Tent buying tips

[Madmaths]

Hi guys!
this year was my first year growing outdoor, and I'm hook now! so I need a grow tent! I will start with 2 autoflower. I leave in canada so it legal to have 4 at the same time. So maybe I will try 4 in the future. I'm looking at 4x4 tent and 1000w full spectrum led. any one want to share some input on this? thanks!

 

[Chris Scorpio]

Be sure you get at least 450-600w actual draw at the wall for a 4x4 tent

You'll probably need 2-4 lights depending on what u get

Look into Quantum Boards, bit more but wellllllll worth it, all I use now


As for tents, get as tall as u can and the heavier duty the better so the zippers hold up

 

[Madmaths]

a 1000w will be fin in a 4x4 tent?

 

[Chris Scorpio]

If it's really 1000w, most are really like 240w from the wall

 

[multiVortex]

Madmaths, I'll ask you this question, than proceed with answers to both options:

How long do you plan/expect to continue growing, and is it important to you to have quality equipment that will not only last a long time, but be able to provide you with quality results? What are your goals that you want to realize from your indoor grow?

Having completed an outdoor grow already, you have at least witnessed a full cycle with a crop, and understand that growing is work. That's a good thing.

Now there are two ways overall you can go. Let's explore, thanks to a little AK-47, shall we?

First, you can start growing on the cheap. You can get a cheap tent, or just hang some reflective material around a pvc pipe frame. You can get some cheapo plastic pots, cheap potting mix, a cheap blurple "overstated wattage" light from ebay/amazon, a cheap fan/filter combo, and scrape your way to harvesting a little bit of bud while spending maybe $300-$400. You'll get a little bud from two plants, assuming all goes well. That light will be too little to really pack anything on, let alone fatten up the buds. It may last a season or two, it may last a couple more. But it's cheap, and you can buy 4 of those shit lights for what you can one good one that will flower the ever living fuck out of a 4x4 tent.

Second, you can take the time to research some better options, spend a little more up front, and reap the benefits for many seasons to come. You can get something like a Gorilla Grow tent, for example. They aren't as cheap as some of the others you see online (about 3-4 times the cost), but the fabric is way thicker, the support bars can hold a person hanging from them, they're 7ft tall out of the box (ok, 6ft 11in) and come with an extension to raise that a foot more (to 7ft 11in) if you need it and have the space. What does that translate to? Well, a basic 4x4 tent on the low end is going to be about 6ft 8in (80in), but no extension. That 1ft 3in can make a big difference as that's more height available for the plant(s)/vertical grow space. That space can come in handy for plants, taller buckets/pots/equipment, etc.

Next is lighting. You may have seen a "1000w full spectrum" light on amazon/ebay for $150, but that is nothing more than a money pit. They're not true, and it's very, very deceptive advertising. Not to mention they won't be giving you the results you want. For this part, start with forum sponsor LED Grow Lights Depot. Read through their site, and learn about LED lighting, and what makes it all tick. Then you can browse the products they offer which will successfully, and properly flower a 4x4 space. There are also other forum sponsors with Budget LED and Mars Hydro, for example, but I strongly suggest you read up on the Depot site first. Then you know what you're looking at if you decide to browse elsewhere.

Inline fan and filter. Getting this right, and you'll want a 6" fan on a 4x4, will benefit you in the long run because you don't want a noisy fan, one that burns a ton of watts, or craps out in the middle of a grow. For example, AC Infinity fans are excellent. Very low power and noise, and pull more than enough air to run on one of the lower settings. Thus using even less power, and making even less noise.

Carbon filter. Even though it's legal, you may not want to overpower your indoor space or give away your grow.

From there it's deciding how you want to grow. Soil? Coco? Hydro? Different ways, different costs.

However you proceed, do some reading into it all. It make take a bit to get your thoughts sorted, but if you can get settled and happy with your foundation (no matter what you do you'll want to change this and that as you become more experienced) then hopefully you won't be pissing away money on something that will discourage you from continuing the hobby.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I thought maybe the Gorilla Grow Tent folks had gone out of business, lol. I mean... Nobody told me so, but I checked the company website four times in 2018 when I had some money and was thinking about buying one, and all but three or (once) two sizes were listed as out of stock. <SHRUGS> So I just assumed they were circling the drain, lol.

I have gotten the impression, from reading reviews and a few grow journal threads, that they were decent. Not worth the price ($358.95 MSRP for their standard 4'x4', and don't even bother with their Lite line, because "Lite" must be Swahili for "too fookin' thin" (significantly thinner than the cheaper competition )), but decent. That's if you do not require the height, of course. If you do - and you might - and have the required ceiling height for the tall tent, exhaust run, and any air gap you feel like having (if any) between it and your ceiling, then... Well, I suppose it would be worth the money because, as far as I know, no other grow tent manufacturer offers tents that tall.

But if not, the Mars-Hydro line of grow tents are pretty doggone good - especially for the price; one of their 4'x4' tents costs $132.99 delivered, assuming you live in the continental United States. That's the price before applying any super-secret discount codes. Perhaps @SmokeSara would be kind enough to give you the 420 Magazine discount code and tell you more about her company's grow tents. The company has long been a forum sponsor - so if you buy from them, you're sort of helping pay back those who help support this forum.

I can tell you that, if you order one, it'll probably arrive quickly. And that they are full-featured. The tent material is dense (1680D, which you might be unable to beat at any price, IDK). Also, they have updated their tent designs at least twice. The first was a complete redesign - and the company representative asked US what we wanted to see in a grow tent, which I considered to be... a good idea . The second time, they updated the interior material to be even more reflective.

I couldn't swear to it, but if you were to purchase several items from them at one time - grow tent plus multiple lights, or maybe you and four of your friends decide to get together and purchase five tents in the same order - then you just might be able to talk them into giving you a better price. Again, I don't know one way or the other... But it wouldn't hurt to ask, lol.

 

[multiVortex]

But if not, the Mars-Hydro line of grow tents are pretty doggone good

True statement. If not a gorilla, for the height, the Mars tents are just as thick of material and pretty stout. The bars aren't quite as strong, but still rated for 100lb (better than anything else at that price point by half or so.)


Madmaths, Mars has a good light in the TSL-2000, but it would take $500 to get 2 of them for a 4x4, and honestly for that much I'd spend a little extra on something better. For a 4x2, a TSL-2000 would be a decent spend at $250. But as you mentioned a 4x4, There are better lights out there for $500-$800. Not a knock on the Mars stuff. The TSL-2k's are a 1st gen light, and mars is very willing to listen to grower feedback. That's a good thing, and it wouldn't be terrible if you had 2 of those, but IMO the better options in that range are worth the little bit more. However, they would still be superior to anything off amazon/ebay that claim "1000w", "2000w" and only draw 200 from the wall.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I've been wondering how a pair of the Mars SP-150s (long, narrow, white light, 134 watts each, non-adjustable) with a basic HPS setup (optimally 400-watt, but I'm thinking 250-watt) between the two would perform. If the LED fixtures were slightly more biased toward a flowering spectrum, I'd be thinking "... basic MH setup," lol.

My tent is approximately 10.5625 square feet in area. I have a Mars TS-150 (square, smallish, 150 watts, adjustable), too, and that should be just fine with the pair of SP-150s for autoflower duty (flowering @ 18 hours per day), but I'm a little concerned about flowering photoperiodic plants with that combination @ 12 hours per day. I mean it would work, lol, but... (TS likes sativas .)

Oops, this isn't my thread. Er... Maybe the OP can get some ideas from my ramblings, and from the replies to same (if any).

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hi T.S. thanks for tagging me in!
Hi @Madmaths, we have great grow tent in Canada, and 4x4 also in stock, you can check out here Before Mars Hydro make our own grow tents, we also OEM for some of the other famous brands, for privacy policy, we cannot tell their names. We set our margin very very low, each tent only makes less than 10USD even for retail, that is why some of our growers get back to us says our tents is better than some of the local ones which are over 300USD. I am sure you will love it when you get it.

grow tent 100x100x180 - Mars Hydro 3 no light leak design.jpg

• Mars Hydro
• Aug 12, 2019

grow tent 100x100x180 - Mars Hydro 5 metal tube.jpg

• Mars Hydro
• Aug 12, 2019

grow tent 100x100x180 - Mars Hydro 6 weight bearing.jpg

• Mars Hydro
• Aug 12, 2019

grow tent 100x100x180 - Mars Hydro 7 floor tray.jpg

• Mars Hydro
• Aug 12, 2019

grow tent 100x100x180 - Mars Hydro workman ship.jpg

• Mars Hydro
• Aug 12, 2019

grow tent 100x100x180 - Mars Hydro 2 1680D cloth par+.jpg

• Mars Hydro
• Aug 12, 2019

By the way, for your 4x4 space, usually if traditional HPS, you will need 800~1000W to get great results, for traditional blurple led grow lights, you will need around 600~800w as well actual wattage from the wall,. but now technology are developed a lot, now the new SMD chips sunlike spectrum led grow light are usually 30~50% more efficient than the traditional lights. Two of our SP 250 is only 460w, but can fit 4x4 very well, one of our TS 3000 is only 435w, but can fit 4x4 space greatly as well. So you don't have to keen on the wattage now, if the light PPE is high, and ppfd data is enough for the coverage area, then the wattage is less, the better actually! Both option from us is less than 500USD, better perform than the lights over 800USD in your market, I can guarantee.

Mars Hydro SP 250

• Mars Hydro
• Sep 16, 2019

Mars Hydro SP 250 led grow light

• Mars Hydro
• Aug 20, 2019

Mars Hydro TS3000--meanwell driver.jpg

• Mars Hydro
• Sep 10, 2019

Mars Hydro TS3000 package.jpg

• Mars Hydro
• Sep 10, 2019