Mars Hydro Reflector 240W LED Grow Light Review

Mars Hydro is known to be a top choice among growers on a shoestring budget – their LED grow lights are frequently much less expensive than those of other manufacturers. The Reflector 240 W is one of Mars’ most popular products.

It is built with an assortment of individual 5 watt diodes and available in four different sizes – 48, 96, 144, or 195. Each light features a unique reflector panel to mix and reflect the light, augmented by a stylish mirror-like finish.


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Unique, Patented Design

The first thing you notice about the Mars Hydro Reflector 240W is its elegant design. It is very compact with high output and easy to switch between veg and flowering mode, making it ideal if your space is limited. This light is the product of consistent 8-year research and testing, the main goal being quality control, and over 10 000 growers have purchased it in the last 3 years precisely for this reason.

This reflector series offers indoor plants a full light spectrum, meeting their light needs in all stages of growth. All Mars Hydro grow lights are tested prior to packaging to limit the defective rate and give customers the best possible experience.

Product Features

  • Coverage: up to 2’x 2′(Veg); up to 1.5’x 1.5′(Bloom)
  • Power draw: 99W ± 5%W at 110v; 96 ± 5%W at 220v
  • Standards–Dimension: 11.5 x 10.5 x 2.5inches
  • Package Height: 5 x 12.5 x 14.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.45 pounds
  • Wattage: 240 Watts
  • Easy to replace
  • Plug with VDE and UL Certification wires
  • Safe to use – light is ETL certificated
  • Orders shipped within 24 working hours
  • 2-year warranty, service center available in California, 8 working hours’ reply service

Spectrum

The spectrum is arguably the most important factor when it comes to choosing the right grow light. You won’t enjoy a good, high-quality yield if you don’t give your weed a proper and well-balanced spectrum. The spectrum the Mars Hydro offers is everything you could need for seedlings, clones, vegging, and flowering.

The rich IR range offers better inter-nodal spacing during the flowering stage and comes closest to the late summer sun compared to its counterparts. You can run the light every day for at least a year without having to replace anything.

The light runs about 1-2 degrees cooler than a 600w HPS with great coverage in a 3×3 foot grow space.

LED vs. HPS – Comparison

LED lights are different from HPS lights in that you don’t need as much water and nutrients, since less heat is emitted. You have to be careful not to get young plants too close to the light because the leaves can get burnt. The fact that there is no glass between the plants and the LEDs is, however, a distinct advantage no matter who you ask.

The light is well-built, quite bright and ideal for 2 – 3 plants. You can use a small fan to maintain the right temperature of the grow area. Even if you don’t use any fans or AC though, the temperature will only get to about 95 F. True, this is too hot for plants, but it would be much hotter if you were using an HPS.

Reflectors

Each individual diode is walled by a reflector that collects and fuses 99% of the light in order to reflect and mix it as well as possible. Mars Hydro has patented this system. They offer different sizes, as mentioned, offering different coverage. The higher the number of diodes on the panel, the greater the coverage (logically). The options are:

  • Reflector 48: 1.5ft × 1.5ft (0.4m × 0.4m)
  • Reflector 96: 2ft x 3ft (60cm x 90cm)
  • Reflector 144: 2ft x 4ft (60cm x 122cm)
  • Reflector 192: 3.5ft × 3.5ft (106cm × 106cm)

The coverage is pretty much standard for what you’d expect of a panel of this size. These estimates are provided for flowering coverage. In the veg stage, they’ll need a slightly larger space.

If you plan on using an LED for seedlings, clones, or younger plants, the light may be a bit much. This is the reason the manufacturer incorporated a switchable mode – you can choose to switch just half of the diodes on, or 75%.

There are 2 switches on the side of each panel that can be flipped to adjust the number of diodes that are on. Full power is best in the flowering stage, while half power is recommended for seedlings, clones, and vegging.

Our Final Review for the Mars Hydro Reflector 240W

The Mars Hydro is one of the best budget-friendly grow lights on the market. The properly integrated, effective cooling system keeps the panel from overheating.

You can keep it on for days and its efficiency will not drop.

All of the diodes are 5 watt Epistar. This relatively high wattage makes it possible to emit more light than before.

The diodes are designed to last at least 50,000 hours while ensuring overall low energy usage.

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