AeroGrow AeroGarden 6 Elite with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit, Black with Stainless Accents
- Revolutionary kitchen appliance lets you grow your own food indoors all year round right in your own kitchen
- Dirt-free NASA-tested aeroponic technology grows plants in water, nutrients, and air
- Computerized Adaptive Growth Intelligence monitors growth and alerts you when to add water and nutrients
- Organically based and 100% natural
- Measures 14 x 10 x 21 inches; 1-year limited warranty
Product Description
The AeroGarden 6 Elite is an update of the AeroGarden Classic with 6 Pods instead of 7. It provides more space for your plants to spread out, creating lush, full growth and it features the Advanced Growing System; more light to the plants and more oxygen to the roots. The AeroGarden 6 Elite is a revolutionary kitchen appliance – growing abundant harvests of garden-fresh lettuce, herbs and tomatoes year-round, right on the kitchen counter. The AeroGarden 6 Elite u… More >>
AeroGrow AeroGarden 6 Elite with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit, Black with Stainless Accents
I just purchased an Aerogarden 6 Elite. I got it on sale for [...] cashback through Bing so I got it for close to 103.00 shipped. I have just purchased the master gardener kit as I am going to use this for growing catnip. I was really excited when it finally arrived and I immediately ripped it open and started setting it up and this is where my disappointment came out. I was really expecting much higher quality in regards to the machine itself after all the MSRP for this model was [...] and that is not very cheap.
You can put one of these together in like 2 minutes flat. Just plug in the 2 bulbs and connect the top light unit to the main body and your done. The top is connected to the bottom with a plastic post that has a button that slides in and out of different height levels. Its incredibly cheap and not very well designed at all. Adjusting from one level to another is clumsy and not smooth at all. I am not an industrial designer and I could design a much better system.
As for the rest of the unit, its not that much better. Its basically all plastic with the exception being a few thin layers of metal on specific areas to give it a much nicer appearance. The metal is really cosmetic only and that is a shame as this should without a single doubt be much higher quality for the listed price.
I have not had it long enough to comment on the actual performance however going off of all of the reviews I have read on different sites, I am expecting it to work as advertised. Still I cant help but have a feeling of disappointment thus far simply because of the build quality. I don’t imagine that these hold up very well over the years. I was thinking about getting the Deluxe version but settled for the Elite 6 model due to the sale. If the Deluxe model has the same build quality then I am glad I didn’t spend the extra 100 bucks.
The bottom line – Even if these units work as advertised I imagine a lot of people like myself will ultimately be disappointed simply because of the build quality. It simply feels cheap and that just shouldn’t be the case when your spending 150-225 dollars.
Overall I give the build quality 2 stars. Remember I haven’t really used this yet so this review is really about the build quality and price, nothing more. If it winds up working as advertised I would probably give the unit a 3 star rating.
EDIT…..
I have now been using this unit for a few months and I am happy to say that it works as advertised. We now have a flourishing crop of catnip that my cats absolutely go crazy over. With that being said I am still disappointed by the overall quality of the unit especially the mechanism which lowers and raises the lamp. I have now pinched my finger numerous times trying to adjust the hood. I can live with the main body being plastic and I might have even been a bit harsh regarding this fact in my initial review but I stand by my initial statments regarding the button/sliding post mechanism for raising and lowering the lamp hood. Its just clumsy and downright cheap. Given the price of these units they should have gone with a system that made adjusting the hood smooth and easy and that just isn’t the case. I have already written Aerogarden an email regarding this matter and I can only hope that in the future they develop a far better system for adjusting the hood. Until then I will just have to deal with it.
Overall I love the entire concept of the Aerogarden however given the overall build quality, I cannot recommend buying these at full price. If you can find them on sale for 30%/40%/50% off then it becomes a much better deal and I definitely recommend buying one. I am someone who is very serious about the overall build quality of the products that I buy and I have absolutely no problem paying more, sometimes considerably so, if it gets me a higher quality item. At this point I really hope that Aerogarden either upgrades their units with higher quality materials or creates a special edition unit that is much higher in quality. I would be more than willing to pay more to get it. Again until something like this happens I will just have to deal with it. Who knows, maybe we will even see a different company altogether start rise up and address this issue after all home gardening is certainly big enough to support more than one company.
updated score – 3 stars
Rating: 2 / 5
We are extremely pleased with the results of the Aerogrwo. It worked as advertised, requires little maintenence, and produces almost more than we can use.
Rating: 5 / 5
I was tired of my outdoor garden going to the bugs or the weather. So as a gift my husband purchased the aero garden for me. This is my second one and I can’t tell you how fantastic this is. It is great for the novice or the skilled.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a fun family project, growing our own fresh herbs on the kitchen counter. The AeroGrow is pretty darn nice with a few minor flaws. We’re looking forward to the herbs.
The unit is straightforward to assemble. A thirteen year old that hates following instructions or reading manuals, was able to put this together, insert the seed pods and fill the unit with water. He had absolutely no problems doing the complete assembly. It’s not a bad idea to read the manual, we needed to set the machine for the correct type of garden and the light cycling, and there’s some special care once the seeds sprout. The kit includes a crystal clear pruning and care guide.
In use, this couldn’t be easier. The lights cycle on and off on a programmed schedule, you never touch a thing. There is a light to tell you when to add nutrients (this six pod garden requires two packets). There is a light to tell you when to replace the lamps – roughly 6 months of use.
The design is very nice. The black and silver is a pleasing combination. The construction is solid.
There are a few minor flaws or issues. There is some kind of pump to circulate the nutrients, and it does make a continuous buzzing sound. To me it is no louder than our refrigerator, and not at all annoying. In fact, it sounds a lot like our refrigerator when it is running. The lights are very bright. That can be good or bad, depending on where you put the garden. In the kitchen, it makes for a fabulous night light. If it were near your bedroom, or home theater, well the lights are probably not so good.
I debated the value of this machine. Is it worth the cost for the machine and then the future seed pods, nutrients, and lamps? To me, yes it is a good value. I love fresh herbs and will be so happy to cook with herbs I can cut myself. Our son loves to cook, and he will enjoy using fresh greens.
My biggest joy will be making pesto in the same manner as the birth place of pesto – Genoa, Italy. The herb kit for my garden includes Genovese Basil (the essential ingredient in pesto), dill, chives, mint, oregano, and thyme. We are roughly 3 weeks into growing and all the plants are about 3 inches tall. All germinated exactly on schedule, and are thriving. I will be so happy the day that I can harvest enough Genovese Basil and blend it with olive oil from that region.
I am very happy with this machine.
Rating: 5 / 5
Very disappointed and sending it back. I got it on a lightning deal and it isn’t a deal after further research and a defective product. First off one of the light bulbs didn’t work. Switched sockets and it is for sure the light bulb.
I had no idea you need to buy light bulbs every 6 months. Does anyone realize that they are spending hundreds of dollars a year in light bulbs, nutrients and seeds to get a few sprigs of lettuce? Their lettuce alone for one growing is $19.99 and people say it doesn’t taste that great. Buy organic in the grocery store.
My unit wasn’t double boxed and the edges weren’t even taped. This wasn’t a new product…the opening tab cardboard on the inside was stained.
This product has to be the biggest ripoff in the last 10 years.
Rating: 1 / 5