Sanjay tests some popular LED lights

LED Lighting Tests: Radion, Orphek, Mvava, Ecoray and Ecoxotic; Advanced Aquarist

 

It's about time! Alot was revealed in this test.

 

Yeah, 40 degree optics can produce some BIG numbers! ;D Very cool.

 

Yeah. Narrow optics = high PAR numbers but over limited distribution. The Radion's numbers don't look great until you factor in how even and wide the distribution is.

 

I agree! However, I would still like to see a spectral output comparing a select few of these fixtures.

 

You must be mistaken Leonard, the Orphek PR156w had the highest PAR and widest claimed optics at 120 degree.:

 

It doesnt really say what he thinks which fixture has more advantage over others and whatnot. I wanted his personal preference/idea about those fixtures. We all kinda knew about those numbers and such already, didnt we??

 

Sanjay doesn't offer personal opinions, only the hard data. This is true dating back to his metal halide tests. These are not reviews of units (e.g. function, design, ergonomics, etc.) but rather empirical tests. These numbers weren't all known, and any previous data was previously supplied by the manufacturers. Independent tests are what keeps them honest. Anyone who has been in this hobby for a decade remembers the wild wild west of lighting specs before AA started publishing data.

 

How is it that Orphek can produce such high par with 120 degree optics? Are they misleading the customer and leaving out some details? like say the outer optics are 120 while the inner are say 60 degrees or less. Just curious because thats an awful lot of par for 120 degree optics.