Look, I'm not going to pretend I figured all this out on my first try. I didn't. In my first year (that was 2019, right around when the Viparspectra P700 was becoming the go-to for hobbyists), I thought I had this indoor growing thing figured out. I was wrong. Real talk: I made a series of assumptions that cost me about $1,200 in lost potential and wasted electricity before I finally got it right.
Here's the thing that took me four grows and a lot of head-scratching to understand: upgrading your light isn't just about buying a bigger model. It's about understanding how that light interacts with your space, your plants, and your goals. And the weirdest part? I only fully grasped this concept after a conversation with a friend who installs patio chandelier lift systems for a living. I'll explain that connection in a minute, because it's actually the perfect analogy.
The Core Confusion: Comparing the Viparspectra P700 vs. P2000
Let's start with the thing most people get wrong. They look at the wattage difference between a Viparspectra P700 grow light and a Viparspectra P2000 LED grow light and think, "Twice the power, twice the yield." That's the classic rookie mistake. I made it.
I assumed that swapping a P700 for a P2000 in the same 2x4 tent would just mean faster growth. What actually happened was a mess of light bleaching on my canopy and weak, stretched growth on the edges. I'd created a hot spot in the center and a shadow zone on the sides. The P2000 wasn't the wrong light; my plan was wrong.
Dimension 1: Coverage Area vs. Intensity
This is where the chandelier analogy comes in. My buddy designs lighting for high-end patios. He explained that a tiny, super-bright chandelier over a long dining table looks terrible. You get a blinding spot in the middle and nothing on the ends. Instead, you use a patio chandelier lift to raise a larger, less intense fixture, spreading the light evenly. The same principle applies to your grow tent.
- Viparspectra P700: Excellent for a single, dense plant or a small 2x2 area. It concentrates its power. It's like a focused spotlight. Perfect for a mother plant or a clone dome.
- Viparspectra P2000: Designed to spread its power over a larger 2x4 or 3x3 area. It's not twice as "bright" as the P700; it's wider. Its advantage is uniformity.
The Mistake: I ran the P2000 at full power, 12 inches from the canopy, expecting massive colas. Instead, I got a stressed canopy and lower yields than my previous P700 run.
The Fix: I had to raise the P2000 to 24 inches and dial the dimmer back to 75%. Instantly, the light spread out. The temperature under the canopy dropped by 4°F, and the plants stopped showing signs of stress. The lesson: Intensity without coverage is wasted energy.
Dimension 2: The '24 Hour Light' Trap
This brings me to another hard lesson, which I reversed after a brutal failure. Every newbie asks, "Can plants grow in 24 hour light?" The short answer is yes, many vegetative plants will survive. But I've come to believe that survival isn't the same as thriving.
When I first got the Viparspectra P2000, I thought more light + more time = more growth. I ran it on a 24/0 cycle during veg. For two weeks, everything looked fantastic. Then, the margins of the lower leaves started curling up, and the growth tips looked pale. I assumed it was a nutrient lockout.
I only believed in the importance of a dark period after ignoring it and seeing the results. I switched to 20/4 for a week. The pH didn't change. The nutrients were fine. The plants were just exhausted. They needed a rest to process all that energy. The Viparspectra P2000 was pumping out so much photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) that the plants couldn't keep up without a few hours of metabolic processing time in the dark.
"People don't ask 'how much light can a plant handle?' They should be asking 'how much light can my plant process efficiently?' The answer changes with the light intensity."
The most efficient cycles aren't what you think. I've tested 20/4, 18/6, and 24/0. For a high-intensity light like the P2000 in a small, reflective tent, 20/4 actually produced thicker stems and more internodal spacing than 24/0. The plants used the 4-hour dark period to stretch and process sugars, making them more resilient for the next light cycle.
How to Choose: P700 vs. P2000 for Your Goal
So, after burning a hole in my wallet and my canopy, here's my practical advice. Don't just buy a light. Buy a system.
When to choose the Viparspectra P700 grow light:
- Your space is small. A 2x2 tent, a small cabinet, or a veg tent. The P700 will give you incredible density for its size.
- You are growing one large plant. Like a single photoperiod plant you plan to train heavily (SCROG). The concentrated beam fills a single plant canopy perfectly.
- Your budget is tight. It's a fantastic entry-level pro light. It won't limit you.
When to choose the Viparspectra P2000 LED grow light:
- You want a uniform canopy. If you're running multiple plants, especially in a 2x4 or 3x3 space, this is your light.
- You're growing in a taller tent. Because you can raise it and still get good penetration, you need a light that disperses well at a distance.
- You value flexibility. The dimmer is a game-changer. You can run it hard in flower and soft in veg, or even use it to start seedlings.
Between you and me, I now run a Viparspectra P2000 in my 2x4 flower tent and a Viparspectra P700 in my 1.5x1.5 veg tent. It's basically the opposite of what I started with, and it works perfectly. My mistake was forcing the P2000 to do a P700's job—focusing intensity—when it was designed to spread the wealth.
Ultimately, the cost of upgrading a light is small compared to the cost of lost time and lost yield. Don't learn this by spending money you don't have to. Learn it from someone who already did.