Chinese LED grow lights VS US LED grow lights

Posted on Sep 08 , 2020

10001.png

What is the difference between Chinese LED grow lights and US LED grow lights?


First of all, although we are a Chinese LED grow light manufacturer, this article is purely based on a third-party standpoint.


There are differences for sure, but not as big as you might think.


1. Quality of LED grow lights


Here I am not talking about a specific brand or model, but on an average level.


If the scale is 0-100.


US LED grow lights score 80.


Chinese LED grow lights score 50.


WHY? Generally speaking:


US companies focus firstly on product quality, secondly on price.


Mostly Chinese companies firstly focus on competitive price, secondly on quality.


This quality applies to four major parts: hardware\lifetime\spectrum\technical parameters.


The deeper reason behind the quality-price variation is much more complicated, such as the overall economic development stage, the level of understanding of horticulture industry, company value & culture, brand confidence, etc.


But we also must understand that there are less than 100 US companies making LED grow lights, and most of them outsource manufacturing to Chinese factories. But there are more than 1000 LED grow lights manufacturers in China. There are also a lot of China grow lights manufacturers that deeply understand the western business culture and the horticultural lighting industry requirement, and make high quality LED grow lights to meet the international standards.


If you compare to the top 100 LED grow lights manufacturers in China with the US 100 LED grow lights companies, their quality is very close. Because basically, they use the same material, aluminum alloy housing, Samsung or Osram or Lumileds, etc LED chips, Meanwell or Inventronics, etc LED drivers, etc, and they follow the same international manufacturing standards as US peers.


2. Service


Same thing, if we put the scale as 0-100.


If the LED grow lights made in US is about 85.


The made in China is about 70.


Naturally, US local companies have a geographic advantage for serving local customers. More importantly, the long history of consumer-oriented business culture has been deeply rooted in most industries. For, example, you can get a money guarantee policy for 30 to 90 days on most US products, but the corresponding time is China is 7 days mostly.


Chinese brands of LED grow lights tend to have the reputation of poor warranty service due to longer service time for an international warranty claim, and some short-sighted companies even don’t keep their promise at all.


3. Price

10002.png

Actually, this aspect is very similar to the quality part.


Assuming the price at a scale of 0-100.


The average US LED grow lights is about 90, While the average Chinese grow lights is about 50.


Why is there such a big difference in price?


(1) Is it different raw material?


Actually, except those low-end crappy grow lights made by some of the notorious manufacturers in China, other China companies and US companies use the same raw materials as wen mentioned above. If you dig deep enough to ask the grow lights manufacturer what they use to make the grow lights, you will find the truth.


By the way, how to spot those low-end crappy grow lights, if the price per watt is less than 0.5USD/watt, never buy it. Because this price is not even enough to cover the raw material cost for making a decent quality grow lights.


For example, 300USD for a 600W LED grow lights, you better be careful and walk away.


(2) Is it brand-added value?


Yes, in terms of LED grow light industry, it is true that we have to admit Chinese LED grow light manufacturers mostly ignore the branding, or know very little how to build an international brand.


The price difference is partly, perhaps about 30%, attributed to the brand advantage of US companies.


But whether it is worthy to pay a higher price for the products labeled with a better brand is up to personal choice. It is partly a economical issue, and also partly a psychological issue.


(3) Is it company operation cost?

10003.png

Absolutely, the average Chinese company employee wage is still about 20% of their US peers. Though US companies outsource the manufacturing part to China factories, the other part of their local operation cost is still much higher than in China.


But as we mentioned above, the average price difference is not a reflection of the real price difference, because China has much more companies than US, and those low-end companies do not count if we compare the price of products of the quality.


If you compare those LED grow lights with the same wattage, same spectrum, same PPF, same PPFD from US and Chinese companies. The price difference is actually about US-90, China-70. The 20 gap is largely due to company operation cost and brand-added value, not much related to product quality.


So should you buy Chinese LED grow light and US LED grow lights for your cultivation?

10004.png

Well, it all depends on yourself.


But our suggestion is to be professional about what you want to buy, and to compare more supplies wherever they come from.


Hope you find the best price with the decent quality LED grow lights meeting your requirements!


Check out VANQ LED grow lights:

未标题-42-1.jpg

GLMX720

未标题-46.jpg

GLTW050

Related Articles more >

From a veteran grower: How I completely optimized my cannabis cultivation with the VANQ Wireless Master Controller!
Dec 09 , 2023

From a veteran grower: How I completely optimized my cannabis cultivation with the VANQ Wireless Master Controller!

Every late night, I wander the greenhouse, checking every light, afraid of not enough light or too much impact on my beloved cannabis. Inaccurate dimmers, complicated operation interfaces, and sudden failures can all make people feel depressed. What I need is a reliable tool that can accurately control every beam of light while being resistant to moisture, a smart companion that I can easily manage via my phone even when I'm out and about. These seemingly unattainable wishes, until VANQ's new wi
A veteran cannabis grower teaches you how to increase your cannabis yields!
Dec 08 , 2023

A veteran cannabis grower teaches you how to increase your cannabis yields!

Along the way, we have gone through countless challenges and trials while growing cannabis. Have you ever been anxious about finding that “perfect” grow light? I have spent countless days and nights looking at those inappropriate lights and wondering feebly: Why is my cannabis growing slowly and the yield is lower than expected? Until I encountered VANQ’s new foldable 1200W cannabis grow light, everything changed.
Double the installation efficiency: my VANQ 1600W cannabis grow light cultivation experience
Dec 06 , 2023

Double the installation efficiency: my VANQ 1600W cannabis grow light cultivation experience

As a professional cannabis grower, I am always looking for solutions that increase yields and reduce costs. Throughout my growing experience, I have come to realize that the right grow lights play a vital role in healthy plant growth and yield. For a long time, I was using cannabis grow lights with lower wattage, separate power supply from the grow light, and cumbersome installation, which cost me a lot of time and labor in installation and severely limited my growing potential. It wasn’t until