BML Spydr 600 LED Grow Light Review

BML is a leader in designing and manufacturing some of the best horticulture lighting systems available in today’s market. One of their most popular fixtures, the Spydr 600, provides growers with the highest quality light for fantastic yields each and every time. In fact, it’s known as the world’s first true LED replacement for high pressure sodium and metal halide grow lights. Additionally, it’s been ranked as one of the most efficient LED fixtures by Utah State University to give you more PAR per dollar with the most energy efficiency available. We had a fun and rewarding experience testing it out for ourselves – let’s go over a bit of what this fixture offers.

Adjustable Rack

The BML Spydr 600 LED Grow Light is comprised of six separate bars that are fixed to a single sliding rack. This rack can be manually adjusted to spread or intensify the light pattern to your liking, all without any tools. You can spread the light evenly to make a 36″ x 36″ fixture, or move the bars close together so that you can concentrate the maximum PAR levels where you need them most. This system offers a uniformity in light coverage and blends a perfect pattern of usable light for your garden. In fact, when the bars are slid close together, the Spydr 600 can achieve a phenomenal PPFD reading up to 2100 mmol/m2/s at a 12 inch mounting height.

When growing with a typical HPS lighting setup, there’s a lot of waste involved. Namely, there’s quite a bit of spillage since there’s little to no optical beam control. BML took account for this by making certain that the Spydr LED is adjustable by two axes. This offers an incredible amount of efficiency since the focus of the light is completely controlled and adjustable to your custom liking.

Spectrum

The BML Spydr 600 LED Grow Light is available in two different spectrums, the Start-Max and the Grow-Max. The Start-Max is a spectrum that’s only available in the Spydr 600. It provides the ideal spectrum for plants that are young – specifically clones, seedlings, and smaller plants that are in the early stages of veg. It’s catered for the grower who wants to achieve fast, compact growth with short internodal spacing and fatter, thicker, healthier stems.

The Grow-Max spectrum is specific towards plants that require maximum results during veg and bloom. It’s the most energy-efficient growth spectrum available, and perfect for maximizing leaf expansion and radiation capturing. Since it’s based heavily toward the red spectrum, you can expect heavy flowers, sticky resin, and an incredible amount of efficiency. In fact, there are several laboratory and field tests that prove that this spectrum provides a better growth rate than any other LED fixture on the market.

Optics

The optics that were put in place for the Spydr 600 are designed to distribute light in the perfect vertical and horizontal pattern. Constructed of highly reflective specular aluminum, they send the usable light in the right direction so it can be used directly by the plant through photosynthesis. Specifically, there are five different degrees in the optics – Narrow (30 Degree), Narrow/Medium (45 Degree), Medium (60 Degree), Medium/Wide (75 Degree) and Wide (90 Degree).

No Fans

Since the fixture is setup in such a way to offer a wide range of flexibility, it was simply ingenious of BML to create a fixture without the use of any fans. Any potentially damaging heat is dissipated throughout the structure without the use of any spinning fans. This keeps it running cool and ultra quiet – something that simply isn’t hear of with a light setup of this caliber.

Driver and Energy Use

Using just ~320 watts, it’s powered by a single thermally protected driver that’s incredibly energy-efficient. The input voltage has an automatic adjustment range that goes from 90 to 305 VAC to keep things running in optimum condition at all times. The typical integrated flux is 545 PPF and the typical input wattage is ~320 watts. Another cool feature gives growers the option to remove the light bars. Each LED bar can be removed without over-driving the remaining light bars that are still configured.

Build Quality

One thing that’s plainly obvious is the fantastic build quality and wealth of thought that went into the design of the Spydr 600. With a 50,000 hour projected lifespan, you’ll be using this fixture for several years to come – even with consistent use. It’s a US made product that’s of industrial quality to provide a thorough, even, edge to edge light span without any potential hot spots. With an incredibly high PAR level and huge energy savings over any other kind of technology, it’s easy to understand why the BML Spydr 600 provides the industries best coverage for a 4′ x 4′ growing area. Plus, it’s ETL to UL standards, CE certified, and ROHS compliant to assure general safety and longevity.

Built to Order

BML is a well-known company for creating high-end horticulture lighting systems that outperform other fixtures on the market. They set themselves apart by building each LED grow light on demand when it’s ordered. They’re built to order in the USA with top-bin diodes from Osram. Each Spydr 600 has 264 of these Osram diodes that are driven to the opportune settings to deliver fantastic growth in all scenarios.

Warranty

Each light that BML sells comes included with a generous three year warranty period, but there are some stipulations. Check out the warranty section on the BML website for more specific information regarding what they guarantee and warrant for the first 36 months of ownership. Nonetheless, it’s very nice to see an LED manufacturer stand behind their products and offer such a graceful time period for their warranty.

Overall Thoughts

The BML Spydr 600 LED Grow Light is one of those fixtures that’s well liked and often talked about among experienced horticulturists around the world, and with good reason. Every single detail that went into the creation and development for this light has been thoughtfully planned out and executed. Although it’s an expensive investment, if you have the desire to grow the highest quality plants with superb yields, don’t overlook the BML Spydr 600.