Reef Factory - My opinion!

[JNalley]

I’d love to know this as well. Want to get in to an ecosystem and want as much as possible from one company to not have to many applications for my tank setup.

Honestly, I think Hydros is the furthest-reaching ecosystem of them all. More brands work with Hydros than Apex, GHL, or ReefFactory. The only place where they don't have much extra brand support is lighting, but any light with 0-10v control works. Now, with the addition of the Maven (coming soon), there's nothing that anyone else has that Hydros doesn't. You could have purchased the 2 Focustronic devices, or the Kamoer auto-testers, but the general feeling is/was that they were less reliable and more expensive for what they were than the other offerings... But now that Hydros has its own tester coming out, it's kind of a different ball game.

The question that will come up for most people is, does it work with my chosen other products? Like, if you have and wish to keep VorTech pumps with Mobius, you're likely going to be unable to control them with Hydros (or anything other than Apex really), but if you use Gyres of any brand (as far as I'm aware), or Sicce, or Tunze, you can control them just fine. Same with Return Pumps.

Unfortunately, there is no controller ecosystem that controls everything, so your current combination of hardware will likely dictate which controller you go with unless you're willing to switch some of your equipment over to make them compatible. I've got ReefOctopus VarioS return and skimmer pumps on the list of things to buy so I can switch out my Return and Skimmer pump for something compatible. The best part is, most of the time Hydros saves you by reducing the number of power bricks you need, since their WaveEngine not only controls most of the pumps, it also powers them completely, no other brand has this functionality that I am aware of...

Don't get me wrong. I am far from a CoralVue fan. When I bought my ReefOctopus tank and learned they were in charge of the Warranty, my customer service experience with them was sub-optimal. But if you're looking for something that you can get "as much as possible from one company" so that you "don't have too many applications for your tank setup," that's where the Hydros system shines, honestly.

 

[HSLSaltwater]

Honestly, I think Hydros is the furthest-reaching ecosystem of them all. More brands work with Hydros than Apex, GHL, or ReefFactory. The only place where they don't have much extra brand support is lighting, but any light with 0-10v control works. Now, with the addition of the Maven (coming soon), there's nothing that anyone else has that Hydros doesn't. You could have purchased the 2 Focustronic devices, or the Kamoer auto-testers, but the general feeling is/was that they were less reliable and more expensive for what they were than the other offerings... But now that Hydros has its own tester coming out, it's kind of a different ball game.

The question that will come up for most people is, does it work with my chosen other products? Like, if you have and wish to keep VorTech pumps with Mobius, you're likely going to be unable to control them with Hydros (or anything other than Apex really), but if you use Gyres of any brand (as far as I'm aware), or Sicce, or Tunze, you can control them just fine. Same with Return Pumps.

Unfortunately, there is no controller ecosystem that controls everything, so your current combination of hardware will likely dictate which controller you go with unless you're willing to switch some of your equipment over to make them compatible. I've got ReefOctopus VarioS return and skimmer pumps on the list of things to buy so I can switch out my Return and Skimmer pump for something compatible. The best part is, most of the time Hydros saves you by reducing the number of power bricks you need, since their WaveEngine not only controls most of the pumps, it also powers them completely, no other brand has this functionality that I am aware of...

Don't get me wrong. I am far from a CoralVue fan. When I bought my ReefOctopus tank and learned they were in charge of the Warranty, my customer service experience with them was sub-optimal. But if you're looking for something that you can get "as much as possible from one company" so that you "don't have too many applications for your tank setup," that's where the Hydros system shines, honestly.

Can’t get hydros here in Norway unfortunately or at least I can’t find it from any of the suppliers. And buying it from a store in EU will increase the price by 25-30% plus shipping. Was looking at Apex and reef factory for these reasons. Using sicce for my return and skimmer and Vortech for flow in Tank (had to use due to my wifes hate for cables in tank)

 

[teaktoc]

I recently came across some pretty harsh criticism of Reef Factory; a Polish manufacturer of reefing equipment being introduced into the US market via BRS most noticeably being marketed in the US market by BRS. First, I want to offer my sympathies to the individual who wrote the "review", it's frustrating to say the least when support from these companies doesn't manage to sort out our issues within the time frame we're expecting.

Now, to "balance" that thread, allow me to share my experience with Reef Factory.

I have been a customer of RF pretty much since they entered the UK market and as with any other maker (.. and new start company!) I have experienced ups and downs as well. However, as a general, while issues have been had, I have had nothing but support when any issues have arisen.

Lukasz and Maksym from the support team are both knowledgeable and helpful. What I have seen though over the past 12-18 months is that response time has gone down quite drastically as RF have expanded their business to cover the Australian- and now the US market. This needs to be addressed - and Marek (one of the founders) are aware of this already.

I would recommend RF!

You can always find the bad reviews; just go on Trust Pilot or any similar services online. No-one writes a long post like this just to tell other reefers how awesome a brand is. You will find similar bad feedback towards Neptune Systems, CoralVue and other makers of automation products as well.

Here's my short opinion on all the products that I owned (.. and the ones that I have sold!):

KH Keeper Plus - Has been solid for me for almost three years. Within the first two months I had the PH probe changed under warranty. Towards the two years mark, the reading started to drift so I changed the probe myself to the new glass-type. It is worth noticing that I change all my PH probes every two years. I calibrate the unit every three months (.. or when I remember). I would say that it's a bit cheaply build with flimsy plastic and acrylic and that it can be a little noisy - but it does what it's supposed to do.

Smart Tester - I have two unites; one for PO4 which works flawlessly and just does what it's supposed to do - and one for Mg. The Mg reagents does not seem to work properly which is a shame. I have tried four batches and I have yet to make it work properly.
Now, I don't worry too much about that - I will not be using the unit for Mg but for NO3. Needless to say though, RF should ensure that working reagents are supplied to their customers.

Power Switcher - I use three. They work. No issues to report.

Thermo Control - I use three. They work - and they look awfully slick on the wall. One issue I have with these is the price point. They are too expensive for what they are; yet I bought three anyway. Supply and demand I suppose. RF can charge what people are willing to pay.

Smart Roller - An absolute work horse. I tried it out for 6 months from release and I had no issues. Again, it feels a little flimsy, but it does what it is supposed to to. It is not as well build as the Red Sea one though. I bought it to try it- then I sold it when again. If you're invested in RF then get it. If you don't care about brand, one app for all etc. then get the Red Sea.

Smart Feeder - I have one! It's basically an Eheim autofeeder in fancy clothes which is not necessarily a bad thing! RF chose to rebrand one of the most solid units on the market and add their own touches and smart-functionality to it. I approve! And it is somewhat reasonably priced considering other "smart" options on the market.

Smart Wave - Ah, another rebrand; this time a Jebao powerhead! As with the Smart Feeder, RF has gone with a rebrand-approach to one of the most solid units on the market and add their own touches and smart-functionality to it. Now, this one is (in my opinion!) too expensive! I got one to try it out. I am happy with it and I will keep it- but you'd be just as well off with a Nero 3 - or simply a Jebao!

Dosing Pump Pro X1/X4 - Hands down the best dosing pumps I have ever used. Build like a brick house, silent AF and so, so easy to mount, set up and calibrate. Over the moon for these ones, would recommend anyone to buy them ASAP.

Dosing Pump (the old one!) - Cheaply build, flimsy, plastic - Not worth it! Sorry RF, this was a terrible product! The housing cracked, WiFi didn't work, calibration would last a Sunday morning etc. Nah, this was an own goal!

Salinity Guardian - Had the probe changed three times under warranty, when the fourth probe arrived broken in the mail, I wanted my money back. I never got this unit to work properly. Now; what I will say is that I got a steady salinity reading, it just wasn't the actual salinity. I have the same issue with the Neptune Apex - so I think it's down to the fact that it is just very, very hard to make conductivity probes work properly.

PH Meter - Well, it works! Nothing to say.. Changed the probe after two years to the new glass type. As stated above, I would change my probes after two years anyway!

- - - - - - - - - -

Now, for the things I havent tried yet - the lights! While I have no intention of buying the Reef Flare Pro lights as I already have a handful of Radion G6's (unless someone wants to swap me??) - I do intent to purchase the new Reef LED bars once released in the UK.

I am choosing these over the AI Blades as I have seen really, really good results with the G1 at one of my local shops here in Glasgow. My experience with them once they arrive will be covered in my build thread

Thanks for reading along - I felt this topic needed a second opinion! I am happy to elaborate further on the points above if anyone needs any more information.

Happy reefing!

 

[Reef.]

I'm confused. Do you recommend RF or did you "sell it all and replaced it with Neptune Apex. Never looked back!"

Who said this?

 

[JNalley]

Who said this?

The OP of this thread said that in another thread on November of 2023

Not the new ones, but I had nothing but issues with all my Reef Factory gear - so I sold it all and replaced it with Neptune Apex. Never looked back!

 

[Reef.]

The OP of this thread said that in another thread on November of 2023

That’s a little embarrassing then.