Poll: Best Heater Brand
- Thread starter dbl
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Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
Apex will work with any heater. The key thing to remember is that the switches in most (all?) heaters are relatively low quality and prone to failure so you should always have separate temp controller (either an aquarium controller like Apex, GHL, etc, or a dedicated temp controller like the Ranco.) Use the controller as the primary controller and the heater's built in thermostat as the backup.
All aquarium controllers can be set to alarm for pretty much anything. The apex can do an e-mail alarm, an alert on your smart phone, or an audible alert at the tank. The advantage of controller is you can also set them to do other things if the temp gets too high like turn on fans, turn off the lights, etc.
427HISS
2500 Club Member
Is this the same, at a lower cost ?
https://www.amazon.com/Robertshaw-E...ocphy=9024651&hvtargid=pla-365630573224&psc=1
427HISS
2500 Club Member
I also watched the BRS investigates video. I'm surprised that here on R2R, that so many have had problems with the Cobalt heaters.
I bought some heaters a few years ago when my wife and I got back into this hobby. We went through Visa-Therm's (which we'll never buy again) and two Hydor's. Then we bought a Cobalt Neo-Therm, and have zero problems in two years. I bought a Eheim Jager a few months ago and no issues either.
That's why I started this thread with a poll. I get so tired,....of buying @hit products in life, even with positive results when researching on Amazon etc..A lot of people will put in a review on their product only after on day or unboxing the product !
I love youtube, but a lot of people will also waste their and our time recording a review on unboxing, or show a product running but no sound ? WAIST OF TIME !
BRS recomends the heat with a external controller.
Anyway, I did buy a nice used Apex so I may try a Finnex Titanium.
For my 125g, two 500w ?
I bought some heaters a few years ago when my wife and I got back into this hobby. We went through Visa-Therm's (which we'll never buy again) and two Hydor's. Then we bought a Cobalt Neo-Therm, and have zero problems in two years. I bought a Eheim Jager a few months ago and no issues either.
That's why I started this thread with a poll. I get so tired,....of buying @hit products in life, even with positive results when researching on Amazon etc..A lot of people will put in a review on their product only after on day or unboxing the product !
I love youtube, but a lot of people will also waste their and our time recording a review on unboxing, or show a product running but no sound ? WAIST OF TIME !
BRS recomends the heat with a external controller.
Anyway, I did buy a nice used Apex so I may try a Finnex Titanium.
For my 125g, two 500w ?
Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
They generally don't have the AC wires/plug/outlet included. What most people do is get a short grounded extension cord, cut it in half and connect the wires to the screw terminals inside. There's plenty of videos online.
zoasaholic
Well-Known Member
I owned one for ~2 years and still running, the digital temperature reading is very accurate( I compared the temperature with Ranco controller and the glass thermometer)
427HISS
2500 Club Member
I'm very,....surprised. Just watched a video on YouTube by BRS about heaters and warranty. JBJ and FINNEX are highly rated.
Especially Finnex being only 6 months and Cobalt not real well liked ?
But, I believe he said the company's that advertise their's are marketed as being realistic, as most people replace their's at 6 to 12 months.
The problem is, heaters are turned on & off can be thousands or even a million times in it's lifetime.
They also pointed out that external thermostats are better than the built in's. I want two heaters in my newest 125g reef build and was set with two Finnex's, but I'll wait a little longer for more research.....
I wish they had tested a lot more, like at least a dozen.
So, what's your thoughts ?
HEATERS & WARRANTY'S
6 month's is the
JBJ
2 years is the
Hydor
3 years are
Cobalt
Eheim
Especially Finnex being only 6 months and Cobalt not real well liked ?
But, I believe he said the company's that advertise their's are marketed as being realistic, as most people replace their's at 6 to 12 months.
The problem is, heaters are turned on & off can be thousands or even a million times in it's lifetime.
They also pointed out that external thermostats are better than the built in's. I want two heaters in my newest 125g reef build and was set with two Finnex's, but I'll wait a little longer for more research.....
I wish they had tested a lot more, like at least a dozen.
So, what's your thoughts ?
HEATERS & WARRANTY'S
6 month's is the
JBJ
2 years is the
Hydor
3 years are
Cobalt
Eheim
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I came to this thread to research what kind of heater to buy after my 200w neotherm quit working after 6 months. My tank got a strange smell for several days which I thought was from a bacterial bloom. Turns out it was the heater! Fortunately non of my livestock seems to be affected. It's incredibly frustrating that a $75 heater died after 6 months especially after previously running a $30 aqueon for several years without fail.
It seems like there are 0 reliably heater options for anyone who doesn't have an $800 apex. I wish a company like Tunze would make one with a backup temperature probe.
I've contacted Cobalt's customer service. I'll update when things get resolved.
Update:
Cobalt replied pretty quickly and offered to replace the heater! They're currently out of stock, so they're gifting me an accutherm heater until they can send me the neotherm. I'm very happy with this customer service and hope my original heater failure was a fluke.
It seems like there are 0 reliably heater options for anyone who doesn't have an $800 apex. I wish a company like Tunze would make one with a backup temperature probe.
I've contacted Cobalt's customer service. I'll update when things get resolved.
Update:
Cobalt replied pretty quickly and offered to replace the heater! They're currently out of stock, so they're gifting me an accutherm heater until they can send me the neotherm. I'm very happy with this customer service and hope my original heater failure was a fluke.
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Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
You don’t need a $600 Apex, you just need a backup temp controller. Ranco is generally regarded as one of the best. Many people have used inkbird controllers as well. You can get a decent one for $60-70
Regardless of what happens with your neotherm I’d advise getting a backup controller.
I saw BRS’ video and wasn’t that impressed with it - they measured the accuracy of the thermostat and then used the warranty to infer the quality of the thermostat. Since warranty redemption is close to 0, companies routinely offer warranties they know consumers won’t use. Regardless, using the warranty as a surrogate for build quality is a poor and inaccurate substitute at best.
Regardless of what happens with your neotherm I’d advise getting a backup controller.
I saw BRS’ video and wasn’t that impressed with it - they measured the accuracy of the thermostat and then used the warranty to infer the quality of the thermostat. Since warranty redemption is close to 0, companies routinely offer warranties they know consumers won’t use. Regardless, using the warranty as a surrogate for build quality is a poor and inaccurate substitute at best.
I'm not sure if you saw my update, but Cobalt is sending me a new neotherm when they're back in stock and a new accutherm in the meantime. Thanks for the temperature controller suggestion! BRS actually just put the Ink Bird on clearance for $25, so I went ahead and picked one up.
After dealing with Cobalt's customer service, I'm inclined to disagree with you on them using a warranty to compensate for poor build quality. Typically when this is the case, the company will make you jump through hoops to make a claim. It was basically 0 questions asked, and they offered to send me 2 new heaters at no cost. I seriously doubt that Cobalt didn't expect people to claim during the warranty period.
Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
That's surprising but great that Cobalt is doing that for you. What you typically see is a company not only requiring you to have the original sales receipt but pay for shipping both ways and sometimes requiring original packaging.
As an example - I had a tire go bad recently. The tires came new with the car and had 30k miles on them with a 70k warranty. There were no alignment issues and I had had them rotated every 7500 with oil changes. Pirelli's warranty stated that you had to get them rotated every 5,000 miles at a Pirelli authorized service center. If you rotated them yourself it didn't count. Essentially, they required something virtually no one ever does. The owner of the shop told me he's only seen a tire company honor a warranty claim once meaning tire warranties are essentially worthless.
I know BRS does monitor both sales and product reviews and if a product is getting really low reviews they will often drop it. If you go to BRS's web site, none of the heaters have a 5 star rating. All of them are between 3-4 stars and all of them have a bunch of reviews stating they are great and several reviews saying something like "broke after 6 months. Total junk." My takeaway from this is that every heater has its issues and you're best off having a backup.
As an example - I had a tire go bad recently. The tires came new with the car and had 30k miles on them with a 70k warranty. There were no alignment issues and I had had them rotated every 7500 with oil changes. Pirelli's warranty stated that you had to get them rotated every 5,000 miles at a Pirelli authorized service center. If you rotated them yourself it didn't count. Essentially, they required something virtually no one ever does. The owner of the shop told me he's only seen a tire company honor a warranty claim once meaning tire warranties are essentially worthless.
I know BRS does monitor both sales and product reviews and if a product is getting really low reviews they will often drop it. If you go to BRS's web site, none of the heaters have a 5 star rating. All of them are between 3-4 stars and all of them have a bunch of reviews stating they are great and several reviews saying something like "broke after 6 months. Total junk." My takeaway from this is that every heater has its issues and you're best off having a backup.
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