Do you live in a place that doesn’t get much sun? Does your home naturally fail to let the light in at times? Or, perhaps your place gets enough natural sunlight, but you want to ensure the plants in your home are getting the light they need with no worries.
T5 grow lights are the answer. The flowers, herbs, and seeds you have planted will respond to this light like a charm.
However, you can’t just slap a few of these lights up and call it a day. Perhaps you already have some lights, but they aren’t optimal for your plant’s growth (such as T12’s or T8’s).
In this handy guide, we will get into all you need to know so choosing T5 Grow Lights is easy for you. Let’s begin with the selections for the best T5 grow lights and then go over some features.
Our Best T5 Grow Lights
Contents
#1 Hydroplanet T5 4Ft 8Lamp
- Plug and Play Ballasts
- 2 Year Warranty
- Uses a 110V Outlet
What It Does
This light is an awesome option for those of you that want to use fluorescent lights in your home growing settings. It is not going to work with LEDs, but it is a great plug and play option for the T5 grow setup.
The light’s housing is really what shines here. It features an unprecedented light output sourced from the 6500K lamps that are included with purchase.
The biggest con that we found with this lamp is the lack of compatibility with GFCI outlets. Meaning if your outlets feature a reset and test button, this is just not going to work.
That being said, the cord is long at 15 feet, so you can basically put it anywhere, extension cords optional!
About The Brand
HydroPlanet strives to offer customers the best of the best indoor growing gear at a fair price. They sell direct to buyers and are also a large volume retailer. They have a local shop in Ontario, Canada, but because you probably don’t live there, they sell online everywhere, even Amazon!
Pros and Cons
Pros
- 15 foot extension cord
- Aluminum housing
- Great for fluorescent setups
Cons
- Does not work with GFCI outlets
#2 DuroLux T5 Grow Light
- Rated For Safety in Damp Conditions
- 20000 Lumen Power
- Light Output Is Flexible
What It Does
This DuroLux is a good option for those of you on limited budgets, or just looking to save a few bucks in your setup without compromising quality. This is a 4’ lamp that features 6500k bulbs.
The lamp features a gullwing build, which saves the consumer money compared to models with reflectors encased inside. The inner two bulbs are easy to dim and so are the outer two bulbs.
It’s a good, flexible but fairly priced option especially for those of you that use a vertical setup.
About The Brand
DuroLux is a budget brand of hydroponics products and lighting. They sell mostly on Amazon, and this likely helps them save money (they don’t need to maintain a brick and mortar storefront or a website). This helps them save you, the consumer money, but still offer great goods.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- 8 foot power cable is great for daisy chains
- Lights can be dimmed for max flexibility
- DuroLux offers great customer service if product is defective or damaged
Cons
- Includes a ballast, so LED lamps cannot be used
- Will not work with GFCI outlets
#3 Hydrofarm Agrobrite FLT24
- Includes 8 ft. power cord
- 8000 Lumen Power
- Can Be hung vertical, horizontal or overhead
What It Does
This is one of the best sellers, and that’s why it is known as one of the best t5 grow lights ever. You can choose between 2 or 4 foot lengths. The 2 foot option allows 2, 4 or 8 lighting tubes, while the 4 foot length offers 4, 6, 8 or 12 tubes.
Most of you will do just fine with the 2-foot setup for your indoor gardening needs. The low profile is good for those of you in small spaces.
About The Brand
Agrobrite is a well-known brand with 40 years of experience in the hydroponics industry, and they specialize in high lumen lights that growers need for top crops. Their awesome lighting designs help growers save money and energy in both electricity and physical labor aspects of growing.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Aluminum construction
- Rated to 18,800 lumens
- 10 foot power cord
Cons
- Some users complained of ballasts failing after a short time.
#4 Vivosun 6500K T5 HO Grow Light
What It Does
This is the best of both worlds; buyers get a great price item and on top of that good quality. This is the way to go when it’s time to light up your plants and do it well. It has 8 lamps which are good for illuminating a large space, so those of you using the whole basement or garage to grow, this is the one!
The power cord is 8 feet long and hanging wires are included with your purchase.
The lamp features a 2 year warranty and if the bulbs fail within the first year of ownership, you will find they are covered under a one year warranty.
About The Brand
Vivosun specializes in one thing, and that’s top-notch plant lighting equipment and service. They know they have a commitment to provide indoor growers with the best of the best, and they certainly meet and exceed buyers’ expectations as evidenced by the positive product reviews.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- 8 foot length power cord
- Hanging wires included
- Great for large grow spaces
Cons
- Users noted there was no finger space to twist bulb into place
Why Use a T5 Light?
For starters, they are great for beginners. T5 is a fine choice for those of you just starting out in the world of hydroponic growing. It’s great for those just starting out who don’t want to sink a huge amount of money into their growing right away.
T5 Lights Are Efficient
You need efficient lighting for a number of reasons. For starters, you want to keep your electric bill manageable.
Second, you need to make sure your plants are growing strong.
Third, you know that having a great light that works right the first time will get you the results you want.
Your goal is to look for lights with at least 100 lumens per watt, as this will give you the reliability you need to get the work done right the first time. All of the lamps we featured above have that or better.
Life of the T5 Lamp
Most T5 lamps will get you about 20,000 hours of work time. This means repurchasing bulbs will be a rare occurrence, and you will enjoy several successful growing cycles before it’s time to buy them again.
You may wonder about the quality of the lightbulb inside the lamp as it burns. You don’t even have to worry about that, as the bulbs start out powerful and remain that way as time goes on.
Your bulbs will last as long as the packaging states, and until they completely die out, there’s no need to replace them.
T5 Light Varieties
Many of the products we featured above are fluorescent lights. However, you may be curious as to whether or not there are other types of T5 lighting available. The answer is yes, and that’s what we will talk about now!
LEDs
Some growers are fond of LEDs, and wish to use them in a setup with T5 lamps. This is OK, and you can absolutely buy LED lighting tubes that go into a T5 setup easily.
Here are the benefits of LED lighting:
- Bulbs have a long life
- Low heat emissions
- Low amount of energy used
Your main goal is to make sure the lamp you do end up choosing works with LED lights.
Fluorescents
This is the most common type of T5 lighting fixture you will find in indoor gardening setups around the world. Many people in the hobby have diverted from MH or HPS in favor of T5.
If you are just starting out with your indoor plant setup, buying a T5 lamp fixture is a great way to keep some money in your pocket as you begin. It’s a quality option but not cheaply made; very cost-effective.
T5 vs. Other Light Varieties
Curious about other light types and how they stack up? Here are the answers you seek!
T5 vs. LEDs
LED grow lights are the most popular we’ve seen over the years. It’s not for nothing. LED lights are efficient and don’t put out excessive heat. They last a long time.
One thing to consider is that yes, these lamps do have a long life- manufacturers will boast about a 100,000-hour lifespan. However, did you know the efficiency falls after about 30,000 hours? Imagine only getting a third of the power you bargained for!
And yes, even though T5 lamps offer only about 20,000 hours, they are cheaper than LEDs. It’s a matter of what you as the grower want in your setup.
HPS v. T5
HPS means high pressure sodium and is found in indoor gardens around the world. They are powerful lights that will essentially transform any plant from seed to fully grown in just a short matter of time.
It’s true that HPS is a bit more efficient than T5, but not by much- 40 lumens at best. That being said, this boost in efficiency comes with a greater heat output. If you plan on using HPS lights, be ready to install them farther away from your garden.
You may also have to install fans and ducts if the lights get REALLY hot. What’s more, HPS lights use more vertical space in your setup. This can leave some of you with already limited space feeling a bit cramped.
If you use T5 grow lights and not HPS, you miss out on lumens but will enjoy a less hot grow room with less space used by your lighting setup. There will also be less investment upfront and lesser energy costs when using T5.
Yes, T5 Bulbs are more expensive at first, but they last a long time and take longer to wear out.
Conclusion
As you can see, the best t5 grow lights are well within your reach as far as actually finding the product and price.
These lights are great for a number of reasons- they’re fairly priced, efficient, and great for setups of all sizes.
They are certainly not without their shortcomings, but there is really no such thing as a perfect light setup- everybody’s preferences are different.
That being said, here are a few things to consider as you shop around for ANY light setup:
Growing Space: Measure the growing area to figure out what you can fit in your space. You might need to buy a couple of fixtures and set them up side by side as a means of getting the maximum coverage. In some cases, a single unit just won’t cut it.
Color Temp: One great thing about T5 light fixtures is the interchangeable bulbs. Check to see what your preferred light comes with. Stick with bulbs that work for vegetative growth cycles, such as fluorescents. At the same time, flowering bulbs are great, too.
We hope this article has been helpful to you in figuring out the best of the best when it comes to T5 lighting. They’re friendly on the budget and work well. Try them out and see for yourself how great your plants can be.