MasterTronic Pricing Released

[User1]

OMG no you didn't o_O

Have they fixed the what seems major concerns with that device? At least what I've read about it (could be way off base)

Lol - I did. But honestly like I said "ignorance" on my part. I do not know much about either and was honestly asking since price was mentioned and the salifert comment. I genuinely am curious. I do not have any skin in the game because I'm already another automated test machine owner and do not see a need to change. However, I know the alktronic is pretty popular which is great. Again, was just wondering on the two.

 

[mitch91175]

If you are newly entering into the Focustronic space and you want everything, unless a bundle comes out you're looking at this:

Alkatronic - $900
Dosetronic - $600
Mastertronic - $1300
Solartronic - $1380

That's a lot of Benjamins

 

[User1]

If you are newly entering into the Focustronic space and you want everything, unless a bundle comes out you're looking at this:

Alkatronic - $900
Dosetronic - $600
Mastertronic - $1300
Solartronic - $1380

That's a lot of Benjamins

Lol. Yeah, it is. Slapping them down. $100. $200...

 

[mitch91175]

Lol. Yeah, it is. Slapping them down. $100. $200...

If it works I'll just have to tell my wife that it cost $500. I think she would be okay with that, but she is getting more involved in the hobby and starting to really understand how much everything cost. Can only hide it so long :mad:

 

[fcmatt]

Why can't I buy an affordable solution that just measures alk and adds two part. Why does every solution have to add so many bells and whistles?

I dont really care about anything else being automated except alk testing. I can test the others by hand. And then i want an affordable solution to add two part based on the automated alk test.

What is the best option? It gets confusing and I have not bought a controller or anything else related to the above due to it. Just so much money.

 

[Hausser]

Why not trust the trident?

Side question - out of ignorance - if the mastertronic is using 3rd party test kits why not just buy a reefbot? Isn't that retail for 900?

Why not trust the trident?

Side question - out of ignorance - if the mastertronic is using 3rd party test kits why not just buy a reefbot? Isn't that retail for 900?

My trident would say my calcium is 390 no matter if I raised amount dosed for a month and then one day it would say 433 calcium. The 433 calcium would be close to my Redsea calcium test kit. I could never get trident to auto dose if my parameters were off.

 

[Hausser]

Why can't I buy an affordable solution that just measures alk and adds two part. Why does every solution have to add so many bells and whistles?

I dont really care about anything else being automated except alk testing. I can test the others by hand. And then i want an affordable solution to add two part based on the automated alk test.


What is the best option? It gets confusing and I have not bought a controller or anything else related to the above due to it. Just so much money.

The alkatronic tests alkalinity, paired with dosetronic you can set up dosetronic with alkatronic mode and it will dose same amount of alk and calcium 5 min apart. If alk is high it can lower dosing of alk and calcium. I really like the alkatronic. It has always been real close to test kits, plus the dosetronic has 5 dosing heads.

 

[mitch91175]

My trident would say my calcium is 390 no matter if I raised amount dosed for a month and then one day it would say 433 calcium. The 433 calcium would be close to my Redsea calcium test kit. I could never get trident to auto dose if my parameters were off.

Had a Trident and sold it after a few weeks. After owning the Alkatronic and having it actually working and seeing the readings I was getting from the Trident, that was enough for me to part ways with the Trident. I just would never trust that to dose. Was easy decision since I am running a CaRx.

Same for the Dosetronic, have it and do not allow it to dose anything from calculation. It may work well, but that's just a little too much handing over the keys. Had my initial hiccup with it dosing way too much Red Sea iron and won't ever use it that way again (Alkatronic mode). Just my experience and everyone will have different one. From what I was told was settings got stuck and didn't save. Dosetronic is a solid piece of gear, but software needs improvement. I think they have an update coming with the Mastertronic release. Hope it plots in the app to show what has been dosed historically.

 

[naterealbig]

Well, the MasterTronic is currently listed on the Focustronic website for a whopping $1299. http://www.focustronic.net/products/core-products/mastertronic.html

When I saw that price tag I almost gagged. Yeah knowing PO4/NO3 are great, but not to the tune of $1300.

As much as I want to support Focustronic, I just cannot find myself stomaching that price tag. To me they are pricing themselves out of the market. What do you guys think?

Would definitely pay the price for a unit that will test all parameters, in a single package.

 

[mitch91175]

Why can't I buy an affordable solution that just measures alk and adds two part. Why does every solution have to add so many bells and whistles?

I dont really care about anything else being automated except alk testing. I can test the others by hand. And then i want an affordable solution to add two part based on the automated alk test.

What is the best option? It gets confusing and I have not bought a controller or anything else related to the above due to it. Just so much money.

Depends. Do you have a lot of SPS? If not and you're not dosing much now, unless you just want something, keep doing what you are doing. You could go the Alkatronic or KH Guardian Pro route. It really would be your least expensive long-term solution for testing/maintaining alk.

All other solutions you will need to purchase other equipment.

 

[robbyg]

It’s more money than I am willing to spend!
They are evidently not interested in the mass market, just niche buyers with lots of money.

 

[User1]

My trident would say my calcium is 390 no matter if I raised amount dosed for a month and then one day it would say 433 calcium. The 433 calcium would be close to my Redsea calcium test kit. I could never get trident to auto dose if my parameters were off.

Got it. Thanks for the information. I've had good luck with mine so was just wondering is all.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Wow! That's a hefty price tag in what seems like reefbot technology. I'll reserve my opinion until I see one in person.

 

[Larry L]

I've been interested in the Alkatronic for a while, have heard some good reviews of it. Regardless of the price of this new thing, I was mostly just surprised they were announcing another new product when it seems like their web site always says their existing products are out of stock.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I have an alkatronic and don't have much to say about it negatively.

I use a CaRx and don't have the need to test calcium and magnesium, but a daily automated tester for N03 and P04 is something I've been waiting for. I just wish that they pushed the technology envelope a bit and not went with colormetric photosensor.

I think the justification for the price tag is the ability to correct parameters.

I've said it before, it's not the upfront cost that I necessarily care about... it's the monthly recurring fees that will be my deciding factor.

 

[ScottR]

Supposedly this company is based in Hong Kong (where I live). But the distributor here said it’s actually a China based company, just using a Hong address for easier entrance into the global market. So yes, based on pricing, it should be half IMO. The alkatronic and dosetronic are already overpriced. They’re trying hard to push them locally as a “local” product but everyone says even those are way over priced. Not trying to knock them at all. But I’ve seen these in person and they’re quite large. Unless you have a lot of sump real estate, they’d have to be placed outside the cabinet.

 

[ScottR]

I've been interested in the Alkatronic for a while, have heard some good reviews of it. Regardless of the price of this new thing, I was mostly just surprised they were announcing another new product when it seems like their web site always says their existing products are out of stock.

This is at my LFS not even two weeks ago. There are lots of these out there. So it’s probably not a production problem but a logistics problem. Or a way for them to play the Neptune Trident game with being out of stock to arouse more interest and justify pricing.

 

[wmo168]

It need different reagents..... it is like reef bots....

 

[nornicle]

Interestingly in Australia the Trident is $1500 and 2 monthly refills are $130 (and you can exchange to USD, however from a purchasing power thing, it is still roughly equivalent)... that’s expensive isn’t it!?

Alkatronic is $1899 in Australia.. :/.

 

[robbyg]

It need different reagents..... it is like reef bots....

Wow what happened to the good old days when so many people moaned about the Mindstreams Ten Parameter tests for $995 and disks for $35 a month with a test every 15 minutes?

I don't have the energy to add up the Mastertronics reagent prices but looking at their recommendations I cannot see why I would buy an auto tester that is meant to do one test a week for certain parameters. Any auto tester I am buying must be geared toward testing each parameter at least once per day so I can see which direction things are trending. If you look at the amount of tests this system gets out of a pack of reagents it would be a lot of money to set it up to test every parameter at least once per day.