ebay led vs rapid,reefbreeder, etc

so talking to a buddy of mine who installs customs lights and does basic home renovation about led light and when i told him about some of the stuff out there he was a little baffled on why people spend so much on these led's. so he asked why cant you just buy the led's off ebay, so i asked are they able to be dimmed response yes.

the only thing he could think of that set these apart is they come in single little units not in a typical string like on ebay.
they are easy to hook up to a controller like the reefangel an such.
but he was baffled, cause they all take the same amount of power.

can someone answer what sets these apart cause he kinda sparked my curiosity to.
im sure there is a reason.

 

Not sure of question? Are you comparing the three or saying why don't we use $20 led home bulbs over our tanks.. The answer to both is probably spectrum.. Led home bulbs won't work, and if it is comparing ebay vs reef breeders.. Warranty uvs.. Etc

 

Question is why are the named branned ones more expensive and why cant you use the ebay ones

 

I have a taotronics led over my 20 gallon frag tank and it can support sps on 40 percent power

 

Try the customize-able D120 from evergrow. You can add, red, green, violet as you like. They are the same price as E-Bay lights, and work great. They also have one with a built in timer for dawn, highnoon.dusk, and moonlight with remote control for about 80 bucks more. I odered mine through Ali Express paying with pay pal. Corals are growing very well.

 

1. Better spectrum
2. Use good leds, not generic ones
3. More powerful leds

 

Basically its quality. I have both over my tank, while the bridgelux are def perfectly good, the Cree's are noticeably brighter and better looking. That being said, I'm not sure i'd trust the generic ebay ones yet, I'd stick to a reputable vendor when you make your decision as to how to go. There seems to be some low quality individual leds running through ebay, as well as some good ones.

 

Crees and luxeon are best with bridgelux behind them...

 

I kinda figured it was spectrum and quality but wanted to make sure

 

Member Vinnyboombatz also has one over his 120g DT. Don't know what his power setting is, but his corals and clams look great with it.