MaxSpect LED 60W

[albinosage]

I was a bit apprehensive about buying the MaxSpect 60W light set because everyone, and I really mean everyone I spoke to told me that I would need the 110W model for sufficient coverage of a 1.5ft tank.

Personally, I find the 110W (36 x LED) fixture a bit of an overkill for such a small tank, since my current JBJ 24G nanocube was running on a custom made 18 x LED (later upgraded to 21 x LED) with no adverse effects. In fact coral growth was reasonable and healthy, and the lights were even a bit too strong near the top.

The 18 LED MaxSpect model seems to be the closest in specifications to my current LED lighting, so it makes natural sense that being the skeptic and renegade, I decided to buy the 60W model and see it for myself.

Simple brown carton box acts as both the shipping box and packaging.

In the following review, I hope to share my first thoughts on this light fixture with other nano tank owners who are thinking of switching to LED, because I spent the past couple of weeks trying to find non-promotional photos and reviews of the light set in use, but can't find any.

More pics coming up shortly...

[jackywongto]

** clap clap ... another MaxSpect user.

remember to give us a comparison against your ex SSC LEDs .....

[albinosage]

Contents of the box are fitted securely with foam padding, and wires are neatly packed into the smaller compartments. I'm a sucker for neat packaging, first impressions are an important part of my product experiences. Swee!

Light set comes with an ELOS style clamp, and hanging kit (I believe the hanging kit wasn't included for earlier shipments of the lighting), LED driver is surprising large in comparison to the light set itself.

18 LEDs arranged in 3 rows of 6. White > Blue > White

Elos style clamp which looks a little too shallow. I don't have a thick tank glass to test the sturdiness of the clamp, so I shall reserve judgment for now. One of my nylon bolts was actually defective! The screw thread didn't fit into the hole

Edited June 23, 2010 by binosage

[albinosage]

Really small and compact, at 18cm x 18cm x 4.5cm. I'm mounting it on my JBJ 24G nanocube so that I can get fair comparison photos with my previous lighting.

Aluminum bar was added for support because the IOS wall for this tank is less than 5mm, and cannot support the weight of the light set (don't have an exact weight, but it feels like it's more than 1kg) which hinges on a rather shallow looking clamp.

Aaaaand... let there be light!

First impression: it looks a little purplish, not something I am used to.

Light coverage is actually pretty darn good. The whites and blues blend evenly, and distribute throughout the tank and beyond. I believe the angle of coverage of the LED itself is 120 degrees.

[tian1974]

the more you look at it, the more you will mesmorize by it basically, i just enjoy watching my tank with my maxpect lights on. Enjoy!

[TayHongSiang]

i had this 60W for a week b4 i sold it off....the length not enough to cover my 2ft....

its a good product....i have to admit....u can plant more SPS liao....my yuma respond better to this LED lighting than T5...b4 it melt on me....

U can on this for >10hrs and dun have to worry about heat....except for the driver which can be very hot...so dun touch it when u r switching off yr lights...

[pokmingsheng]

the more you look at it, the more you will mesmorize by it basically, i just enjoy watching my tank with my maxpect lights on. Enjoy!

agreed..

when i first got mine,

i sat in front of my tank for a good one hour...

my first set of LED lights, 110W,

before that i was using T5s..

i never looked back..

good buy!

[albinosage]

Finally, a comparison with my previous 2 light sets. All photos shot at the same setting of f/4.5, 1/100, ISO 800, custom white balance to roughly what my eyes see cos LEDs are a bitch to capture accurately on a digital camera.

Original JBJ 76W PL light fixture.

Custom made 63W LED fixture from Sherman. 14 x white, 7 x royal blue Seoul Semiconductor LEDs.

MaxSpect 60W LED fixture. 12 x white, 6 x blue SemiLED LEDs.

I think corals under the SemiLED blue LEDs lack the BOOMZ as compared to SSC or CREE royal blues. The overall look of the MaxSpect is a lot brighter, but purplish. And all this while I thought Jacky don't know how to use his camera hahaha!

MaxSpect 60W specification

LED Source : 12PCS x 3W White LED, 6PCS x 3W Blue LED(SemiLED Chips)

Brightness : 3W White LED - 160LM/PC, 3W Blue LED - 40LM/PC

Color Temperture & Wavelength : 3W White LED (10000K), 3W Blue LED(450nm)

Input Voltage : 110V-220V

Power Consumption : 60W

Diamension : 180*180*45mm

Overall, I am very pleased with this light set although there is still room for improvement. With this retail price and sleek design, it is really good value. I still can't believe this is a China developed product.

[LaW]

nice looking stuff Tong.

[albinosage]

the more you look at it, the more you will mesmorize by it basically, i just enjoy watching my tank with my maxpect lights on. Enjoy!

Hahaha yah, it is quite nice and shimmering. But I'm a bit disappointed with the colours, the corals are not as sexy even though it is a lot brighter overall. I guess I'm posting up this review as an existing LED user and not new convert haha.

i had this 60W for a week b4 i sold it off....the length not enough to cover my 2ft....

Yah lah! You buy and sell it off so quick, didn't even take any FTS! I was searching all over the net for user submitted pictures but there weren't any for the 60W. That's why I posted this up for the benefit of reefers who wish to see pics before purchasing.

agreed..

when i first got mine,

i sat in front of my tank for a good one hour...

my first set of LED lights, 110W,

before that i was using T5s..

i never looked back..

good buy!

Hahaha I did that too! But I spent that time figuring out the correct custom white balance for my camera. Everything turn out purple!

[TayHongSiang]

you can cheong more corals after this....if u change the blue LEDs to cree will be even nicer....

[raydiative]

Nice... are you gonna change your tank?

[albinosage]

you can cheong more corals after this....if u change the blue LEDs to cree will be even nicer....

Yah, I'm thinking of either adding an additional strip of royal blue LEDs to supplement it, or change the row of blue LEDs to royal blue.

Nice... are you gonna change your tank?

Yup, this is a test run for my new tank which would be similar in size and volume. Buy all the equipment first haha.

Anyway, to address the question of 60W or 110W for 1.5ft tank, it should be noted that most 110W users I see online use the hanging kit, between 3 to 6 inches above the tank. The higher the light fixture, the less light penetration there will be. Mounted on a clamp just slightly above the water level, and taking into account the distance from the sandbed, my 60W is just 15 inches away from the bottom. The light coverage will be more than sufficient at this range.

One thing that bothers me besides the colour is the inability to control the blue and white light separately. It is just one single switch that controls everything. But considering that I have to buy a light set at nearly twice the price and twice the power consumption just to get that feature, I'd rather make do with what I have

[peacemaker]

Nice review, bro! I'll have to agree on the purplish tinge. Missed the "blueness" of my T5s, but I'm kinda used to the LEDs already. Its prolly common knowledge, but I find the shimmer effect at its max when all the ambient lights are off.

[jackywongto]

I think corals under the SemiLED blue LEDs lack the BOOMZ as compared to SSC or CREE royal blues. The overall look of the MaxSpect is a lot brighter, but purplish. And all this while I thought Jacky don't know how to use his camera hahaha!

Hmm and you are actually right.... still a noob with my camera

[albinosage]

Nice review, bro! I'll have to agree on the purplish tinge. Missed the "blueness" of my T5s, but I'm kinda used to the LEDs already. Its prolly common knowledge, but I find the shimmer effect at its max when all the ambient lights are off.

Yeah it takes some getting used to, especially when my sand looks purple instead of black lol! Yah the shimmering of the LEDs is really quite a sight with the ambient lights off. Is that why you like to stay late in the office?!

Hmm and you are actually right.... still a noob with my camera

Just teasing you bro! The white balance in your pics are actually pretty accurate to what I see in my tank too.

[Harlequinmania]

As far as i know, maxspec is using the same technology from Solaris which used to be the pioneer in Aquarium LED lighting.. So the products should be of certain standard..

[peacemaker]

Yeah it takes some getting used to, especially when my sand looks purple instead of black lol! Yah the shimmering of the LEDs is really quite a sight with the ambient lights off. Is that why you like to stay late in the office?!

Heh... there are blinds in the office, so the effect is still there during the day time!

Its a shame that the 60W version doesn't come complete with the timers to control the white LEDs and the blues. If they ever develop G3 versions, these are some of the things to consider, plus dim-able capabilities, would make this light set rock!

[ogykogy]

Welcome to the 60 watts club.!very happy with mine since day 1.

[TayHongSiang]

i'm saving up for this: LED-G2-800- 230W

[mitlancer]

Nice... pics speak more than a thousand words!!!!!!!

Looks like Maxspect will be in my wish list.....

[richreef]

s

i'm saving up for this: LED-G2-800- 230W

hi bro AhSiang, i'm in the process of setting up a reef tank.50"x24"x36".mostly lps and softies.So if i used maxspect wat is the best reconmendation. TKNS

[jackywongto]

Looks like Maxspect will be in my wish list.....

only now?? geez......

I think the few Maxspect owners has resonated the same thoughts:

At this pricing and quality of the build, really there can be no complains.

The only huddle is that the SemiLED blue LEDs somehow does not bring out the true flourescene of the corals as compared to using SSC or CREE Royal blues. TO me, it is just a mionor setup against the many positives.

[albinosage]

s

hi bro AhSiang, i'm in the process of setting up a reef tank.50"x24"x36".mostly lps and softies.So if i used maxspect wat is the best reconmendation. TKNS

Bro, is it 36" height or width? I think a height of 3ft will be a bit hard to get the best performance out of any of the Maxspect fixtures. Even for a height of 2ft, LED lens is usually used to narrow the light beam for better penetration.

[TayHongSiang]

s

hi bro AhSiang, i'm in the process of setting up a reef tank.50"x24"x36".mostly lps and softies.So if i used maxspect wat is the best reconmendation. TKNS

G2-800-170W....supplement with 2 tubes of T5 to cover the corners....

in case, you want to try SPS in future...coz very easy to kena poison...i suggest going for 230W model...