Questions to Ask Before Purchasing Used Lights

[MannyDel]

I went to my LFS today to take a look at some of the more popular lights, such as Radions, AI Hydras, and Kessils. I wanted to see how these looked in person before buying anything.

I found that my LFS actually sells used lights for a very cheap price. They have a AI Hydra 52 (not HD) for $200. They also sell Kessil 360w for $200 and the controller for $20. I don't think they had Radions. The prices seemed too good to be true even if they were used.

Do LED lights go bad after a while? I'm wondering how much life they have left if that is even something to be concerned about. I'm thinking about snatching 2 Kessils which will allow me to do a longer tank instead of a cube which I was leaning towards since 1 light could cover it. The Kessils were actually my least favorite because it was a lot more blue than the others and the shimmer was a bit intense. But, for the price I can live with it.

I've never had lights like these before so I don't know what questions to ask and what to look for when they are on. Can anyone help me come up with questions and tests to make sure these are in good condition? The LFS seems to be reputable and have a good following. Everything is clean, seems well maintained, and the staff seem cool from my interactions so far. Even then, I want to make sure I'm getting value.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I went to my LFS today to take a look at some of the more popular lights, such as Radions, AI Hydras, and Kessils. I wanted to see how these looked in person before buying anything.

I found that my LFS actually sells used lights for a very cheap price. They have a AI Hydra 52 (not HD) for $200. They also sell Kessil 360w for $200 and the controller for $20. I don't think they had Radions. The prices seemed too good to be true even if they were used.

Do LED lights go bad after a while? I'm wondering how much life they have left if that is even something to be concerned about. I'm thinking about snatching 2 Kessils which will allow me to do a longer tank instead of a cube which I was leaning towards since 1 light could cover it. The Kessils were actually my least favorite because it was a lot more blue than the others and the shimmer was a bit intense. But, for the price I can live with it.

I've never had lights like these before so I don't know what questions to ask and what to look for when they are on. Can anyone help me come up with questions and tests to make sure these are in good condition? The LFS seems to be reputable and have a good following. Everything is clean, seems well maintained, and the staff seem cool from my interactions so far. Even then, I want to make sure I'm getting value.

Leds generally have a lifespan of about 50,000 hours. So if you ran the light 24/7 you'd get a little over 5 years out of them. Being that we only use these lights for anywhere from 8 to 12 hours a day, they (in theory) should last 10+ years. With that being said there are instances where they fail prematurely. Unfortunately you get that with pretty much any product though.

 

[Dana Riddle]

It has been my opinion for quite some time that the weak link in fan-cooled LED luminaires is the fan. Once the fan malfunctions (stops), the heat sink will overheat and LED output will suffer. If the cooling system functions properly, LEDs should last 50,000 - 100,000 hours.

 

[madweazl]

Nothing to add to the above comments but I will address your concern about the Kessil looking "blue." This can be adjusted via knob on the top of the light or the controller should you choose to buy it. They can go from looking very blue to completely white (almost yellowish) depending on how you adjust them.

 

[MannyDel]

So as long as they work at the moment and are only a few years old, they should be good? Even if they were run at a high percentage and long hours for the day?

 

[happyhourhero]

Keep in mind that there is a reason those particular lights are available used.

Look at as many reef classifieds as you can and see the trends on what people are selling off the most and see if you can figure out the why. Just make sure that the reason people are selling off the lights isn’t going to be something that hinders your future reefing.

 

[madweazl]

So as long as they work at the moment and are only a few years old, they should be good? Even if they were run at a high percentage and long hours for the day?

It's a variable that you really cant account for. You can learn a ton from a high quality picture of the merchandise though; many sellers are too lazy to really clean their used products so you'll be able to see if there are a bunch of dust bunnies living in the fan/heatsink, if the splash shield on the light is dirty, the body/knobs have dirt around them etc.. This will give you some insight on the general care (or lack there of) the original owner provided.

 

[madweazl]

Keep in mind that there is a reason those particular lights are available used.

Look at as many reef classifieds as you can and see the trends on what people are selling off the most and see if you can figure out the why. Just make sure that the reason people are selling off the lights isn’t going to be something that hinders your future reefing.

I imagine the overwhelming majority believe the light is a large contributor to issues they're currently having. With that said, if you (they) cant grow corals with the A360WE, the light isn't the problem.

 

[Matthew Frost]

My .02, my LFS does much the same thing. His are from client upgrades he does. He brings the used equipment into his store and sells it at a deep discount. The key to buying used is buy quality brands. I would stay away from buying "big box" (Fluval, etc.) or "black box" (Chinese) lights used, it typically isn't worth it. The good thing with buying Kessil, AI, Ecotech, Maxspect, lighting used is IF you have problemish with the lighting the factory support is generally outstanding.