Nothing beats an aquarium that is well and thoughtfully designed to light up, especially at night, combined with the smooth and comforting hum of the motor and the subtle trickly of water in a tank that is seemingly infused with light and color. If you’re a fan of Kessil, which one should you go with?
The major difference between the Kessil 350W and the Kessil 360W is the “Kessil Logic” feature and it is more than enough to sway those on the fence towards the 360W, although there is a significant upscale in price if you discard the 350W.
When the Kessil 350W was originally released, the review on it was fantastic across the board. It wasn’t a matter of picky reviewers here and there because the overall reaction was very welcoming. The 350W provided a host of controls, especially where it mattered, which is in coral growth.
Being able to adjust light sensitivity, brilliance, and hue to support coral growth is a fantastic option, along with all of the aesthetic wonderment that it also brings to the table. Unfortunately, there were a few pitfalls in the 350W that the 360W not only eliminates but improves upon as well.
Kessil 350W and Kessil 360W Side-by-Side Comparison
Unfortunately, Kessil doesn’t off the Kessil 350W on its website store any longer. Why is a mystery but you can still find it on other online retailers such as Amazon. Of course, the lack of support from Kessil’s direct online store is a little disconcerting and gives the 360W a little more weight on its side.
| Kessil 350W | Kessil 360W | |
| Color Mixing | Uses two lights to combine multiple colors | Fine-tuned dense matrix LEDs with an adjustable spectrum and infinite light combos |
| Power | 90W | 90W |
| Moonlight | No | Closer to true moonlight with better dimming controls |
| Color Variations | Tuna Blue only | Tuna Blue and Tuna Sun |
| Price | $400 | $450 |
| Additional Effects | N/A | Shimmer, UV, |
| Brightness | Illuminated power consumption of 86.5W | Illuminated power consumption of 86.5W |
Kessil 350W Vs. Kessil 360W: Light Features
This is where the Kessil 360W truly outshines the competition although, to be fair, there really is no competition as the 350W has been discontinued. However, for those of you that own a 350W and are thinking of upgrading, there are plenty of agreeable reasons to do so.
One of those reasons is the level of light control and how the light functions in the 360W. The optics of the 350W are undeniably fantastic, and it gets plenty of light penetration.
According to the specs on these devices, however, the 360W has a 30% increase in efficiency thanks to the Kessil Logic.
The 350W operates with two channels of light, blue and white. It combines these two lights in a variety of shades to create varying and adjustable colors inside your aquarium. But there’s a degree of limitation to it, and it also makes it more difficult to create a “moonlight” effect for nighttime.
Fortunately, enterprising aquarium owners have found ways to modify and enhance the moonlight capabilities of the 350W, or lack thereof.
The Kessil 360W comes with advanced color control, with a fine-tuned and upgraded version of the already dense amount of LEDs within the housing. Using an effective “blending” system, the 360W is able to produce a far greater number of colors than its predecessor.
In addition to more colors, the 360W can also produce a moonlight and a shimmer effect. Sleepy time is just as important to fish as it is for us, and they need their rest as well. The 360W is better able to accommodate them, with dimmer dims and a more accurate transition from bright to dim.
Also, since the 350W provides a cone of light, rather than a more ambient spread, it can cause the coral to shade itself from the light. The 360W is an improvement over the “cone of light” factor, as the light isn’t projected down in a single cone.
Kessil 350W Vs. Kessil 360W: Controls
One of the biggest improvements from the 350W to the 360W was the addition of programmable dimming and Wi-Fi control via the Kessil app (Android and iOS). With the 350W, if you want to dim the lights or brighten them, you have to do so manually.
It’s a shame that Kessil didn’t pick up on the idea of going to full smart-LED aquarium lighting until their next iteration. The 360W on the other hand is a step up in almost every conceivable way.
You have full control over the dimming and brightening of the LEDs through the app, and you can also set them up to routinely dim or brighten on their own. Through the app, you can even set up exactly what colors and dimness levels you want the lights to be at any given time.
It’s a large degree of control and customization that the 350w, for all of its positives, advancements, and innovations, glaringly lacks. The app also allows you to monitor periods throughout the day so that you are always able to exert a level of control over how the lights are displayed in the tank.
The “daily monitoring” feature is automated or, at least, it can be designed (by you, of course) to be completely automated. You can track the automations as they occur throughout the day to decide if that is right for your aquarium or not.
The 360W works very well in smaller to medium-sized tanks, as does the 350W, however, neither of them is equipped to handle much larger tanks. Fortunately, the 360W was designed to accommodate different additions, including an additional 360W.
So while it won’t support a large tank right out of the box, you can add on to it as your tanks grow or purchase additional accessories for larger tank needs.
Final Thoughts
The 350W was an outstanding innovation by Kessil, but it is outperformed by the 360W in almost every conceivable way. The fact that the 350W is discontinued and there are several lines of 360ws available, makes the choice that much simpler.
