FLEXSTAR Clone Bar 18W

What It Is

The Flexstar Clone Bar 18W is a commercial-grade propagation strip LED sold as a two-strip pack (SKU 307111). Each bar runs 18 watts through Samsung 2835 diodes tuned to a 9000K color temperature with a 30% blue-spectrum weighting — the range shown to promote compact root initiation and early vegetative development in cuttings and seedlings.

At 120° beam angle and optimized intensity at 20–30 cm hang distance, the bar delivers diffuse, even coverage across a propagation tray or shelf without the heat stress risk that makes T5 fluorescents problematic at close range. The aluminum housing dissipates thermal load passively, keeping canopy temperature stable even in tightly stacked multi-tier propagation racks.

Who It's For

Licensed cannabis and hemp operators running dedicated propagation or mother rooms — particularly facilities that tier-stack clone trays or run rolling bench propagation setups — will get the most out of this fixture. The 120–277V auto-sensing input means it wires directly into standard facility power without additional drivers or transformers, simplifying installation across multi-room builds.

It's also a clean T5 fluorescent replacement: at 18W per strip, it runs roughly 60% more efficiently than a comparable T5 tube with no meaningful sacrifice in output for the propagation window. Operators reducing power load in their prop rooms without dropping rooting rates will find the math straightforward.

Key Features

Daisy-chain architecture is the primary installation advantage for commercial builds: up to 90 strips can be linked on a single chain, reducing the home-run wire count in a dedicated propagation room significantly. Strips connect plug-and-play with no rewiring between units.

The IP66 rating means the housing and connectors are fully sealed against water ingress — relevant in propagation environments where humidity runs high and foliage watering is frequent. The ETL listing confirms the fixture meets North American electrical safety standards, satisfying facility insurance and inspection requirements. Flexstar backs the fixture with a 5-Year Limited Warranty. Rated lifetime is L90 at greater than 50,000 hours, meaning the fixture maintains 90% of its initial output through the rated lifespan — an important distinction from simple lumen-hours claims.

How It Fits a Build

In a multi-tier propagation rack, one strip per shelf level (spaced 25–30 cm apart horizontally) provides full tray coverage. The slim profile allows bars to mount flush to the underside of a shelf frame or clip directly to wire shelving without reducing usable vertical clearance between tiers.

For facilities scaling propagation capacity — adding tray rows, expanding a mother room, or building out a dedicated rooting area — the daisy-chain design means you add strips without adding circuits. Run your chain, add a strip at the end, done. Because the bars ship as a two-strip pack, they align naturally with two-tier shelf increments or paired-row tray layouts. Contact HSC to configure strip counts for your propagation footprint and get a quote.