but wish I would have waited for the third node to use, to be bigger.
BINGO! We have a winner!
The 6-node thing is a guideline, but you have to watch the plant. The one above was under the small 135watt veg tent light for 60 days waiting on my last harvest, then another 2 weeks under the 260w before flipping. I didn't even count the upper nodes once it got past 6, and I have either the 3rd or 4th node depending on how you count. I count the first true-leaf set as the first "node", not the first set that pop out.
I also counted up to that node, and as soon as the shoots were big enough (about 1/4-1/2" of stem) I wrapped one of those rubber coated wires around where I would eventually snip. Not tight, but it was a reminder of which ones I was keeping, and it helped force them away from the stem a little.
Keeping an eye on those specific shoots, also reminds you that two nodes up, you can go ahead and ditch those fan leaves (or any other stuff) that shades your "target" shoots. I also snipped every shoot above that area on watering days. leaving all the fan leaves to build the roots. No wasted energy going to shoots you'll top off anyway.
edited: I'm stoned and forgot where I was going with it LOL - I had about 8 nodes before I topped, and it took a while, but she grew slow and healthy during that time, hoping it'll save headaches later.