Maxibright Daylight UV and Far Red Supplementary Strips — Spectral Enhancement for Serious Growers
Best for: Established growers with quality primary lighting looking to fill spectrum gaps and boost flowering performance
Our thoughts
If you've already invested in decent primary lighting, these supplementary bars are a sensible way to squeeze more out of your setup without replacing fixtures. Maxibright's a proper UK brand with 28 years in the game, and these strips do exactly what they should. One for growers serious about yield and quality, not beginners throwing everything at the wall.
Maxibright Daylight UV and Far Red Supplementary Strips are 60W LED add-on bars designed to work alongside your existing Daylight LED fixtures—or independently if you prefer. They fill the spectral gaps that standard full-spectrum grow lights miss, pushing performance rates noticeably higher. You choose the wavelength you need: UVA only, UVA & UVB combined, or far-red. Mount them using the supplied brackets between your Maxibright bars, or hang them separately. Proper plug-and-play, passive cooled, no faff.
How it compares
These sit in the mid-to-premium supplementary lighting tier.
- Higher wattage (60W) than entry-level competitors (most sit at 25–30W)
- Modular wavelength selection—choose UV, UV+UVB, or far-red independently, not forced bundles
- Seamless Maxibright ecosystem integration; works cleanly with 480W and 660W Daylight fixtures
- UK-manufactured heritage brand vs. budget imports or app-dependent alternatives
- No smart control (unlike Spider Farmer sets), but solid passive cooling and waterproof IP65 rating
In short: proper spectrum completion for growers who already have quality primary lighting and want measurable improvements without full replacement cost.
Usage guidance
How you use these depends on which wavelength variant you choose.
Far-Red (730nm)
Far-red accelerates flowering times and boosts biomass by manipulating how plants perceive dark periods. Mount horizontally between your Maxibright bars or hang over the canopy. Run for the final 30 minutes of your light cycle, or use short bursts (15–30 minutes) at lights-off to trigger faster flowering. Best results when used consistently through the flowering stage.
UVA (365–405nm)
UVA enhances secondary metabolite production—the compounds that make plant material more potent and aromatic. Plants respond to UV stress by boosting protective compounds. Start low: run two 15-minute sessions per day, spread across your lights-on period. Increase duration by 15 minutes every couple of days until you reach 2–6 hours total per day, split into two sessions. This prevents damage and lets plants recover between pulses.
UVA & UVB (280–405nm)
Broader UV spectrum creates denser, more compact foliage and stops stretching. UVB is particularly effective at preventing powdery mildew—the spores can't survive in high UV. Same protocol as UVA: start at two 15-minute sessions, work up gradually. The added UVB also directs plant energy into fruit production rather than stem elongation.
Integration with primary lighting
These are supplementary, not replacements. Use them alongside your main Daylight fixture. The brackets clip cleanly between Maxibright bars; if you're using a non-Maxibright primary light, you'll need to rig independent mounting but it's straightforward—these are lightweight and passive cooled so no heat management concerns.
Technical specifications
- Power output: 60W per bar
- LED chips: Osram
- Spectral options: UVA only (365–405nm), UVA & UVB (280–405nm), or Far-Red (730nm peak)
- Photosynthetic efficiency (far-red): 2.3 μmol/J, 138 μmol/s total output
- Lifespan: up to 5000 hours
- Driver: Internal, plug-and-play
- Cooling: Silent passive cooling, no active fans
- Rating: IP65 waterproof
- Mounting: Supplied brackets for Maxibright Daylight fixtures, or independent hanging
- Installation: No wiring required—direct connection to compatible Maxibright fixtures or standalone power
Who this is for
- Experienced growers with quality primary lighting looking to optimize spectrum and fill gaps
- Growers targeting secondary metabolite enhancement without full fixture replacement
- Established Maxibright users wanting seamless ecosystem integration
- UK growers who value manufactured heritage and proven brand reputation
- Anyone running 480W or 660W Daylight setups looking for bolt-on performance gains
- Quality-focused cultivators willing to invest in proven spectral techniques
Not a beginner purchase—these make sense when you already have solid primary lighting in place and want to push results higher.
Our take
Maxibright's been making horticultural lighting since 1996. These supplementary strips are proper kit at a sensible price point—no hype, no forced bundles, just modular spectrum completion that integrates cleanly with existing Maxibright setups.
If you're serious about filling spectral gaps and have the primary lighting already sorted, these are worth picking up. Choose your wavelength based on what your setup needs—far-red for faster flowering, UVA for quality enhancement, UVB for density and disease prevention. Good time to buy while clearance stock lasts.
