Fohse currently offers five fixture models for a range of environments and setups, from indoor lights to greenhouse and home garden systems, with a new 60-watt indoor propagation system on the way.

Longevity is a core selling point of all Fohse’s systems. “We’ve got a saying around here: buy right and buy once,” says Fohse CMO James Bradley. “Grow lights are the crowning investment in any cultivation facility, and it was important to us to design fixtures that would last decades for our customers.”

The A3i model, a 1500-watt industrial LED light, is designed for high-bay, single-level environments and is built to withstand intense grow conditions—from “hitchhikers” such as mites and aphids to full submersion in a meter of water. Made with diodes from industry-leading diode manufacturers, the A3i is Fohse's answer to the low output and poor canopy penetration of the cannabis industry’s early-generation LED systems, with swiveling light bars to achieve maximum canopy penetration via cross illumination to neighboring grow plots. As a fixture with a lifespan stretching beyond a quarter-decade, the A3i’s longevity sets it apart from the pack

When it comes to heat management—which can be a costly process for HPS users—A3i produces 60% more light per British thermal unit (BTU) than an HPS system. The A3i also boasts some of the highest photosynthetic photon efficacy levels of any LED grow light worldwide, with an abundance of diodes to prevent any diode from becoming “overclocked” (to borrow from a technology term meaning to run the hardware at full capacity for too long, causing it to wear out more quickly). The A3i’s average surface temperature is 115 degrees Fahrenheit—approximately the temperature of a sink full of dish water at full heat—and the system includes three layers of protection against electrical overload scenarios.

The F1V system, offered in 1,000-watt, 800-watt, 600-watt, and 420-watt LED lights, is designed for cultivation in vertical environments of all sizes. To ensure a more predictable crop performance, the F1V provides uniform photon density—eliminating uneven hot spots and cool spots for the most precise consistency possible.

Each F1V system is built to order, with systems constructed to fit the specific parameters of each cultivation environment. The 600-watt and 420-watt F1V systems typically work best for vegetative growth in vertical environments, while the 1,000-watt and 800-watt systems are built for performance in flowering vertical environments. Both models are made for damp environments.

The F1V system, like other Fohse systems, names endurance as one of its strengths, surpassing the lifespan of low-cost HID systems such as ceramic metal halide or HPS systems. The ability to avoid perpetual bulb maintenance is a selling point for the F1V, which—like the A3i model—provides beyond 25 years of light per fixture.

With a dual-purpose design, the F1V uses passive cooling technology to keep its diodes operating at peak efficiency, while dispersing heat to bring ambient room temperatures up. This process drives critical RuBisCO reactions closer to their full potential for increased carbon assimilation. (RuBisCO is a temperature-dependent enzyme involved in the early stages of photosynthesis.)

Fohse’s O6i model, designed for greenhouse illumination, consists of 1,200-watt LED lights. The O6i’s compact size is a selling point, with its design centered on the idea that greater photon density leads to more carbon assimilation—and, in turn, more biomass. The O6i includes more photons in each footprint than any other greenhouse light currently on the market.

The O6i light was designed with ease in mind, an effort to make the transition from an HPS greenhouse system to an LED system as painless as possible. With the O6i, an overhaul of existing electrical or truss infrastructure is unnecessary. Why make the change? The O6i has 50% greater output than a 1,000-watt DE HPS system, according to Fohse, with 42% greater efficiency and no infrared spike generating unnecessary heat.

The O6i further sets itself apart from other greenhouse systems with its “Light Harvesting” sensors, which measure the natural light in a greenhouse. If the sensors detect changes—from cloud cover to seasonal daylight fluctuations—the system can self-adjust in increments as little as 1% in real time as light conditions in the greenhouse evolve. The system operates via wireless internet and can be controlled with a mobile app.

The O6i system utilizes both passive and active cooling, with aircraft-grade aluminum heat sinks and two hyper-efficient variable speed fans to keep the system’s LEDs operating at peak efficiency. The system, which is made for damp environments, is also protected against the dangers of fluctuating humidity—a potential risk for sensitive electronics in greenhouses, where condensation can easily turn into drips—with an IP67 rating. Owners of the O6i system also have the ability to hose their fixtures down post-harvest without taking them down.

The Aries 640-watt home garden light is a reimagination of the A3i model, specifically designed for home grow environments. The model was developed after Fohse saw a “tremendous” demand for non-commercial lights from home growers, according to the company—a light that would combine the power of a commercial LED light with the scale of a home garden.

Like the A3i, the Aries features swiveling light bars to achieve maximum canopy penetration by cross illumination to neighboring grow plots. The Aries also sets itself apart from competing home grow lights with abundant photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), focused on the canopy by polycarbonate focal lenses.

Unlike most plasma-burning home grow lights, the Aries has no “Infrared Spike” in its spectrum—a selling point for growers whose canopies have suffered heat damage in the past. The Aries is also built to withstand intense growth conditions, including dust and spores, and can be submerged in up to a meter of water.

The Aries includes three spectral distribution modes to suit each stage of the crop’s growth cycle: from vegetative to early flower to late flower. The system is operated through a Fohse Central Control module—sold separately—which can control up to 100 fixtures.

The Pleiades, a 320-watt greenhouse light, is a supplemental light. The Pleiades’ slim profile is designed with seamless integration in mind, making the light an easy addition to existing truss infrastructure in any greenhouse and casting no additional shadows.

Uniformity is central to the Pleiades system’s design, with fixtures working together to deliver a variance of less than 10% in photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) levels. Like the O6i, the Pleiades is bundled with “Light Harvesting” sensors that measure the natural light in the greenhouse and allow the system to self-adjust accordingly.

Also like the O6i, the Pleiades is passively and actively cooled and built to withstand the dangers of fluctuating humidity in a damp environment, with a drip-resistant IP55 rating that allows growers to hose their fixtures down without removing them.

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