[saf1]

This is really a personal preference and opinion. The way I see it DIY is always cheaper and won't be more expensive anytime soon. This is a hobby so adding in the labor cost is a bit premature. I guess you can if you take your hourly rate but it really isn't the right thing to do unless you do that for other day to day tasks you perform on the tank like water changes, power head cleaning, etc. Yes, time is money....but again it is a hobby.

Cheaper is also subjective. Off the shelf name brand products like say Kessil will start at or around what, 240 US dollars? Radion are starting around 650'ish? Lets talk Mitras starting around 600 or so? If anyone has the time, patience, willing to learn, and DIY technical skills you will always, and I mean always, be able to produce quality lighting for cheaper. The main key is patience and shopping around.

People are making some serious multi chip solutions in small package forms that don't require large heat sinks. Pair them up with a nice driver, power supply, and you can have 4 high output lights, with uniform coverage, 4 channel dimming capability, for a fraction of the cost. Maybe it won't have a built in controller but is that necessary if you already have a controller? Maybe it won't have a clean form factor. Is that necessary if it is under a hood? I get all the wiz bang gadgets they offer but most people on this sub forum already have a controller so dimming is already a done deal...

So for me it is a matter of if what I can build offers similar lumens / watts, spectrum coverage, intensity, control, and finally price. Not saying I'd need 4 but lets say I buy 4 of the Radions noted above at 650 a pop. That is 2,600 bucks. No thank you, I'll pass. I can buy 4 single multi chips, drivers, power supply, wire, and heat sinks for 400. Then if I need more fine tune it by adding a bar or another pair and still be under 600.

Yeah no, DIY is cheaper.