InDorSun Comet unboxing

[Dookie69]

There is a bit of a debate around this locally manufactured brand centred around value for money. That thread is on the Futurama post under vendors.

 

Anyway. After seeing the InDorSun facility on YouTube (Marijuana SA Chanel) I had a look at their site and found what I was looking for. A thin form light with Far Red to supplement my two existing Mars SP250’s in my 1,2 x 1,2m tent, bringing the power up to 590w.

 

As an added bonus I have connected this 110w light to my inverter for load shedding, to keep the light cycle going.

 

Here are the specs:

 

I placed my order online and had a question about the courier charge. Next day I was contacted my someone from the company and we got talking about other lights in their stable. This led me to having a conversation with their technical guy who actually spoke me out of a more expensive light once he understood my needs. I really like this, it builds confidence and relationships.

 

After one working day my light arrived.

 

Inside it was well wrapped in bubble wrap.

 

Other lights I’ve bought have had custom made foam for the light body and 9mm plywood pieces to cover the LED’s. The LED’s on the Comet are recessed and behind a plastic cover, but still I think the packaging needs to be tougher in case the couriers are careless.

 

The fixture is lightweight and rigid. The Meanwell driver is inside and out of view, and no heat sink is visible. The unit comes with a 3m power cable and has no dimming available. The manufacturer can fit dimming if necessary.

 

The finish on the fitting was a bit disappointing. The protruding bolts should have cap screws fitted and the touch up paint job / scratches would upset some people...

 

The business end of the fixture is covered by some kind of super clear Perspex. You can see the far-red diodes ringed in red.

 

The hanging arrangement is not the most elegant, however each hanging point can be adjusted precisely because the brackets slide within the Chanel.

I felt I had to secure the bracket from accidental bumping, that’s how loose they are in the Chanel. Maybe I’m just paranoid.

Lucky me. White duct tape.

The far red is switchable.

Here is the Comet nestled between the two SP250’s:

 

That’s about it, I’ll see how this arrangement improves yield.

Local is lekker.

 

 

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[ORGANinc.]

Not a bad build, light looks good, and fits the setup nicely. I suppose if you happy with it, then that’s all that matters

Edited April 20, 2021 by ORGANinc.

[West Coast Vaper]

There is a bit of a debate around this locally manufactured brand centred around value for money. That thread is on the Futurama post under vendors.
 
Anyway. After seeing the InDorSun facility on YouTube (Marijuana SA Chanel) I had a look at their site and found what I was looking for. A thin form light with Far Red to supplement my two existing Mars SP250’s in my 1,2 x 1,2m tent, bringing the power up to 590w.
 
As an added bonus I have connected this 110w light to my inverter for load shedding, to keep the light cycle going.
 
Here are the specs:

 
I placed my order online and had a question about the courier charge. Next day I was contacted my someone from the company and we got talking about other lights in their stable. This led me to having a conversation with their technical guy who actually spoke me out of a more expensive light once he understood my needs. I really like this, it builds confidence and relationships.
 
After one working day my light arrived.

 
Inside it was well wrapped in bubble wrap.

 
Other lights I’ve bought have had custom made foam for the light body and 9mm plywood pieces to cover the LED’s. The LED’s on the Comet are recessed and behind a plastic cover, but still I think the packaging needs to be tougher in case the couriers are careless.
 
The fixture is lightweight and rigid. The Meanwell driver is inside and out of view, and no heat sink is visible. The unit comes with a 3m power cable and has no dimming available. The manufacturer can fit dimming if necessary.
 
The finish on the fitting was a bit disappointing. The protruding bolts should have cap screws fitted and the touch up paint job / scratches would upset some people...


 
The business end of the fixture is covered by some kind of super clear Perspex. You can see the far-red diodes ringed in red.


 
The hanging arrangement is not the most elegant, however each hanging point can be adjusted precisely because the brackets slide within the Chanel.



I felt I had to secure the bracket from accidental bumping, that’s how loose they are in the Chanel. Maybe I’m just paranoid.
Lucky me. White duct tape.

The far red is switchable.

Here is the Comet nestled between the two SP250’s:


 
That’s about it, I’ll see how this arrangement improves yield.
Local is lekker.
 
 
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Nice write up. Good luck.

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[PsyCLown]

Interesting, 590W in a 1.2 x 1.2 tent is quite a bit.

I feel you could get away with a bit less, but more isn't necessarily a bad thing - just may decrease efficiency in terms of watts per gram a bit.

 

How do you plan on using the far red, considering it is switchable? Does it come with any instructions or any advice on how the far red works and the benefits etc. etc?

[Prom]

 144 diodes on 110 Watts? How comes my QBs have 288 diodes and draw 120 watt??? How hot do those diodes get?

How much you paid for the light? What numbers you got to hang that light in Germ, Veg and Flower? I have rather big issues to put your numbers together to make sense.. the paint job would have made me send it back. If you can't use a brush, at least use a spray can  

I see your other lights have cooling integrated.. where does this light get cooling from? I just see a flat case, no ribs or active ventilation inside the lamp, closed case.. weird! 

 

Addon

Friends bar lamp setup is 5 bars of 120 watts each (600 watt total on a dimmer)... I would prefer that over your setup for a 1.2x1.2 area.. better light spread. 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Prom
ADDON

[PsyCLown]

@Dookie69

What spectrum are the LM301B diodes on the InDorSun light? You can see the light is more of a neutral / cool white compared to the Mars lights which are more of a warm white, I am guessing around 3500K?

[CG420za]

I'm not being a hater or anything, but I work with solder and SMD stations. The fitting of the LED's looks like it's done by hand with a soldering iron... That's not ideal coz dry joints are a real thing.

Edited April 21, 2021 by CG420za

[The_StonedTrooper]

1 hour ago, CG420za said:

I'm not being a hater or anything, but I work with solder and SMD stations. The fitting of the LED's looks like it's done by hand with a soldering iron... That's not ideal coz dry joints are a real thing.

I thought the same thing, very untidy and paint work is so so, I'd never have accepted the light, as is. My opinion only.

[The_StonedTrooper]

3 hours ago, Prom said:

 144 diodes on 110 Watts? How comes my QBs have 288 diodes and draw 120 watt??? How hot do those diodes get?

How much you paid for the light? What numbers you got to hang that light in Germ, Veg and Flower? I have rather big issues to put your numbers together to make sense.. the paint job would have made me send it back. If you can't use a brush, at least use a spray can  

I see your other lights have cooling integrated.. where does this light get cooling from? I just see a flat case, no ribs or active ventilation inside the lamp, closed case.. weird! 

 

Addon

Friends bar lamp setup is 5 bars of 120 watts each (600 watt total on a dimmer)... I would prefer that over your setup for a 1.2x1.2 area.. better light spread. 

 

Pushing these diodes at full, no way to cool them down and heat to escape the housing, no help on PPFD or PAR and heights. 

I really dont see this lasting very long.

Your friends light will probably have cooling and no funny quality issues? Price too?

Added, a product with a coating, should be powder coated, not painted, or left clean.

Edited April 21, 2021 by The_StonedTrooper
Added

[Prom]

I am rather curious how the light does perform.. I had a quick check on their website and asked if I can get a manual 

4k is the price, 1000mm version.. sorry, I rounded the few bugs up hehehe 

188 micromol at what distance? if that is just on exit ^^ the light is usable for germination... and that is it... as you want around 400-600 micromol in veg alone.. that light would not cut it by their own provided information. Very curious what the manual will say. I couldn't find on their websites product description what diodes they use, seems to be not a relevant information to sell a grow light. 

I put 2 copy pastes below.. those numbers somehow bite each other... or we talk salad  and not cannabis. 188 micromol is very low as output.

1000mm Saturn Parabola 90W 13200 lumens 188 μmols (92W with Far Red Engaged)

 

The Comet series is both suitable for vegetative and flowering growth (with the inclusion of Far-Red chips).

 

[The_StonedTrooper]

@PromI love the way describe things, and you make your point so much more this way.

Also enjoy your similar views of products and life in general

[Dookie69]

Hi guys, here is a close up of the box, it says 4k colour temp plus far red. I think the far red bump up the watts consumed.


I never received a user manual with the light...


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[The_StonedTrooper]

I'm interested to know, if that 144 LEDs are including the far red diodes too, then as you say, its 110W to all, so probably only 100W on the 4k and 10W on the far red.

Which leaves you with more questions

[Dookie69]

I’ve just counted ten far red diodes. So it’s like R100ea. The lights have been running as per my pic since 6am today. The Mars drivers are outside the tent, the Comets driver obviously inside the light casing. Here are quick pics of surface temp taken at a similar place on each unit:


The Comet is 10deg cooler with the driver inside. The Mars is 240w so you’d expect it to run hotter.

Here is a video of Dean from Marijuana SA visiting the InDorSun factory.

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[CreX]

it was actually a decent interview and factory walk through, so thanks for that.

even after all of that, i am still not convinced i should be spending the amount they ask for for a fitting.

other than the price tag, it looks like a decent setup.

another thing i noted is that they are not using meanwell drivers @Dookie69, at least not in the light fittings they showcased ,the drivers used might be made locally as well.

 

[CreX]

@Dookie69, if you can dim your mars lights down a bit you will likely also reach a 10 degree lower temp.

straight up, the mars lights are outshining the comet by a decent amount... the comet looks a bit dim in comparison.

[Prom]

14 hours ago, Dookie69 said:

Hi guys, here is a close up of the box, it says 4k colour temp plus far red. I think the far red bump up the watts consumed.


I never received a user manual with the light...


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Website states this for your light: 1000mm Saturn Parabola 90W 13200 lumens 188 μmols (92W with Far Red Engaged)

90W for the 1 meter lamp without IR and 92 Watt with IR.. so 2 watt goes into the IR... and then your sticker has 15% higher numbers as the website.. 110 watt with IR. So which one are correct?

Also can add.. I got no response over the contact i filled in yesterday, asking for a manual and hanging distances for the comet lamps.

I check the clip you posted in the afternoon.. I have some cloning and repotting to do this morning.

And with 188 micromol output.. I don't expect a lot of heat.. just very surprised how much electricity it consumes to create that little PAR light. 110 watt for 188 micromol is in no relation to my TS3000 lamps, consuming 450 watt and releasing at 30cm 1300 micromol PAR light. Those lamps you can use for sure on all stages. As said.. the numbers I get on your lamp don't make sense so far.

Edited April 22, 2021 by Prom

[The_StonedTrooper]

@CreX those drivers are the same we used in the Medical industry in the bed service units and such, they are very good drivers, Lighting Solutions supply and if not mistaken, made in Germany. 

[PsyCLown]

I believe Vossloh Schwabe do make good SMPS / LED drivers / power supplies. Meanwell also make some great units, I think Meanwell are slightly larger though and they focus more on power supplies in general. VS is not just power supplies.

 

So as suspected, InDorSun make lights in general and not just grow lights, based on their facility one can imagine what sort of overhead costs they have and this will once again affect the pricing. We all know Grow Lights do not sell as quickly as consumer lights which go into a house, so lower volume with higher markup.

So take into consideration the labour force behind this factory and the quantity they put out, vs a factory in China which is supplying multiple countries with products and suddenly one can see how something manufactured in China can be an advantage when it comes to pricing.

A light not being manufactuered in SA but being assembled in SA - you receive the parts in SA and then they are simply assembled and depending on the quantity it could be done by as few as a single person, although there may be a few more. Therefore labour costs are much lower and little to no big machinery is required either.

 

Would have been nice if they powder coated / anodized the light instead of trying to paint it. The specs received / stated I assume are a mistake though, doubt 188 umol is all the light puts out when run at its "max".

I do not feel these are bad lights, however value for money I do feel they are lacking in that department. At the same time, I do not feel one can classify it as a premium light and therefore justifying the price tag is quite difficult, especially when you can get 240W, 576x LM301B diodes, dimmer and all that jazz for around the same price (or even less) depending on where you buy it from. Fit and finish in my experience is even above that of the Comet light. Now that is value for money when a comparison is made.

[Dookie69]

The fixture has been powder coated, it just scratches I suspect were “touched up”. It’s not good but really in this case I let it slide since this isn’t a display item for my living area in my home, if you know what I’m saying.
So back to my reason for getting this light... I wanted just a bit more oomph in the tent because the next run will be with CO2 from the start and this means more light and higher temps. I’ve been running the humidifier and lights for a few days in the tent, and it comfortably sits at 30 deg C and 65% RH (Veg test). Without extra heaters involved.
The new Mars lights in this form are very very expensive (if you guys think this light is pricy, go check Mars on Hydroponic.co.za).
So let’s see how it goes, I should germinate late next week.


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