Which grow tent brands to avoid?

Rook07

Rook07

Active Member
Thanks in advance. I'm shopping the classifieds and they're everywhere so I need a sound off. Other than Gorilla what are some other trusted brands and which to avoid for sure?

1. Would prefer to avoid outgassing VOCs.
2. Shitty plastic corners and poles I can deal with. Mainly looking for quality in the other obvious places zippers, stitching, lightblocking etc.

Secret Jardin: Does anyone know if the newer "Revision 3.0" stuff suffers from the quality control issues they had a while back? Light leaks, rusty poles etc. I read that the originals were pretty good.

Infinite Leafs: Any experiences?
 
PsychoDad

PsychoDad

New Member
I have a very flimsy and thin 3x3 mamoth lite for veg , but it does the job

and an very well made home lab 4x8 for flowering , there are a few pin hole light leaks , those are not going to do anything , a lot more light leaks thru the pasive vents but even that will not wake up the girls
 
twistedvinesofbud

twistedvinesofbud

Well-Known Member
I bought 3 from amazon. 1 from ipower 4x8x7 and as Vivosun 8x4x7 and a 4x4x7. The power was a cheapo and great quality. The vivosuns are like 10 dollars more but well worth it. Just my experience.

But check Facebook, and craigslist for people getting out of the hobby.
 
kingtitan

kingtitan

Well-Known Member
I am using a Mars Hydro 5x9x6.5 (1680D) tent. For the price I paid (US $250) You really cannot complain too much.

All the corner connectors are metal and welded good. all the zippers have inside flaps to help with leakage, the stitching is strong, material is good and thick. Comes with a removable floor tray which is great.

Putting it together was a bit of a pain and required 2 people, the poles at the top don't fit in very good initially and the instructions were incorrect on the placement of cross bars, they popped out and swung at me many times, once almost hit me in the eye before I did it my own way. I contacted Mars Hydro about it and they said that I was correct that the bars actually fit the other way...

Light leaks, there are some. Some seams leak pinhole light, there are places in the tent when I walk around with 1000w lighted inside that I see some pinholes. Zippers are not the best and do leak a little light out due to the flaps inside being a bit stiff and not sitting flush. When the tent is in negative pressure the flaps do work a bit better. I am not using any of the bottom vents with the Velcro, I put them on best I could and put duct tape around to stop any light leaks (Velcro doesn't seal 100% due to how its a bit wrinkled and wavy). Windows are Velcro to but just put in a little extra effort to "roll" it back into place, leaks are minimized. There are some design silly-ness that is commonly found with china stuff like the small storage bag that is sewn on to the tent on the right side of tent towards the back where there are not doors or anything lol. I cut that off.

With my situation all this leaking doesn't matter at all as I have the tent set up in its own spare room in my basement.

I am not sure how many people have an issue with a bit of light coming OUT of tent. With all the light leaks I talk about, it is light visible standing OUTSIDE the room. What is more important is how much light is coming in? In my case, zero, even with 3x60 watt bulb in that room because the leaks are so small that its impossible for it to actually make it through and travel to the sleeping plants. This might be a different case if you have the tent sitting in front of a 10 foot window on a bright sunny day or outside or have several 1k bubs fired up outside of the tent.

I had this tent setup and left it for a week or so with a fan circulating in the room with doors open to let that manufacturing smell dissipate. first day it smelled too much even though I usually like the "new" smell.

Customer service is great, I ordered and then changed my mind half a day later and wanted to get the bigger tent that I missed on the site which was only $5 dollars more. I sent them the extra and they changed the order for me. She followed up with me many times after that to make sure I had received my tent, set it up and asked how satisfied I was. One pole had a little dent in it so I mentioned that as well. Box was delivered discreet with no logo on the outside, just dimensions. They have stock in warehouses in different countries and I received my tent in a few days.

I also mentioned that there was no brand tag anywhere to prove its a Mars Hydro like the website pictures and other customers who have bought it. Was given a BS excuse that they just started putting the branding on and i may have the last old stock but I didn't care anyway about a damn tag.
They have followed up once or twice after that as well offering invitation to contests to show off my tent and grow for prizes and to see if I was still satisfied with their product (not automated email, real person who posts on 420 mag as advertiser as well)

Would I buy a tent from them again? probably unless there is great reviews on some other budget tent or just to try another brand. Would I buy those Gorilla or Secret Jardin or any of the other tent that cost $800 - $1600 for something similar? nope.
 
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twistedvinesofbud

twistedvinesofbud

Well-Known Member
kingtitan said:
I am using a Mars Hydro 5x9x6.5 (1680D) tent. For the price I paid (US $250) You really cannot complain too much.

all the corner connectors are metal and welded good. all the zippers have inside flaps to help with leakage, the stitching is strong, material is good and thick. Comes with a removable floor tray which is great.

putting it together was a bit of a pain and required 2 people, the poles at the top don't fit in very good initially and the instructions were incorrect on the placement of cross bars, they popped out and swung at me many times, once almost hit me in the eye before I did it my own way. I contacted Mars Hydro about it and they said that I was correct that the bars actually fit the other way...

Light leaks, there are some. Some seams leak pinhole light, there are places in the tent when I walk around with 1000w lighted inside that I see some pinholes. Zippers are not the best and do leak a little light out due to the flaps inside being a bit stiff and not sitting flush. When the tent is in negative pressure the flaps do work a bit better. I am not using any of the bottom vents with the velcro, I put them on best I could and put duct tape around to stop any light leaks (Velcro doesn't seal 100% due to how its a bit wrinkled and wavy). Windows are Velcro to but just put in a little extra effort to "roll" it back into place, leaks are minimized. There are some design silly-ness that is commonly found with china stuff like the small storage bag that is sewn on to the tent on the right side of tent towards the back where there are not doors or anything lol. I cut that off.

With my situation all this leaking doesn't matter at all as I have the tent set up in its own spare room in my basement.

I am not sure how many people have an issue with a bit of light coming OUT of tent. With all the light leaks I talk about, it is light visible standing OUTSIDE the room. What is more important is how much light is coming in? In my case, zero, even with 3x60 watt bulb in that room because the leaks are so small that its impossible for it to actually make it through and travel to the sleeping plants. This might be a different case it you have the tent sitting in front of a 10 foot window on a bright sunny day or outside or have several 1k bubs fired up outside of the tent.

I had this tent setup and left it for a week or so with a fan circulating in the room with doors open to let that manufacturing smell dissipate. first day it smelled too much even though I usually like the "new"
smell.

Customer service is great, I ordered and then changed my mind half a day later and wanted to get the bigger tent that I missed on the site which was only $5 dollars more. I sent them the extra and they changed the order for me. She followed up with me many times after that to make sure I had received my tent, set it up and asked how satisfied I was. One pole had a little dent in it so I mentioned that as well. Box was delivered discreet with no logo on the outside, just dimensions. They have stock in warehouses in different countries and I received my tent in a few days.

I also mentioned that there was no brand tag anywhere to prove its a Mars Hydro like the website pictures and other customers who have bought it. Was given a BS excuse that they just started putting the branding on and i may have the last old stock but I didn't care anyway about a damn tag.
They have followed up once or twice after that as well offering invitation to contests to show off my tent and grow for prizes and to see if I was still satisfied with their product (not automated email, real person who posts on 420 mag as advertiser as well)

Would I buy a tent from them again? probably unless there is great reviews on some other budget tent or just to trey another brand. Would I buy those Gorilla or Secret Jardin or any of the other tent that cost $800 - $1600 for something similar? nope.
Click to expand...

Now that's a review. Very nice.
 
Rook07

Rook07

Active Member
Thanks that was really informative. Other than amazon reviews there isn't a whole lot of indepth info like that. For anyone that cares I poked around on alibaba and talked with several manufacturers in china and even found some import records. Any out of left field offbrand companies (ie "Infinite Leafs") are all ordering from the same handful of chinese factories and rebranding as their own. They offer prefabs or completely custom dimensions. I made a long list of questions pertaining to composition, finish and things like polyester and thread counts as well before asking for quotes.

I was quoted a maximum of $54 a unit for a 4x4x6, 600d polyester 64T/PVC middle(not urethane) /Mylar backed, metal cornered, coated 1/2" thick piping ("iron"), with either straight cut or rounded doors with zipper flaps with free logo services on orders over 200 pieces. I forgot to ask about zipper options. Price was negotiable. They're around 35 - 40 lbs or more per unit, depending. They insisted the piping was too thick and thinner would suffice.

I checked with all the major couriers and some smaller outfits. If it didn't cost an average of $2000 to ship an order of 5 of them over here (holy shit!) I would have absolutely bought one and sold the extras.
 
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kingtitan

kingtitan

Well-Known Member
Rook07 said:
Thanks that was really informative. Other than amazon reviews there isn't a whole lot of indepth info like that. For anyone that cares I poked around on alibaba and talked with several manufacturers in china and even found some import records. Any out of left field offbrand companies (ie "Infinite Leafs") are all ordering from the same handful of chinese factories and rebranding as their own. They offer prefabs or completely custom dimensions. I made a long list of questions pertaining to composition, finish and things like polyester and thread counts as well before asking for quotes.

I was quoted a maximum of $54 a unit for a 4x4x6, 600d polyester 64T/PVC middle(not urethane) /Mylar backed, metal cornered, coated 1/2" thick piping ("iron"), with either straight cut or rounded doors with zipper flaps with free logo services on orders over 200 pieces. I forgot to ask about zipper options. Price was negotiable. They're around 35 - 40 lbs or more per unit, depending. They insisted the piping was too thick and thinner would suffice.

I checked with all the major couriers and some smaller outfits. If it didn't cost an average of $2000 to ship an order of 5 of them over here (holy shit!) I would have absolutely bought one and sold the extras.
Click to expand...
Sounds sort of like the Mars ones, I would opt for 1680D or higher, I believe gorilla ones are 2100D. 600D and below feel light weight and I would bet pinholes would become problematic in a lighted area (light coming into tent).

This thread is what helped me pin down the budget tents, the active seller addressing issues is what sealed the deal.
https://www.420magazine.com/forums/unofficial-product-reviews/236710-2015-mars-hydro-tent-review.html
 
twistedvinesofbud

twistedvinesofbud

Well-Known Member
kingtitan said:
Lol thanks, got a bit carried away while I was stoned but at least I can link the thread when I get my journal going eventually!
Click to expand...
You are all good @kingtitan. Your post makes me want to revise mine and tell you all what my experience with these 2 tents are
kingtitan said:
Lol thanks, got a bit carried away while I was stoned but at least I can link the thread when I get my journal going eventually!
Click to expand...


So. I decided to get really good and stoned on a early Sunday morning and come back to this to see if being stoned made a difference in my post. lol hehehehehe I am playing I promise! I laughed my ass off about the quote un quote tool pouch. its actually a storage bag to hold most douche bags for those who need them! lol

Well go figure it fucking did! I took some pics in the almost dark with 1 distant light on. The lights I have in this tent right now are 1 600 HID Hps and 2 viparspectra lights (getting ready to be wall lights) going at 100%(8x4) and a 300watt in the 4x4 (first pic).

The set of tents follow about the same quality as yours do @kingtitan. Honestly I think that 1 to 4 companies make the same shit and sell the hell out it them to the middle man then those con-artists slap a label make a cut add a window or door then boom.

Vivosun
tent shell- 8x4 and a 4x4
The tents carry a heavy skin. The shell of these tents of made from 600D mylar (so they say). But I can tell you the difference between a ipower tent and a viviosun. Back to the tents! I can vouch for the weight of the material used because I lifted it. When it comes to pinholes both tents have only a few, you can see from the pics taken. Then zippers on these tents are quite heavy. They do carry a zipper covered back, there is some of the stitchings that do show light (very little). These tents carry a utility window, the plastic that is used is very heavy and still has crease marks from where it was folded and shipped, it fucks with my vision when I look through them sometimes (maybe too stoned). It does come with one of those drip trays but all of them are kind of a P.I.T.A (pain in the ass) You will look at Pita bread a totally different way now!

The frame
When it comes to this frame it has heavy bars and the corner pieces are heavily welded, Nice! There are no plastic pieces on this frame. The hangers are heavy duty as well. I did try to readjust my light once and we had a issue with the hanger sliding off the frame and almost crushed my plants. I think there were 6-8 rods for hanging. Some rods are longer so they can sit right when positioned properly.

Exhaust ports
Well there are a shit ton! From I think there is one 10" and then going to a few 8" then 6's and 4's. There are a few screened in windows that are like 10" long and 4" tall.

Instructions
They were easy to read and understand (even high AF). lol

Setting up
It is much easier to have 2 people put these together. The frame has to be built all the way prior to the canopy being put on. So when it comes to putting the canopy over the frame. It is put together with the top going on first. It kind of a pain in the ass but onces its together who give a shit. Its really not that bad I am just a lazy stoner. My girl and I actually put them together and it was not difficult at all.

This is my 4x4 tent. The reason you see the big spot of light is because that is where my electric goes and I just put a new hydro setup in this tent and I have not tidied it up yet. The line of light that you see is because I have the vent open.
View attachment 4045369

On this pic 4x4. Again the light that you see is from another vent open.
View attachment 4045370
This is my 8x4 you can see the pin holes. The bright spot in the center is the main zipper that is not all the way zipped. The light on the far left is another vent open.
View attachment 4045371

I figured a picture is worth a thousand words. And not to step on your review by any means. Your post still blows this out of the water! :)
 
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psychadelibud

psychadelibud

Well-Known Member
Grow ace makes a nice affordable tent.

I have two that I have been using for 6 years now and I have found a couple pin hole leaks around the zipper part but that is easily covered up. For the price you can' go wrong with grow ace and if you are a beginner they come with an awesome setup if you order the whole kit instead of just the tent. It has everything you need, well, except for the plants that is haha..
 
ANC

ANC

Well-Known Member
You guys are lucky, prices for tents are nuts here.
I actually found a place where I can get agricultural tarpaulin which is made from things that don't gas off noxious fumes and flavours.
They use it for drying wheat and stuff in considering making PFC frame and having the tarp and some reflective mylar stitched professionally.
We have quite a few custom tarp outfits around these parts.

Harvesting this weekend, then I just want to do a small run to take a bit of a break. So tent is where it is at for that.
 
Y

YROCK

Member
Rook07 said:
Thanks in advance. I'm shopping the classifieds and they're everywhere so I need a sound off. Other than Gorilla what are some other trusted brands and which to avoid for sure?

1. Would prefer to avoid outgassing VOCs.
2. Shitty plastic corners and poles I can deal with. Mainly looking for quality in the other obvious places zippers, stitching, lightblocking etc.

Secret Jardin: Does anyone know if the newer "Revision 3.0" stuff suffers from the quality control issues they had a while back? Light leaks, rusty poles etc. I read that the originals were pretty good.

Infinite Leafs: Any experiences?
Click to expand...
 
Y

YROCK

Member
Check out growershouse tents you won't be disappointed in the price or the quality I bought one and liked it so much I bought a small 2 by 2 one. They compared it to gorilla tents I've never used a gorilla tent they're too expensive for me.
 
Major Blazer

Major Blazer

Well-Known Member
Vivosun is the biggest pos tent I've ever used but at least it's the cheapest. The poles are thin, the canvas is thin, the zippers are horrible, and it has pointless windows that only serve to leak light. Mars is actually pretty beefy and the mylar inside is actually seemingly nice and I would have purchased theirs again over the Vivosun but Vivosun has a size between a 2x2 and 3x3 that suited my new environment perfectly (32"x32"). Viparspectra was somewhere in the middle in terms of quality. I had their 3x3 and although I don't recall hating anything about it its been years since I used it so I can't remember anything good either.
 
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