kgoldy Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 tl;dr version- StevesLEDs.com is a pretty good place to go for your DIY LED needs. I ordered a heavily modified version of the SPS Grade LED Retrofit Kit Package - 34"- 44" tanks for a horticultural project. Instead of two colors that dimmed... I went with 7 colors that dim individually. Here's what the original order looked like- Thanks to uglybuckling's Full Spectrum LED lighting for the reef tank, part 1 video, I realized I had accidentally planned to overload the TV driver, and could fit more on the Green and Deep Red circuits. I made a second order- I got a refund for the extra TV and the extra shipping within minutes. Points for that. The one thing that I wasn't happy about in this entire experience was how the product was shipped. I never got any tracking information for a $600+ order. That seems a little unusual to me... There was no signature required (why?!) so I came home from work to see the box laying on my front porch. I should have read through the Terms and Conditions Page and thought more carefully about my order... The risk of loss and title for all merchandise ordered on this Web site pass to you when the merchandise is delivered to the shipping carrier. If you would like for your package to be insured, please indicate so in the comments section during checkout, and you will be responsible for these additional costs. Personally, I think this is a bad business practice. If the risk of loss/damage to the product is passed onto the consumer as soon as it touches the hands of the first USPS guy- there should be an option for insurance that changes the price of your cart before you pay. It shouldn't be left up to the consumer to leave a note in the comments section to request another bill for the cost of shipping insurance. Okay, moving on... Boxes! Everyone loves boxes! Except postal guys. They seem to hate boxes. I'm not sure the photos show it well, but this box got it's ass kicked a little bit. (No insurance, remember...) The guys at Steve's LEDs' like stickers. A lot. I give them extra points for that. Warnings everywhere! Too bad USPS doesn't know what FRAGILE means... But hey- thanks to the stickers I'm not going to rub my feet on the carpet while building my LED array. Oh, and they not only tape the hell out of the box to close it, but they glue both ends! More points! Everything inside was individually wrapped so well that the only thing I could identify right away was the bundle of 30" heatsinks. LEDs- ...and drivers! Glad they're stamped with the colors and not just loose in a box... Everything else- I am yet to build this thing, and it'll obviously take some time... So I don't know yet if all the parts survived the shipping process. This thread will be updated as the build progresses, and if any returns/repairs/exchanges need to be made. Don't forget to check out my 90 thread. 1 Link to comment
castiel Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 Great quality review! Link to comment
iPhone Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 after seeing this i might buy from them,great review. Link to comment
racefan Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 I have a Bio Cube LED kit. They have really good customer service also. Link to comment
14biocubeGuy Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 I have a Bio Cube LED kit. They have really good customer service also. So in an effort to find the right adjustments to dimming your LED's, did they offer any advice? I have Steves LED's for my biocube 14 and I can't get the adjustment right with the dimmers. I also tried calling around and no one has a PAR meter that you can rent. THEY DIDNT EVEN KNOW WHAT PAR WAS! SMH. let me know! I gotta call and ask! Link to comment
Horerczy Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 So in an effort to find the right adjustments to dimming your LED's, did they offer any advice? I have Steves LED's for my biocube 14 and I can't get the adjustment right with the dimmers. I also tried calling around and no one has a PAR meter that you can rent. THEY DIDNT EVEN KNOW WHAT PAR WAS! SMH. let me know! I gotta call and ask! https://reefledlights.com/shop/par-meter-rental/ Link to comment
14biocubeGuy Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Yeah. I did a bit of research and found this website. I'm just a bit skeptical about depositing 300+ dollars. I was looking for something local, but this is definitely an option. I also got in contact with Steves LED's. (Great customer service btw) I asked him how I could visually check, to see if the lights were too bright. He just recommended adjusting the leds on the basis of how well your corals are doing. My only other question is, at about what percent should blue and the white leds be at? I heard blue at 90% and whites at about 45. Opinions? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Set it to what is pleasing to you. Color temperature is strictly for the viewers pleasure. It's more the overall intensity that the corals care about (within reason based on the spectrum). Just start low and work your way up slowly. The slower you increase the intensity, the happier your corals will be. Start around 30-40% and work up 5% (total intensity) per week. Your corals will give you an idea if it's too much or too little. The long waiting period will allow the corals to adjust to the new light settings. Link to comment
beerdude Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Dude...WTF? Are you a little picky or what? Looks like they did a great job packaging the materials. They gave you the option to buy shipping insurance for a measly price. Chill out and enjoy! Link to comment
Horerczy Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Dude...WTF? Are you a little picky or what? Looks like they did a great job packaging the materials. They gave you the option to buy shipping insurance for a measly price. Chill out and enjoy! Dude this thread is two years old. Chill out. Link to comment
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