Kind K5 XL1000 LED Grow Light Review
The award-winning Kind K5 XL1000 LED grow light is a top-level grow light. If you are looking for an indoor grow light of the highest quality, then this is the light for you. It has won the High Times “Gear of the Year Award” for four years in a row, and in 2017 this grow light also won the High Times STASH Award (Significant Technological Achievements in Secretive Horticulture award) for “Best LED Innovation”.
If these awards aren’t enough to convince you of how good a light the K5 XL1000 is, let its specifications persuade you. It is a lot of money, so read on to find out why we think splashing out on this grow light is totally worth it.
Specifications
The K5 XL1000 measures 26 inches long by 20 inches wide by 3 inches deep and weighs 36 pounds. The panel contains 320 LED bulbs, some 3W and some 5W, and features a secondary optical lens that increases light intensity and canopy penetration. Kind does not specify which manufacturer makes their LED bulbs though, which is a shame.
The Kind K5 XL1000 was designed to replace either a 1000W or a 750W HPS lamp, as the power output is the same. However, the light only requires 650W of power to produce this output, making it highly energy efficient and helping you save on running costs. The little energy that does go to waste as heat is quickly dissipated by the built-in heat sinks and cooling fans to keep your plants from drying out.
The coverage is very good – it can light up an area of 5 square feet for plants in the vegetative stage, which is reduced to an area of 4 square feet for flowering plants. This light works on any voltage, and is UL listed. It also comes with a pair of Method Seven tinted glasses to protect your eyes and to return everything back to its normal hue. This is useful when you are checking your plants for discolouration, as the light from your grow light can sometimes tint the colour of your plants, especially if you are using more red lights during the flowering stage.
On top of all this, the Kind K5 XL1000 comes with an instruction manual, a 90-day money back guarantee, a 3-year warranty, and lifetime customer support.
What makes the K5 XL1000 so innovative?
This grow light gives you precision control over its full 12-band spectrum, so much so that you can even mimic dusk and dawn. With its remote control, you are able to digitally customize the light wavelengths your plants receive, letting you add more blue light for vegetation and more red light for flowering to maximize bud growth and yield.
You can even control the integrated timer, which provides eight separate stages of brightness that slowly fades up in the morning and down in the evening, rather than just switching on and off. The remote control can also be used to control multiple units at once, which is useful if you have a large grow room and need to daisy chain two or more units together.
The light dimmers on the K5 XL1000 deserve a special mention here. With most other LED grow lights that have dimmers, they will still draw the same amount of power even if the light is at its lowest intensity. The K5 XL1000 is far more advanced, as it uses pulse width modulation dimming, which actually lowers power draw in proportion to the dimness of the light. This is another example of how advanced LED technology can save you money in the long run by reducing running costs.
Summing Up
We would highly recommend the Kind K5 XL1000 for experienced growers with a large setup who like to have total control over their grow room environment. The high price point is very much worth it if you enjoy customizing your light spectrum and intensity not just for each of the growth stages of your plants, but even to mimic a natural dawn and dusk! What better way to optimize bud yield?
Both the LED technology and the pulse width modulation dimming technology go a long way in cutting the running costs, so over time your investment will pay for itself. The K5 XL1000 can be programmed to suit your specific weed strain’s requirements, which can be done via remote control, making things even easier.
If you have the budget for this grow light, then buy it. It is truly deserving of all the High Times awards it has won. Happy growing!