@Growya sorry, didn’t mean to withdraw the post. I’m on my first grow and while I’m still in the vegetative stage, my experience is consistent with @chris_barfield post above that there is a noticeable smell when you get close to the unit. I anticipate that this will only get worse during flowering. I understand that smell reduction is a much more realistic expectation but Grobo boldly claims smell PROOF on their website and that your house won’t be affected by odors. They also market themselves to new growers with little to no prior experience who might think that smell elimination can be fully accomplished. It’s only after you read these forums that you learn that ancillary measures need to be taken. And if you don’t read those, then the smell will most likely become a significant issue AFTER the 45 day warranty period ends…
@chris_barfield is right, the grobo will grow the plant and a lot of people have had great results. So far my plant looks great. But the subject matter at hand here is smell. I completely agree with him that any unit is a gamble because in the end you’re growing a smelly plant. For instance, he mentions cloudponics. I have not seen any light leaks in any videos I’ve seen on that unit (which I believe is available to the public but, as Chris said, is more expensive). BUT it grows six plants…which means six times the smell. So Chris is right, any unit is a gamble.
This is all just my two cents and in the end it’s up to you and how clandestine you’re trying to be. But this is all info I wish someone had told me before I bought mine. Im not an engineer, but it seems to me that unless the unit is air tight (which it isn’t) with carbon filters at both the air intake and exhaust then there will be smell. Potentially significant depending on strain, stage, etc.