Horticulture Lighting Group (HLG) has released their new flagship quantum board LED grow light. I bought one for myself and I’m writing to answer all of your questions.

The HLG 650R is a 630 watt LED grow light designed for full cycle cannabis growth. This grow light uses the newest Samsung LM301H LEDs, and emits stronger light intensity than the HLG 600 models.

Below I’ll lay out detailed pictures, specifications, comparisons, and where you can buy one if you’re looking for one!

HLG 650R Quantum Board LED Grow Light:

(Click to view at LED Grow Lights Depot)

You might be wondering why HLG wanted a new flagship grow light only 150 watts stronger than the 550 V2? In my opinion, they wanted to compete more closely with other high end LED grow lights such as the Optic Slim 600H, Gavita 1700e and the Scynce Raging Kush.

Each of those lights are different from the HLG 650R, but HLG just stepped into their arena with the 650R.

This is the HLG 650R full spectrum quantum board LED grow light from Horticulture Lighting Group. It’s HLG’s new flagship model grow light meant to flower a 5×5 foot grow space.

This grow light is strong, and made to compete with the best. There are several exciting new features to this grow light and I’ll lay them out below.

Features:

Wattage:

First on the features list is the wattage. This is HLG’s strongest LED Grow light model, which pulls 630 watts from the outlet. The extra wattage makes this light strong enough to flower an impressive 5×5 foot space, and veg an even more impressive 7×7 foot space!

These impressive numbers put this grow light in direct competition with the Scynce Raging Kush, Optic Slim 600H and the Gavita 1700e. But what’s nice is the HLG 650R costs considerably less than those other models.

The light dims from 630 watts all the way down to 60 watts. It comes with the same convenient knob dimmer that the HLG 550 V2 has.

Spectrum:

The new Samsung LM301H LEDs light your plants with 4000K spectrum. This spectrum is good for full cycle cannabis growth. The impressive part about the HLG 650R spectrum is that HLG was able to max out both blue and red wavelengths, making it ideal for full cycle plant growth.

As you’ll see below, the 4000K spectrum offered on the smaller HLG 550 Eco has considerably less red light in the mix, so the 650R is an improvement on that front.

HLG 650R Spectrum 4000K – Good for all phases of growth:

HLG 550 Eco 4000K – Good for Veg only.

Coverage Area:

The HLG 650R covers 5×5 feet during flowering, or 7×7 feet during the vegetative phase of growth.

If you’re using a 5×5, 5×10 or any tent size divisible by 5 feet, you’ll likely want this model over the smaller HLG 550 V2. If you’re growing in a 4×4, 4×8, or any tent size divisible by 4 feet, you’ll likely want to go with the HLG 550 V2 and save a few bucks.

HLG 650R Hang Height & Light Strength:

Seedlings: 48 inches @ 50% power 

Veg / Autoflowers full grow cycle: 48 inches @ 100% power

Flowering: 30 inches @ 100% power

The HLG 650R is a very powerful light. It’s so powerful that HLG recommends hanging this light 30 inches above the canopy during flowering! That’s a full foot higher than most other grow lights. Of course, if you’re pressed for space you can always use the dimmer instead.

Peak intensity (ppfd/micromoles) for the HLG 650R comes in around 1700 micromoles in the center. That’s enough to turn your plants crispy if you don’t use it properly. In one University of Mississippi study, they found 1500 micromoles to be the highest recommended strength for growing cannabis, and they used CO2 as well.

So I would personally only recommend going above 1100 micromoles of light if you’re using CO2. Otherwise 1100 micromoles will be plenty to grow you large colas.

Click here for more about measuring and determining proper grow light intensity.

HLG 650R Yield:

What yield can you expect from the HLG 650R? Based on the intensity of the light, you can definitely expect close to the maximum amount of yield.

With that said, it’s hard to predict the exact yield you’d get with an HLG 650R or any grow light because yield is affected by many factors like plant genetics, growing conditions, and nutrients or growth boosters used.

Above is an example of a GG#4 at week 9 grown under the HLG 650R.

Does the HLG 650R get hot?

After running mine for a few hours, it does produce heat. But that’s not uncommon for grow lights, especially a 630 watt grow light. Luckily my grow tent fan was able to manage the temperatures just fine. You should have a sufficient fan in your grow space and expect to use it!

Check out my guide on lowering grow tent temperature for tips to keep down the heat in your grow tent!

Video:

How Does The HLG 650R Compare To Similar Grow Lights?

Everyone I speak to tells me how stressful and confusing picking a grow light is. There are so many options with so many different specifications.

I’ve spent countless hours reading and comparing grow lights for the benefit of my readers. In my mind there are three close alternatives to the HLG 650R, but they’re all more expensive.

They are the Optic Slim 600H, the Scynce Raging Kush, and the Gavita 1700e. How do they all stack up?

Optic Slim 600H:

The Optic Slim 600H is probably the closest match. The spectrum is very close, but it uses CREE LEDs in addition to Samsung. HLG uses Samsung only, but they’re both very good brands so there’s not much difference there.

The Optic LED comes with a 10 year warranty compared to the HLG’s three year. But you pay for that warranty with the higher ticket price. The Optic consumes a similar 600 watts and the light intensity is a bit weaker, peaking around 1400 micromoles at a lower height.

I think I would probably take the HLG in this head-to-head comparison.

Scynce Raging Kush:

A more aged LED grow light but nothing to sneeze at. This one has a fully customizable spectrum which is still a pretty rare feature especially on high end grow lights. If you’re into full customization for your spectrum then the Scynce wins in this case, but if it’s not broke why fix it? The HLG 650R spectrum is perfectly balanced.

The Raging Kush pulls a higher 690 watts and results in a slightly weaker light intensity. How so? The older LEDs used here are not as efficient. Scynce also says this light flowers 4×4 feet, compared to 5×5 feet for the HLG.

Gavita 1700e:

A very popular high end grow light brand is Gavita, and their 1700e model is the closest match to the HLG 650R. The Gavita pulls a similar 645 watts and has a similar peak light intensity near 1700 micromoles. The spectrum is also a close match, although the LEDs on the HLG are about 10% more efficient.

My one complaint about the Gavita 1700e compared to the HLG 650R is the price. It’s several hundred more, but if you’re willing to pay for it, it’s a decent competitor.

Ironically those three alternatives are all listed among my Best LED Grow Lights list, and I’ll probably have to add the HLG 650R to that list soon.

Do I need the HLG 650R Grow Light or is there a better option?

Let me tell you the scenarios you would want the HLG 650R grow light for, and when you would want a different grow light model.

If you’re growing in a space that’s divisible by 5×5 feet – for example, 5×10 feet, 5×15 feet, 10×10 feet, or 20×20 feet, then the HLG 650R is a solid option for you.

If you’re growing in a 4×4 grow tent, the 650R might be too strong. If you want the nice LM301H LEDs or the perfectly balanced spectrum you can still get it and use the dimmer as needed. But you’d also be perfectly fine considering the slightly smaller HLG 550 V2 for a 4×4 foot space.

Click Here To View The HLG 650R At LEDGrowLightsDepot.com

Save Money With The DIY Kit:

(Click here for details)

Need a full cycle LED grow light to flower 5×5 feet, but also need to save some cash? Consider the HLG 600H DIY grow light kit. It’s a solid alternative to the HLG 650R, but you’ll need to make a few concessions.

Similar to the HLG 650R, this HLG 600H is 620 watts. The spectrum is slightly different at 3500K compared to the HLG 650R’s 4000K, but it’s still ideal for full cycle growth.

The two downfalls with the 600H, if you’re willing to deal with them, is the shorter warranty period and the slightly lower intensity coming in at ~1500 PPFD compared to the 650R’s 1700. It’s barely a noticable difference when you get up to those high intensity levels.

Of course you have to put it together as well but that’s a easy process and there are instructional videos on YouTube should you need them.

For those small differences you’ll be able to save several hundred dollars compared to the HLG 650R.

Final Thoughts:

The HLG 650R is a powerful beast of a grow light that will bring you some of the highest yields possible if you use it properly and maintain the proper growing environment. 

With the 650R, HLG has been able to compete with several other high end grow lights like the Optic Slim 600H, Scynce Raging Kush, and Gavita 1700e. The HLG 650R is priced hundreds of dollars cheaper than these other high end models and I expect people to see it as an attractive alternative for their grow tents.

If you’re growing in a low-ceiling environment you may want to consider the HLG Scorpion grow lights which are designed for vertical grows, but just as powerful!

If you’re still unsure or have other unanswered questions about the HLG 650R, feel free to reach out to me via the live chat box on your screen, or email me [email protected] !

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