Hydrofarm JSV2 2-Foot Jump Start T5 Grow Light System Review

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List Price: $74.95
Sale Price: $52.49
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I ordered the JSV2 2' grow light jump start system and it arrived pretty quickly and set up was a breeze. All you really need is a screw driver and common sense. I put it together in about 10 minutes and the pully system for the light comes already assembled and works great.

It also comes with a 24 watt T5 6400k High output fluorescent bulb which is already installed upon arrival. The 6400k bulb is a very efficient low heat bulb which is designed to promote overall growth in the plant. Because it is a low heat emitting bulb you can place the light source a couple inches from the plants to prevent the loss of light.

This is not a complex system, it is simple and efficient. For the price it would be hard to find a package which comes with a stand, a reflective fixture, a good bulb, easy adjustment, and easy assembly. It is a good first step into the grow light world which is vast and and many times confusing. I also found that it isn't really that flimsy. The product isn't industrial grade but the light fixture is sturdy and so is the stand if you put it together correctly.

I will be growing venus fly traps when they arrive and I have researched grow light systems quite a bit. This system will only cost me $1.50 cents to run per month. The calculation can be done by taking the 24 Watts and dividing it by 1000 to get KW. Then multiply that number by how much the electric company charges per Kilowatt hour. That is the price it will cost to power the light for one hour. Then multiply that number for one hour by however many hours you will run it during the day. Then just multiply the cost of one day by 30 days and you have how much it will cost you to run the system for a month.

For example here is mine 24W/1000 = .024

.024 x .1484 (cost per kWh) = .0035616 cents per hour (less than 1 cent an hour). .0035616 x 14 hours = .0498624 dollars per day (about 5 cents). .0498624 x 30 = 1.50 per month. So my light run for 14 hours will cost one dollar and fifty cents per month. This is assuming that the light runs at 24 Watts per hour.

When I was shopping for grow lights online I found a very helpful website that includes a much better description on the Jump Start grow light and has a lot of technical and very helpful information on plant lighting. littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/lights2.shtml#jsfixture.

The website has a grow lighting guide and also contains the calculation above. It was by far the most helpful website when considering this purchase. It includes a good bit of information about the T5 6400k bulb and the Jump Start from HydroFarm.

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I love gardening, but living in New Hampshire, it is necessary to overwinter some of my plants indoors under lights. I bought this product for that purpose.

It has pros and cons. I have looked for similar products in this price range, but this one seems to be pretty unique. I have not been able to find another product which is a complete set with a stand, full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs, and a fixture for under $100.

As such, it seems like there is not much competition for this type of product in the marketplace. It shows the product could be better.

First, it is not very sturdy. The metal frame requires assembly, but the pieces are soft (mine arrived bent and I had to use pliers to reshape it before I could complete the assembly). The frame, once it is assembled, is not terribly sturdy. Even for something in this price range, I was disappointed with the quality.

There are two fixtures for fluorescent tubes. The tubes do not lock into the fixtures very well, and have a tendency to shift and roll around. The metal pieces which contains the fixtures can flex and deform, which contributes to the instability of the tubes.

One of the light fixtures on the product that I received was defective (I knew because I could switch the bulbs, but each bulb would only light if it was in the working fixture). The retailer I bought the product from (7GIFTS) and the manufacturer were excellent about getting me a replacement fixture both were very communicative and seemed happy to address my problem. That was a plus.

I have the light on a timer, set to provide ~18 h of light per day to my succulents and some flowering plants that require full sun. All in all, it works well the plants are doing nicely. The wattage is relatively low, so it does not cost me very much to run the light.

My overall experience with this product was a bit of a hassle, but ultimately it works for my purposes. The cost was not unreasonable but the product could definitely use some improvement.

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I was a little afraid to order this because of previous reviews, but found this item to be perfect for what I wanted to use it for. Set up is easy, fast and works just great. Maybe not the most high quality product for the price, but other ones out there are much more expensive and are basically the same. This is just a simple way to get light to your seedlings for a couple months before planting outside. The light raises and lowers just as advertised. Works Great. Would buy it again.

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I loved this product. But the bulb didn't last long. No problem, right? I went to the hardware store for a replacement only to discover that this fixture uses a non-standard length of T5 bulbs. A standard, readily available length is 21 inches this one appears to be 22 inches. So my only option is proprietary bulbs. Hydrofarm doesn't ship direct so I check for a retailer none in my area.

It's ok, amazon is selling them but then I see that they will normally ship in 2-4 months. I'm growing plant starts now not in 2-4 months. A handful of sellers have them available for extravagant prices. Eventually, with no other options, I bought from one. If I'm lucky, I might actually get to use this light this season.

For the future, if I can source cheap bulbs, I might keep using this grow light. But so far it seems like their proprietary bulbs are short lived, expensive and difficult to find.

I would suggest to anyone who is planning on purchasing this fixture to keep looking: for one that uses a standard bulb length.

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I just received the JSV2 today, and haven't put it together yet but I am confident that it is a good product. Here's the thing: the product description on Amazon is totally wrong, according to the manufacturer. The JSV2 now has only one light, instead of the two mentioned in the description, so don't be surprised (like I was!) when the system arrives and looks different than expected. According to Hydrofarm, the older JSV2 had two T-12 bulbs, but they redesigned the product and it now comes with one T-5 bulb, which is apparently a much better bulb.