which tent??? help please

cravin morehead · Jan 30, 2012

some of you may know, i run a 400w cabinet. its in an a/c controlled room (window unit), running a chilled dwc. i want to step up to 1k using a tent. but which brand to use?? i want 4'x4' or so, i need the rest of the room for other things. was thinking of passive intake with a 6" or 8" light exhaust. also a seperate exhaust for the tent. also, let me know where to get it. (oc, so cal) let me know your pros and cons with your suggestions. im assuming most companies have fixed off-gassing issues by now. just looking for durability, quality, and ease of use... thanks alot. so far i'm leaning toward GL 120...

what do ya think??

thanks,
cm

kinger · Jan 30, 2012

secret jarden,I have one and I love it

cravin morehead · Jan 30, 2012

kinger said:
secret jarden,I have one and I love it

care to elaborate?? whats your exhaust and wattage set-up?? easy access to the sides and back? what size are you running??

sHaDyMiLkMaN · Jan 31, 2012

I am also a very satisfied secret jardin user. I have had a DR60 for a few years now and love it. The DR60 is a 2x2 tent which I just used for vegging plants for outdoors mostly but it has become my indoor veg tent as of late. In the DR60 I use a 4 lamp 2 foot T-5 fixture. I also have a DR90II which is a 3x3 running at 400 watts currently. I have an a/c hood which can easily be vented through the two 8" vents in the top center of the tent. Its a bit cool outside now so no need to a/c my hood. I use a phat 6x16 carbon filter with a 6" valuline on a speed controller running at ~50% to eliminate odors. The DR90II is ducted to the top of my DR60 with 6" ducting and a 6" to 5" reducer into the tent. So air is pulled through the DR60, out the top vent and into the DR90II. It eliminates the need for a separate fan/filter for the DR60 and keeps the intake temp a little warmer for the DR90II during the cold months. I am very happy with the ease of use and the construction of these tents. They can be assembled by one person pretty easily and taken down all the same. If you are running a 1000w bulb in a 4x4 an air cooled hood would be a great idea. Just make sure your hood allows space inside of the tent to hang your carbon filter. You can also hang your fan in there too but I ran the two provided cross-members on either side of the top vent and placed my fan on top of these outside of the tent due to space issues. A 4x4 (GL120 or DR120II) would be super bright with a 1000w light but you could probably get away with a 600w if you feel that heat could become an issue. There are plenty of places to get them online and your local hydro store may be able to get one for you if they deal with distributors who carry grolab or SJ products.

SensiBC · Jan 31, 2012

I've had a few Hydrohuts over the years. 3 of them were the older white lined models, all of which offgassed and killed everything in them. (I had another brand with a white lining that also was an offgasser) I also have a newer silver lined model, which was great until 2 of the zippers broke.

In the end, although Hydrohut has great customer service, I'd probably avoid buying another.

rives · Jan 31, 2012

I run both a GL80 and a DR120II. It might not be a good comparison because of the difference in the sizes, but I prefer the GL80. It has a superior zipper, the material is heavier, and the structure is more sturdy. It will support 100lbs vs the 60 lb limit of the DR120II. The double door configuration of the GL seems less likely to cause problems when the doors are open and the weight of them is supported by the upper "pivoting" corner vs the large single door on the DR.

My hybrid DIY fixture is a heavy s.o.b. at 42 lbs, and the combined load of it, a carbon filter and an inline fan made the DR120 unsteady to the point that it was spooky. I moved the fixture to the GL, which has a slightly smaller filter and a remote mounted fan, and it is rock solid. The SJ Intense series might be worth checking out, but they are pretty spendy and I think the smallest size is 4x8.

Again, it might not be a valid comparison because of the size difference, but the SJ has more ports for wires and venting (although the size's are odd - 6" would be a very tight fit), double socks on the ports for light blocking, and has side access doors where the GL80 doesn't. I would suggest spending a lot of time with the spec sheets and figuring out if the porting and doors work for you, but my preference is definitely the GL. Hope this helps!

*edit* I forgot to mention - the GL80 came with 4 crossbars for hanging equipment from the top of the tent, while the DR120II only came with 3.

Sundance · Jan 31, 2012

SensiBC said:
In the end, although Hydrohut has great customer service, I'd probably avoid buying another.

Hydro Huts problems are long over - all tents are made with a silver colored liner

Same great customer service ... and nice guys too

TribalSeeds · Jan 31, 2012

I own the Dr120 and Dr240ii. Both are great! I run 6" vortex exhaust in both on speed controls with a fresh filter, 8"maxfan on the lights. I have 2 osculating tower fans and 2 clip on fans inside. I have 2 blockbuster hoods and an 8 bulb 4ft T5 hanging in there at the same time with no problem. Follow my grow, I expect a cpl lbs

SensiBC · Jan 31, 2012

Sundance said:
Hydro Huts problems are long over - all tents are made with a silver colored liner

Same great customer service ... and nice guys too

The offgassing problems may be long over, but 2 of the zippers of my silver lined Hydrohut broke. I have the thing held together with tape.

Their customer service is awesome, but the new tents leave a bit to be desired.

Bunz · Jan 31, 2012

http://www.gchydro.com/Grow+Lab+145.html

Pickup at the warehouse in Orange to avoid shipping charges.

Bunz

Guest 88950 · Jan 31, 2012

you compare them @ greenershydro

i have a 4x4 SJ and i like it.....i would reinforce all connections of the poles if i planned on hanging alot of weight but i only support 2 600's.

cravin morehead · Feb 1, 2012

thanks for all the help and advice... so far, im still leaning toward a gl120... another question i have, i plan on using a small humidifier in the tent, any one have any problems with humidity affecting poles or anything else?? i don't think it would be a problem, seeing as how the humidifier is going to keep things only at around 50%, but just asking

SensiBC · Feb 1, 2012

I doubt you'll have an issue unless you have water pooling on the floor.

jahrastafareye · Feb 1, 2012

yes i also have a question about the gl120 , what size is the sock port on the roof? would a 6" fan fit or would i need a duct reducer down to 4" ?

NYCDiesel · Feb 1, 2012

secret jardin`s models ll, they leak, thru the zipper thru the every
stitches on the box, i dont understand them why they don`t do enything to fix it.it is better then the model befor but i would not buy SJ again!! :tiphat:

Guest 88950 · Feb 1, 2012

^^^^^my SJ isnt light tight either..........i dont think any of them are.

rives · Feb 1, 2012

NYCDiesel said:
secret jardin`s models ll, they leak, thru the zipper thru the every
stitches on the box, i dont understand them why they don`t do enything to fix it.it is better then the model befor but i would not buy SJ again!!

I don't think any of them are completely light-tight, but after all of the positive reviews of the SJ, I was very disappointed in it. Enough so that I am converting over a similar-sized closet to take it's place.

cravin morehead said:
any one have any problems with humidity affecting poles or anything else??

I don't think the humidity would be a problem with the GL - the framework is powder-coated and should be very resistant to problems.

NYCDiesel · Feb 1, 2012

rives said:
I don't think any of them are completely light-tight, but after all of the positive reviews of the SJ, I was very disappointed in it. Enough so that I am converting over a similar-sized closet to take it's place.

Yeah i was mad also when i saw the leaks, they could welded all the stitches(like softshell jacket) and put longer fabric in the box on the zippers i think that would do the trick, but i believe that would be expensive, hm but maybe those stitches wouldn`t be so expensive, i don`t kno.

Maybe they are just reading this, but i don`t need no credits for idea. ehehe

cravin morehead · Feb 1, 2012

wow!! thanks for all of the great honest responses!! i think im going to go with the gl120... im hoping to purchase next week or so, if any of you guys are still interested, i will post some pics of the new (to me) set up. just recieved my 'boutique order today!! plan on seeing some chimera highland mex x bb, mosca c99 bx 1, and res sssdh in there soon. actually i'll probably try the highland mex x bb outdoor this year (read about 10'+ tall plants). nice freebies too, SOL-blue satellite 2.2, mod- kali-most, and a lucky mix!!! thanks seed boutique!!! i can't wait!!! "can't give rep on the same post twice"!

thanks to you all,
cm :headbange

NYCDiesel · Feb 1, 2012

Yeah post later some pictures of the box. Put the light on and close the box and also shut the lights around box that we would see better for leaks, (i hope for no lightleaks)goodluck.

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