This is one of the better seedling trays. The first thing that attracted me to it was the inclusion of the light bars. While most seeds (except very shallow-planted seeds like carrots or lettuce) don't require light to germinate, all seedlings, once sprouted, do.I like the flexibility in the light system in that you can set a timer, adjust the level of light, and even set the system up so that not all of the bars light up. Or, you can simply not plug in all of the light tubes.I'm not so sure about inserting the light bars into the domed lid, as the design intends. The lids are specifically formed to accommodate insertion of the light bars, but I've grown plants from seeds in domed indoor "greenhouses" like this one for years, and the condensation that builds up inside those domes is pretty intense--which is the point of the lids, frankly. As you're waiting for the sprouts to appear, you WANT a lot of condensation so the soil stays moist. I don't trust having an electrical light tube subjected to that much condensation. Granted, the tube is sealed, but moisture corrodes eventually no matter what.Also, the peculiarity in this system is that, since most seeds do NOT require light to sprout, you don't really need the lights UNTIL the sprout emerges. Once that happens, so does upward growth, and you'll want to remove that dome soon after so that the plant has room to grow. Once you remove the dome, you remove the light, which the plant now needs since it's sprouted. It's a bit of a Catch-22.I think the more logical approach would be to sprout the seeds under the dome (the light won't be necessary yet, unless you're growing seeds that are planted 1/8" inch deep or surface-sown; those will need light), and once the plant has sprouted, set the lights on top of or just above the dome. Once the plants are too tall to keep the dome on, remove the dome, set the plants up on a box of some sort, and affix the lights 2" above the plants. You could do this, perhaps on a kitchen counter, bookshelf, etc. Personally, I have an indoor greenhouse with wire shelves, so using twist ties or bungees I can easily affix the lights. As the plants grow, use shorter boxes until, eventually, you remove the boxes entirely. Or, keep raising up the light fixtures as the plants grow.A better design might have been to use flexible, bendable tubing and attach the light tubes to the end of those, with the bendable tubing attached to a base of some sort. In that way you could set the light fixture next to the plants, and bend the lights to whatever height you'd need, at whatever overhead angle you want.Still, the lights are strong, programmable and well-made, and with a bit of ingenuity you can certainly put them to good use in a more practical way.The trays, too, are stronger and sturdier than many other models on the market, and the larger size makes it easy to keep your project compact in your growing area. I like the clear insert trays, too, which are perfectly designed to hold seed starting pods.The set up includes a pair of gloves and a few doo-dads for scraping back soil or puncturing holes in the dirt for seeds, etc. While it might seem cute, it's not necessary and personally, I don't use teeny, tiny Elvin tools when I plant seeds, nor do I wear protective cloth gloves. You want to poke a whole in the soil? Use a chopstick. You need to dig a tiny hole for a seed? That's what fingers are for. It's just not necessary to have special tools for moving soil when you're just planting seeds. Frankly, these are just throw-away items that they toss in to make people who are just starting out in gardening go "ooh" and "ahh."Still, all in all, this is very good system and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

This set of seed starting trays gives you a self contained mini greenhouse for seed starting. It includes 2x 40 cell packs, 2x trays, 2x deep hoods that have both humidity adjusters and 2x lights each, 4x LED lights, gloves, seed tools and plant labels. The light control allows you to set a timer, brightness of the lights and how many of the 4 lights are turned on. The lights are wired in line, so you’ll need to have the 2 tray setups near one another to use all 4 lights. The hoods are tall, but once your plants get about 3” high you’ll need to either move them to a different light source or somehow raise the hood off of the seed tray or your plants will be burned by the lights.

These are awesome seed starter trays!!! My seedlings shot up in no time! The dome does a great job at keeping in the moisture while the vents allow enough air flow they don’t get too hot. The trays were easy to set up and use. I feel like the lights really helped the plants grow faster. And the trays are a nice size for seed starting and seedlings to grow.

I actually own some of the type shown as “Others” that they show in the comparison graphic, and they are right that these are much better. The kit consists of two 40-cell trays (for a total of 80 cells), four led- light bars which snap in to the clear humidity dome cover. All four LED-light bars are supplied by a single USB-A charge block (included) and an inline control which provides dimming and timing capabilities.Each 40-cell tray is vacuum formed out of a thin plastic which nests inside a base tray, and the clear humidity dome snaps on top. There are adjustable air vents which snap into the dome and rotate to provide a variable opening. The two lightbars per tray are positioned to throw even light on all five rows. While the materials used are lighter than I would have liked, they are similar to other comparable products I have encountered, and the spacing and brightness of the LEDs suggest good results. Overall, a decent value for the money, just don’t think of them as heirloom quality.

If you like to plant seeds inside ahead of the season, this set is a GREAT option! In the past, I have used similar setups to start my seeds, but I've always had the light that either stands over the trays or attaches to the shelf. Having the light built into the lid is so nice! To set up, I used the small-sized expandable soil pucks. I put them on a separate tray to pour water over them because they were just a little too wide for the spots. Once they were expanded, I dropped them into the tray and planted my seeds. The lids were easy to assemble -- you just pop the lights in, pop the vent covers on, and plug the lights in! The instructions clearly explain how to use the lights. You can adjust the intensity and the length of time the timer stays on. The quality of the materials is top-notch. The lid is much more durable than lids of other trays I have used in the past, and I have no doubt that I will get several seasons' use out of it!I love the flexibility with this set. Being able to adjust the ventilation and the light intensity gives you a lot of options in terms of getting your garden started.I wish I had found this set years ago!