Bridgelux vs. Various Cree on the same driver. Big difference in Par?

[TomToro]

Right now I'm using the Bridgelux 3w leds in my fixtures and am wondering if any of the Cree 3w leds would give more par given the same driver. I'm using 40 x 3w (pattern=2x 455nm, 1x 420nm)on a 6' long heat sink to supplement my washout Iwasaki MH x 3 (175w). It definitely changes the look of my corals and I only use 20 for nighttime. I replaced my Sunbrite 42 watt 6' 440nm tube and it blows that away. I put the new fixture on two potentiometers cause I figured I'd have too much and need to dim. I'm at 100% on both. I'm using 60degree optics.

I'm thinking of making another fixture(s) and want to know if the extra $2 per LED would be worth the upgrade.


Q: So, using the same amount of ? style of Cree, would I have gotten a lot more par? What style of Cree is the brightest?

 

[CJO]

Are you looking at just the blue LEDs? If so, the Crees probably won't give you much more light than the Bridgelux LEDs. If you are looking at white LEDs, the Cree XM-Ls are the way to go.

CJ

 

[ReefLEDLights]

TomToro

Generally the Cree LEDs offer a higher level of efficiency. That said it depends which Cree your comparing to which Bridglux.

Using the term 3W LED for a comparison leaves much to interpretation.

You need to apply specifics. I dont have the numbers for Bridglux but here are the numbers for the Cree.

XP-G R5 Cool White Min Luminous Flux @ 350mA = 139

XP-E R3 Cool White Min Luminous Flux @ 350mA = 122

XM-L T6 Cool White Min Luminous Flux @ 700mA = 280

One thing you should consider is heat. At a given current the less efficient LED will produce more heat. If not properly managed this heat will shorten the life span of the LED.

My vote is Cree over Bridglux, especially if your looking at the LEDs commonly available online.

Bill