I have two AeroGarden Harvest, a no-name unit and I really like them but they do have their pros and cons. This Mufga system is a good value for the money, the light panel can be extended to around 17' tall in comparison to any AeroGarden near the same price range and the Mufga has the two layer grow deck like an AeroGarden so that each pod get watered when the pump circulates. The tank is a large 6.5 liter (1.7 gallons) and doesn't have that questionable drain plug like so many cheaper versions have. I would never trust having a system that relies on a little rubber plug to hold the nutrient solution, especially when mine sits on a desk above an electrical outlet. Also, what happens if you lose that plug? Like AeroGarden you can remove the light panel before cleaning out the reservoir on the Mufga system. Oddly enough, I'm able to dim the light panel on a cheaper hydroponic system I bought but not the Mufga system. It automatically goes to the brightest setting although you can change the color temperature (Kelvin scale) for either vegetables (white-blue light) or fruits (white with mostly red light). The Mufga system is as close to an AeroGarden as you can buy without the big price. I think you pay for the ability to raise the light panel higher with an AeroGarden. I'm not going to pay $200-$300 just for that option. Growing lettuce and herbs is so easy you don't even need one of these systems if you have a jar and a sunny window but I grow Red Robin tomatoes and mini sweet peppers in them or at least start them until they're ready to transfer to the garden and lets face it, these hydroponic systems are addictive and for me are almost necessary to get through the winter blahs. Waking up to the smell of fresh basil, oregano, mint is amazing. Okay, my only complaint is that by accidentally touching the power button you reset the 16 hour timer. At least I think that's correct. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. Otherwise I think this may be the best alternative to an AeroGarden I have seen so far and all the different models have something that the others don't so it's best to pay attention to features.

Let me start by saying this thing grows plants very well, but I have some points for potential buyers of a counter top hydroponics planter. I bought this device as I was enamored with the idea of having fresh basil and other herbs available year round without having to remember to water them so often. I started with basil and some leafy lettuce. Point one- Plants get really tall and crowd into the light fixture. Point two- Every plant grows extraordinary root strands. Point three- The roots are so extensive that it is impossible to remove plants from the sod holders without stripping off nearly all of the accumulated roots (for transplanting into a pot). Point four- The growing area is far too crowded to hold mature plants in every holder. Point five- The upper leaf canopy severely restricts the light from getting to the lower leaves. Point six- Realize hydroponics systems are only good as seed starters if you can remove the growing medium for transplant without sacrificing any of the root system.

So would I buy this again? Probably not. What would I look for in a more practical design? For the surface area of this system, I would limit it to only four plant holders for continual harvest. I would look for a light fixture that would raise to at least 2 feet. And finally, I would look for a system that has growing medium holders that are less basket like and allow effective removal of the medium with roots left mostly intact for transplant.

Yes, everyone is correct, this has great features, the light that goes really low is great as the small plants don't get leggy like they do with my idoo with it's high lamp. It has a good water flow system, like my Aerogarden. The lights are not as bright as the Aerogarden, but they seem to be bright enough for the seeds to sprout and grow. However, the power supply's are running very hot, much hotter than the Aerogarden power supply, which also fits the Mufga system. However, the replacement power supplies that are the same as the Aerogarden power supplies, are $25 each. I don't want to risk a possible electrical fire, so I have to add the cost of the power supply, which brings the price much higher. I wish they would include a higher quality power supply, but I don't feel comfortable leaving the house for days or a week with these power supplies running so hot. So all things considering, as much as I like my two Mufga's, for the money they cost plus the safer power supply replacements, I would probably have elected to purchase the smaller, but better quality Aerogardens, with the safer power supplies instead. Mufga has raised their price, with the good reviews, so I feel they should upgrade their power supplies to ones that are safer and don't get so hot at the power pack plug-in.

as advertised. Auto light and water with fertilizer supplied. Plants are already growing after 5 days. Very pleased at what we will grow now.

We purchased 4 of these following over a year of successful use of an Aerogarden. We wanted a cheaper machine with more pods that used identical sponges as our aerogarden which are widely manufactured and distributed, so easy to get and often sold in bulk. This model fit the bill.

It's only downsides compared to our more expensive aerogarden is that

1. we have to start them at 1 am the first time if we want them to go on from 1 am to 6 pm and not have the lights on in the evening (when we use the room the occupy). You can't schedule them ahead.

2. we have to track the water and nutrient levels ourselves. That said, given the massive price difference between units that's not much of a hassle, especially since we check the levels every other week anyway. Every X amount of days (depending on what we are growing) we refill the water and add nutrients at the same time. The higher number of pods mean that we need to add nutrients at the same frequency as water. So we have each timeline scheduled in our shared calendar (Machine A and B, every 2 weeks, Machine C and D every 3 weeks) and boom, it's done. I quite frankly prefer it to having to visually check up on the screen of my aerogarden or installing a dedicated app.

3. The finish and branding of these machines is a bit lacking. Since we wanted utility, that's not an issue for us, but for someone for whom this machine will be on display, it's a bit minimalist.

Eventually, we decided to purchase 4 more machines and now own a total of 8 of these units.

All of them are set up on a wire shelf and occupy two 24X48 shelves with a bit of room between them. Very compact machines (and packaging). We keep the whole setup under a wire shelf zip cover to create a greenhouse effect and minimize the inconvenience of the lights.

We thus have 96 pods across 8 systems. In theory, we could accommodate another 4 machines on a third shelf and max out at a staggering 144 pods (this in what was the footprint of our former aeroponic tower which could support 32 plants). For now, we will likely keep at 8 machines as the extra storage room on the other shelf is convenient for keeping everything tidy, and we've yet to do a full harvest cycle involving all 8 machines, so we first want to see how these perform before further expansion. Our goal is to self-produce most of the vegetables we eat on a daily basis.

Although it's more of a hassle to manage 8 machines than a single pump and water tank, it's not much more of a hassle (basically fill up 8 smaller tanks vs 1 big one). Additionally, the pod capacity of this rig makes it very much worth it. The sound levels are also MUCH more reasonable and make these machines perfectly fine to cohabitate in a normal living space (our former aeroponic tower made an infernal racket on the level of a washing machine that dominated the soundscape of our house).

I strongly recommend these machines.

The trap for most of these hydroponic garden rigs are that they require you resupply on proprietary consumables in most cases: sponges and nutrients. In addition, of course to seeds and water which are easier to get. This machine is therefor incredibly convenient, since you can use the cheapest type of sponges on the market, it will support any kind of generic hydroponic nutrients you can find and you don't require any kind of special apps or seeds.