Brand Loyality: Are you a brand club member?

[Pickwun]

Other: I'm very loyal to several brands that I don't actually have money to buy.

 

[Gribbliest]

I'm not a 'fanboy', but I do use and trust GHL. I've been using their products around 10 years, the build quality is incredible and the support is very good.

I have to say there's an element of sticking with what I know, I have never used Neptune Systems products for instance, and although I see that perhaps Fusion looks nicer than GHL's interface (which has greatly improved over the years), this isn't a reason for me to switch.

I dared step outside of my comfort zone, and ordered a Mindstream unit. However as we all know, that was a mistake. Thankfully Amex saw me right there, and I pre-ordered the ION-Director instead.... Waiting for that now impatiently

OK, maybe I'm a fanboy

 

[jschultzbass]

I use whatever is the best from my research. Also price vs quality conscious. I stay away from overpriced BIG name brand as much as i can. I use Orphek lights, gyres, Reef Octo Varios return, Vertex skimmer, GHL doser on my reef tank and have never thought about changing. I use ReefBreeders/T5 combo, gyres, RO Varios return and Vertex skimmer, BRS Doser on my Frag tank. I use Pacific Sun LED/T5 combo, gyres and OctoPulse pumps, Skimz Leopard return pump and Skimz skimmer on my 300 gallon FOWLR (couple softies and LPS in the tank as well). I do use a neptune apex classic on each of the three tanks though as well. I use Tropic Marin Pro reef salt on my reef and frag tanks and Live Aquaria Pro reef salt on my FOWLR (because it's cheap).

 

[PegasisR]

loyal to

Ecotech
Brightwell
Royal exclusiv
Tropic Marin
Masstick
Spectrapure

 

[Bossman]

I've been into reefing for a little over 2 years. I now have 4 tanks with several different manufacturers components. But, it's hard for me to stray from a brand I've had success with. The first skimmer I purchased was Reef Octopus. And now, I have 4 RO skimmers in 4 tanks and they've all worked great. Unless things start to break, I would have a hard time NOT buying RO if I ever find myself in need of a skimmer.

I too stick with the same brand salt for consistency, Red Sea Coral pro. Although I have read good things about some others and am considering a change....

That being said, I still will entertain another mfg as long as the product has good reviews.

 

[ELOSAmerica]

if I am a loyal customer yes of course definitely for all that I have always done, if I choose a brand then I will stay with them as long as they fully meet their commitment (customer service, result, design and philosophy).
if I'm a fan of a particular brand in this reef industry ? Do you think so? i always was one

I am the FAN number One of my favorite brand ELOS . and this since the first day I met them in 1998 on a show in Milan . and since then I became the CEO .

in my opinion every consumer has every interest to be a loyal consumer with his favorite brand, and to have a privileged relationship with the brand that will treat him accordingly as a VIP. of course if that brand respects everything that makes it a brand with a particular interest, for the super cheap it may not be so true

 

[Ferrell]

Sorta. I have Ecotech lights, return and powerhead pumps. I choose them to be able to control everything from one app. Also my controller system I choose to stick to one brand for simple operation through one app. As you can see I may have choose a specific brand I did it to make my life more simple.

I wanted interoperability on the products I selected.

I’m defiantly not a fanboy as I believe both those brands can go a long way to improve their products.

^^^^
i have Ecotech for controllability from one spot, my apex. Since I am working most of my life away it’s peace of mind and simple.
Also I just find a product that works to my liking, quality construction and longevity. Plus if I have a problem I’ve got extra stuff to swap out. I did get a pair of AI primes with a nano I bought and they seem to be of good quality. Not crazy about the AI app compared to the radions attached to apex, but it’ll work for the nano...for now
AI
Ecotech
Reef Octopus
In addition I know there are good brands out there that I have not tried and would probably be loyal to as long as they performed above standard... I just don’t own them.

 

[GoGo98102]

I am a member of many “clubs” but I am not a fan of any. I joined because either I had problems and was looking for solutions or just to get some tips and ideas.

I even created a couple Facebook groups because the companies stopped being supportive. For example, RapidLED all but abandoned their Corona lights and Redsea Reefer started deleting any post that complained about tank leaks.

 

[Jman76]

Yes, Red Sea and AI loyal so far. I'm sure I'll expand as I get further along

 

[Gribbliest]

I use whatever is the best from my research. Also price vs quality conscious. I stay away from overpriced BIG name brand as much as i can. I use Orphek lights, gyres, Reef Octo Varios return, Vertex skimmer, GHL doser on my reef tank and have never thought about changing. I use ReefBreeders/T5 combo, gyres, RO Varios return and Vertex skimmer, BRS Doser on my Frag tank. I use Pacific Sun LED/T5 combo, gyres and OctoPulse pumps, Skimz Leopard return pump and Skimz skimmer on my 300 gallon FOWLR (couple softies and LPS in the tank as well). I do use a neptune apex classic on each of the three tanks though as well. I use Tropic Marin Pro reef salt on my reef and frag tanks and Live Aquaria Pro reef salt on my FOWLR (because it's cheap).

No big name brands in that list

 

[jschultzbass]

No big name brands in that list

Haha! I meant overpriced big names. All my apex controllers were used otherwise I might switch to Coralvue's new controller. I was taking a slight dig at ecotech (as you can see I have zero of their products). My personally think they are way overpriced for what you get.

 

[siggy]

Rubbermaid

LOL, I am a big fan as well, from mop buckets to food storage, it's the good stuff. Reef gear has a lot of good stuff too. I think Neptune and Ecotech has the most Diehard followers.

 

[Gribbliest]

Haha! I meant overpriced big names. All my apex controllers were used otherwise I might switch to Coralvue's new controller. I was taking a slight dig at ecotech (as you can see I have zero of their products). My personally think they are way overpriced for what you get.

I do run their MP40s. The absence of wires going into my DT is worth the money IMHO. Been using them for around 9 years I think.

 

[cheras]

Whenever I am thinking of getting a new piece of equipment or new product for my tank, I first do my research and try to get feedback from others. I then make my decision based on price. I do not consider items based on the company name but rather on whether or not it's the best for my needs. I have products from all sorts of companies and the only one that I have more products of is Neptune because of need.

 

[Krully]

1. If there were a "club" for your favorite aquarium brand or product would you be a dedicated member?

Not from a "fan" perspective but just to follow up on upcoming products etc... and compare to competitors.

2. What does it take to earn your business as a loyal customer?

Honest pricing, reliability. That applies pretty much only to reefing for me because of how certain products get such an insane markup it's becoming pretty obvious. I get that it's a niche hobby and markups have to be high, but there are some popular products that really abuse this and drive prices up because lots of people don't give a dang about price in this hobby.

3. What brand or product, if any, would you consider yourself loyal to?

Loyal? I'd say Tunze, I know that if I don't know what to go for they will be the reliable option and they have good customer service. Their prices are high but reasonably so imo. Also Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, never had any issue, the price is good and I've been able to grow LPS reasonably well while being lazy on my testing and dosing.

 

[ViceCityReef]

Loyalty across all products of brands that have products reaching different areas of reefing is not something I strive for. I try to stick to what I believe the brand excels at. The best way to keep me is with customer service and honesty.

 

[DraggingTail]

BRS

 

[WallyB]

I believe that Variety and Diversity is important.
(Just because one product/company was best, doesn't mean they are STILL the best for a particular product)

Furthermore, I think Dis-loyalty after a bad experience can happen more so. (If a product fails, and you get the run around, that's it).

Very few Companies have my Dedicated Trust since I trust their quality, customer support, and customer care.

 

[danieyella]

I find I use a wide range of brands, but once I find a specific brand's product I like I stick with only buying the product from them. Tropic Marin's salt & and all for reef. After much trial and error, I only buy aminos from Brightwell now. Easyreef gets my business for phyto (easybooster) and I won't buy it from anyone else. etc...

 

[SebastianReefer]

Ok what do I mean by a "Brand Club Member?"

Not sure if this is still a thing but back in the earlier years we had threads (clubs) for different brands and products that were made up of brand loyal hobbyists. Some examples were the MRC Skimmer Club or the H&S Skimmer Club etc. Now the wording has transitioned to "owners." Like the Red Sea Max Owners and so forth. I was a member of some of those clubs! HA!

I was thinking yesterday about how people can be very loyal to a certain product or brand. Sometimes even to an unhealthy point! Maybe there is a connection with a person within a company, a nostalgic memory, knowledge about a certain product or more than anything trust in the brand. So lets talk about that today!

1. If there were a "club" for your favorite aquarium brand or product would you be a dedicated member?

2. What does it take to earn your business as a loyal customer?

3. What brand or product, if any, would you consider yourself loyal to?

I pretty much think I’m already a member just by using their product and for me to stick with a product it just has to work and that would be Red Sea for me I use their products they work and easy to use so that’s what I stick with.