MARS Hydro 600W Review: A Solid Choice For Home Growers

Finding the LED grow light system that best suits your own particular needs can be quite difficult, especially if you’re new to the game, and we’re here to help.

Mars Hydro is a renowned, innovative brand of quality, and Mars Hydro 600W is one of the most popular LED grow light choices for beginner growers. It offers a full light spectrum, it’s cost effective and efficient in terms of energy; but is it the right choice for you?

Read the full review below to find out.

Design and Specs

As all Mars Hydro products, this impressive unit is advertised by the company as the result of years of scientific research and experiments. The Mars Hydro 600W is a scientifically designed unit featuring an excellent built, which is very convenient and user friendly: the outer frame is moderately sized and shaped, so that it can fit anywhere. Plus, apart from top notch technology, the design includes a steel cable and hanging kits ―so you don’t have to buy them yourself and spend extra money and time.

Mars Hydro 600W’s compact dimensions are 18″ X 11″ X 3″, and it weighs around 4.47 Kgs, while its required input voltage is between 85V – 265V (AC). It also boasts a lumen output of 12631 lumens in total ―an excellent number for its size.

This unit is equipped with 120 pieces of 5W LED chips on board, each LED light bulb having been carefully placed, so that your plants are provided with the highest possible light intensity and density. Additionally, it has a focusing angle of 90 – 120 degrees, which helps the emitted light spread evenly, while still transmitting energy focused on the particular spot you want.

Moreover, the unit features a zener diode, ensuring protection of the system in case of failure: should any one light bulb stop working, the diode will by-pass power to the remaining LEDs, and your grow light system will keep on working unbothered!

What’s in the box?

When you buy a Mars Hydro 600W LED Grow Light, you get a discreet package containing everything you need to get started; the light unit, a power cord and a set of steel hanging kits to install your system.

Furthermore, you will find manuals and instructions of use, along with some basic advice on hanging height and distances for various stages of growth in your plants’ life cycle. 

Features

Value

First of all, Mars Hydro 600W serves great value for money! As you will find is stated in all customer reviews, it is rather cost effective and energy efficient. This is a unit that can save you from excessive power consumption, as it features an amazing energy-saving technology. It generally consumes 265watt±10% of electricity while working ―and light emitted by this unit can actually substitute a 300W HPS system with great results.

Spectrum and PAR

As far as spectrum is concerned, Mars Hydro 600W offers a balanced ratio of red and blue light, in order to serve your plants both in their growing and blooming phases ―during their entire life cycle, that is. However, you can’t switch between red and blue or veg and bloom light, and that can be a problem for some growers. 

This model offers you a considerable amount of light intensity so that you can enlighten your crop fairly well, while two different PAR values are provided for two respective heights ―given that you’ll have to change the height and distance from your plants according to their growing phase. If your adjusting height is at 18 inches, then you get 980 Umol; for a height of 24 inches, the PAR value lies at 662 Umol. This is a great amount for this model’s dimensions and value, and as we know, the more the PAR, the more the yield.

Coverage

The recommended distance of LED grow lights from the plants during their vegetation phase is at 24 inches; this height would generally get you around 3′ X 2.5′ of the coverage area.

On the other hand, during the blooming phase, the suggested distance lies at 18 inches from the plants, as during this phase they generally need more light intensity and density; at that distance, you’ll get a total of 2.5′ X 2′ of the coverage area. Now, this isn’t very impressive for a LED grow light marked at 600W, but it’s not bad for inexperienced growers either, especially when considering its value. 

Cooling

Mars Hydro 600W is equipped with a number of fans, serving both intake and exhaust purposes; gladly, while this cooling function operates, it produces no more noise than the rate of 56Db.

Plus, the unit also features a massive pin cushion heat sink, which is ideal for keeping the temperature inside your grow tent as low as possible, in contrast to any HPS/MH grow lamps.

Why choose Mars Hydro 600W?

If you’re just now beginning your home growing journey, this model could be the right choice for you. Mars Hydro 600W is designed to provide maximum results at low cost and power consumption ―it’s affordable and efficient.

This scientifically designed LED grow light will help your plants reach their full potential, be healthy and produce high yield. By providing a spectrum of blue, red and white colors, this unit provides the essential light levels your crop needs throughout the vegetative and flowering stage, while also emitting IR rays, vital to the conduction of the photosynthesis process.

Why not choose Mars Hydro 600W?

As stated above, we’re actually talking about a 300W value; so why is this product labeled and advertised as a 600W model? It’s either because the light is equipped with 120 LEDs of 5W each, therefore 120 X 5W equals 600W, or due to the generated wavelength that is somewhat equivalent to 600W. Either way, this is a grey area, and a point worth considering.

Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that Mars Hydro 600W is not waterproof, a limitation that is generally expected from a LED grow light priced below $150 LED; however, had some basic waterproofing mechanism been incorporated, that would make the unit more durable and long lasting.

These are all the information you need to take into consideration before deciding on buying the Mars Hydro 600W LED grow light.

Verdict

Indoor gardening requires a great amount of illumination in order for your plants to reach their maximum potential, but it is essential that you create the appropriate environment for your particular crop to thrive, and this means specialisation.

As mentioned above, Mars Hydro 600W is a great and affordable choice for beginners, and its assets exceed its negatives. However, if you’re more on the experienced side, it’s not a LED grow light we would recommend, as it comes with certain limitations.

This unit offers you many attractive amenities, including a good range of light spectrum ―which is one of the most essential factors for a grow light―, efficiency in terms of energy saving, a compact, durable design, a good coverage area and adequate PAR value and lumen output ―all these at an excellent price.

Factually, it’s really not a state of the art model; it’s somewhat old-fashioned for the more advanced growers. But still, it’s very popular among beginners with a limited budget and those who want value for money, thus making it a perfect choice for beginners. You can start there, and afterwards move on to something more sophisticated and specific to your own needs.