Tents, how does yours rate?

[Skunky Dunk Farms]

I will start by saying i have used differant size and brand tents over the last 6 years.
Urban Farmer was good for me. Sealed well, no light leaks and great zippers.

Mars Hydro not so much, these seem to be the worst for light leaks. Im arguing right now with seller over a 5x5. It leaks light "EVERYWHERE"!

 

[Blackbeard]

I got this "Cool Grows" tent from amazon Amazon product ASIN B07413MWSTI have the 32x32x63 and the only light I see is from the open intake vent. I am a first timer so my experience is zero, but this tent seems well manufactured, all metal frame and pretty heavy duty zippers and material.
I'm happy with my choice.

 

[DreamsOfDiesel]

I have 2 vivosuns (2x2 & 4x4) & 1 3x2 yintatech. I like the vivosun, there's a little light leak out along zipper but normal lights are not bright enough to leak IN so I'm ok with it.
The yintatech has light leaks all over & is not as well built as the vivosuns but it's only veg so I dont care

 

[DreamsOfDiesel]

I got this "Cool Grows" tent from amazon Amazon product ASIN B07413MWSTI have the 32x32x63 and the only light I see is from the open intake vent. I am a first timer so my experience is zero, but this tent seems well manufactured, all metal frame and pretty heavy duty zippers and material.
I'm happy with my choice.

My friend got 1 of those & likes it

 

[DreamsOfDiesel]

I will start by saying i have used differant size and brand tents over the last 6 years.
Urban Farmer was good for me. Sealed well, no light leaks and great zippers.

Mars Hydro not so much, these seem to be the worst for light leaks. Im arguing right now with seller over a 5x5. It leaks light "EVERYWHERE"!

Never tried either

 

[Gentlemancorpse]

I have 4 tents right now that I've purchased over the last few years.

First was an "Eco Worthy" drop shipped Amazon tent - the cheapest and first tent i purchased, I got what I paid for. It's covered in gorilla tape and black nail polish at this point to block all the light leaks its developed. Its not super sturdy, but the zippers still work well.

Millard and Maxsisun - I grouped these together because other than different shades of green on the trim, they're basically the same tent. The poles clip together and the fabric is much thicker than the previous tent. The zippers work well. A few small light leaks at the stitching but nothing major.. Overall a good value.

Lighthouse 2.0 - newest tent and the first one I purchased from a local hydro store, it was far and away the most expensive ... but also far and away the nicest. Thickest material, heaviest poles, smooth zippers. The spill tray is a nice, smooth finish that is easier to clean than the standard reflective material. No light leaks whatsoever. Only complaint is it could use a few more openings on the sides to allow for different configurations.

 

[jpcyan2]

I have a DR-80 darkroom 2'8"x2'8"x5'3" tent made by SecretJardin. It is about 11 yrs old. I bought it used off ebaay for 50 bucks or so in 2009. It hadn't actually been used, but had been opened, set up, and re-packed. The poles appear to be galvanized? and they are starting to rust a bit. I may tear it down, clean those up, and paint the poles with some truck bed liner. It has plastic corners which are still holding up fine.

I'm pretty happy with it. The zipper has 2 pulls, the top one is corroded and was giving me some problems. I dont use the top one any more. It had one pin hole when I purchased it and a piece of black electrical tape fixed that. It has been bumped and pushed out of the way more than a few times but has taken a beating like a champ. Literally hundreds if not thousands of clones have passed through that thing. Along with probably 50-100 mother plants, mushrooms, a wide variety of lighting, fans, trays and bubble cloners.

Overall my rating is excellent. I mean $50, 11 yrs, minimal problems and only a few minor pin holes.. I really don't think I could ask for much more.
I dont know anyone else who uses one personally. So I really have nothing to compare it to other than what I see online. I'm not even sure they are still manufactured.

 

[Blackbeard]

I got this "Cool Grows" tent from amazon Amazon product ASIN B07413MWSTI have the 32x32x63 and the only light I see is from the open intake vent. I am a first timer so my experience is zero, but this tent seems well manufactured, all metal frame and pretty heavy duty zippers and material.
I'm happy with my choice.

EDIT: Correction I have the 36"x36"x72" (3ft x 3ft x 6ft), I must have been medicated and just copied the first size my eye caught from the page. This correction is probably unnecessary, but I want to be thorough with my review.

 

[BogartAmungus]

I bought a Mars hydro 4x8 in February? March??? I am satisfied with it. I figure its in a dark room with zero natural light. I seen some light where the zippers merge but i put duct tape there. One back by a vent but it's against the wall. I like the zipper quality for sure. The inside seam flaps could be better but it works great for my use. I could have spent 2x for a Gorilla and got the same results BUT I would rather have the Gorilla tent lol. The poles are good too. Snap right together and hold tight.

 

[Ggrow]

I've only bought cheap tents. Cheaper than anything on eBay or Amazon really. Direct from manufacturers. It helps that I speak the language and have purchased wholesale in China for more than a decade. Resellers make a huge profit off tents. However, I can only get the 600D ones and not the 1680D ones. Which is cool with me due to my hot temps. Think less than $100 for a 4×8.

My rationale is that tents are hit and misses, even with the name brands. But i gotta pay so much more for them brands. They are obviously not that much better.

So my Tent is standard but has everything i need. Will it last as long as Mars Hydro or Gorilla? I don't know but i don't believe it's a 2-3 times difference in durability or anything else. Just my 2 cents and if anyone wants to source anything from China in wholesale quantities, let me know! I don't just do it for anyone lol

 

[horribleherk]

I got mine from hydrobuilder.com been running them 3 years now with no issues it's their house brand called covert , medium priced & good quality

 

[horribleherk]

For my next tent I'm looking at a vivosun 4x4 & two 260 cam exhaust fans for about the same price as one of my tents alone

 

[Couch_Lock]

I've had 3 brands of 4 x 4's.

HydroCrunch (Home depot)- some light leaking, weak front zipper 3.0/5

Vivosun- some light leaking, slightly better zipper then above brand ^, average interior reflectivity 3.8/5


Zazzy- no light leaks, blinding diamond mylar reflectivity, HELLA front zipper 4.5/5


All were about $90 to $110 range.

 

[Keif Lint]

I use cheap tents (I spend money on lights and filters)and I get what I pay for they leak light like crazy but they're in a dark room, they hold up ok though and zips are fine?

 

[Cattapilla]

I have a 28x28x60 Mars Hydro tent since November. Patched a few pin holes, zipper is great. Only downside is there is no lower porthole, which would be a convenience for me. I've actually outgrown it! Ready for a 3x3x70!

 

[Buzzer777]

I have a 3x3 Vivosun (3+ yrs old and heavily used), a Unitfarm 2x4x6 which is an almost perfect copy of The Gorilla at a much lower cost (China import), and a Mars 3x3 that was gifted to me by another forum member. I rank them as follows:

Unitfarm..the best of the 3. Great zippers and the same fabric as the Gorilla. The poles are also super thick with good welds. (corners too)There can't be light leaks since all the zippers are completely covered by inner and outer flaps. You can't buy a height extension though since Gorilla has a patent.

Mars..In between the Vivosun and the Unitfarm. Fabric seems a bit lighter than the Unitfarm and a bit heavier than the Vivosun (but has the better diamond reflective pattern inside like the Gorilla and the Unitfarm). I am not a fan of D doors on the sides of smaller tents, (more zippers = more light leak possibilities) which this has. I am using it for veg so it's no big deal. If you use the convenient side D doors, to maintain a decent zipper seal (no leaks), the inner flap will always need to be smoothed back out so as to recover the zipper.

Vivosun.. The hardest of the 3 to build imo. Doesn't have the greatest zippers but a bit of candle wax helps them glide better as they age. The fabric is not the diamond pattern and the poles are pretty light weight..BUT I have used this for over 3 yrs (light leaks around the zipper, but in a dark room), and am in and out of it all day long.

 

[Gweedo's Growroom]

I've got 2 zazzy 4x8s tiny leaks from the zippers but overall extremely worth the price I paid around 140 each, no complaints on any parts of them really, inside is extremely reflective and the zippers have held up to constant use for the 2 yrs or so I've had mine

 

[Couch_Lock]

Hereditary instincts of certain fem strains are more likely to hermaphrodite then any small amount of light leak in 12/12. I think all tents have very tiny miniscule light leak somewhere. In growing female strains about 6 cycles Ive had one plant slightly herm........my first grow........found 9 tiny hollow seeds and cut it down.

 

[Jewels]

I think all tents have very tiny miniscule light leak somewhere.

Mine was massive

Top notch thread, dudes.

 

[MichiganGrampa]

Im arguing right now with seller over a 5x5. It leaks light "EVERYWHERE"!

I've got a 5 x 5 and a 4 x 5.

Both of mine have small pin hole leaks through out. It's dark enough so that as long as no strong direct light shines on it, it's safe. My tents are behind a locked door in my basement. As added precaution, I don't use the overhead lights in the area where my tents are. I also don't visit the area during lights off time

Edit: I should say that some of those pin holes were caused by my cats. I don't allow them in the grow area ... but that doesn't mean they have not snuck in a time or two unnoticed.