AliExpress A8SE Reef Light

[Reefing102]

Anyone have any experience with this light? Just found it browsing AliExpress and thought it looked to be a pretty good knock off of the XR30

AliExpress A8SE

I tried searching but nothing came up unless I was searching wrong

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Anyone have any experience with this light? Just found it browsing AliExpress and thought it looked to be a pretty good knock off of the XR30

AliExpress A8SE

I tried searching but nothing came up unless I was searching wrong

Interesting... I'm considering either another smatfarm or t5 hybrid for my 24x24x20 cube for sps. Something else to consider.

 

[dedragon]

its been talked about before. They use different names for them depending on the seller but here is link to the thread. Telegram did some testing and they might be worth it. I dont know if I have seen the a7 tested yet which is a kessil knockoff, but I might have missed it

Ecotech radion g5 knock off found!

I'm pretty sure that high end fixtures use more expensive leds than the budget options. Well, at least they should. Somewhat true. High end fixtures uses more quality controlled leds than the budget options. That is all. Cost is unknown to us, we don't know how many $ big name pays for...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Reefing102]

Thanks for the replies. I knew I had seen a thread on it. I’ll give that a good read

 

[srobertb]

not exactly what you wanted but here’s my recent findings. Down below I wrote how I programmed it; a common problem for users and the biggest hurdle in my opinion:

Previously I ran Kessils for several years... Until they all magically died at the 2 year mark. I liked the look but they didn’t grow things well. I moved on to Radions which grow things really really well but create more of a T5 look (no shimmer). The A7 comes on around noon and runs into the evening so I get a late evening shimmer as the Radions power down on the AB+ schedule.

I purchased an A+ A7 online for less than alieexpress from “aquarium low cost” to add some accent lighting to my tank. It took about 30 days to arrive. I have another 2 on order and they’re taking a bit longer. The power supply died literally within the first 5 minutes so I upgraded it for now (The seller is sending me a new one).

It’s a Kessil A360x (more or less) and unless you have them side-by-side or have run Kessils you won’t know the difference. The light matrix isn’t as tight as the Kessil as others have stated online. Fortunately this is an easy fix by using one of the two included reflectors (90 degree and 55 degree) to redirect and focus the light. I think I paid $115 for the light and it comes with what Kessil charges $50 for in reflectors. The Kessil 35degree reflector also works on the A7 too to get a super tight beam for a clam or Anemone or to roast marshmallows.

It has a single 1/4-20 screw hole on top for mounting. I purchased a 1/4-20 x 1/2” carriage bolt at Lowe’s and an $11 swivel camera mount from Amazon and it slid easily on an RMS mount between my Radions. It can now be directed and locked in place. That thread size is common for mounts for cameras and things so mounting options are nearly limitless.

You will need the app to program it. The knobs don’t do anything meaningful. The problem? It’s in Chinese. They made an attempt at a US app but it’s broken as they forgot to make the “upload to device” button active. So…you HAVE to use the Chinese app.

How to program ANY OF THESE LIGHTS if you don’t speak Chinese: In the instruction manual is a QR code for the apps. DO NOT choose the one with English writing. Choose the Chinese one. Download it on a tablet. I assume most people own a tablet these days but if no, buy one on Amazon for $50 (You are still at less than 1/2 the cost of the kessil).

Download Google Translate on your phone and select Chinese (simplified) to English. Use the photo/live translate button. Hold your phone over the tablet with the app open. Voila! It converts everything on the tablet into English in real time as you use the app on the tablet. The app is just color sliders and setting intensity points on a timeline, saving your program, then uploading it to the device.

 

[Reefing102]

Thanks! That’s definitely helpful as relatively what to expect

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Thanks! That’s definitely helpful as relatively what to expect

Serious. I've grown accustomed to chinesium issues, lol.

 

[srobertb]

Serious. I've grown accustomed to chinesium issues, lol.

90% of skimmers/lights/pumps are Chinese or made in a foreign country (as we all know). The skimmer thing really ticks me off. The “American way” for so many of these companies is to purchase them from China, slap a sticker on them, then sell them for 2-3x their retail price on aliexpress. Kudos to the companies making them here in the US but they’re few and far between.

With these direct generic/knockoff items it’s a risk vs reward though. The light I got literally blew the power brick in 5 minutes of its life. I wouldn’t use them as a primary life support system (except the aforementioned skimmers because they’re the exact same product) but $115 vs $400 for a Kessil A360x is a no brainer try. Especially since Kessils aren’t exactly high quality on their own.

I did look at the generic Radion and maybe the logic doesn’t track but at that price point I’ll take the $800 proven version vs rolling the dice on the $450 version for my main display. A softie tank or my goof off tank might be a different story.

 

[Reefing102]

It shows as $450 for you? It shows for me as $289 (limit 2) (not sure why it’s showing in Turkish, it’s English in the app lol)

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

It shows as $450 for you? It shows for me as $289 (limit 2) (not sure why it’s showing in Turkish, it’s English in the app lol)

I saw the same as well.

 

[srobertb]

A+ A8 S Reef Aquarium LED Light Full Spectrum

Brand: A+ Model: A8 S Type: Reef aquarium LED light Full spectrum LED light Aluminum alloy Intelligent temperature control You can control multiple lights using the APP Manufacturer warranty: 12 months

www.aquariumlowcost.com

Different website. That’s why.

 

[bkhunt]

It shows as $450 for you? It shows for me as $289 (limit 2) (not sure why it’s showing in Turkish, it’s English in the app lol)

Make sure you read the full name and there are 2 versions A8 (Radion knock off) and A8se (cheaper bulbs and drivers)

 

[Reefing102]

Make sure you read the full name and there are 2 versions A8 (Radion knock off) and A8se (cheaper bulbs and drivers)

Ahhh good catch! I didn’t even see that now that you mention. Glad I didn’t buy it That appears to be the SE

 

[bkhunt]

Ahhh good catch! I didn’t even see that now that you mention. Glad I didn’t buy it That appears to be the SE

I am still waiting to see reviews from people who have actually purchased them. I also wish there was a blue version of the lights.

Seems the prices fluctuate daily also.

 

[oreo54]

Ahhh good catch! I didn’t even see that now that you mention. Glad I didn’t buy it That appears to be the SE

Yea gets tricky ..

A8 is with CREE LED beads and MW (MEAN WELL) power supply. A8se is with Chinese Brand LED beads and a custom-made power supply.

 

[Reefing102]

I am still waiting to see reviews from people who have actually purchased them. I also wish there was a blue version of the lights.

Seems the prices fluctuate daily also.

It seems according to @telegraham while it works, he doesn’t reccomend this light, or the better version even, as it’s cost compared the to the ReefFi Uno 2.0 isn’t much different and the ReefFi seems to be a better overall light. Seems one of the biggest issues is the software

When there are lights out there like the Uno 2.0 Pro, this light is too risky of a purchase. I'm not interested in testing this thing beyond what I've already shared. I don't want any "well telegraham said it performed well" 10 minutes after the light gave up the ghost.

 

[Rustam]

Did you measure te PAR on A7?

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Did you measure te PAR on A7?

If your talking about the kessil a360 knockoff he did. The numbers were close iirc, 10% off overall? I have one on order currently.

 

[Rustam]

If your talking about the kessil a360 knockoff he did. The numbers were close iirc, 10% off overall? I have one on order currently.

I want to supplement my radion xr15 g5 pro with two A7, for 43 gallon aquarium

 

[Matt1997]

Well here is my 6 month review.

I have had the light running on my sps only tank (6 months old) since January of this year. I bought it for $250 USD shipped with a North American power supply. It is as close to a radion as you will ever see. The fans are the same, the lens cover is the same, the housing is near identical with the main difference being the cord runs through the back of this light. The LED count, color and type is the same. I have dissembled my radion G5s to compare components and the only striking difference is the radions run a 10 channel system controlling all colors of leds while the A8 runs 6 and the radion uses Bluetooth connectivity while the A8 uses wifi (will touch more on this).

I currently have the light running beside two g5 XR30 blues and 95% of people would not be able to tell the difference. The color blends perfectly and the par is actually slightly higher than that produced by the radions. The A8 runs a warmer color overall and more closely resembles the pro version of the radion but with minor tweaks in color you can produce the “radion blue” look with very similar par results. With the light set to full intensity I was pushing well over 800 par in the upper parts of the tank. I currently have it set to about 75% blue channels and 20-30% whites and reds and am achieving 600+ par at the top 6” and 150-250 on the bottom 24” down.

Upon first setup I initially struggled with programming the light as it is in Chinese and the English app was not functional at the time. With the help of Google translate and some back and fourth with the supplier I managed to get the Chinese app working while they made improvements to the English app (which is now fully functional). After setup I took the time to create a manual for the light that I provided to the supplier with illustrations on how to program the Chinese app if you only know English. Feel free to reach out and I will provide the document.

As for the connection. I have found it more reliable than the radions Mobius. I have come home many times to my radions being out of schedule, changing times, and only running red/green/individual channels. In all my time with the A8 I only lost connectivity twice. The first time the power went out and the light was running 1h behind schedule until I opened the app and set to current time. The other time the light must have completely lost connectivity and reset to the default 5% on all channels until I reconnected.

Now does it grow coral? Absolutely and oddly enough all my most vivid pieces are underneath the A8.

I have been so impressed with this light that I put my radion G5s up for sale. I figured for the price I sell my G5s for I can purchase about 10 of these lights as they give a discount on 10 units. In all aspects I see that as a win.