Finding a great set of LED grow lights for your garden can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you’ve never done so before. There are a lot of different LED grow light companies out there and many of them offer high quality products.
As an American brand based in southern California, Kind LED offers different types of LED grow lights and is targeted more towards the higher end of things.
After testing a few of Kind LED’s light products, we’ve compiled our thoughts into one concise review. We cover some of the top products as well as the brand itself so you know what you’re getting into before making a purchase.
To find out everything you need to know about Kind LED, read our full grow light review below.
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Kind LED Grow Lights Overview
Kind LED is one of the top brands and we’re not just saying that. They are a well trusted company and have loyal customers all over the country so you know they live up to the talk. As such, however, it’s important to keep in mind that they won’t be a cheap investment, however, there are some other budget grow lights if you're not looking to spend as much.
One highlight about the company is that their products aren't just created by employees that don't really understand what growing is about. The founders themselves are experienced, veteran and professional growers who really know the ins and outs of growing.
Initially, they were using HID lighting for their growing needs but were unsatisfied with the high heat it produced and its high energy costs.
Now, they've turned their attention to creating LED grow lights that will help growers with impressive results and yields at lower energy costs and lower heat and noise produced.
They increased the overall efficiency of LED lighting and all their products now use their 12 band diodes to ensure plants get a full range of light. Kind LED also uses targeted spectrum technology to assist with this and improve the quality of their grow lights.
All of Kind LED’s products use focused energy and spectrum targeting so your plants are exposed to excessive yellow-green light. The grow lights are able to focus more red and blue light while also maintaining the right about of yellow-green, a trick that most LEDs weren’t capable of doing until recent technology.
Grow Light Review: A Glance at The Product Range
Kind LED has 3 different LED grow light product lines you can purchase. Since they are all slightly different and have varied features, we’ll glance over each type so you have a better understanding of each. The 3 different lines are designed to offer either the broadest spectrum with high quality features, a more mainstream product, or supplement lighting.
K5 Series Grow Light Review
The K5 Series is the top of the line when it comes to Kind LED lights. These models, including the K5 XL1000, are their most expensive and offer the best technology available and the broadest spectrum lighting. The LEDs use a mix of 3-watt and 5-watt diodes and can be dimmed or intensified as you wish. You can treat them as individual units too for a more focused arrangement.
While most LED lighting systems have a narrow range and often use direct light, the K5 series uses a special optical lens to focus and intensify each light individually.
Despite the full power and strength of this series, the lights use only about half as much energy as typical HID lighting systems.
K5 XL1000 LED Grow Light
One of the top models in the K5 series, is the K5 XL1000. Smartly equipped with wifi capabilities, the K5 XL1000 is really known as the true gold standard from Kind LED's range. You'll be able to use it at 40% less energy without affecting the quality of your yield. Expect a much longer lifespan in its bulbs which means very little time spent maintaining it.
The K5 XL1000 is really a more high tech update over any of the older, more traditional LED grow light products on the market. As a grower, you'll find the Kind Command Wifi Center a refreshing feature that allows you to control various fixtures via Wifi.
Use the timers to your convenience and set your preferred light spectrum from your mobile device or laptop. We love how the K5 XL1000 gave us a range of lighting combinations and schedules to choose from. The LCD interface was also a favorite feature of ours as it was very easy to use, making any program selection or set up extremely convenient.
K5 XL750 LED Grow Light
Besides the K5 XL1000, another favorite model of many growers from the K5 Series is the K5-XL750. Compared to the K5 XL1000, this broad, flat grow light measures 9 inches by 28 inches by 25 inches and weighs just over 27 pounds. The XL-750 has a footprint of 4 feet by 4 feet and uses a total of 208 diodes, over 100 more than most competing brands. It has a wattage of 430 and uses Kind LED’s perfect mixture of 3-watt and 5-watt diodes.
In comparison to the K5 XL1000, the XL750 is priced more affordably, although it does lack the wide range of features that the K5 XL1000 has.
K3 Series Grow Light Review
Compared to the K5 Series, the K3 Series is more affordable and designed to be an upgrade to any general lighting system.
The biggest difference between the K5 LED Series and the K3 LED Series (aside from the difference in price) is that the K3 Series only uses 3-watt diodes instead of the mix of 3-watt and 5-watt. This does limit the lights a little, but nothing too drastic. In fact, the K3 Series still has a more competitive reach than most other brand models.
Just like the K5 Series, the K3 Series uses about half as much energy to power their lights and produces minimal heat. Many of the products in this line, such as the K3-L300, have an improved performance compared to other brands.
K3 L300
The K3-L300 is smaller than the K5-XL750 with a footprint of 2 feet by 3 feet, but we love how it still still has excellent wattage and great power. Weighing in at 13 pounds and having 220 watts, the K3-L300 is almost a better buy for the price.
K3 L450
Another great product in the K3 Series is the K3-L450. It’s a little bigger than the K3-L300 and weighs 16 pounds, but it’s still affordable and well built. It has a wattage of 270 and a footprint of 2.5 feet by 3.5 feet, giving it a good mid-sized footprint between the L300 and the XL750.
Vegetative Bar Light
Kind LED also offers the Vegetative Bar Light, which is low profile and comes in 3 different length options. Available at 24 inches, 36 inches, and 48 inches, the vegetative bar light uses 3 watt diodes and provides wattage at 34 watts, 45 watts, and 64 watts respectively.
The smallest option for the light bar leaves a footprint of 2.5 feet by 1 foot whereas the longest light bar will have a footprint of 4.5 feet by 1 foot. These light bars are great for providing supplemental light for a garden and works both indoors and outdoors.
Waterproof and IP65 compliant, their bar light is very sturdily constructed and include both the IR as well as UV spectra to cater to any type of plants. Choose the blue color combination setting when you're dealing with vegetative plants and go for the red combination for flowering plants.
Flower Bar Light
Use the Kind LED flower bar light for any greenhouse or indoor lighting needs. And we really mean 'any'. Whether you're dealing with seedlings, herbs, microgreens or more, you'll find the flower bar light can be put to good use.
Just like the vegetative bar light, the flower bar light comes measuring 24 inches, 36 inches, or 48 inches. The wattage is a little different, giving off 24 watts, 35 watts, and 55 watts respectively. Just like the vegetative bar light though, it uses 3-watt diodes and uses half the energy as typical HID lighting systems.
The flower bar light replaces the white lights with yellow-green light to use alongside red and blue lights. Aside from that, the power and energy is the same as well as the footprint measurements. We love how the flower bar light has a great spectrum and gave our plants just the right boost needed.
Warranty
It’s vital with any electrical product that you check the warranty before you make a purchase, but when it comes to growing lights, it’s even more important. Kind LED does have a fairly decent warranty that covers any defects or dissatisfaction, but it’s not much different from your average warranty and should be looked at before.
The Kind LED warranty protects your grow lights for 3 years from any defects or problems related to manufacturing. They will also replace defective products or fix them if it is possible. You do have to keep an eye on purchase dates and how long it’s been since if you need to return or repair a product, however.
In the first 90 days after your purchase, Kind LED will cover all costs (including shipping) when it comes to a return or replacement for your lights. On day 91, though, any shipping costs over $50 will have to be paid by you. Kind LED will cover up to $50 per light, but after that, you will have to pay for any extra fees incurred.
If you are a customer from the United States, the warranty will be different than if you were an international customer. Remember to check all warranties and return policies before ordering or purchasing a grow light from Kind LED.
Are Kind LED Grow Lights Worth It?
Light bars sold by Kind LED come at high costs, but it’s not unwarranted. They are equipped with either 3-watt diodes or 3 and 5-watt diodes mixed together. The 12 band LEDs put out enough power and lights that Kind LED has often been considered a leading example of the industry.
The more expensive LED grow lights you buy, the more features you can expect. Some of these LED lights come with an integrated timer designed to recreate natural sunrise and sunset. This can help your plants have a more natural wake and sleep cycle at no extra work to you. The timer comes with an easy remote control and automatic features so once you set it, you can just leave it be.
Some LED grow light models have a customizable spectrum. This allows you to dim or increase the intensity of your LED grow lights by adjusting the red, white, or blue light as needed. The feature is easy to manage and an extra perk to some of Kind LED’s more advanced models.
The high price tag that comes with these LED lights is, admittedly, a big consideration for some customers. We recommend focusing on the return on investment that you can get from these lights, helping you get higher and more effective yields.
It’s really up to you as a grower to decide if the special features and powerful LED lights make up for the increased cost, but we do recommend Kind LED for anyone seriously invested in growing.
Conclusion
If you're a grower looking to improve energy efficiency in your growing, there's no doubt that Kind LED will help you achieve that.
Kind LED offers a variety of products that can be used to fully equip your garden, but it will come at a higher cost. You'll definitely get high quality Kind LED grow lights no matter which Kind LED product line you end up purchasing, and for us, the features offered do balance out the price to make it a sound investment. If you're utilizing HID lights in your set up right now, adding a Kind LED grow light can help you bring down your power costs. Before you know it, your investment can actually pay off itself.