Mylar vs. Black/White Panda? What is the best reflective material to use?

I hate how mylar is strength wise but I have heard it reflects much better than panda BUT wanted to get some more information from those who have really tested out the many reflective materials.

So what actually reflects the most usable light as well as WHY you use one over the other even if it reflects less, for instance, like the mylar for me it was a pain to apply to the walls of the cabinet unlike panda film was.

Any thoughts? I am all ears.

I was going to post almost the same question myself. I was wondering if mylar or white paint was better and why? And the pro's and con's.

I never did a scientific test but it seems like Panda is the winner. Mylar may be more reflective at first but it gets dirty real quick and I have heard when you wipe it, it looses some of its reflectivity. From the limitied time I have used it, I can say w/o doubt theres no way after a 1.5 years, it would still be in my growroom. It would have been shredded

To complicate things, I have heard painting flat white was always better than glossy. Something about the light bouncing more even.

mylar is reflective but also reflects the heat. flat white paint just reflects the light. I beleive for this reason, white paint is the best.

JT

ok so flat white paint versus panda?

I can see using panda because it is easy to clean but other than that I can't think of any reason to not use flat white.

I was going to use flat white, currently using panda but saw something about mylar being the best reflective wise BUT man is it a pain to work with....

So if you had to choose panda versus flat white paint?

any mold issues with the flat white on wood? Should it be outdoor flat so it deals with mold and water issues or would any flat white work fine?

How is it for cleaning? Like after pollen chucks everywhere, I like the panda because you can tell if it is clean but I have never tested flat white BUT can see making a cabinet and just painting the walls of the cab versus having a ghetto panda/mylar tacked taped and jimmy rigged up.

I have also seen that reflectix or whatever it is called, that "car window shade" looking material that comes in rolls and people use that as well. I was thinking that could help in reducing noise inside the cab as well BUT odds are would hold more heat also I would assume.

JohnnyToke said:

mylar is reflective but also reflects the heat. flat white paint just reflects the light. I beleive for this reason, white paint is the best.

JT

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ok so it reflects heat... big deal... ...there are many pieces of equipment that control/allow plants to deal with heat whether it be a fan, inline fan, co2, A/C, etc.,

....

let me give you guys some examples of some stuff on the market....

Sunfilm Ultra Reflective Film



The ultimate reflective film that is 97% reflective. This film is extremely durablepuncture and tear resistant. Nylon mesh scrim reinforcement is woven into the film and is washable as well as waterproof. Come in rolls of 48 inches by 50 feet.


Black & White Poly Film



White & Black Poly Panda Film is used in growing areas. This mylar is waterproof poly film that is black on one side & white on the other. Panda film works well as a reflective film (reflects 90% of the light striking it back to the growing area), or as a room partition. This heavy duty Panda Film is 6mm. thick and comes in a roll 10ft.x 100ft.

95% Reflective German Aluminum 2ft X 4ft Sun Sheets



95% Reflective German aluminum 2' X 4' sheets. Four sheets come in one package. This is the same high-tech material used in Sunlight Supply's Sun System® reflectors. Line any growing area to create the ultimate grow room. Works great with the Home Box XL Enclosed Greenhouse from Sunlight Supply

Mylar



Mirror-like mylar is one of the best and most affordable reflective materials made, with over 98% reflectivity. Use it to cover the walls of your growing space so that light that would otherwise be wasted can be reflected back onto the plants. Use the 1 mil only if it is going against a white surface, otherwise use the 2 mil The 2 mil is also easier to work with.


based on that data, I would say Mylar Wins if your looking for ultimate reflectivity... 98% reflectivity... but, on the other hand it does not really have that long of a life span because of its weakness...

which makes the "Ultra Reflective Film" the next best choice because you would sacrafice 1% reflectivity for an increase in film strength...

all in all, I say its based on your own personal environment... same with most other pieces of equipment used through everyones gardens...

hope this helped...

PEACE, LW

definitely depends on the environment in which you wanna use it.

I think cervantes said in his book that flat white is more reflective than mylar, but its also harder to clean, and more permanent. Blueberry terry said it best.

I like Panda when light-proofing is a factor. It just seems to be the easiest to work with and I know that the light is not escaping!

LiLWaynE - great post, I am going to check some of the other products you posted out as well. 90%+ reflective anything seems respectable to me, now I guess it is more of what works out best for each person I suppose.

My thinking, paint flat white and if I get sick of it I can test out the other materials or just go back to panda. One thing that I know would not end up good is if I had to repaint every once in awhile versus a material I can pull down and replace with something new whenever I feel it is needed.

panda film hands down....

Yes mylar is more reflective, so what... You must ask your self this if you had a large mirror on one side of a room and a large equal size flat white covered board in a dark room and turn a light on what would you see....The mylar will reflect the light, so precisely that you will be able to make out the shape of the light. The white will appear to glow. What that tells me is the light is the mylar light is too focused, while the panda film defuses the light better.

Walk into a mylar room and it is like a house of mirrors, cool looking, but thats it... Walk into a room covered in panda film and your going to need shades. The reason for this is because the light photons are so dispersed that there is no place to escape the light rays striking your eyes/plants.

This is also not taking into consideration the fact that mylar gets dirty very easy and quickly gets even worse at reflecting light.

Don't believe me, try both and let us know.... i know what i will put my money on.

I use panda for light and so no moisture molds up the walls. I wonder if I could just get away with flat white paint and not use the panda. You think I would have problems with mold and fungus on the drywall. I guess the pands is cheap insurance.

An important feature of Mylar and Reflectix (Sunfilm looks interesting) is that they reflect IR. This helps protect you from LEO using FLIR.

Flat white paint (use one that has Titanium Oxide in it) is the easiest and cheapest way to go. When it gets dirty you just slap a new coat on. I'd seriously consider paint if you foliar feed your girls in the grow area.

There will be maintenance and lifespan issues whether it be Panda, Mylar, Paint, Sunfilm, Reflectix, or etc. All will work.

My preference is Reflectix.

LiLWaynE said:

Sunfilm Ultra Reflective Film

Mylar

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maybe ill make my post more clear based solely on my personal experience in my grow environment.

the only change made was reflective material on walls. everything else stayed the same (exhaust, recirc fans, a/c etc.)

using mylar, my ambient temps with lights on ran 85-88f. too high.

I switched to Sunfilm ultraflect. temps were a little better but just a degree or two.

yanked that out and painted walls flat white. ambient temps dropped to 75-78f during lights on.

so with this said, my point that flat white reflects light but much less heat is a valid point.

regards,
JT

Having used both Mylar and Panda over the years its white paint for me.

panda on walls and floor, tear it down and the room is good as new... and you know it is just as good as mylar

i had some plants in a corner next to panda-covered walls, and they look like they were right under the light...


AdjustaWing + panda = success

Mylar reflects the light onto your plants where you want it, white paint diffuses the light so you will end up with light on the ceiling where it does no good...

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this stuff:



"Diamond Reflective sheeting is a premium reflective sheeting which has all the reflective qualities of Mylar but with more even light distribution due to the diamond pattern. 100% Lightproof, Diamond Sheeting is flame retardant, easier to handle and much more resistant to creasing than other types of reflective sheeting. Also, uniquely the reflective metal layer is sandwiched behind a clear protective PET film that protects against heat, humidity, moisture and handling. Sold off the roll in any length by 1.4 metre widths."

Gangabiss, that's what I'm using, and I like it and wouldnt even consider anything else expect 'total-blackout' which is white-black-white 'panda' and thicker than other panda-films, and only because it's sold in 3m widths...

Havent used flat white paint though...

"The future is fun, the future is fair...

"The future is fun, the future is fair...

You may already have won, you may already be there."

Gangabiss said:

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this stuff:

"Diamond Reflective sheeting is a premium reflective sheeting which has all the reflective qualities of Mylar but with more even light distribution due to the diamond pattern. 100% Lightproof, Diamond Sheeting is flame retardant, easier to handle and much more resistant to creasing than other types of reflective sheeting. Also, uniquely the reflective metal layer is sandwiched behind a clear protective PET film that protects against heat, humidity, moisture and handling. Sold off the roll in any length by 1.4 metre widths."

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Thanks!
That looks like a winner.

I started with mirrors mounted on walls that were already painted white.
Didn't know any better.
Got out my light meter and learned something.

Crap!
So, I covered the mirrors with mylar.
Feh! You can see through the 1 mil. and my light readings were highly variable. Hot spots, cold spots.
Hung a white sheet over the mylar and was not impressed.
Neighbor turned me on to reflectix.
He was using it for an outdoor grow.
Ripped all my old crap out and made a curved ceiling grow room out of Reflectix.

Now we're talkin'!
Very easy to work with. Very even coverage, and the light meter averaged 4% more on a direct reflect and about 12% more light on the canopy than I got with flat white and sharp corners!

Planning my next portable grow tent now.
Will try the Diamond.
Ain't science fun?
Thanks again

Regards and
Weezard