ATREUM Lighting HYDRA-1000 Grow Light Review

ATREUM Lighting sent me a pair of their new HYDRA-1000 Grow Light. In a recent YouTube episode, I unboxed and tested this bright and capable light, which has some unique features. There’s a discount code at the end of this article.

Because I have a gardening channel on YouTube, I get approached several times a month to test grow lights. I only choose one or two new models to review each season. Last month, I reviewed the VIPARSPECTRA P600, which I really liked and has already been put to good use lighting my hot pepper seedlings. The light I’m testing today is from ATREUM Lighting. ATREUM is an U.S.-based company that designs its own products, although this light is manufactured in China. They have some innovative ideas that make this brand new HYRDA-1000 light stand out in a crowded field.

Just like the VIPARSPECTRA P600, the ATREUM Lighting HYDRA-1000 is a quantum board light. This is a type of light where a large number of small LED diodes are attached to a flat board. Quantum board lights are silent because they’re able to disperse heat without the use of fans. You’ll really appreciate this if you’re still using one of the noisy older models. Also, these lights are typically full spectrum. That means they’re meant to mimic daylight, and don’t have the unnatural purple color of older LED grow lights.

One feature unique to this light is the arrangement of the diodes on the board. On most lights, the diodes are evenly spaced across the board. On the HYDRA-1000, you can see that they’re spaced farther apart in the center and closer as you near the edges. This is supposed to create more even lighting across the entire coverage footprint of the light. We’ll test that out later with our light meter. There are 4 different colors of diodes. Warm white light, Blue light, Deep Red Light, and Far Red Light. Combined, they deliver the full spectrum that plants need. ATREUM claims this light can cover 3′ x 3’ for vegetative growth, and 2′ x 2’ for flowering. I’m going to be using it to cover a 2′ x 2’ area. 

Another interesting feature of this light is the ability to remotely mount the driver and controller. Just remove four screws to remove the assembly with the controls and power supply. then mount where convenient. That could be a big advantage if you’re using a grow tent. One, you’d have easier access to the controls, and two, you’d keep a lot of heat out of the tent. An extension cord is included to keep the driver and controller connected to the remotely-located board. I don’t have a need for remote mounting, but it’s a really cool feature for those who do.

This light is suitable for damp locations, but is not designed to be submerged in water, in case that’s something you were thinking about doing. Not all grow lights have an ON/OFF switch, ao I really appreciate that feature. It has an LED readout to display its variable brightness level. I noticed a switch labeled LEAD and FOLLOW. Reading the user manual revealed another unique feature of the HYDRA-1000. When you connect two of more of these lights with RJ-11 phone cords, adjusting the brightness with the the LEAD light will also control dimming of any connected lights set to FOLLOW.

Since I have two of these lights, I linked them together with the supplied cord.  I set one light to Lead and other to Follow. it works exactly as intended. Turn the dimming knob on the lead light and both lights instantly change to the same brightness level. These two HYDRA-1000s have already been put to work lighting these newly transplanted hot pepper seedlings. I’ll follow up from time to time over the next 10 weeks or so until the plants are ready to head outside.

I tested the HYDRA-1000’s power consumption with a KILL-A-WATT meter. This grow light draws 15.2W at minimum brightness and 117W at maximum. The readout says 98W of light output at the max setting, so apparently there’s about 20W of overhead for the driver and controller. I’ve noticed after several days of use that the display can read between 98 and 100W at max brightness, due to normal fluctuations in our AC current.

I really like the ATREUM Lighting HYDRA-1000. Here are my main takeaways.

• This light is a quality product. It’s well-engineered and well-made.
• The unique arrangement of the LED diodes does seem to create more even distribution of light across the coverage area.
• I really like the ability to link dim multiple units with one knob. It would be even better if you could link them together for AC power and reduce the number of cords that have to be plugged into the wall or power strip.
• If you use this light in grow tent, the ability to remotely mount the controls is a real plus.

Would you like to learn more about the ATREUM Lighting HYDRA-1000? You can use the code 7POTCLUB to get an extra 5% discount when you purchase this light from Amazon in the U.S. or Canada, or directly from the ATREUM Lighting website. Here are the details:

Save 5% at Amazon with code 7POTCLUB

Buy from Amazon US
Buy from Amazon Canada

Save 5% at atreumlighting.com with code 7POTCLUB

Buy direct from ATREUM Lighting

As an Amazon Associate and ATREUM Lighting affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.