Mylar vs 97% reflective material

[BLUNToPOTomuss]

I was wondering what you ICmagers think is better?

I went to my local hydro shop and was going to pick up some 2 mil mylar and the salesman said that the 97% relective material is a better product because its reversible and easier to re-flatten..... AND.....

Mylar slowly flakes off after a couple of weeks in a cab with wind blowing on it.

Has anyone found this to be true about 2 mil mylar? If so how long does your mylar last before needing to be replaced?


Thanks in advnce for the responses!!!

BLUNTo

 

[Longhair]

Hello,
I'd Like To Know Also.

Thank You
Longhair

 

[Madrus Rose]

spend the money & get the best quality .. don't want to be replacing it every 6mos

 

[good drown]

i used the sun film for that reason. mylar was way cheaper, but it flakes and tears easy. the sun film is 2 layers, with a fiber weave inside, making it very very strong

 

[BLUNToPOTomuss]

Good,

That is what I ended up buying! the way this stuff is woven together Its hard for my cheapo scizz to cut through!

what is the % of reflectivity from mylar?

couldnt justify spending $40 on 100 ft of mylar to be repaced every 6 months when I was able to buy the other stuff (it feels 100x heavier)for $2 a foot at 48'' wide double sided reflective! spend $50 but should last a couple of years, and best of all Im able to re-smooth it out if I bend a corner.

Definately NO tearing going on with this stuff!!

I also like the checkered pattern in the material. Shop said it was to diffuse hot spots fom minor kinks and folds.

Ill check tonight and see how the plants like it, I tacked it up last night. just an FYI My cab was painted flat white before.

 

[LlamaSchool]

I really wouldn't sweat the difference. I've heard some say Panda Film is "90% reflective" and that stuff is just white.

I've used mylar in the past and now use tents. If I had to do it again (not in a tent), I would just paint the walls white, use Panda film, or do whatever is easiest/cheapest.

The important thing is that you have a reflective surface close to the edges of your plants. 90% vs 97% is not going to make much difference.

 

[Jnugg]

I use to have a chart somewhere but if I recall correctly panda film or black/white polyvinyl was rated 90% reflective,Mylar rated something like 92-95% ,flat white paint being 90-95% reflective and then there was the new stuff NASA supposedly created that was rated something like 97% reflective....

Mever used mylar or poly,always went with flat white paint,but hey every lumen/watt/PAR watt reflected rather then wasted counts!

 

[BLUNToPOTomuss]

Lama and Jnugg thanks for the reply.

after I hung it last night I didnt think I noticed that big of a difference from my white walls when looking inside just before the door closed. Maybe it BLASTS light once sealed up, but IMO i dont think the $50 was worth the minimal if any gain going with the reflective over flat white.

then again my cab is only 2x2x4 so that maybe part of it not really having such a dramatic effect on boosting reflected light????

who knows! Im 28 days into flower and stretching has stopped so I gues Ill have to gauge on how the buds fatten up.

Cha-Ching starts with todays watering so i may just have to wait to see the difference in my next grow!

thanks for the time

 

[Leviathan]

it aint going to make that great of differance, mylar, flat white paint, etc. beyound 4ft from a 1000 light and u can add all the mylar u want, your getting popcorn. truth be told if its going to cost you 100 bucks in mylar youd get a better return on your investment just buying a another 150hps, doubt the mylar will increase your yeild by n additional 2-3 ounces like the 150 would, i know its out of context, just saying that whatever u put up will be fine, the inverse law of light does enough from point source distance increaseing without it being reflected of a wall and back to a plant, look around the forum, plenty of people dont even use it or even put their plants next to a wall, theve figured out its overated. my point, go with whats best for u in the long run.

 

[good drown]

i used all 3 mentioned above, the panda black white polly, the nasa film, and the sun film.
i bought the polly to create a "wall", black side out, white on inside. i then adhered the sunfilm on the polly, but not 100%. you can definitely see a pretty big difference on light reflected. The nasa film i used only as a ir blocker, which is what it says it does. the nasa stuff is on my upper 2/3 of the room, and ceiling. the sunfilm is about 2/3 of the room from the bottom. there are spaces where the sunfilm does not cover the nasa shit, and sunfilm reflects better. i also put the left over sulfilm on the floor of 3/4 my room, the other is polly. clear difference between the two. sunfilm almost blinds me, polly, well not much