Aquascape Lighting Showdown - Kessil vs Twinstar
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- čas přidán 6. 02. 2019
- My website - www.georgefarmerstudios.com
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Our aquascaping podcast - anchor.fm/georgefarmer In this video I give a realtime comparison of the Kessil A360we Tuna Sun and Twinstar 1200 SA. Aquascaping lighting is a complex topic and can be confusing. I this easy to follow comparison review I show you how the Kessil and Twinstar LED planted aquarium lights look over my Aquascaper 1200 Nature Aquarium aquascape.
Which light do you prefer? Let me know why in the comments!
Keep on scaping!
George
Kessil - www.kessil.com/products/fresh...
Twinstar 1200 - www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/twi...
Felix Smart Aquarium - www.felixsmart.com/
Tropica Aquarium Plants - tropica.com/en
Green Aqua - www.greenaqua.hu/en/
Twinstar - www.twinstar.kr/
Oase BiOrb Air - www.biorb.com/en-US/air/air-60/
Oase Biomaster - www.oase-livingwater.com/en_G...
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Kessil looks better on your 1200 as it is green dominant. Shimmer effect also makes it more natural. On the other hand twinstar reproduces reds much better and would definitely choose that for a scape with red plants. Even your gouramis look more colorful under twinstar. So no winner, it's all about personal preference and matching the type of your scape.
Hi George. Kessil much better depth of colour. The green looks stunning.
I love finding older videos of yours that I have missed. Thank you for sharing! - Little Bobby
On this tank I like the appearance of the kessil better. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mike 👍
Definitely the Kessils. I use them on my tank and love them! That shimmer is beautiful..
Those Kessils are unbeatable for this tank and in generell I‘d say these lights are game changing
Kessil green looks better
Hey George, overall I like the Kesdil lighting a lot more. Looks crisper and fresher. The Twinster does make the reds pop more which is the main plus in my eyes. I don’t like the pink light from the Twinstar on the wall. 🤘
I like the more natural look the Kessil lighting gives the set up, the shimmer in the scape is everything.
So many unbelievable tanks in that space George! I personally like the twinstar with less reflection on the wall. Looks great!👌🏻🌱🐟
I love the way colors pop with the twin star, but I sure like the shimmer from the kessel. Both have a place in aquascaping, just a matter of what effect you want.
I agree that both have a place. But lights like the twinstar are very poor aquarium lights in general. LEDs can do so much more than what current companies are offering. Personally I can't wait til Aquarium LED lights start arriving in
Nice honest comparison video!
Twinstar everyday for me. Beautiful reds. Your eyes can focus on the scapes detail and no disco in the room!
You could drop the light down an inch or 2 if you like for extra brightness.
Be careful sliding the Twinstar adjustable light along the glass as over time it will make a scratch line. That is it’s only downfall imo.
Ps. Twinstar timer/controller is brilliant for sunrise/sunset!
Kessils for me George. I love the ada colour rendition and the kessils give you that more green look.
Loving the softer look of the twinstar. Colors look more natural and less harsh. The kessil is a bit harsh but does light up fairly well. Colors seem to run dark but bright. Twinstar would be my choice
I've bought a Twinstar 1200SA a month ago and changed my t5's. Enjoying it a lot.
As you said it’s definitely a persons preference and for me I like the Twinstar as it brings out the plants true color as well as the fish and shrimp. Not everything looks just green and provides more contrast to the scape. Either way an amazing setup that looks so mature. Thanks George!
Thanks so much 👍🏻
I like the Kessil much more, the Twinstar makes everything look flat and purple.
its very hard to convey the true colour on youtube. I am really looking forward to George conclusions about which one he prefers, since both are really great fixtures.
ur tanks are breath taking simply amazing its a piece of art no words are enough for me to describe it
Thanks 🙏
OMG! Top! Huuuuge difference, what a Light can do! Its all about what you want to see. Both options have a great quality. The kessil is more natural look? creates a beautiful shimmer and great ambience but when you turn on the Twinstar 😍😍😍 Is another view, much more colorful.. Everything pops. Look to that plants and gouramis... Just Beautiful...LOVE IT, George 😍 Great Change 👏 Keep trying in the end 😝
I really believe this tank is your masterpeice
I’ve had Kessil and atm I have an Aquael Glossy with inbuilt lighting. The thing I’ve always loved about the 1200 of yours is the shimmer and shadow. In fact it’s something I’ve contemplated quite a lot with that particular aquarium because it’s so magical. Particularly in your cinematic videos. I had it when I had a Kessil and I really miss it. It gives depth, interest and drama that you don’t get with the flatter light source. I’d forgo the colour for that. Although those colours do pop in the cinematic at the end! Pity the Kessil prices are through the roof too!
Love the shimmer from the Kessils, Twin star in this vid looks to have a purple hue to my eye.
Great video as usual.
Thank you 👍🏻
Twinstar for me. I love the color contrasts of the green and red in the tank and the even light distribution. Also the aesthetic of the unit itself fits the tank much better than the CURRENT set up for the Kessils.
I do like a bit of shimmer and the green dominance from the Kessils but the red is totally missing and the shadowing is so intense.
It would be interesting to experiment with what the lighting would look like by using BOTH light fixtures and adjusting the brightness and color! Reef aquarists are big on hybridizing T5s and LEDs. I wonder how that would transition over to planted freshwater tanks.
This is all my opinion over seeing it in a video. It may look different in person. I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion in a future video update George.
Thanks for the comments Nik 👍🏻
love how the twinstar make colors pop out and in the long term i think that spectrum will make the plants have even more color i think, you will update us what is changing i belive
i only like how the kessils make the hardscape looks more depth cause of shadows
cheers from argentina Gorge keep up going!
Great video George. It’s a tough one, but with all considered, I would go for the twinstar, but slightly dimmer. The plants look more true to their actual colours and at half the price it’s definitely at least 50% as good as the kesills. The negatives are that there’s no shimmer on the plants and it makes it look a bit flat.
I’ve opted for a DIY job as I’ve managed to make something that looks just as good for £75! Having said that, you need the tools and motivation!
I've just got the 450SA and it's like the surface of the sun! I love it. This was really interesting, I think I need a dimmer!
Would most def go with the kessil for a tank like this. The twinstar just like you said displayed a way more flatter light and allmost eliminated all depth in terms of shadows and contrast on well basicly everything in the tank. Aswell having the customization possibility with the kessil light makes it so much more deverse and better 👌
I love the look of the Kessils so much and have grown used to them as you have. I think the shimmer is lovely and add a lot of dynamic feeling to the scape. The Twinstar gives a much calmer look and does produce color more pleasingly to my eyes for both flora and fauna. It's really hard to say at this point since the swap was just made.
Also. Put the Title Text Here please. xD
Cheers Andrew - great spot ! 👍🏻
The shimmer is so beautiful.
Loved how the colours popped on the twinstar light. As always great video with a lot of insight on the differences in lighting. It would be great to see comparisons with some of the cheaper lights you mentioned. If you don't want to compare them to twinstar because they're your sponsor that's fine, you could do comparison between lights in the same or similar price range.
Thanks Lex good idea 👍🏻
Another great video 👍 I think I prefer the Kessils as they give it a greener more natural look.
I like the crisper, brighter light of the Twinstar. It's nice to be able to see every detail everywhere in a show tank.
Hello Tommy, what a good, sweet boy, doing his best to help. 😘Puppy kisses for you.
🐶😘
I like the color the Twinstar gives off more as it really seems to highlight the reds and browns in my eyes. I’m also a fan of the shimmering effect the Kessils make, although it’s possible to have that same effect with even cheap lighting if you’re creative.
Wonderful comparison and video as usual. Those pearl gouramis look amazing!
Thanks 🙏
finally! looks so different its crazy looks like a whole new scape it makes everything looks cleaner i dunno how to explain it probably due to the glimmer effect it used to have i think it looks more like a floating body of water now which i know is your aim in an aquarium i love it
Cheers Connor!
It all comes down to preference. The twinstar definitely brings out the reds making the cypts, gourami's, and shrimp pop, but there's something serene and natural about the kessil lighting. Aquatic environments have those shimmers present making the kessils the more natural choice, however, it is your tank :) I must say, I could only dream to own one of these lights xD. I'm fortunate to own a Finnex planted+ which retailed at $120 on Amazon for my 29 gal.
I really love how the red pops on the twinstar I just imagine how hra or palulstris would look but the shimmer and greens of the kessle would make me choose the kessle
Thanks Darren 👍🏻
Great great great!! Thank you for this comprehensive review!!!!
Turn up color spectrum on kessil and see if the reds pop like the twinstar. They both look fantastic on the tank but the twinstar does give a florescent light feel while the kessil gives more of the natural sunlight feel to water especially the glistening on the water surface. If you can adjust the spectrum on kessil then I'd have to say the kessil beats the twinstar but only because it makes it feel and look more natural.
As always love the videos.
Interesting to see how this works out. I went from a pair of Kessil A160 on a EA900 to the Twinstar 900S. The colours really do pop more, but took a while to get used to the purple glow. It’s next to my ADA 60p with Aquasky Moon, which is really white and less colourful. I considered replacing with a Twinstar 600S.
Hi George - Thanks for this video - I really appreciate the comparison. Please share your opinion after a few weeks. Tommy is such a great helper! Love him! My best to you!
Thank you Julia, appreciate the comments 👍🏻
I find it interesting that your other tanks look fine with the Twinstars, but in this tank the kessils are my favorite. This was the tank that inspired my Low Iron 50 gallon. I have two A80 Tuna Suns on that and tried strip LED lighting with more red LED spectrum lights. I took it off as the lighting was purple/red in colour. I love my Kessils on that tank. I love the look of the Twinstar very clean. Thanks for the test George.
Thank you 👍🏻
Excellent video! Honestly, I prefer the Kessils. The shimmer effect and the contrasts it produces make the aquarium look much more impressive.
Thank you 👍🏻
Fabulous film George. It’s interesting to see the difference, it’s like lightning a model in a studio, different lamps give different results. I think the both have there good points, the Kessil has a dynamic, alive moving stream look where as the twin is more of a lake still, but showing more I think.
Cheers BB 🙏
Im a ecotech fan
have been since marine reef keeping days - my tanks have always been 30inches + deep. I think the kessels shimmer looks awesome - I always like it - Im a scuba diver so like the natural look.
Kessils! Love the sparkle they give to the water.
I found this interesting because I'm from the darkside *Reefer, but also have planted tanks. I use kessils on the Marine tanks along with additional fill lighting and really love the shimmer. I recently bought a Kessil A80 planted light and plan on using it on a small planted cube.
I like the Twinstar lighting. I just got one for my new tank and it really brings out the reds in my plants and makes the greens more reziliant in my plants as well. You have a reall tough decision to make George. LOL..
I do love the color of the Twinstar you can see alot of detail, only the kessils make the scape come more alive. The thing is in person lights in a scape look way different then on video.
I didn’t know there is so much difference between led lighting. It is most of all a personal taste, but now I am sure I love the twinstar. The colors are more beautiful, but I also like the design more, it is less distracting. The straight line above the aquarium fits better then the black lamps. I hope this makes sense to you. ;:
Thank you for this video, I really learn a lot from you.
Thanks so much, appreciate the comments 👍🏻
man george so different, i sure do love the kessel shimmer, the color is good on twin star, hmmm, i say kessel it gives so much more life to the aquarium
Great review George, it’s nice to get some technical background to these products and the principles by which they work. This is often omitted on much marketing info. In all honesty, although I love the design and economy of the Twinstar, as a unit, the Kessils seem to make your scape crisper over all. They animate it with that characteristic shimmer and provide snappier over-all colour (from this distance at least!) It seems to give better form to the scape. I prefer the way it pulls out the greens too, though the Twinstar makes a great job of the warmer hues of the browns and reds, no doubt. Unfortunately Twinstar haven’t arrived in Aus yet (as far as I know) and Kessil are too pricey. So, I use an AI Freshwater Prime on my 45cm cubed Nano. These units are only 55watts but deliver a PAR of 86µMol at 60cm depth (apparently). They have independently controllable RGB LED colour channels with warm and cool whites as well. Plus, all this can be controlled from an iPhone App that also allows ramp up and ramp down for sunrise and dusk. Pretty good for $299AUD! 😁 How about a third comparison, George? A pair would look sweet over your 120! And they shimmer too! 🤔
Cheers Chris 👍
Great video, can’t believe how much more the reds and browns pop with the Twinstar, I’m torn to which I like best though.
Really I love the twinstar look, but I have only used lower range lighting. My problem with most lower range lights is they all sit RIGHT ON THE TANK. Thanks for showcasing one on your beloved scape. I know it was hard to do! Lol
I have twinstar,but...for that scape i LOVE kessill light😍
Color looks much better with the Twinstar. And the Twinstar profile is much more pleasing to my eye. Really like the change.
What a choice to have to make. Both have pro's and cons but either way that scape will always be awesome.
Cheers Steve 👍🏻
I think we're all used to the Aquascaper 1200 having kessil lights, swapping to the twinstar totally changed the vibe from nature to showtank. Kinda dig in with the kessil.
I think I like the Kessil lights more
I have my tank on a book shelf so it has a canopy (for the sake of the books) what lights do you recommend in that situation?
How about a video about lights on a budget?
Twinstar looks better end of the day, kessil may have lot of feature and I don't like too much red of Twinstar but ...to me on this tank Twinstar makes the looks much more better than kessil ... will wait to see how it goes..and was almost decided to buy ONF but Chinese new year going on.. in between after seeing this video little confused again.. hence m getting both of them in almost same price.. thank you George for sharing..
Hi George
Love your videos been watching loads the last couple of months, I’m looking to do my first aquascape on a new tank around 1200-1500mm and was wondering what light you would recommend without going crazy on price looking to spend £200-400. As it’s my first scape il be using easy to medium plants.
Thanks in advance
Hi George, tough one this! Personally i prefer the look of the Twinstar , i think the overall colour of the plants and fish is improved ,certainly makes the reds pop out ,which i prefer. Your Studio is taking shape now really well , and looks like a nice place to sit and relax at the end of a stressful day, you need to have an open day!! Tommy is certainly growing and becoming a celebrity in his own right. Looking forward to the Biorb Air and Palludarium videos. All the best, Martin
Thanks Martin 👍
The colours appear really diverse under the Twinstar, though the Kessil's shimmer effect animates the scape and makes it feel so much more alive.
I'd need a light that combines both effects for a clear winner.
Thanks Lee 👍
It's really interesting to see the difference, I love the shade and depth you get with the kessil, but the reds and brown plants will really stand out with the twinstar. I did wonder if you could improve the twistar by adding a dimmer and tweaking the camera settings. (obviously unfair for the test) it would be great to see how they compare to a pair of the new chihiros vivids but twinstar might get upset, especially build quality if you have a screwdriver handy.
Twinstar is nice and all but for this tank the kessils give it much more colour and depth in my opinion
Really? I'd go with the complete opposite. Changing to the 1200S immediately made the red accents come out which I did not notice with the Kessils on.
Dennis Binkhorst have to agree with Dennis, I see mainly greens with the kessils.
I have nothing against the twinstar itself. Its outstanding when it comes to brightness and rendition but for this scape the kessils makes it imo much smoother and a more natural look to the overal scape
ferdi Fesz Maybe my phone is totally off and not rendering the colours correctly, because I’m seeing a lot of comments that agree with your point saying the Kessils look ‘natural’ or there’s more ‘depth of colour’. I work with colour every day and when I use the term ‘depth of colour’, I’m saying there’s a broad spectrum of colours, so you see greens, blues, reds etc...
@@OriginalApexTwin guys you have to remember that exposure was fixed and that twinstar is a much brighter light so everything looks overexposed (bright and flat coloured). In the end you really see how it performs. It really makes the colours pop and no shimmering effect which I am personally not very found of.
Sometimes in life you understand how good something is, only after you "lose" it \ compare it in this case.
In my humble opinion, the Kessil gives a much more natural vibe with different rich shades of green. compare to the more "artificial" looking purple twinstar. + the shimmering of the Kessils also give a sence of depth with the shadows, and when compared to the twinstar it makes the scape look flater and more static. But it is a personal chooise afterall :). Never the less, this is one of your best scapes ever.
Also that ending 😂 reminds me yesterday my friend threw a big ass cookie from across the class room and I cought it right to my mouth
I like the plant colors more under the twinstar, but I like the kessel water shimmer. lol. It doesn’t matter because neither one is in my budget. I am looking forward to the controller video though.
Kessil brings the decor to life with the shimmer effect. It's somewhat distracting, not ideal for a bedroom but maybe works for a large show tank. Thanks for the review.
I think I like the Kessels more on this tank. I like the water ripple in the tank on the plants and hardscape, it adds a lot to it I think. I also think the Twinstar makes the reds and browns pop really well, but it seems to loose the greens unfortunately. But then I love the profile of the Twinstar unit vs the Kessel hanging solution, it just looks a lot more sleek and minimal to me. It's a tough choice! I know that I think I would be happy with either ultimately though! 👍
Great review and unboxing George. Excellent quality content! I'd love to see an update with the controller from Aquarium Gardens. I have a cheap Chihiros A-Series over my little 35cm tank with a dimmer, I'd be interested to see you set up a few test tanks with the same plants/substrate/fish and try out a few different light units. Maybe an annex on George Farmer Studios for a George Farmer Test Lab 😁
Cheers Steve great suggestions thanks for the ideas 👍🏻
Great review of the different lights, the kessil have a more natural look which I prefer on the bigger aquarium, but the twinstar have a fantastic light rendition on the smaller aquariums. 🤔 saying that I would stick with the twinstar no the 1200 and put a kessil over the peludarium 👍when you set it up..
Thanks John great suggestion 👍🏻
Hi George, both lightings seems to be really great. But please could you make some video with "low cost lights"? Because these are I would say high end products, and if you could show us other lighting of lower price for beginers, that would be great advice from you :)
Twinstar renders a lot better color, especially on red. But it have 0 shimmering, make the tank feel like lifeless ... Great video in show casing color and shimmering trade off! Maybe the ideal setup for me is to have Twinstar as main, and have a lesser Kessil, like A160, for shimmering.
I prefer the kessils for that particular scape, but the twinstar definitely looks like a decent light
The twin star really pops the red. If you were doing a tank and wanted the red to stand out that’s your light. I really like the shimmer effect of the kessil. I think it’s more of what you want as far as feel, over which is better.
wow the red bucephalandra looks amazing under the twinstar light
Really cool review 👍
I think they each have their place in the hobby. Some aquascapes work really good with deep shadow, I'm thinking a lot of nature scapes. The Twinstar might be nicer in an iwagumi (sp?) or other minimalist style scape. I also think the twinstar is a nice option for those who don't understand lighting enough to mess with temperature of the lights, but want something higher end/ nicer to look at than a hood or bulky t5. I also don't care for how bright the Twinstar makes the cosmetic sand. Great products both
I much prefer the kessil lights. The shimmer and the intense green colors make everything look more organic.
I think the new kessil with its spectrum and spread would look awesome on your 1200!
Aa morning! A coffee, aquariums and George and of course #nimrooooooooood. Cheerio! Oh and i like both the lights but the kessil seems at first hand the best for a aquascape and the twinstar for a more naturel look like a biotope/jungle. I do love the kessil "glittering"?
Amazing The shimmer effect By kessil
Kessil is more natural but if you want sharp colors and red popping then the twinstar makes a awesome job :D i would go with twinstar in my opinion both are way over my budget but twinstar does it for me :) as always enjoy the scapes and the video loved the reaction of the fish with the new light all came out to check whats going on why so bright :P
Keep on making vids nice work
Thank you much appreciated 👍🏻
Interesting and veri nice video. Beautiful aquariums.
personally i think the twinstar is more vibrant and more color to the plants thank you George for video..
I think the colours are better with the twinstar, but I would stay with the kessil’s they bring out the movement of the water flow and I love the drama this brings to the display. I think there needs to be a like for like test with 2identical set ups, then we could see what grows best, algae issues etc. Beautiful lights but out of most people’s budget. Be good to see reviews of what other lighting options are available. I have the Aquael leddy smart on my 40ltr and I get a shimmer like the kessils, £25 quid off eBay. Thanks George great post
Thanks Tom, appreciate the comments 👍🏻
IMO - I think I like the twinstar better - lets you see more detail in the tank - really brings out the red and contrast of the plants. I think if you lower it closer to the water it will give a more unified look to the tank and allow your photos behind the tank to be better displayed. My vote is for the twinstar.
Will be interesting to compare the Twinstar pendant type since both are hanging type
I'm wondering what the fish prefer? Any behavioral changes with the change in light? It was difficult to find my Twinstar light. Living in SF bay area, I was excited to find a wonderful shop in SF who carries many high end lights. One thing about the Kessil on my nano tank - I dislike the goose-neck - does not adjust very well.
Both are great lights!
I prefer the Kessil on your tank tbh, however, on all mine I have cheap LED lights from Amazon. They lack the green and red on the spectrum, but much better than my T8s I had
Can you link us to the the dimmer they will send you? Is it programmable? Thanks for the vid. The Kessil shimmer is nice though the shimmer from the surface agitation is mainly on the right side. I have two 600sp on an apex classic controller over an ADA120p myself. I love your aquascape and it’s one of my favorites on CZcams. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kessil every time 👍
On aquascaper 1200 definitely Kessil because of greens and shimmering effect. And I am a huge Twinstar fan but for this tank Kessil just feels right.
I like both lights about equally but - and this is a big but, I have built all my own lights using led strip lights and old computer power supplies. I have a 180w system over my 55g show tank and it puts out beautiful (to me) light and grows plants as fast as I can trim them. Total cost you ask? About 30 Canadian pesos ~ 20--25 pounds. At the price of two of those Kessel lights I could light up a good sized greenhouse!
Personally, I think Kessil light is more natural then Twinstar. Twinstar increasing redness that's true, but with Kessil you have more options to choose off. A specially new version A360X is looking to be interesting. I have been reading about some people having problems with Kessil lights going off (burning off). Is't true, I do not known.
Thank you George for this video.
I love the Kessel better. It was calming/relaxing to view. Beautiful. I loved the shadowing and the fish probably did too. I do think both are way over priced. I'm curious if you receive the lights, tanks, plants, xcetera, at no charge because you're promoting the item and aquascaping?
@@sunnycal2293 I think you made mistake. You should not unswerving my post but writing as your own post/question. ;)
@@krzysztofradziszewski5009 Ooops, you are correct. I didn't mean to make a post under your response to the video. My apologies. Thank you for bringing this to my attention that.
@@sunnycal2293 any time. ;)
@@krzysztofradziszewski5009 I think George will know too. Nothing awful was said anyway.😊
I prefer the Twinstar for sure. Makes the colours pop. Plus if you really wanted to vulgar and compare price, then the Twinstar is the illuminated choice.
Hi George - I'm a long time subscriber and love your videos, they're so insightful and in-depth! Totally nit picking here... but have you considered tweaking your mic input? It sounds really bassy and lacking in clarity. Just a thought!
Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated 👍🏻
the kessil definately renders better greens, i have an aqua medic aquarius plant and it's the same as the twinstar, while you see other colors shine, the greens look dull because there is too much red and blue which gets absorbed by the plants. thanks for the comparison! cheers!
The twinstar does bring the reds out more but I still love my two kessil A360X they give my aquarium more of a natural look with the shimmer.
Wondering what the two star would look like with less output? I like the contrast that the TS shows between greens and reds but prefer the shimmer of the kessils. Ultimately I prefer the TS
I like the Kessil light more in my opinion the wavyness it produces makes the scape look more natural