Photo from unsplash

Originally Posted On: Top 16 Best Led Grow Lights Review of 2021 ( Must Read ) (allledgrowlights.com)

For individuals who prefer to grow at home, grow lights are often a necessity. After all, these make it possible to grow healthy plants indoors without the need for any natural sunlight.

While the introduction of these lights has certainly made it easier to see thriving plants indoors, it can be difficult to choose which brand and model of light is right for you. To help you narrow down your choices, the best led grow lights 2021 have been compiled and listed below.

With a few improvements from the best led grow lights 2020, you’ll find the lights below are well worth investing in. Whether you’re thinking about growing just one plant or you want to grow many more, these are the very best choices out there. With some of the best led grow lights review from other buyers, you’ll quickly see why they are so popular once you own on

Spider Farmer is a well-known LED grow light company. This is their latest SF-2000 LED grow light. The unit is a two foot by four foot grow light. That’s the footprint for flowering plants. If you want to support leafy plants, it can support a three foot by four foot growing area.

One point in favor of this unit is that it is dimmable. The LEDs are not just dimmable, but the unit comes with a dial controller so you can adjust it anywhere from zero to 100 percent. Other units require you to buy a separate dimmer or come up with a controller. That is separate from the on-off switch. This is the best led grow light for those who need precise control over light levels.

It uses energy efficient Samsung LEDs. The unit requires around 200 Watts. It uses half the power of a compatible HPS light. The units can be daisy chained with a network cable. The lights are bright, but it is a broad spectrum grow light. It doesn’t have a red-heavy spectrum required for some herbal plants.

The open grid panel maximizes airflow around the grow lights, allowing it to keep cool without noisy fans. Note that you do need good airflow around the grow light to keep it cool. It can overheat inside of a grow tent.

One issue with the design is the overall quality. The grow lights may sag in the middle if just hanging from the ceiling. The aluminum frame may warp if the unit gets too hot, too. The circuits may not be properly grounded, and if that happens, that creates a shock hazard.

•  Energy efficiency
• Naturally cooled
• Can be daisy chained

• Poor quality frame

This is another full spectrum grow light built around Samsung LED chips. This unit is very bright, though it is a full spectrum light. It provides a mix of red, blue, white and a little infrared light. This is good enough for most plants and sufficient for providing supplemental light to plants in a window garden.

The unit has an open metal frame to maximize airflow, eliminating the need for fans unless you need tight temperature control or have the unit running in a grow tent. If you have good ventilation around the plants, this lowers the energy requirements for the indoor growing operations. The unit needs roughly 230 watts of power.

The unit can operate in temperatures just below freezing and up to 113 degrees F. This makes it more heat tolerant than other grow lights. We’ll say it can cover a two foot by three foot area where you’re replacing sunlight altogether and a three foot by four foot area when providing supplemental light.

One point in favor of this model is safety. That’s demonstrated by the Underwriter’s Laboratory seal of approval.

Furthermore, the unit can be used almost right out of the box. It comes with simple rope and hanging hardware. The unit comes with the power box. The unit does not come with controllers. It is either on or off, unless you buy additional hardware to control the intensity or its timing. You do get a single six foot power cord.

We don’t think this unit can be safety daisy chained. The unit doesn’t have the option to switch from mostly red or blue spectrum like other King Plus grow lights.

•  Safe to use
•  Wide operating temperature range
•  Quiet
•  Comes with everything you need

•  Can’t adjust light in any way

This Wills brand grow lamp is listed as a 3000 watt grow lamp. It is not just a full spectrum grow light. Yet it only pulls about 620 watts of power.

One point in favor of this model is that it comes with everything you need out of the box. You don’t just get a hanging kit and power plug. You also get a thermometer / humidistat. Note that it is still your responsibility to monitor the temperature and turn things off, if you don’t have a separate timer or controller.

This unit has built in fans to help keep it cool. The metal housing has vents to help remove waste heat, too. This unit is the better choice for use in growing tents, if it has good ventilation.

This unit is unusual for being able to operate at nearly 100 percent humidity. That doesn’t mean you can spritz it with water or immerse it, but it won’t fail in a humid greenhouse or hanging over your aquarium.

You cannot switch between mostly red and blue spectrum light. The unit is heavier on blue than red light. One issue with the unit is the short operational life of the LEDs. They may start burning out after just a few weeks of continual use. And you can’t really replace the bulbs.

The coverage area is not as good as you’d expect. It covers a 2.5 x 2.5 foot or 3 x 3 rea, not the promised 4×4 area.

•  Everything you need out of the box
•  High light output
•  Water resistant

•  Smaller effective coverage area than advertised
•  Lights tend to burn out

This grow light has a large coverage area, up to 4.5 x 4.5 feet. It has a 3000 watt full spectrum grow light, too. It has a mix of red, blue, white and infrared light to foster plant growth at all stages. It even has light chips at a variety of red and blue wavelengths to provide a replica of natural sunlight.

It even has several UV bulbs. More importantly, the unit is relatively energy efficient. It only draws around 700 watts of power. This is the best led grow light for those who want to have a single grow light cover a whole tray of seedlings or half a dozen potted plants.

The unit comes with everyone you need. For example, you get the power cord and hanging kit. Note that you do need to wear safety glasses around this. Safety glasses are not included.

One issue with the grow light is that there is no controller. You can’t dim the lights. You can’t switch from mostly red to mostly blue light.

The light bulbs do not last as long as advertised. The manufacturer says they can last up to five years. You’ll be lucky to get one year of continual use out of it before bulbs start burning out, and they are not easily replaced.

•  Large coverage area
•  True full spectrum grow light

•  Doesn’t last as long as expected

Looking for the best led grow lights for vegetables? This unit won’t disappoint. The veg and bloom switches on the side make it easy to go through all stages of growth, although you can also use this for flowers and other plants you’d like to grow indoors. When you first get this unit, you’ll notice that the optimal full spectrum lights are very bright and colorful.

This is for good reason, as they mimic sunlight in a way that’s more powerful than other led lights. The perfect balance of colors will hit each plant perfectly within a 2’x2′ area, so there won’t be any areas that are dead or partially grown.

This unit also comes with advanced fans that are high-speed yet very quiet so you won’t hear them while running. In addition to this, the cooling heatsinks provide incredible heat dissipation to minimize the amount of heat experienced in your grow room. For added security, you’ll get a 30-day guarantee along with a 3-year warranty when you purchase this 8.4lb light.

• Beautifully engineered for optimal PAR output and coverage
• Affordable with 450W of coverage
• Great reviews and very easy to use

•  May not produce the full light that is advertised
•  Some buyers say that this unit lacks intensity
•  Best for a larger grow tent to help dissipate the powerful lights

This is one of the best LED grow lights for indoor plants thanks to the many features that make it easy to use and highly effective. These features begin with the ability to dim the light depending on the type of plant you’re growing and what stage of growth it’s in.

This dimmer is made with red, white, and blue lights that offer precise control while still providing a nice balance of PAR and lumen light.

While the design of this unit may be a bit bigger than others, that’s due to its high-quality design that begins with 3.2″ front-fans you can see right next to the lights. These are complemented by aluminum cooling heat sinks that dissipate heat quietly for enjoyable operation. You’ll also notice this light has three separate buttons that control the brightness, each of which is easy to use.

If you’re worried about power consumption, this light has you covered. With 400W of power, you might be concerned about your electricity bills. Fortunately, this light only draws 210W of power maximum, so you don’t have to worry about increased bills when your light is on for hours at a time.

If you have a growing area that’s no bigger than 3’x2.5′, then this is the light for you. It comes with a 3-year warranty and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

•  You can dim the lights as you see fit, with the twist of a knob
•  Dim different colors of lights to create the perfect lighting
• Quiet fans to help reduce heat
• Reliable warranty in case something breaks

•  More expensive than non-dimmable lights
•  Most effective when hung at 24”, which may be too high/low for some rooms

This earned a spot on the best led grow lights review list because it has great reviews and a reliable built. Designed by a trusted name in grow lights, this unit has more power than most other lights on the market. It’s ideal if you have a lot of space to cover or simply want a more powerful light output to produce strong and healthy plants.

The 10W double chips within this light are bright and more efficient than the lights you’d find on other units, which are generally 3W or 5W. They’re also carefully designed to produce a nice balance of PAR/Lumen output so you always have a light that’s as close as possible to natural sunlight.

You’ll see colors of red, orange, UV, blue, red, and white once it’s on and shining down on your garden. For those who want to save energy, this is a great choice. Although it produces high quality light, it only consumes 235W of actual electricity, which saves quite a bit of money.

To help reduce the amount of heat produced, this has a very efficient cooling system with strategically placed holes on the LED screen to help dissipate heat. Additionally, this has quiet yet powerful fans that keep heat away from the unit so it can run for hours on end without overheating.

•  Easy to set up; just plug it in and hang at your desired height
•  Powerful LED lights; higher quality than most other lights
•  Buyers say it’s highly effective for improving the health of house plants

• Some buyers say it’s best for vegging rather than blooming
• Doesn’t have a veg/bloom switch
• Bulbs may burn out quickly

When King LED is the manufacturer, you know you can trust the quality. This light is no exception, as it has been designed with 10W double chips that are not only brighter than other lights but also more efficient.

They also keep a healthy balance of PAR and lumen output so you can adequate coverage within your growing space. When you plug this in, you don’t have to worry about your electricity bill. While it’s true that this consumes only 260W of power, it still produces 1500W to help with healthy and accelerated growth.

You’ll also notice that this is designed with all the colors you need to mimic natural sunlight, including yellow, white, IR, UV, red, and blue. With that, you can easily grow all types of plants without any natural sunlight.

One of the biggest advantages of this unit is the efficient cooling system, which dissipates heat to help reduce overall heat in the room the light is being used in. It also has powerful fans that help dissipate heat very quickly when compared to other fans.

•  Powerful 1500W light that doesn’t consume a lot of electricity
•  Full spectrum light very similar to natural sunlight
•  Helps strengthen plants so they grow strong instead of weak

•  Some buyers say it lacks adequate white lights
•  May be too bright for some growers
•  Makes more noise than most buyers anticipate

With this light, you can enjoy a balance of PAR output and coverage thanks to the thoughtful design. This is also equipped with high-quality bulbs that provide full spectrum light that mimics natural sunlight.

This unit also consumes less energy than you’d think with tests showing it only uses 524W when turned on and plugged in.

If you’re growing in an area that’s 4.5’x4.5′ or smaller, this is going to be a solid choice. The two large rectangular panels shine bright and can reach every angle of plants to ensure they grow healthy.

To stay cool, this is equipped with high-speed fans and aluminum cooling heat sinks that dissipate the heat while running.

•  Only uses 524W of power thanks to the led bulbs
• High-speed fans that help reduce heat so you can safely touch the unit while it’s on
•  Offers the same benefits as natural sunlight

• Not an ideal replacement for an hps system
•  Buyers say it’s not a good choice for the flowering stage
•  May need to place light farther away from plants than with other lights
•  Higher price point than similar lights

This full spectrum light has been designed in a rectangular shape in order to easily reach all angles of your indoor garden. This is why it easily earned a spot on the led grow lights review list.

The 10W double chips make it more powerful than traditional lights and help ensure that this offers a nice balance of PAR and lumen output. When it comes to energy savings, this light won’t let you down. It only consumes around 380W of power to help reduce your bills without sacrificing the brightness it exerts.

The full spectrum of light includes UV, IR, white, yellow, red, and blue colors, each of which provides plants with the nutrients that natural sunlight does.

To help keep the unit cool, it has been designed with glass form convection fans and tiny holes on the led board inside. With this purchase, you get a 3-year warranty and reputable customer service.

•  Powerful 10W double chips included in the design
•  Comes with a 6ft power cord and hanging hook for easy installation
•  You can expect this to last for around 100,000 hours, according to the manufacturer

•  Some buyers say more white lights are needed in the design
•  Can be difficult to set up without instructions
•  Creates more heat than it should, which is a negative for most plants

This ViparSpectra light offers 700W of brightness and full spectrum lights to provide your plants with healthy growth through each cycle.

In addition to this, the unit has been designed with adjustable red, white, and blue dimmers that allow you to precisely control the displayed light for the exact type of plant that you’re growing.

To make this unit even better, it has been designed with three high-quality fans that dissipate heat to make this safe to touch while it’s in use.

If you have a growing area of 4’x3′, this is going to be an excellent unit to invest in. It even comes with equipment that will allow you to safely hang it so each particle of light can touch your plants from side to side. While it can be used for maximum coverage up to 5’x4′, it’s not recommended. A 3-year warranty and 30-day satisfaction guarantee are both included with your purchase.

•  Dimmable light that lets you take control of brightness
•  Quiet fans that are displayed right on the front of the unit
•  Uses a maximum of 326W to help reduce your energy bills

•  Buyers say it doesn’t provide enough red light
•  Only ideal for growing one or two plants
•  Heavy and can be difficult to safely hang in some grow rooms

As an award winning light, you can feel comfortable paying the higher price for this grow light. It was named the 2017 and 2016 “Best LED Grow Light” by High Times Magazine and has a pretty good track record with buyers.

The technology used in this uses 8-band wavelength ratio in addition to infrared for efficient LED lighting that helps plants grow more effectively. You don’t even need a ballast to use this, as you just need to plug it in to operate.

As a product that’s made in the USA, it has undergone testing that most other lights can say that they have. This helps ensure quality control and that each customer receives a light they can enjoy using for a long time to come.

Another benefit of this light is the fact that it is designed to provide light through the entire grow cycle and will provide coverage for 6 square feet total. It can also be used with a red flowering light to maximize yield.

•  More expensive than the majority of grow lights on the market
•  Weighs 8 pounds, which is heavier than comparable lights
•  Buyers have seen their vegetation growth triple when using this light

• Lights can burn out quickly with regular use
• Very small coverage area; not ideal for large indoor gardens
• Technology isn’t as good as other lights

This model of grow light says it has the highest par/lumen output per watt, which is a major benefit for growers who want consistency and power. In fact, Platinum LED claims that the lights of these are 2x to 3x that of similar options.

With 12-band full spectrum lights, this helps ensure your plants receive quality light that helps them grow quickly without sacrificing their health. This unit is also equipped with a veg and flower switch so you can choose the type of lighting for what you’re growing.

There are also two high-speed fans installed on the unit that help dissipate heat so you can keep this on for as long as you’d like. With a coverage area of 4.5’x3.8′ this is a good option for intermediate growing.

•  Maximum efficiency that can help enhance plant growth quickly
•  Ultra-efficient drivers offer maximum output that retains intensity while being used
•  American owned and operated business
•  5-year warranty included

•  High price point
• Coverage area is not as generous as advertised
• Much louder than anticipated

This is one of the most expensive 450W LED lights on the market, although it does have nice features that make it worth the investment. This includes unique technology that is designed to create the highest quality LED lighting that’s also incredibly efficient.

If you’re looking for something that is going to leave you with thriving crops, this is definitely something to consider.

Another great advantage of this unit is the fact that is has been designed with a cooling system that leaves it cool to touch, even when it has been on for long periods of time. It’s also tested and made in the USA, which the majority of competitor lights are not.

A 2-year warranty is included with the purchase and they make customer service a priority. If you have a problem, you can contact them for help at any time.

• Winner of “best LED grow light” by High Times Magazine in 2016 and 2017
• Tested and made in the USA for optimal quality
• 6ft power cord included with purchase of light

•  One of the most expensive LED grow lights available
•  Does not cover as much ground as is advertised
•  Buyers stated lights burned out after a year

With the highest par/lumen output per watt, thanks to led technology, this lighting unit is an excellent choice for indoor gardeners. While it’s more expensive than other units, that’s due to the fact that it has been designed for a large 6’x4′ space to accommodate many plants at once.

The recommended height to hang this is 18″, as this allows the light to reach every angle of the plants so no areas are left untouched.

With 12-band full spectrum lights, this provides the complete rays of light that plants need to grow in a healthy manner, all without natural sunlight.

It’s a great replacement for 800W HPS and can even be used in commercial applications. A 5-year warranty comes with this light in addition to a 90-day satisfaction or return guarantee.

•  Highest par/lumen output per watt
•  6’x4’ of coverage helps ensure medium and large gardens are covered
•  Made with quality materials to ensure longevity
•  5-year warranty included with purchase

•  High price point, which may be out of budget for many buyers
•  Not shipped in supportive packaging, which can result in breakage
•  Buyers say it doesn’t cover as much area as is advertised

Designed by a brand that’s known for quality products, this is an excellent choice when it comes to a grow light that can accommodate several plants at once. The design begins with high-quality LEDs that have the highest lumen and par output per watt, which ensures you receive the brightness you need to grow healthy plants.

It also features a 12-band full spectrum blend of colors that beautifully mimics natural sunlight to ensure healthy growth.

If you need to customize growth cycles, there are veg and bloom switches conveniently located on the side of the unit next to the power plug.

As a 600W HPS replacement, you’ll see that this unit works quite well while still providing 450W of power for a 4.5’x4′ space. It also includes a 5-year warranty in addition to a 90-day satisfaction guarantee or return.

•  5-year warranty, which is much longer than warranty offered by other companies
•  Medium coverage area to grow several plants at once
•  Veg and flower switches located on sides of unit

•  Heavier than other units at 18 pounds, which means hanging requires reinforcement
•  Replacements can take months to fulfill
•  Lights can burn out quickly

There are literally thousands of LED grow lights on the market. Quality and cost are only two of the factors you have to take into account. Furthermore, the other factors you need to evaluate for every potential grow light purchase affect your yield. Here is our recommendation regarding how to choose best led grow lights.

What type of plants are you going to be growing? If you have sun-loving plants, it can be hard to get an LED grow light that provides enough light on the right color spectrum. If you’re providing supplemental light for a window garden, then you can use a general full-spectrum grow light.

Maximizing plant yield in an indoor garden may force you to buy intense grow lights with a broad spectrum or mostly red light. Leafy plants and flowering plants need more red light. Tall woody plants benefit from more blue light.

Once you know what type of plants you’ll be using with the grow lights, determine how many of the plants you want to maintain.

LED grow lights have a defined coverage area. For example, an 12 inch by 24 inch grow light may provide bright light for an area twice as large. If you’re providing supplemental light, you could hang it somewhat higher and cover 50 percent more space. But the first thing you need to know is how large the growing area will be.

Multiple the growing area required for each plant by the number of plants. That’s the area the grow lights must cover. If you have sun-loving plants or they need intense lights at critical phases of their development, plan on choosing grow lights that will cover that area with intense light. This means you’ll need to research the brightest coverage area (in lumens) that the grow light covers.

And you’ll need enough grow lights hanging near each other to cover the entire area without overlapping. This is because you don’t want to burn the plants with too much light.

The growing area should be somewhat smaller than the counter or grow tent that houses the plants. After all, you’ll need to be able to walk around the plants and they need space around the perimeter as well as between each other.

The best LED grow light will provide the right light intensity for your plants at the elevation you want to hang it. Always choose a grow light capable of producing more light over one that barely meets your needs.

Suppose you’ve identified half a dozen grow lights that can cover the necessary area. Now you will use to strike candidates from the list. Are you raising heat sensitive plants? Strike any grow lights from the list that generate a lot of waste heat. The heat might be managed with fans running on the grow light and good ventilation, but that increases the overall noise level.

If the grow tent will be located in your bedroom closet, you’ll want grow lights that have quiet fans or don’t require fans at all to remove waste heat. If you’re providing light for an aquaculture project or fish tank, LED grow lights that can withstand high humidity are worth paying a little extra for. The same is true if your plants need to be kept in a grow tent at high humidity.

Maintainability refers to how easy it is to maintain a grow light. One variation of this is repairability. How often do you have to replace the light bulbs or LEDs? The best LED grow lights rarely experience such burnouts, while traditional grow lights are easy to replace and have readily abundant spare parts. Built-in controllers and fuses are a bonus.

One of the most common questions potential buyers ask is: are they worth it? If you choose the right grow lights, the answer is yes. The grow lights need to produce enough light to either replace natural sunlight or supplement it, so that you get much higher yields than you would otherwise.

The best LED grow lights are far more energy efficient than HPS or incandescent light bulbs. In general, LED grow lights use a third to half as much power as traditional grow lights.

If you’re running the lights 12 or more hours a day, it is worth it to upgrade to LED grow lights once the current ones burn out. Choose the right model to meet the needs of your plant and minimize the total cost of ownership.

Professional growers use LED grow lights that are not the brightest. They use grow lights that have a high PAR/Lumen output per watt. One such product is the Advanced Platinum Series P300 12-band LED Grow Light by Platinum LED. You get an incredibly bright light that needs relatively little power.

The compact grow light is rated as 300 watts but matches the power output of a 400 watt HPS light. It covers a roughly 3.5 x 4.5 foot area. The light has great penetration. You can run it with mostly red light, mostly blue light or a full spectrum light.

In this case, we would recommend Spider Farmer SF-2000 LED Grow Light, but only the 2021 version. It relies on a series of Samsung grow lights. It is controllable due to its Mean Well driver. It comes with a dimming knob. The unit consumes about 200 watts while putting out 2.7 umol per joule. This makes it very energy efficient, and it has good light penetration. It has a mix of red, blue and infrared light. The latter is good for plants in the flowering stage.

A full-spectrum LED grow light that puts out enough light to nourish your plants is ideal. LED grow lights are relatively cheap compared to light emitting ceramics, though LECs use slightly less energy. LEDs are rugged and durable.

The best LED grow lights will work for years, and they won’t shatter if you accidentally hit the grow light while working. They typically don’t generate a lot of waste heat, either. We’d recommend using LED bulbs for growing plants instead of standard LED lights. The grow lights are designed to generate light at the exact frequencies your plants need.

This depends on the type of plants you are raising and the power of the grow light. In general, a 200 watt LED grow light should be 12 to 20 inches from growing seedlings and leafy plants and 8 to 16 inches from booming plants. A 400 watt grow light should be 13 to 20 inches from blooming plants and 20 to 28 inches from vegetation growth. Look at the PAR chart for your grow light relative to what you’re growing so that you don’t accidentally sunburn your plants.

Note that you should never put the grow light within six inches of the plant due to the risk of sunburn. And don’t elevate the light until it covers a large area regardless of what the plants need, unless you’re willing to risk wilting plants.

This depends more on the make and model than anything else. There are Chinese LED grow lights that experience shorts and burned out bulbs within weeks of unboxing. And there are American grow lights that don’t do much better. The solution is to do your research and only buy quality LED grow lights, no matter where they are from.

KingLED is one of the major brands of LED grow lights. We would recommend the King Plus 2000 Watt Double Chips LED Grow Light. The double chips refer to the double LED chips connected to each circuit interface. This reduces power loss within the grow light and increases its energy efficiency.

The 2000 watt LED light uses as much power as a 1400 watt HPS bulb. This grow light puts out a full spectrum light including ultraviolet and infrared light. It runs cooler, too, so you’re unlikely to heat up a grow tent using this grow light.

Yes, they generally do. In order to “work”, you have to choose grow lights that provide the necessary light spectrum and intensity your plants need.

Determine how much space your growing plants will need. Then choose a grow light that covers this area in the most intense part of the light footprint. If you’re growing more than a few plants, you should choose grow lights that can be daisy chained to minimize the number of cables you have to deal with.

When you’re shopping for LED grow lights, lumens matter much more than watts. The best LED grow lights put out 3000 to 5000 lumens. A grow light with just 2000 lumens can only provide supplemental light for a window garden.

We don’t recommend using grow lights that put out 1000 lumens. While several of them together may be bright enough to nourish the plant, they have to be so close that it risks sun burning the plant or simply overheating it.

For indoor grown vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, a 600 watt HPS grow light or equivalent LED lights will be sufficient. Make sure that the light output of the LED grow light matches the HPS light that is the benchmark.

You don’t want to use LED grow lights that only match the light output of a 300 watt HPS bulb because they labeled it 600. However, the LED grow light will probably be much more energy efficient. And it may only use 400 watts of power while matching the brightness of a 600 watt HPS.

The best led grow lights FAQ give you concrete answers to your questions. And we’ll give you exactly that.

First determine how much space your plants require. The odds are that you’ll need at least a 5 foot by 5 foot area, since crowding the plants hurts them. Many vegetables do best with 20 to 30 watts of light per square foot. In this scenario, you’ll need somewhere between 400 and 600 watts of power to generate enough light. Choose a grow light at the upper end of the spectrum. However, you shouldn’t go too much higher because that raises the risk of bleaching and overheating.

A different issue is the light output of an LED grow light. Many models are listed as 1000 watts but only put out as much light as a 600 watt HPS bulb. These units would be sufficient for the scenario above, whereas a 1000 watt HPS bulb would hurt the plants.