Last Updated on April 18, 2022 by Gary Stephen
Okay, so you’re probably reading this because you know how good LED grow lights are.
But with a wide array of LEDs available in the market, you might be wondering then which type to choose.
Let me introduce to you the UFO LED grow lights.
UFO lamps are just like your typical LED grow lights only better!
This disc-shaped light system offers the same energy efficiency but at a more compact and sleek design. Moreover, they also have excellent thermal properties. This makes them more effective at keeping your lights much cooler to operate.
Sounds interesting, right?
So in this article, let us present to you a shortlist of the best UFO LEDs in the market. We will tackle what each of these products can offer and why they are good for your grow room. Furthermore, we also gladly included some guidelines when buying the perfect UFO LED grow lights.
Without much ado, let’s get things started!
If you are on a tight schedule, feel free to click right through our top pick items!
Our top pick:
Growstar Full Spectrum UFO LED Grow Light
First runner-up:
Mrhua Full Spectrum UFO LED Grow Light
Second runner-up:
G8LED Red Flower Booster LED Grow Light
Preview | T5 Grow Lights | Best For | Availability |
---|---|---|---|
Growstar Full Spectrum UFO LED Grow Light | Best overall performance | Check Price | |
Mrhua Full Spectrum UFO LED Grow Light | 150-watt alternative | Check Price | |
G8LED Red Flower Booster LED Grow Light | Boosting the flowering phase | Check Price | |
ZWD Full Spectrum UFO LED Grow Light | High-end product | Check Price | |
HOIHO UFO LED Grow Lights | Small applications | Check Price |
Picks of UFO LED Grow Lights
1. Growstar UFO LED Grow Light
Growstar UFO LED is one of the most popular grow light options among growers. This full-spectrum lamp encompasses wavelengths from 380 to 760 nanometers, including the UV and IR lights. All together provide your cultivars a more complete and advanced spectral output.
This 150-watt UFO lamp comes with a 3000K color temperature. Its warm white light is applicable for vegetables and flowers in all stages of growth. Thus, it is more convenient to use as you no longer need to switch to different grow lights as the plant matures.
But the biggest advantage of using Growstar UFO LEDs is its CREE LED chips. This allows the bulb to have a high CRI rating of 90. Such a figure will tell you how close the actual color display is in real-life applications. The higher the rating, the more likely you will get an accurate color temperature.
Moreover, this CREE LED is strategically set in a 90 to 120-degree angle. This positioning helps to increase the brightness and widens your light footprint. In effect, it further optimizes your output for better efficiency.
Growstar UFO LED also comes with a cooling fan system for ventilating heat. It consists of a built-in aluminum heat sink and aircraft-grade aluminum casing. Both structures effectively dispel the radiated heat created by the lamps. Thus, helping to maintain the coolness of your system at all times.
Things to concern:
Growstar UFO LED is bright and affordable grow light. Although, some of its customers were not quite pleased with its longevity. Others complained that the bulbs burned out way too quickly that it should be.
Magic Lines:
Brighter lights at a fair price point.
Features:
- Full-spectrum
- 5 watts Bridgelux/Epiled x 28 units
- 10 watts LED CREE chip x 1 unit
- Power draw: 62 watts
- With Zener diode
- Aluminum heat sink
- Aircraft-grade heat-conducting plates
- Max coverage: 2×2
- Lifespan: 50,000 hours
- For indoor use only
- Not waterproof
- 2-year warranty
2. Mrhua Full Spectrum UFO LED Grow Light
This professional LED grow light comes with the full spectrum of wavelengths. This includes lights ranging from 360 to 780 nanometers, plus UV, and IR lights too. Its diversity allows the lamp to provide more extensive support to any cultivars.
Mrhua UFO lamp also comes with 3000K color temperature. This warm white lighting is suitable to use across all stages. But, it’s good amount of blue and yellow hues also make it a great option for plant’s vegetative growth.
In general, this 150-watt UFO LED can cover a 1.5×1.5 up to 2×2 grow space size at a 24-inch height. This can still vary though depending on the current growth stage of the plant.
Mrhua LED grow lights are also well-built. It comes with a Zener diode that helps to protect each of the LEDs. So, when one unit is being damaged, it won’t take a toll on the rest of the LED bulbs.
Furthermore, the grow light provides an effective cooling fan system to dissipate heat. The fixture is being integrated with a built-in ball-bearing fan and aluminum plates. Both aid in keeping the grow light cool by drawing out the radiated heat by the lamp.
This 150-watt UFO LED grow light is also an energy-efficient device too. It only consumes about 62 watts of actual power. Thus, giving you more luminance but at a lesser energy expense.
Things to concern:
Mrhua UFO LED grow light is not waterproof. It is being designed for use in indoor settings only. So, make sure to protect it from any moisture if you intend to use it in your grow room.
Magic Line:
Full-spectrum goodness for a low cost.
Features:
- Full-spectrum
- 5 watts Bridgelux/Epiled x 28 units
- 10 watts Cree COB x 1 unit
- Power draw: 62 watts
- With Zener diode
- Ball-bearing cooling fans
- Aluminum heat-conducting plates
- Coverage: 1.5×1.5 up to 2×2
- Lifespan: 50,000 hours
- For indoor use only
- Not waterproof
- 2-years warranty
3. G8LED Red Flower Booster LED Grow Light
G8LED Flower Booster UFO LED is a bloom only grow light. That means the lamp full-on consists of red spectrum lights from 630 to 660 nanometers. Thus, making it perfect to use during the flowering cycle of the cultivars.
This flower booster LED delivers a PAR value of 770 µmols/m2/s at a distance of 12 inches from the plant canopy. This flux is effective at increasing the size and density of your flowers. Thus, in a way increasing the quantity of your harvest as well.
Because this UFO LED only contains red lights, it works best as a supplementary light. You can opt to pair this lamp to either a full-spectrum LED, CFL, or HID systems. Doing so will provide your cultivar a more holistic support.
During the blooming phase, you can add one flower booster UFO LED lamp for every 8 to 10 square feet of grow space. That is approximately the size of a 3×3 grow tent or room. Add more as the area coverage increases. Results are likely to show after a week or so of exposure to red lights.
Things to concern:
G8LED Flower Booster is being designed to deliver just the red spectrum of lights. That means, its function is only limited to the flowering cycle of the cultivars. So, you may still have to provide your plants with other types of grow lights to sustain their needs for the rest of the stages.
Magic Line:
The perfect UFO LED for boosting the blooming cycles.
Features:
- Full-spectrum
- 630 up to 660 nanometers
- PAR Value: 770 µMol/m2/s at 12 inches
- Efficacy 3.0 μMol/Joule
- Contains 90 individual diodes
- Power draw: 80 watts
- Coverage: 3×3
- ETL certified
- 2-years warranty
- 90 days money-back guarantee
4. ZWD Full Spectrum UFO LED Grow Light
ZWD UFO LED is a full spectrum grow light ideal for any type of plant. With about 154 bulbs of LEDs, it provides your grow space a well-balanced ratio of red, blue, UV, and IR lights. The combo of these wavelengths makes it perfect for cultivars at any growth stage.
With the diversity in light wavelengths, ZWD lamps are suitable to use on almost all types of cultivars. From ornamentals to fruits and vegetables, this is a versatile grow light to use.
This 160-watt lamp produces light as bright as 10,000 lumens. This sunlike-glow is great for supporting artificial light requirements in an indoor setting. Thus, making this lamp ideal to use for hydroponic gardens, greenhouses, and grow rooms.
UFO LEDs are specifically designed to provide high-reflectivity. This ZWD grow light is not an exception. Its dome-shaped aluminum fixture enables a more uniform dispersal of light. Thus, optimizing its delivery without the risk of creating hotspots.
Furthermore, ZWD UFO lamps also promote better absorption of light. This lamp promises to emit a full spectrum of light that is up to 98% usable by plants. That said, you can make the most out of the energy and money with very minimal wastage.
This LED lamp comes with a rated lifespan of 50,000 hours. Or, tantamount to at least 5 years of continuous usage. That is pretty long enough to get you through several plant life cycles.
To add more depth to its lifetime, ZWD LEDs are compliant with the standards set by CCC, CE, FCC, and RoHS. Thus, you can be sure of the product’s safety and quality.
Things to concern:
ZWD UFO LED grow lights are not exactly the cheapest in the market. Price points are quite steep considering the bulb only comes in a 160-watt size.
Magic Line:
Well-designed for great performance.
Features:
- Full-spectrum
- 154 units LED
- Luminous flux: 10,000 lumens
- CRI rating 83.6
- Made from aluminum material
- Includes hanging kits
- Certifications: CCC, CE, FCC, RoHS
- Lifespan: 50,000 hours
- Unspecified warranty conditions
5. HOIHO UFO LED Grow Lights
Hoiho UFO LED is the perfect grow light for beginners. The lamp itself comes in 50 watts. Thus, a good size to start with especially when you intend to plant only a few plants first.
The lamp consists of a full spectrum of wavelengths. It includes a wide range of red, blue, white, UV, and IR lights that are good enough to mimic natural sunlight indoors. The diversity in spectral output makes it suitable for vegetative and flowering stages.
Despite its small wattage, this 50-watt LED promises to cover up to 4×4 grow space. That is a pretty wide footprint considering its minimal power draw.
Hoiho LED is being made from ABS plastic. This type of material is well-known for its rigidity and its ability to withstand impact. Thus, giving you a more robust structure that won’t easily crack or breakdown.
Moreover, the lamp is being covered with a layer of heat-resistant waterproof paint. This allows the housing to resist damage from moisture and humidity. With such a feature, it also makes the LED lamp suitable to use for outdoor grow settings.
As a UFO LED lamp should be, this Hoiho grow light has a lightweight and more compact size. Thus, it is easier to transport with much lesser shipping cost.
Things to concern:
A 50-watt LED can be a good start but just know that it will limit you to accommodate very few numbers of plants. Thus, you might need to add more lights in the future if you wish to cultivate more.
Magic Line:
Affordable UFO LED for small applications.
Features:
- Full-spectrum
- 250 units LED
- Red (630 nm) x 88, Red (660 nm) x 84, Blue (460 nm) x 60, White (6500K) x 10, UV (390 nm) x 4, & IR (730 nm) x 4
- Actual power draw: 50 watts
- Max coverage: 4×4
- Made from ABS plastic material
- Waterproof exterior coating
- Includes hanging kit
- Lifespan: 50,000 hours
- 2-years warranty
Things to consider when buying UFO LED grow lights
-
Light Spectrum
The majority of growers prefer to stick to UFO LEDs that provide the most range of the light spectrum. The more complete the wavelengths, the better!
Full-spectrum grow lights are very versatile. They can well-support the needs of plants at any stage of growth.
There are also some UFO grow lights that are more light-specific. Such types of lamps may either contain red lights for flowering, or blue lights for vegging. Because of its limitations in spectral output, they are best used as a supplementary light instead.
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Heat Management
Grow lights are the number one contributor of heat in every grow space. Thus, you would want to choose for a UFO LED that comes with an effective cooling system. This may include high-speed fans, aluminum heat sinks, vents, and others.
Heat management is very important for indoor gardens. Not only will it affect the lamp’s performance, but it will also bring all sorts of problems to your plants. So, make sure to consider this factor when buying UFO LEDs.
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Energy consumption
LED lamps are best known to consume less energy than other conventional lamps. But, not all LED lamps are being created equal. Some bulbs might declare a low-wattage right off the box, but end up consuming more in actual.
So, take the time to do your research and see which products live up to their claims. If you already have them on hand, it is good as well to keep track of its actual power draw. This is one of the surest ways to check if the UFO LED you have chosen is truly energy-efficient.
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Longevity
LEDs are one of the most long-lasting grow lights in the market. A UFO LED lamp has an average lifespan of 50,000 up to 100,000 under the right conditions. That is equivalent to about 5.7 to 11.4 in years.
That is such a longgg period of time!
Although, there are a lot of factors that can affect the bulb’s longevity too. External elements such as thermal and electrical stresses can negatively impact its integrity. Thus, increasing the chances of further shortening the lifetime.
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Cost
Okay, this one is very subjective!
Cost may or may not be a deal-breaker for a grower. What’s affordable for you, may not be for some. In that regard, we will not mention any amount here.
What is important is that you should be able to determine your budget for UFO LED grow lights. Set a workable range of price points. From there, you can narrow down your options to what is only available for that given amount.
Although, it is good to note as well that expensive pricing doesn’t necessarily equate as the best product. We often used to think that good quality items come with premium prices. That may be true in yesteryears, but that’s no longer the case nowadays.
That is due to the fact that we have wider access to resources and technology at this period in time. Thus, it makes it easier for manufacturers to produce items that have competitive quality but at a lower price point.
So, just because it’s affordable, it doesn’t mean it is already cheaply made!
In that sense, try to look beyond what the price tag and marketing tells you. Rather, look into the quality itself of the grow light. Be it affordable or expensive, make sure to opt for UFO LEDs that give you the most value for your money.
Wrapping Up:
If you are looking for compact but effective grow lights, UFO LED is the way to go! These lamps give you the same level of energy-efficiency as regular LEDs. But, their circular design enables optimization of light without the need for bulky reflector hoods.
The five UFO LEDs we presented herein are some of the best products you can find in Amazon. They are already tested by newbies and seasoned growers. So regardless of your level of expertise, you are sure to find one that would suit you and your grow room best.