light tents - waste or worth it?

[thewallflowerphotographer]

For product photography, I keep reading that it's cheap and easy to make your own light tent and get the same results.

But I seem to see light tents that are pretty affordable and at the moment, if the price difference isn't sizable, I'd rather go premade than diy.

So what's the skinny here? Do they all produce the same result with the right lighting know-how or is there a third better option that I'm missing?

[kencaleno]

Light tents are ok if you want to photograph items for sale on E-bay-lighting is flat,and they are very limiting-better to just use a piece of poster board,and diffused light from a window.(Either diffuse direct light with plain shower curtain,or use a window on opposite side of house to direct sunlight)

[sybren]

One of the major benefits of a premade light tent rather than my DIY is that the premades are ususally built to be easily portable. They fold up easily into a pocket or bag or whatnot, so you can actually take them somewhere. My DIY tent would simply be torn to pieces if I'd try and fold it.