AquaIllumination Blade Announced

[enb141]

Wow the photos of the light distribution are crazy! Good thing BRS loves these lights.

Yeah they love them because those lights are build by the same owners of BRS.

 

[reeefish]

Has anyone who reached out to AI for a warranty replacement received a unit that no longer has the same issue?

 

[monkiboy]

Has anyone who reached out to AI for a warranty replacement received a unit that no longer has the same issue?

My replacement unit has same issue. Just going through the motions, as I mentioned to the rep respectfully, to bring awareness to the problem and in hopes they see how prevalent and obvious the issue is and that it requires a redesign or fix. Otherwise, nothing is going to happen.

 

[reeefish]

My replacement unit has same issue. Just going through the motions, as I mentioned to the rep respectfully, to bring awareness to the problem and in hopes they see how prevalent and obvious the issue is and that it requires a redesign or fix. Otherwise, nothing is going to happen.

Yes, agreed. I don’t need a replacement if it’s going to be the same, lol. I did reach out tho.

 

[monkiboy]

Yes, agreed. I don’t need a replacement if it’s going to be the same, lol. I did reach out tho.

When I was speaking frankly to them about it, they suggested taking the replacement and to go through the process so they have precedent and data and attempts at fixing it without satisfactory result. Just reporting the issue doesn't do much but does help! If you have the time to receive the new unit(s) and send your old ones back it might help you in the end get a unit that is redesigned and properly operational/functional down the road.

 

[reeefish]

When I was speaking frankly to them about it, they suggested taking the replacement and to go through the process so they have precedent and data and attempts at fixing it without satisfactory result. Just reporting the issue doesn't do much but does help! If you have the time to receive the new unit(s) and send your old ones back it might help you in the end get a unit that is redesigned and properly operational/functional down the road.

Sounds good, I’ll follow thru.

 

[DanielJameS]

I’ve read through this whole thread as I’ve been considering buying one of these (to start) as a supplemental fill light. Is there consensus that this color mismatch is present on all models not just the smaller ones? I’m looking at a 57” Grow but after reading all of this, wondering if I should wait for a 2nd Gen to avoid the hassle some of you are dealing with, especially at that price.

 

[Zos4me]

i have 1 12 inch on my Evo using the Saxby setup even though it doesnt have all the colors. I noticed visible growth in the 2 softies i have in the tank so far. I will be adding Zoanthids soon and i hope they will do well too.

 

[RZGreef]

I’ve read through this whole thread as I’ve been considering buying one of these (to start) as a supplemental fill light. Is there consensus that this color mismatch is present on all models not just the smaller ones? I’m looking at a 57” Grow but after reading all of this, wondering if I should wait for a 2nd Gen to avoid the hassle some of you are dealing with, especially at that price.

I don't think there's a clear consensus yet, at least for me, but the case is awfully compelling. I've owned the smaller one (replaced multiple times), and seen videos of the larger ones. At present, my best understanding is that this issue exists in all sizes of the Grow, but how noticeable it is varies depending on a few factors. I believe it's more noticeable on the smaller Blades, and less so on the larger ones. I also believe if your tank is longer than the Blade itself (at least longer than the outer most positions of the LED clusters) then it becomes more noticeable. Raising the Blade higher seems to mitigate some of this too, as does having a deeper tank in general. I think all of these factors can be explained looking at the orientation of the individual LEDs within each cluster, and considering how the clusters are inset with a raised lip around them. If you're fortunate enough to have all the mitigating factors in your circumstance, then it probably will show minimal imbalance.

 

[DanielJameS]

I don't think there's a clear consensus yet, at least for me, but the case is awfully compelling. I've owned the smaller one (replaced multiple times), and seen videos of the larger ones. At present, my best understanding is that this issue exists in all sizes of the Grow, but how noticeable it is varies depending on a few factors. I believe it's more noticeable on the smaller Blades, and less so on the larger ones. I also believe if your tank is longer than the Blade itself (at least longer than the outer most positions of the LED clusters) then it becomes more noticeable. Raising the Blade higher seems to mitigate some of this too, as does having a deeper tank in general. I think all of these factors can be explained looking at the orientation of the individual LEDs within each cluster, and considering how the clusters are inset with a raised lip around them. If you're fortunate enough to have all the mitigating factors in your circumstance, then it probably will show minimal imbalance.

I’m going to run it alongside Kessil a360xs on a 6 foot tank up in my canopy and probably tune it differently (more blue at times than full) to match my main light schedule. Might be worth a shot and if for some reason it bugs the crap out of me, I could join the parade with all these other fine folks who are having to stay engaged and deal with the back and forth.

 

[DanielJameS]

I’m also having trouble determining through photos and videos HOW WHITE the grow is? In some videos it looks really white and pink and In others more blue. Can Hyperdrive be used on these to push up the intensity of only the blues/cyans on the grow when the whites are dialed down?

 

[RZGreef]

I’m also having trouble determining through photos and videos HOW WHITE the grow is? In some videos it looks really white and pink and In others more blue. Can Hyperdrive be used on these to push up the intensity of only the blues/cyans on the grow when the whites are dialed down?

I was able to make mine bright white if I wanted to, with no pink cast. The Blade worked with both the AI app, as well as the EcoTech Mobius app. Using the AI app, I was able to push blue & cyan channel up well over 100% while keeping the white channel low - however, I wasn't able to exceed 100% with the EcoTech Mobius app. One thing though - the overall max power draw remained fixed. That is, if I was running blue/cyan over 100%, then the max possible on the white channel was proportionately lower so as to not go past that max power draw. I could see this by monitoring the power draw with the app for my smart power strip.

 

[DanielJameS]

I was able to make mine bright white if I wanted to, with no pink cast. The Blade worked with both the AI app, as well as the EcoTech Mobius app. Using the AI app, I was able to push blue & cyan channel up well over 100% while keeping the white channel low - however, I wasn't able to exceed 100% with the EcoTech Mobius app. One thing though - the overall max power draw remained fixed. That is, if I was running blue/cyan over 100%, then the max possible on the white channel was proportionately lower so as to not go past that max power draw. I could see this by monitoring the power draw with the app for my smart power strip.

So I’ve read about the hyperdrive feature but never used it. In simplistic terms, suppose you run NO whites at a certain point in the schedule. Can you still crank the blues to get as much par out of them as possible, in otherwords funneling all the power into the blues, or is the PAR reliant on running the whites all the way up? Cool white LED’s are always so much brighter than blues.

 

[RZGreef]

So I’ve read about the hyperdrive feature but never used it. In simplistic terms, suppose you run NO whites at a certain point in the schedule. Can you still crank the blues to get as much par out of them as possible, in otherwords funneling all the power into the blues, or is the PAR reliant on running the whites all the way up? Cool white LED’s are always so much brighter than blues.

When I set the white to 0, and pushed blue & cyan up to a max (120% or 130% - I forget what the app permitted, and I no longer have it to check), the overall power that I saw being drawn from the power strip was still less than the absolute max if I had all channels going 100%. That is to say, it seemed like the power saved by having one channel set to 0 was greater than what could be max funneled into other channels. I'd guess that's to prevent individual LEDs from burning out by overdriving them too hard.

That said, I only did that out of curiosity to test. I'd read elsewhere (in the case of the AI Primes) that driving past 100% sometimes caused the lens to melt and so I tried to keep mine set to 95% max on any given channel.

 

[DanielJameS]

When I set the white to 0, and pushed blue & cyan up to a max (120% or 130% - I forget what the app permitted, and I no longer have it to check), the overall power that I saw being drawn from the power strip was still less than the absolute max if I had all channels going 100%. That is to say, it seemed like the power saved by having one channel set to 0 was greater than what could be max funneled into other channels. I'd guess that's to prevent individual LEDs from burning out by overdriving them too hard.

That said, I only did that out of curiosity to test. I'd read elsewhere (in the case of the AI Primes) that driving past 100% sometimes caused the lens to melt and so I tried to keep mine set to 95% max on any given channel.

Thanks for all the insight this actually helps a lot. In general it sounds like the Grow will marry up better for my needs at the moment though that glow is intriguing. Everything I’ve looked at so far seems like the grow would pair better as a supplement for the Kessil spectrum, especially if I’m just starting off with a single bar to supplement.

 

[rtparty]

If you want white, get the Grow. If you want blue/violet, get the Glow. You can make the Grow model pretty white if you want to. I run the Cool Whites at like 110-120% on mine and dropped the Royal LEDs to like 50%

Both of my 57" Grow models are more white on one end than the other but nothing like the pics I have seen here. Once I add in the Glow and 2 Actinic XHO bars, I barely see it and no one else (my wife mostly) has commented on it which means it must not be prevalent.

I do believe there is a design flaw with the Blades though and v2 needs to fix it. Some just have the problem much worse from what I can tell.

 

[DanielJameS]

If you want white, get the Grow. If you want blue/violet, get the Glow. You can make the Grow model pretty white if you want to. I run the Cool Whites at like 110-120% on mine and dropped the Royal LEDs to like 50%

Both of my 57" Grow models are more white on one end than the other but nothing like the pics I have seen here. Once I add in the Glow and 2 Actinic XHO bars, I barely see it and no one else (my wife mostly) has commented on it which means it must not be prevalent.

I do believe there is a design flaw with the Blades though and v2 needs to fix it. Some just have the problem much worse from what I can tell.

That’s the thing, I run my tank pretty blue in general. My Kessil schedule might have the color at 50% for a couple hours at the beginning of the peak schedule but that’s still on the bluer side of white. The rest of the schedule is very blue heavy with violet thrown in. Everything I’ve seen online with the GLOWS however is that sort of black light, purplish sort of vibe. I’m having trouble deciding which one makes more sense as I am only in the market for a single one of these (for now) so choosing between the glow and grow is difficult. I don’t necessarily need more white at all while at the same time, am not after that laser tag, black light vibe. The glow is also more expensive. All things considered i love the spread, the size, the controllability, mounting options etc and am after the par bump, and blanketed fill they offer but it’s hard to choose which one without seeing it in person.

 

[Jared Bryant]

That’s the thing, I run my tank pretty blue in general. My Kessil schedule might have the color at 50% for a couple hours at the beginning of the peak schedule but that’s still on the bluer side of white. The rest of the schedule is very blue heavy with violet thrown in. Everything I’ve seen online with the GLOWS however is that sort of black light, purplish sort of vibe. I’m having trouble deciding which one makes more sense as I am only in the market for a single one of these (for now) so choosing between the glow and grow is difficult. I don’t necessarily need more white at all while at the same time, am not after that laser tag, black light vibe. The glow is also more expensive. All things considered i love the spread, the size, the controllability, mounting options etc and am after the par bump, and blanketed fill they offer but it’s hard to choose which one without seeing it in person.

I just added a grow 39" to my 120 to supplement my 3 kessil a360x's. It was late in the day before I got it on the tank so I will test tomorrow and try to get some pics for ya.

 

[DanielJameS]

I just added a grow 39" to my 120 to supplement my 3 kessil a360x's. It was late in the day before I got it on the tank so I will test tomorrow and try to get some pics for ya.

That would be awesome, same setup. Let me know what your thoughts are and how it blends in.

 

[Jared Bryant]

That would be awesome, same setup. Let me know what your thoughts are and how it blends in.

Too hard to get a camera to see the difference.

1. The blade is really bright. Lights up half of a standard 120 very well. Very white or very blue. Looks good on the tank and isn't noticeable.
2. The hard shadows from the Kessils have faded as the blade is producing more fill light.
3. The "kessil shimmer" is muted. Almost reminds me of the radion shimmer. Shimmer is still there just not as pronounced.

I will get a par meter in the next few weeks and I will post the par values.