How long did your 'cheaper' equipment last you?

[Jake029]

I'd like to buy a few vortechs but they are simply too much for me right now. I'm looking at the Jebao OW pumps, Coral Box pumps, and Icecap gyres as alternatives.

Same with return pumps...I'd like a vectra or varios but there are some options like Sicce and Jebao DCP.

I know the motto is to buy once sometimes it's not an option.

Can people comment the model they have and how long the equipment has been running?

 

[Bruno516]

Jebao going 3 years strong right now. To be honest, if you buy "cheap" you will get cheap. I would take time to invest in the products that will suite you best. But you can get away with some cheap stuff. The Jebao is a good example!

 

[jd371]

I have three Jebao PH's ( 2 - RW 8's and a PP8 ), the PP8 was a replacement for one of the RW's that stopped working after 2 years. I was able to fix that RW and use it as a backup. Last week the other RW went on the fritz and I wasn't able to fix so I bought another PP8.
Having an on and off program will shorten the life of PH's but with these it's a lot sooner so I run a ramp up and down program so they never shut off (unless for feeding) and don't run them at full power.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

I've got 4 jebao wave makers (2x RW's and 2x PP's). The RW's both died around 3.5 years old, but to be fair they are so encrusted in coralline so I wouldn't be surprised if they will start working again after a good clean (I've been meaning to get around to it). Or maybe they would have lasted longer if I had of taken care of them.

The PP's are almost 2 years old and going strong.

At the end of last year I got 2x Coral Box QP-16 wave makers and so far they are going great, can't speak to their longevity yet though.

I've also got a Jebao DCT6000 and have had it running as my return for almost 4 years now and it's going fine (although I would recommend going 1-2 sizes up than what you want with the Jebao return pumps).

I also had a Jebao DP-4 doser which lasted almost 2 years before it died (and it was second hand already). And really the pump itself didn't die, the tubes inside the motors just needed replacing (which happens on all dosers over time) but I used it as an excuse to pick up the new coral box doser anyway which is awesome :p

I think you can get burned when you buy cheap gear, it's cheap for a reason, usually because the company didn't need to do much (if any) R&D and they cut corners on components, quality control and customer service. But at the same time I think its no where near as often an occurrence as people make it seem.

Think about how many jebao pumps there are out there compared to vortechs. Absolutely heaps, I would bet that there are way more jebao pumps than any other brand, so of course you are bound to hear more bad things about them just due to the sheer volume that are out there. And they are cheap, so the occasional bad one does slip through quality control.

Given my good experience with the brand I do recommend Jebao to people. But I also strongly recommend that they take advantage of the extremely cheap prices and order a spare of each essential item, who cares if it sits on the shelf for 4 years, you can sleep soundly knowing it's there if you ever need it!

Lets say you want 4x wave makers and 1x return for your tank. You can get 5-6x Jebao wave makers (1-2 spares) and 2x Jebao returns (1 spare) for pretty much the same price as only 2 vortechs. Even if you have 1 or 2 failures every 2-3 years and need to replace them it would likely take years before you come up to the same cost as the 'good' gear (unless you are crazy unlucky with a seriously high number of failures).

And in that time Jebao may have even released some new cheap pumps you want to try out anyway :p

 

[BZOFIQ]

I've had the Koralia Magnum 8 last forever.

The 4-5 Jebaos that I purchased few years back didnt last a year.

 

[cgdcinc]

Very happy with my Jebao’s. Return pumps and wave makers. Clean them every few months. I have had them for a few years now. No complaints.

 

[Greybeard]

Bought both a Jebao return pump, and a Jebao wave pump when I started back into the hobby about 3 years ago. Wave pump lasted a bit more than 6 months, return pump about 9. I know some people have good luck with Jebao equipment, but I won't be buying it again.

That said, there are mid grade components that work just fine.

I have a pair of Rossmont mover wave pumps, been in place for about a year now, and I really like them. Quiet, reliable, easy to clean... works for me.

I'm using a Current USA eFlux return pump. Quiet, dead reliable, pushes about what it should.

Not a pump, but the worst purchase I've made since I got back into the hobby was a Reefkeeper lite. Started doing weird stuff after less than 6 months in service, company web page listed an incorrect support email address (returned as undeliverable), and does not have a phone number of any sort. Requests to join their support forum went unanswered... absolutely awful support. Bought an Apex, thanks.

And.... expensive doesn't mean reliable.

Had a Maxspect 130 Gyre for about a year. Worked fine, but you had to clean it often... and it was a major pain to clean.

Also have a Vertex Omega 180i skimmer, pump lasted about a year, and had to be replaced. Not cheap to buy, new, or the replacement pump. Still, the skimmer does an excellent job, and Vertex went out of their way to get me a new pump, even though they were temporarily out of stock at the time I needed it.