I need advice from people with experience using different grow tent brands. Please share both the good and bad experiences you’ve had with these tents.

Gorilla AC Infinity Spider Farmer Mars Hydro quality-wise.

SF has a major lawsuit pending for infringing on the patent (allegedly) of one of the largest global light diode makers........I wouldn't touch that with a 100 ft pole when adding in their track record of customer service (or lack therof). Be prepared for them to vanish one day soon as they fold due to said court case (not legal advice, NAL) mars hydro is postured like they're vertically integrated but they're mostly a rebrander from China ACI is a rebrander from Cali importing from China with label changed... pick your poison. btw ACI will at least replace a faulty product, with the QC ticket on every item you can point the finger at exactly who shipped you a doo doo product when they do (tent stitching, carbon fiber filters, etc. are things that I have had them fall off a cliff on quality for and be replacing often these days)

The sturdiness of the poles -- relative to size of tent of course... don't need 1" diameter poles for a 3x3. Shoot for 50% weight capacity and you'll be fine even if it's not the thickest metal poles. There are always going to be some pinhole leaks. AC infinity has sturdy poles, but stitching sure isn't up to the same standards. If the frame easily holds the weight of your equipment used, and you don't constantly take it down / put it up, it should last a long time regardless of brand. Reduce wear-n-tear as best you can. Can always shore up an old tent with cardboard or duct tape, lol. At this point i'd probably build my own frame (angled eluminum or metal tubes etc... tent pull replacement venders?) and wrap it in poly film (also called panda film). Use some adhesive velcro and a suitable overlap for complete blackout at seams or maybe some magnets etc. Probably save a lot of money on any of the larger tents. Can customize size and exactly where things will be hung etc... I mostly dark-proof the room the tent is in, so it doesn't have to lift a heavy weight in that regard. ducting will still be a likely avenue for light pollution regardless of which you buy or make. either need a beefier duct fant to handle a light labyrinth or just make sure the room remains mostly dark.