Mars Hydro FC-E8000 Review

The Mars Hydro FC-E8000 is a large 800-watt LED grow light designed for 5×5 coverage or 4×4 coverage with supplemental carbon dioxide. It is similar in design and performance to the Mars Hydro FC-8000. I tested the FC-8000 a couple of months ago. Last month, I compared it to 8 other 5×5 fixtures, and the FC-8000 won the title, “The Best 5×5 Grow Light”. But I had not tested, the FC-E8000 at that point.

The main difference between the models is that the FC-E series fixtures have Bridgelux diodes whereas the FC-series fixtures have Samsung diodes. Although the performance is similar, the FCE series fixtures have a significantly better price. The FC-E8000 has an excellent combination of performance, quality, and value.

Like the Mars Hydro FC-8000, the FC-E8000 has 8 adjustable LED bars. It comes disassembled and the spacing between the bars is adjustable. This design cuts down on shipping costs and enables greater adjustability. The simple assembly process takes only about 5 minutes.

The Mars Hydro FC-E8000 features a total of 3928 Bridgelux diodes, which is 4.9 diodes per watt. The high diode count is a strong selling point for the FCE series. There are full spectrum diodes at 3000k and 5000k along with 660nm deep red diodes. This is a common combination which creates an excellent spectrum for indoor horticulture. The driver on the FC-E8000 is from Sosen. It is the same model that is used on the FC-8000.

Mars Hydro markets both the FC-8000 and the FC-E8000 for 5×5 or 4×4 coverage for grows with or without supplemental carbon dioxide. For grows without supplemental carbon dioxide the PPFD limit is 1000 µmol/m². With supplemental carbon dioxide (PPM 1200-1500), the PPFD limit goes up to 1500 µmol/m².

In a 5×5 space the density of light from both fixtures is perfect for grows without supplemental carbon dioxide. In a 4×4 space at full power, there is too much light, unless there is supplemental carbon dioxide. I tested the FC-8000 a couple months ago, and I ran the same PAR and ePAR tests with the FC-E8000.

First, I tested the Mars Hydro FC-E8000 in a 150 x 150cm (5 x 5ft) space. It delivered a maximum PAR (400-700nm) PPFD of 1000 µmol/m² at a height of 59cm (23in) above the sensor. This is just one centimeter higher than the FC-8000. The distribution of light is excellent and nearly as good as the FC-8000. The lowest corner in the FC-E8000 5×5 PAR test was 570 µmol/m². For the FC-8000 the lowest corner was 597 µmol/m². The average PPFD was great at 781.6 µmol/m². Which converts to a Usable PPF of 1758.5 µmol. The power draw was 783 watts, so the Usable Photon Efficiency is 2.25 µmol/w. In the same test, the FC-8000 had a Usable Photon Efficiency of 2.26 µmol/w.

I also ran the same test with the Apogee SQ610 ePAR sensor which measures light from 400-750nm. Mars Hydro does not include diodes specifically for Far Red (700-750nm) light on either the FC or FCE series. However, both fixtures perform somewhat better in the ePAR test because the full spectrum and 660nm diodes emit a portion of their energy in the far-red wavelengths.

The Mars Hydro FC-E8000 delivered a maximum ePPFD of 1035 µmol/m² at the 59cm hanging height. The lowest corner climbed up to 600 µmol/m² on the nose. The average ePPFD is all the way up at 813.2 µmol/m², which converts to a Usable ePPF of 1829.7 µmol. In the ePAR test, the FC-E8000 had had the same Usable Photon Efficiency as the FC-8000, 2.34 µmol/w.

Comparing the PAR and ePAR test data for the FC-E8000, we can see that Far Red light accounts for 71.2 µmol, which is 3.9% of the total flux. That is somewhat more Far Red than I measured with the FC-8000 (59.9 µmol or 3.25% of the total flux). So the FC-E8000 has a fraction less PAR light than the FC-8000, but makes up for it with slightly more Far Red light.

Both the FC-8000 and the FC-E8000 generate an excellent density and distribution of light across a 5×5 grow space. They are both perfect in this space for growers without supplemental carbon dioxide. If you want to run either fixture in a 4×4 grow space, you will need to either supplement the carbon dioxide or dim the fixture to 75%. Just as I did with the FC-8000, I ran several PAR and ePAR tests with the FC-E8000 in a 4×4 space at a height of 30.5cm (12in) above the sensors.

In the 4×4 tests at 30.5cm (12in), the maximum PPFD was 1384 µmol/m² and the maximum ePPFD was 1443 µmol/m². The Average PPFD was 1268.3 µmol/m² and the average ePPFD is 1327.8 µmol/m². The lowest PPFD is up at 1043 µmol/m² and the lowest ePPFD is up at 1102 µmol/m². The distribution of photon densities is perfect for grows with supplemental CO2.

In the 4×4 PAR test at 100% power, the FC-E8000 delivered 1826.3 µmol of Usable PAR (400-700nm) light. In the ePAR test, the FC-E800 delivered 1912.1 µmol of Usable ePAR (400-750nm) light. The power draw during these tests was 782 watts, which means the Usable PAR Photon Efficiency was 2.34 µmol/w and the Usable ePAR photon Efficiency was 2.45 µmol/w. These are all excellent and very similar to the results of the same tests with the FC-8000.

In a 4×4 space at 100% power, the light produced by the FC-E8000 is too dense for plants without supplemental CO2. So, just as I did with the FC-8000, I ran ePAR tests with the dimmer knob set to the 75% and 50% positions. At 75% on the dimmer knob, the FC-E8000 pulled 577 watts. The maximum ePPFD was 1098 µmol/m², which is still a little high for grows without supplemental carbon dioxide. As with the FC-8000, the limit without supplemental carbon dioxide in a 4×4 space for this fixture will be about 550 watts. At 50% on the dimmer knob, the FC-E8000 pulled 314 watts and the maximum ePPFD was 620 µmol/m². The distribution of photon densities in these tests were excellent. The densities along the sides and in the corners are only marginally lower than in the center of the map. The efficiency in these tests was also excellent at 2.52 µmol/w and 2.63 µmol/w.

The ambient temperature during my tests was 24 C (75F). The FC-E8000 ran a few degrees cooler than the FC-8000. The LED Bars on the FC-E8000 hit a maximum temperature of 50.8C (123.4F). The driver, which was detached from the fixture, hit a maximum temperature of 57.9C (136.2F).

The tests show that the performance of the Mars Hydro FC-E8000 is very close to that of the FC-8000. However, the price for the FC-E8000 is $200 less than the FC-8000. For the best deal, use discount code CCFC on Mars-hydro.com. With that discount, the price for the FC-E800 is only $640.20. The Usable ePPF is 1829.7 µmol, which gives the FC-E8000 one of the absolute best prices on the market at only $0.35/µmol!

The Mars-Hydro FC-E8000 is a powerful grow light with top efficiency and excellent distribution. It nearly matches the FC-8000 photon for photon. The price makes the FC-E8000 an easy choice. In the current market, you could pay a lot more and get a lower quality light. The Mars Hydro FC-E8000 is an excellent light and an incredible deal.