What you're doing is basically just S.O.G., isn't it? Do you defoliate at all? When I've tried packing them together, the fans really block a lot of light.
Yes, basically, in a way. I vegged until they were around 25" tall then lollipopped and flipped. Im pretty amazed at the results thus far. I still have 3 or 4 longer branches per plant which really filled in and overcrowded the area. But they were so close to the light it didnt matter.
And yes, I defoilated 1/2 way through flower. Just the fans under each branch. I left the top fans.