I can certainly understand the time vs money question.
If you're considering growing professionally, however, a reliably automated system is the way to go. For some, an electronic monitor/control system is a good way to hedge your bets against unforseen problems when you're away. If something does go wrong, the electronic monitoring system will call your phone and you can connect your laptop to the internet and turn on and off items in your grow room/cab.
Example
Say your system has sprung a leak and you're out of town visiting old aunt Bessie. Your phone receives a text msg telling informing you of the leak. You log into your laptop (connected to the web) and turn off the water pump. Now, your plants will not die from dehydration while you celebrate aunt Bessie’s 96th birthday.
Pretty handy stuff!
For some of us, this is just overkill. But for me, a traveling professional who is home 3 days out of the week. Having a reliable automated system with remote monitoring and control is a must.
The SuperClosets are rated with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) which should bolster confidence in most buyers. You can find the BBB on the web at (
www.bbb.org) and read what they say about any rated company there.
SuperPonic Systems may initially cost more to buy, but they save you in energy costs, time, of course and hyper growth gives you more bud for your money. Homemade systems are notoriously costly to run and do not offer 4 ponics systems in one.
I too am looking to hear more on the SuperPonics product line as I intend to buy a grow room from them in mid 2011. I will give a full review for this forum at that time.
Stay tuned!
Andrew