Medic Grow EZ-8 Review

The Medic Grow EZ-8 is a high-powered LED bar array that can light up a 5’ x 5’ space. It can deliver ultra-high PPFD, up to 1500 µmol/m², to take advantage of supplemental CO2. Growers without supplemental CO2 can get excellent results with the Medic Grow EZ-8 at 80% power. It offers an excellent spectrum and superior efficiency. Best of all, it sets a new record for the best price among fixtures that I have tested. You can get the Medic Grow EZ-8 for only $0.30/µmol!

Medic Grow is a newer brand, but they are quickly establishing a solid reputation for quality fixtures at very affordable prices. I reviewed the Medic Grow Fold-8 in Spring of 2021. I was skeptical of the incredibly low price, but it performed very well in my tests. Over the last several months, I have heard from dozens of growers who are happy with their Fold-8s. Medic Grow has earned my confidence for the quality of their fixtures and customer service.

With a listed power draw of 1000 watts, the EZ-8 is more powerful than the Fold-8. However, the components on both fixtures are the same. The EZ-8 has 2816 full spectrum Samsung LM301Z+ diodes with a color temperature of 4000K. They add an additional 64 red diodes, which makes a total of 2,880 diodes or 2.88 diodes per watt. To power them, Medic Grow designed drivers that are manufactured by Sosen.

The 2,880 diodes are distributed among 8 LED bars. The 8 bars are mounted to a central chassis which houses the drivers. Each bar has a mounting bracket in the center which easily clips into brackets mounted on the chassis. Happily, they also have buttons which allow you to remove the bars. I recommend hanging the chassis in place and then clipping in the LED bars because the fully assembled fixture is difficult to maneuver.

The Medic Grow EZ-8 puts out a ton of light. It can easily hit PPFD levels of 1500 µmol/m² in a 5’ x 5’ space. This level of light density is only safe with supplemental carbon dioxide. Without supplemental Carbon Dioxide, the maximum safe density is only 1000 µmol/m². I decided to test the Medic Grow EZ-8 in a 5’ x 5’ foot space for growers with supplemental carbon dioxide (maximum up to 1500 µmol/m²) and for growers without (maximum up to 1000 µmol/m²). However, to keep the maximum under 1000 µmol/m² in a 5’ x 5’ space, I had to dim the EZ-8 to 80% – it puts out a ton of light!

In the first test, I hung the Medic Grow EZ-8 at 42.5cm (16.5in), where I measured a maximum PPFD at 1500 µmol/m². The distribution of light at this height is good. There is a large area in the center above the 1000 µmol/m² threshold. From side to side, all of the PPFD values are in the maximum production zone. The top and bottom of the map have less light density than the sides. However, the whole map, aside from the corners, is in the prime photosynthetic range. With 1500 µmol/m² in the middle, I would like to see the corners a bit higher, but the edge and corner densities would be higher at a somewhat higher hanging height.

At 42.5cm above the sensor, in a 5’ x 5’ space, with full power, the Medic Grow EZ-8 generates an excellent average PPFD of 939.8 µmol/m². That average equates to a Usable PPF of 2114.5 µmol. I measured a power draw of 965 watts at 120 volts, which means the EZ-8 has an elite Usable Photon Efficiency of 2.19 µmol/w.

If you run supplemental carbon dioxide, the Medic Grow EZ-8 is easily the most cost-effective way to deliver ultra-high PPFD to your plants. The full retail price is only $699, but we have a 10% discount code, which brings your cost down to $629 (Shop medicgrow.com – Use Code: CCFC). With a Usable PPF of 2114.5 µmol, the cost breaks down to only $0.30/µmol. This is easily the lowest cost for any LED fixture that I have tested. It rivals the cost for HPS lighting which is about half as efficient.

If you do not run supplemental carbon dioxide, I recommend a maximum PPFD of 1000 µmol/m². You can use the Medic Grow EZ-8 without supplemental carbon dioxide in a larger space or slightly dim. If you have a space at least 6’ x 6’, then you could hang it a bit higher and get great distribution up to a 1000 µmol/m² at 100% power. If you are in a 5’ x 5’ space without supplemental carbon dioxide, I recommend running the EZ-8 dimmed to 80%.

I tested the Medic Grow EZ-8 in a 5’ x 5’ area with a maximum PPFD of 1000 µmol/m². I had to raise the EZ-8 up to 55cm (21.5in) and set the dimmer to 80%. As you can see below, this test produced a great PAR map for growers without supplemental carbon dioxide. The photon density is above 900 µmol/m² in the middle region and dips only into the mid-600s along the edges. The corners are slightly below the 500 µmol/m² threshold, but they are very close.

The data from this test is impressive, particularly because the EZ-8 was running on only 80% power. The average PPFD was 717.4 µmol/m², which is perfect for growers without supplemental carbon dioxide. With only 80% power, the EZ-8 still delivered an impressive 1614.1 µmol of Usable PPF to the canopy. The power draw was cut to only 735 watts, so the Usable Photon Efficiency edged up to 2.20 µmol/w.

The Medic Grow EZ-8 can be controlled by an external 0-10v controller. It also has an on-board dimmer switch with preset positions at 40%, 60%, and 80%. I tested the on-board dimmer and found it to be very accurate. The maximum PPFD % is within about 1% of the dimmer setting in each position.

For growers with enough space, the Medic Grow EZ-8 is an incredible value. It has elite efficiency and produces a ton of light. The Medic Grow fixtures have bargain prices, but they perform well in my tests and have impressed the growers using them. If you think the EZ-8 is just too much light, you might consider the Fold-8 (PAR Test and Review) which is somewhat smaller. With our discount code, the Fold-8 comes to only about $589 or about $0.36/ µmol. After testing it, I thought it was probably the best deal in horticultural lighting. But now, the Medic Grow EZ-8 sets the new cost efficiency record. With 2114.5 µmol of usable light and a discounted price of only $629, the EZ-8 is only $0.30/ µmol! Competitive fixtures cost at least twice as much!