much as a large-screen TV is beyond me.
bhazard451
New member
That's why we are all here. Pricing is ridiculous on many led fixtures, especially since they are still rapidly developing compared to MH or T5. Just look at all the AI Sols and Gen1 Radions that are now completely obsolete. At the end of the day, its just a light.
I'd rather solder in a few new leds when they come out, instead of having to ship my whole fixture to be upgraded for a "low" price of $200+ every time. Modular fixture designs may also turn out to be worthless, especially if a newer fixture is completely redesigned. What then?
The Maxspect Razor was the only other nicely designed, affordable light that I could see myself with. The itch to change some led colors, and the fact that one arrived DOA turned me off from them. They're both now returned, and I'm using the credit to try a Radion Pro to see if it is really worth it.
These are the only fixtures I have individual, swappable led control over without going fully DIY, or spending a crazy $10+ per led. I love that.
no razor vs. chinese coming
I was hoping for that to help my decision. Two IT2060 or two Razor 120w. The razors are so much sleeker looking in my opinion, but the extra $160.....is it worth it for Cree and a known brand name fixture? I dunno!bhazard451
New member
no razor vs. chinese coming
They really are sleek and light. They have the same hanging kit as the IT lights do, and the legs it comes with aren't bad, they just hang low. If I was never looking to change out leds for a perfect ratio all the time, and never saw what a few 660nm reds can do with my own eyes, I would have been very happy with them. I prefer Crees, but 99 bridgelux easily equals 39 Crees in power/light.
Keep in mind, one of the brand name fixtures arrived DOA, and the working fixture's power supply had issues in not always turning on, so I had to swap supplies to get it working 100%. I'm sure its rare, but it still happened. I've had 1 Reefbreeders, and 3 direct from China arrive with no issues.
I really wanted to do the comparison, but the DOA and power supply (which has a serial number tied to the fixture) forced me to ship them back. The comparison will have to be with a Radion Pro.
The 120w vs IT2060 is a tough choice though. The razor 120w is $389 right? Its the better value. IT2080 in a group buy is a better value over a 160w though. At regular pricing, its a close call. Depends if you want to swap leds or not.
Travis1787
Active member
my IT2060s should be here today or tomorrow about stinkin time! I was supposed to have them last Tuesday but they got shipped to the wrong address.... I ordered them in November so I'm getting impatient lol
Ron Reefman
Active member
Travis,
Based on the experience I've had with mineover the past 3 weeks, you'll find it was worth the wait.
Based on the experience I've had with mineover the past 3 weeks, you'll find it was worth the wait.
if radion pro can't beat the ITs , there's gonna be some 'splain to do to justify that price tag!
I wish I could go IT2080 for value....but the old center brace thinks otherwise!
Up here(Canada) the 120w razors are $449 + 15% tax. :sad2:
That said, I'd buy them during a trip down to the US, saving over $100 and with the new cross border shopping rules ($800 back after 48 hours duty free) I am good to go.
Still kills to spend that much when we all know how fast LEDs are developing.
I wish I could go IT2080 for value....but the old center brace thinks otherwise!
Up here(Canada) the 120w razors are $449 + 15% tax. :sad2:
That said, I'd buy them during a trip down to the US, saving over $100 and with the new cross border shopping rules ($800 back after 48 hours duty free) I am good to go.
Still kills to spend that much when we all know how fast LEDs are developing.
bhazard451
New member
Come to think of it, any of the IT lights are a better value in a group buy, compared to anything else out there. For the IT2060, you add coverage, but may also add some disco. You would have to play around with optics vs no optics, canopy, height, etc.
If the brace is glass you shouldn't be too bad off, some of the light will get through. With the normal black plastic center brace there is no doubt at all that it will block the lights directly above it. The most noticeable areas will be directly below the brace, with less noticeable efficiency loss further down due to spillover from other lights.
D
Deleted member 286866
I have no experience with the IT2080 but part of your answer would be what types of corals you are planning to put in the tank and how much PAR you need. Hopefully you can find some good advice from the RC regulars on the IT2080 to help you make the right choice.
As you know the D120's have manual dimmers and the IT series is more automatic but is 3 or 4 times the cost even with a Group Buy direct from EverGrow. But the IT series has less wires if looks is a big issue.
I had one D120's on a 54g corner (38 x 27 x 22) and had to put on a second one on to eliminate the shadow / lower lighted areas. I think you will have a similar problem being 24" wide and 48" long if you go with only 2 D120's. If using D120's (16" x 9") I would go with 3 and hang them with a brace attaching them together with their existing screws to stabilize them and to look like one fixture. My HD had aluminum bars (1/2" x 1/8 x 24") which when painted black were perfect for this. You can also reduce the hanging kit wires needed by drilling an extra hole in the brace (at each connection point of two fixtures) and use one clip there as opposed to one on each of the fixtures corners. That would use 8 clips & wires instead of 12 for 3 fixtures.
At 24" deep you may want to go with 120* optics on any LED's between 440nm and 680nm to minimize the disco or spotlight effect of those colors and maybe 120* optics on the outside rows to get better spread being 24" wide. I used 90* optics on all my B & W and have no issues there but I had a different shape problem to deal with and mounted them as a slight "V".
I have the IT2080 from Reef Breeders on my 120 tank. The lights are currently 10 inches above the water, and with 90 degree optics, I do notice some disco on the sand bed...not too noticeable on the rocks. The hanging kit is nice and sleek but not super high-end; certainly better than I expected.
D
Deleted member 286866
Sorry I made a mistake above and I don't know how to edit posts after the "edit" button goes away. The 120* optics I think should be on the Green (520nm) through Red (660nm) LED's for most tanks. According to Sunny at EverGrow and others just removing the 90* optics will help. Older D120's had 120* angle LED's (not the current which use 90* LED's) and their removal on either angled LED will help eliminate the issue if 120* optics are not available.
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