I read this whole post and was worried....at first about the liddy-biddy LEDs the original guy was thinking, then it got worse with the grow/joke shop novelty LED bars, o-ghay-sis liddle array things - which are cool as supplements, or for that hightech application next to the office fish tank.

Some ghuy even said the only LED horticulture patents were owned by the toy company. HUNDREDS of LED horticultural patents exist - in the US alone!

Then people started talking about the Luxeons, which is the here and now of the LED horticultural edge (until the new Cree ones are out). First, for the completely ignorant and/or dogmatic, you're right. LEDs (as we knew them) aren't particularly great for growing.

But Luxeons, technically LEDs - Actually CLASS II LASER DEVICES - are completely suitable and are WAY (not "whay") better than the toy factory lights

Yes the Luxeons do work, and awesome. Sure you need a combination of blues (royal and regular) and reds (mostly reds, maybe a couple of red-orange, but more amber than red-oranges) to get the whole thing down, and the wiring is easy. Just practice some quick soldering.

UV ones only have NEGATIVE connotations to growth.

Just to buy the lux. stars, wire, and put on heat sink (as structural component) isn't so expensive. And if you compare the up front cost with the cost of ballast, bulb A and conversion bulb B, then the heat/ventilation issue.... and driving to the grow store, ordering through the mail...

Well, if you were cloning and using HID over LED, you' be plain stupid. Like dial-up versus broadband stupid.

I KNOW there are people who use LEDs such as Luxes, with awesome results, that's already a fact. Anything less than the Luxes really isn't worth doing, from a practical do-it-yourself view.

But I'm sure it's fun.

You should see what these things do with Masterlow and Lowryder strains!

And remember the code, never show pics of your finished LED grow! Ever!