Confuse Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 So about three weeks ago, I ordered my very first Tide. And I was psyched (still am)! I have heard great things about Dave's arrays and I have always been disappointed with the industry's use of cool white LEDs. So I bit the bullet and order a Tide with four channels. About to weeks later, I received it and what follows is my first impression and review! The Tide came through Priority Mail in less than three days to California. The unit was nicely bubble wrapped along with all the other components. My first impression of the Tide once unwrapping it was, "wow" the unit is super sleek and the paint job is top notch. The unit is small, but the enclosure is thick and heavy. The gooseneck is super sturdy and secure. Side Top Front The business end of the Tide was also quite impressive. A tightly packed array of high quality LEDs to reduce color banding and maximize output. The wiring that went to the board was also very clean and soldering was very well done as well. The Array I was pretty blown away that even the driver box and bluefish enclosure were made of metal and with the same quality as the main unit. Components The BlueFish Enclosure Light Quality I haven't gotten a chance to bring out the DSLR to take some good pictures, so I'll just leave you with my thoughts. The Tide has the best color rendition in an LED fixture that I have ever seen. The reds look true to life and not washed out and all other colors look really good. My main complaint with commercial LED fixtures was the poor color rendition of reds and the Tide certainly fixed it. The color of the LEDs is top notch. Coverage Coverage of my 10g Fusion was perfect. The whole tank was lit up. Although, I do wish the gooseneck was longer so the fixture could sit dead center in the tank (more on that later). Controllability I ordered the four channel Tide to get the best color out of my unit. I have to say that I'm glad I did. The ability to control the cyan and cool blue LEDs make a huge appearance in how the light looks. Without these colors, there is something missing. The cyan/cool blue channel just give the light a more balanced look than just the royal blue and whites do. The BlueFish controller is great. It has plenty of preferences and features to keep you busy for days, but it's very easy to use. And the idea of controlling my light wirelessly from my phone is simply great. No physical controllers or potentiometers to mess with. Summary Overall, the quality of the unit was spectacular! I have never owned such a high quality piece of equipment. And just the thought that it was made in the USA makes me very proud of such a fine fixture manufactured in my country. I'd highly recommend a Tide to anyone with a nano. It's a great light. I'll do another post with some constructive criticism in a bit...Stay tuned. Link to comment
DaveFason Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 So about three weeks ago, I ordered my very first Tide. And I was psyched (still am)! I have heard great things about Dave's arrays and I have always been disappointed with the industry's use of cool white LEDs. So I bit the bullet and order a Tide with four channels. About to weeks later, I received it and what follows is my first impression and review! The Tide came through Priority Mail in less than three days to California. The unit was nicely bubble wrapped along with all the other components. My first impression of the Tide once unwrapping it was, "wow" the unit is super sleek and the paint job is top notch. The unit is small, but the enclosure is thick and heavy. The gooseneck is super sturdy and secure. Side Top Front The business end of the Tide was also quite impressive. A tightly packed array of high quality LEDs to reduce color banding and maximize output. The wiring that went to the board was also very clean and soldering was very well done as well. The Array I was pretty blown away that even the driver box and bluefish enclosure were made of metal and with the same quality as the main unit. Components The BlueFish Enclosure Light Quality I haven't gotten a chance to bring out the DSLR to take some good pictures, so I'll just leave you with my thoughts. The Tide has the best color rendition in an LED fixture that I have ever seen. The reds look true to life and not washed out and all other colors look really good. My main complaint with commercial LED fixtures was the poor color rendition of reds and the Tide certainly fixed it. The color of the LEDs is top notch. Coverage Coverage of my 10g Fusion was perfect. The whole tank was lit up. Although, I do wish the gooseneck was longer so the fixture could sit dead center in the tank (more on that later). Controllability I ordered the four channel Tide to get the best color out of my unit. I have to say that I'm glad I did. The ability to control the cyan and cool blue LEDs make a huge appearance in how the light looks. Without these colors, there is something missing. The cyan/cool blue channel just give the light a more balanced look than just the royal blue and whites do. The BlueFish controller is great. It has plenty of preferences and features to keep you busy for days, but it's very easy to use. And the idea of controlling my light wirelessly from my phone is simply great. No physical controllers or potentiometers to mess with. Summary Overall, the quality of the unit was spectacular! I have never owned such a high quality piece of equipment. And just the thought that it was made in the USA makes me very proud of such a fine fixture manufactured in my country. I'd highly recommend a Tide to anyone with a nano. It's a great light. I'll do another post with some constructive criticism in a bit...Stay tuned. Thanks bud! -Dave Link to comment
Confuse Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Just an update...I bought some red blastos and red acans and they are BLOOD RED under these lights! Finally!! I found the perfect LED and spectrum! =D Pictures coming soon! Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Following for pictures Great review- thanks for taking the time Link to comment
Confuse Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 I'm horrible at taking pictures under LEDs, so this was the best I could do. Next time I'll try with the Photo Mode on Blue Fish, but I forgot this time around. Link to comment
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