Kessil a350w vs Sol super blue

[[]V[]addog]

So I pose this question to all that have had one or both of these lights. Both are slightly older tech and most aquarium enthusiast can afford them, neither are too of the line, but both are prooven to grow corals. I'm more interested in mixed reef senarios. Please don't say that neither are good for sps. Because I have seen and used both. There may be certain or specific corals that do not do spectacular under these lights, but overall they are a good buy now for te average user.

Here is how I see it:
Basic specs are similar, white blue and royal blue. Sols have pucks with optics. Kessils have UV and pendant.
Sol Pros
Optics: better penitration
Programmability: sunrise, sunset, tweaked color thruout the day, timer

Cons
Narrow beem
Mounting options
No UV


A350w
Pros
Pendant mounting
Shimmer
UV
Wide Coverage area

Cons
Penitration
Dark shadows
No programabilty


So I ask anyone with experience in either or both lights to come forward. I don't want to hear about other lighting options etc.
lets keep this on topic, and see why people chose the light they did.
Very interested in hearing other people experiences.

 

[Ripline]

I have 2 a360w over my 80g sps and lps tank. They are similar to the a350w but are supposed to be 30% brighter, etc. The corals have great PE under the kessils. As for the shadowing, I am a little concerned. I have not seen any negative affects so far, but I have only had them on my tank for 2 months. I have them about 5 to 6 inches from the surface which reduces the shadowing somewhat.

 

[BossHoggin]

Even if you dont have an apex or the like I would still go with the a360w, it operates the same way as the 350 without one. Color temperature and intensity are better separated by kessil logic. I would get a buildmyled strip the length of the tank with wide optics and their tank mounts so you can put the light towards the front of the tank and tilt it back towards the rocks to get rid of the harsh shadows and serve as a dawn/dusk light.

 

[Rarend99]

Couple buddies of mine have ai sol super blues and love them

 

[that Fish Guy]

Shimmer on the Kessil is definetly a Con not a Pro.

It is the one thing that I cannot stand about Kessil.

They need to fix that.

 

[Rarend99]

Shimmer on the Kessil is definetly a Con not a Pro.

It is the one thing that I cannot stand about Kessil.

They need to fix that.

+1 unless you like seizures

 

[that Fish Guy]

+1 unless you like seizures

+2 LOL Going to give me an Aneurism.

I want my Aquariums to look nice and calm.

 

[nikon187]

lol.. i cant keep kessils IN stock because of that shimmer. Those and razors fly out the door

 

[FlyPenFly]

Yeah that shimmer is very MH like, it's probably the best part about them.

 

[[]V[]addog]

interesting that some peopel do not like the shimmer.... huh
I guess that would also depend on how much surface movment you have too.

do you guys think the addition of the UV in the Kessil really helps?
I really like the surface coverage area of the kessils

 

[rc1626]

I'm a radium halide guy and when I went to kessil a350w I found the shimmer to be nothing like MH. As others have said it can be hard to view. I also found the kessil to be much dimmer than MH. I know they're proven to grow corals but even at full power they were too dim for me.
When I ran the Sol blues they were certainly brighter but lacked spectrum. I had to add t5's to get the colors i liked. Shimmer was present but just not strong.
Surface agitation will certainly have an effect on shimmer.
Back to radiums for the time being. Best color I've ever seen from my tank.

 

[FlyPenFly]

LEDs seem dimmer but can throw out more PAR. Probably why so many people bleached their tanks.

I liked MH but the $400/month electricity bills in the summer were not sustainable for me.

 

[ghostman]

On my new 60 cube build I chose the kessils based on shimmer and UV. I had sol blues in the past, and couldn't get the spectrum I wanted out of it. My red planet was never red Shadowing is the only thing thats negative to me, but I think it looks more realistic that way. My chalices appreciate a little less light too.

 

[[]V[]addog]

On my new 60 cube build I chose the kessils based on shimmer and UV. I had sol blues in the past, and couldn't get the spectrum I wanted out of it. My red planet was never red Shadowing is the only thing thats negative to me, but I think it looks more realistic that way. My chalices appreciate a little less light too.

cool.
they seem perfect for cube builds for sure!