I'm thinking about picking up a Mastertronic while they're on sale. Thoughts?

Daniel@R2R · Nov 26, 2022

You guys who have the Mastertronic, has it been worth the investment for you? I have an Alkatronic and really like it. I figured if I was ever going to pick one of these up, now's a good time to do it.

mudbugmike · Nov 26, 2022

Hah. Just had my leg up on the chair with my coffee explaining the time savings and other things I’d be able to get done around the house

lynn.reef.nerd · Nov 26, 2022

I save more money, energy, and time testing by hand. Got rid of it about 1 year in.

workhz · Nov 26, 2022

Are you getting it for less than 10% off?

Daniel@R2R · Nov 26, 2022

lynn.reef.nerd said:
I save more money, energy, and time testing by hand. Got rid of it about 1 year in.

Interesting. That's feedback I wasn't expecting. It took up a lot of time? I do realize that I'll spend more on testing bc it will be testing more frequently than I would by hand.

Daniel@R2R · Nov 26, 2022

workhz said:
Are you getting it for less than 10% off?

It's 10% off right now at BRS.

o2manyfish · Nov 26, 2022

If you are meticulous in you preparation of the unit and the initial setup, it goes fairly well. I had a hard time setting it up myself. I gave mine to a reefer friend who was much more patient than I to use (my tank was down after a crash). He got it setup right away and hasn't had any issues with it. It's been about 7 months with just consistent results.

I'm going to replacing the one I gave to him with one for myself - I think it's agreat product, just not a perfect product. For somepeople its a very frustrating device, and those people, rightly so are vocal about their frustrations.

But there seem to be a large number of people who have the unit working without the frustration and are really enjoying it.

I think preparation for maitaining the unit is key and making sure you have all the different tubings, caps, and a motor or two in a spare cabinet is kind of a necessity.

If you can get a deal on one, and you know that Focustronic products can have some quirks and you are okay with that - Then go for it.

Dave B

mudbugmike · Nov 28, 2022

Well, I bought one. I understand that it is a somewhat smaller more niche item that does not have first-party support but the community seems pretty solid. I've been supporting software for years so I figured why not

Daniel@R2R · Nov 28, 2022

Well, I pulled the trigger. We will see.

Jon's Reef · Nov 28, 2022

The Facebook group is great. Eric and Jonas are very active there. It does take some fiddling, but in a good way. The design is very “transparent” in that it is easy to understand what it does, so if it is not working right, it is easy to figure out what to fix.

shakacuz · Nov 28, 2022

lynn.reef.nerd said:
I save more money, energy, and time testing by hand. Got rid of it about 1 year in.

what do you test with? salifert?

Oldreefer44 · Nov 28, 2022

I own one and have mixed feelings about it. It definitely works and so far after 9 months is still giving accurate PO4 and NO3 readings which was what I was after. It does take a fair amount of maintenance and testing reagents would be expensive if you were running multiple tests a day. I test once a week and am still on original kits. Manufacture quality is good and support is good. Actually had a video call from support person from Australia to help me with an issue. So IMO just what the doctor ordered for some and a bit too much for others.

terracereef · Feb 20, 2023

o2manyfish said:
If you are meticulous in you preparation of the unit and the initial setup, it goes fairly well. I had a hard time setting it up myself. I gave mine to a reefer friend who was much more patient than I to use (my tank was down after a crash). He got it setup right away and hasn't had any issues with it. It's been about 7 months with just consistent results.

I'm going to replacing the one I gave to him with one for myself - I think it's agreat product, just not a perfect product. For somepeople its a very frustrating device, and those people, rightly so are vocal about their frustrations.

But there seem to be a large number of people who have the unit working without the frustration and are really enjoying it.

I think preparation for maitaining the unit is key and making sure you have all the different tubings, caps, and a motor or two in a spare cabinet is kind of a necessity.

If you can get a deal on one, and you know that Focustronic products can have some quirks and you are okay with that - Then go for it.

Dave B

I have a new one still in the sealed box I’ll sell for $700