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You asked about my light buildsâŠ
Here is a 700 watt EB strip build:
This is the Frankenstein build using my original poor quality lights:
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This is one of my BIY 320 with added far red
Thanks all to @dbrn32
Grows great plants
And my 65w starter/clone lights
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900 watts would be the absolute bare minimum that I would consider for your grow area. It comes to less than 30 watts per square foot. I shoot for 40 - 50 watts per square foot. Many folks shoot for 35 - 40 watts per square foot.
Now it is time for you to decide exactly what your goals are. Your objectives and your budget (hopefully the two are not in conflict) will decide your path. If you just want some buds to smoke and donât care about the size and density of the buds, you can get by with less light. If you expect large, dense buds, then a lot of light is needed.
I use a quantum PAR meter to set my lights to achieve a DLI of >45. My objective from the start has been to produce âtop shelf budsâ for personal use. I want large, tight buds.
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Ok does it matter if i use the lm301 or the lm 281⊠i assume the 281 is last gen diodes
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None of my LEDs are Samsung (LM301 or LM281). @dbrn32 and perhaps @OGIncognito are more informed about current diode offerings. The LM301 are considered by many to be the gold standard but my non-Samsung diodes are fine. So sorry that I canât give you a more definitive answer.
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Since hlg stopped their component sales Iâll be looking around eventually to build a couple more larger lights. Can you give hints without getting in trouble who you are using? 
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I will share whatever I have to share, no secrets here. 
What sort of light do you have in mind. Wattage, footprint, etc.
Do you have electrical skills? Mechanical skills? Those will influence which direction to go.
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Iâm built the above lights have pretty strong knowledge of AC and DC.
I was just wanting to snoop around where you are buying boards.
What they offering?
HLG stopped selling boards, to many people building lights that shouldnât have been 
I say I built them,told db my foot print needed and he gave me needed numbers. So with his help I built them
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I purchased all of my COBâs from RapidLED along with the drivers. All of my EB strips and drivers were purchased from an electronics supply house.
I also purchased by far red/photo red strips from RapidLED. I am currently use T5 UV but am considering a UV strip from RapidLED.
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I want to add UV at some point to my table light
Thanks for the info, Iâma ck them out.
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I know that you are well connected with @dbrn32 for lighting knowledge. If I can assist, let me know.
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Wouldnât necessarily say well connected but he has been very helpful
And thank you, Iâll definitely pick your brain when time comes
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If you get serious about designing a building a fixture (from scratch or by enhancing as existing kit) I will be glad to assist if you wish. I am certain that dbrn would set up a DM for us to use.
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Havenât i seen ya on the clave 
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Understood
If and when the time comes we can chat over there
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Not familiar with this light but the specs you have listed have this light at 277 volts. This is a line to neutral configuration of 480v 3 phase (industrial circuit) and is very rare and expensive to have in a residence.
As stated, i have no experience with this company or model but i have been working with leds for nearly 20 years. Good leds arenât typically cheap and cheap leds arenât typically good. Horticulture lighting group has a great reputation and they give you honest expectations out of their products. If they advertise a light will flower 4x4 grow it will produce enough light to give good results in a 4x4 grow.
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I saw this right away but figured that if the OP could be influenced to not purchase it I would just keep quiet. 
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Looks fine to me.
As @merlin44 illustrated, some of us divide the lightâs wattage by the area of the grow room or tent and aim for a minimum value. The nit Iâd pick with that calculation is it ignores differences in the LEDsâ efficiency.
The Cultiuana light uses eBright LEDs that have a 2.8 ”mol/J conversion efficiency. The Samsung 301 series ranges from 2.92 - 3.14 ”mol/J. Thatâs the only valid reason I can see for preferring lights that use them.
However, 1 - 2.8/3.14 = 0.11, so the Cultiuana produces 11% less light per watt than a unit containing the best Samsung 301s. How long will it take you to save enough money on electricity to equal the price difference between it and the alternatives youâre considering?
I think itâs more meaningful to compare PPFD maps. At 12", the CT-1000 should be more than adequate. At 16", the values shown in their map will be (12"/16")^2 = 56% of the values shown (per the inverse-square law). That would make its hotspot PPFD = 1066 and the worst edge = 648. Still pretty good.
Itâs nice that they state its light distribution (120°) because, given the unitâs dimensions (45" x 43"), we can estimate the illuminated area at a given height. For example, at 12", that area will extend (tan 60° = x/12" â x =) 21" beyond the edges, yielding an 87" x 85" footprint.
Itâs also important to look at the lightâs spectrum. The CT-1000 has some boost in the blue and red portions of the visible spectrum and even a bit of NIR (no UVA, though). That makes it a respectable âfull spectrumâ unit in my book.
The 5-year warranty is reassuring, too, given that no one (so far) can testify re. Cultiuanaâs quality.
@StonedCold13 makes a good point about the advantage of using multiple lights instead of one. I run three identical 200W lights, which allows me to adjust for different plant heights.
Good catch. Iâd be surprised if they sell units in the US that canât be plugged directly into our outlets, though. Worth a phone call or email to find out. At worst, you might need something like this.
277 VAC is quite common in industrial and some commercial facilities. 277 devices are widely used in industrial and commercial settings.
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