LED grow lights don’t use traditional reflectors like HID and T5 grow lights do. For the most part, they don’t use reflectors at all. Instead, each driver, diode cluster, and panel is housed in a shell. The shell offers openings for the diodes and chips to emit light from, while offering a white or silver reflective background to help reflect the light each diode emits down onto your plants.
There are benefits and challenges to using LED grow lights with shells:
If you have a more complicated light — say, a dimmable LED grow light with lots of diode clusters that have their own drivers — shells will help keep all that technology safe from dust and moisture found in the open air. They’re also made with air vents to help air flow to prevent overheating.
LED grow lights without shells, from supplemental lights to high-powered ones, tend to be more minimal in design. When working with these lights, make sure to keep an eye on the moisture and dust around the light. They’ll work as well as lights with a shell, but keep in mind that they're more exposed to the environment.
You shouldn’t be swayed one way or another about a light based on whether it has a shell. Ensuring drivers are able to safely operate and give your diodes energy is just as important, and that will depend on whether your light has a shell or how clean you keep the area around drivers and diodes.
There are benefits and challenges to using LED grow lights with shells:
If you have a more complicated light — say, a dimmable LED grow light with lots of diode clusters that have their own drivers — shells will help keep all that technology safe from dust and moisture found in the open air. They’re also made with air vents to help air flow to prevent overheating.
LED grow lights without shells, from supplemental lights to high-powered ones, tend to be more minimal in design. When working with these lights, make sure to keep an eye on the moisture and dust around the light. They’ll work as well as lights with a shell, but keep in mind that they're more exposed to the environment.
You shouldn’t be swayed one way or another about a light based on whether it has a shell. Ensuring drivers are able to safely operate and give your diodes energy is just as important, and that will depend on whether your light has a shell or how clean you keep the area around drivers and diodes.
