Plants, including cannabis, flowers, and vegetables all require a specific spectrum of colored light. The only way to know if your plants are getting the right color is by using a PAR light meter. PAR refers to colored wavelengths of light between 400nm and 700nm on the light spectrum.
3 Top PAR Light Meters
1. [Best Overall] Apogee MQ 500 Light Meter With Telescopic Wand
Perfection does come with a price tag, but if money is not an issue and you want to grow the biggest buds, then check this plant light meter out.
4.9/5
2. [Best For The Money] Sun System PAR Meter w/ Remote Sensor
Made by an LED grow light manufacturer is reassuring as this plant light meter is designed to work with Sun System LED grow lights or another LED light on the market.
4.8/5
3. [Best For Hydroponic Gardens] Apogee MQ-200X PAR Quantum Separate Sensor with Handheld Meter
Measures the PAR accurately and fast. It does a great job with light measurements of both colored and white LED grow lights as well as pressure sodium and incandescent lights.
4.7/5
What a PAR lightmeter does is calculates the proper PAR value and measuring light intensity from led grow lights so you can adjust the light specifically to plant growth stage. In short, a light meter for plants.
Because plants thrive on light and light spectrum, a PAR light meter can tell you exactly what light to give your plant at what time. Thus, having a PAR light meter can enhance your plants growing indoors by maximizing beneficial lights that your plants receive.
Not sure what Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) light meter for grow lights to use? Below are reviews of the best PAR light meters. Finding the best PAR light meter will help your plants thrive under perfect conditions for growing indoors.
Best PAR Light Meters Reviews
1. [Best Overall] Apogee MQ 500 Light Meter With Telescopic Wand
4.9
This is the PAR light meter for those that want perfection. Perfection does come with a price tag, but if money is not an issue and you want to grow the biggest buds, then check it out.
The MQ-500 by Apogee comes with a handheld meter for spot metering the colored PAR light spectrum in tight areas around your grow room. Easy to adjust and move around your plants from the canopy to the trunks, so you can tell what colors dissipate and where the strongest PAR is.
The sensor uses a blue enhanced photodiode made from silicon along with optical filters. In other words, it is well engineered for the job it is intended to do. Highly accurate results are what happens when using this light meter. The spectrum range is between 389 to 692 nm with a 180-degree view to pull in more PAR lighting. The sensor is also waterproof which can be beneficial after feeding your plants as to not break due to moisture.
This PAR light meter is so good that it is backed by a 4-year warranty and is made in the USA. This PAR meter works very well and is one of the best PAR meters available for LED lights.
2. [Best For The Money] Sun System PAR Meter w/ Remote Sensor
4.8
Super simple to use when measuring photosynthetically active radiation. Made by an LED grow light manufacturer is reassuring as it is designed to work with Sun System LED grow lights or another LED light on the market.
The PAR light meter comes with 1 lithium-ion battery and weighs roughly 7 ounces. Lightweight and easy to understand dashboard gives this meter a glowing review. The sensor, however, is not waterproof so be careful when feeding your plants as you might need to check the light color before or sometime after you water.
The sensor of this light meter is good for spot-checking color temps in your grow tent as it is nimble enough and portable to move it to where you want it. Easy to measure amounts of PAR.
The biggest issues with this light meter seem to be the customer service, but if you do have an issue you can use Amazon for returns most of the time. We had no trouble with this light meter.
We got what we were supposed to and it worked great for measuring visible light. This is a good PAR light meter to measure light standard sources.
3. [Best For Hydroponic Gardens] Apogee MQ-200X PAR Quantum Separate Sensor with Handheld Meter
4.7
This one of the best PAR meter is designed specifically for measuring the light of hydroponic gardens, this PAR meter does exactly that: Measures the PAR accurately and fast. It does a great job with light accurate measurements of both colored and white LED grow lights as well as pressure sodium and incandescent lights. No matter your light source is, it is also the most affordable meter for light on our list.
A professional PAR meter at a beginner’s price tag. The Apogee MQ-200X is aptly used with greenhouses, hydroponics or DWC systems and perfect for hobbyists who enjoy growing plants indoors. This PAR meter has a high upper range of up to 410 to 655nm so it can even measure metal halide high pressure lights, led lights or direct natural sunlight for example.
Auditing your light levels is very easy with this exposure PAR meter. It comes with a 4-year warranty, an LCD display that is easy to read and a 180-degree field of view so it gives great results. PAR light meters tend to be more expensive, but are worth every penny for the results you get with plants. Finding the sweet spots for when perfect spectrum is showing makes all the difference and the MQ-200
At its price point, it is a “best light meter” in its class. Known for accurate readings as well as some extra bells and whistles. It offers data logging to keep track of light color, a standard USB cable and uses a constant linear response curve to achieve high-accuracy results compared to a traditional Gaussian curve.
Extremely easy to calibrate, this light meter also has a low-battery indicator and is priced to sell. Functionality with this lower-priced model is right where this PAR meter needs to be. It will give you the functionality you need to grow big buds.
This PAR meter is lightweight and functional at 7.7 ounces and comes with an LR44 battery that keeps it charged for hours on end and backed with a limited 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Final Word About The Best PAR Light Meters
You may be tempted when searching for PAR meters to purchase a cheap model. If you are searching on Amazon, for example, don’t be fooled by cheaper models that look like PAR meters but do anything but measure PAR. It’s all in the details.
No matter your light sources, if you are an indoor gardener looking for the best results, a PAR light meter might be the thing that gets you there. Data is what drives a successful indoor garden and by adding a PAR meter to the mix you are enhancing your garden by knowing exactly what color light is hitting your plant and thus growing them into large and beautiful specimens. Hopefully, you can see the importance of color temperature as it relates to plants.
Optimizing environmental light levels can only enhance your growing process for plants. A good color meter is a must!
FAQs
1. Are PAR meters worth it?
PAR meters are useful tools for growers in that they provide useful information regarding the amount of photosynthetic light reaching the sensor. The way plants perceive light is different from how humans see it. Light wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers are beneficial to plants, according to studies.
2. How do you measure PAR with LED lights?
PAR is a measurement of the light's ability to support photosynthesis. It can be measured in PAR watts per square meter, or µmol/s per square meter.
PAR meters are used to measure the amount of light that a plant receives and can be used to determine how much supplemental lighting is needed for plants grown indoors.
3. What should my PAR meter read?
The PAR measurements for your plants should be between 400 and 600 PPFD as they proceed through veg and you want to foster robust, vegetative development during this time.
4. Can you convert LUX to PAR?
The answer is no, you cannot convert LUX to PAR. The unit of measurement for the amount of light that falls on a surface is lux and it doesn't have an equivalent in the PAR system.
5. What is the difference between PAR and PPFD?
The difference between PAR and PPFD is that PAR measures the amount of light in one area, while PPFD measures the total amount of light energy being emitted by a surface.