Purebred, or knock off??
 

Seems we have polarized views on equipment, particularly power heads.

Which do you use, why and why nots?

I have used pretty much all of them. I like the ecotech the best but I would get Jebao based on price point as there is a substantial price difference that can't be ignored.

I have 2 RW15 pumps and 2 Tunze 6055. When the Tunze die (again), I'm replacing with RW8 units.

I like tunze for the reliability, rw for price point, maxpect gyre for the flow pattern, mp40 for the sleek design now with the quiet model which makes it that much better. I think at the end they all do the same, it just boils down to what is best suited for particular individual and what they can afford.

Agreed. I've had, seio, maxijet, vortechs, koralias etc. So far price, and quality Im super impressed with the jebao rw 20s. Dont see myself changing anytime soon. That being said I do have two un opened rw20's in the box as back ups just in case. Still all 4 of my rw's were the same cost as 1 vortech.

ecotech, just because I still have them

Have alway been a tunze guy for quiet reliability... May add a mp40 or 2 now they're a bit quieter... The wife demands silence... I've heard the gyres are loud... Any opinions?

I have used maxijets, koralias and am currently running jebaos. Like all my equipment I try to look at function and price as I am on a limited budget.

I've had fantastic luck with my Tunze 6055's, one's pushing 8 years and the other is pushing 5. Both with no issues and very minimal maintenance.

If one goes into the backup bin I may look at the Vortech now that the price has come down.

I really like the flow pattern of the Gyre's and I've heard the most recent production run fixed the noise issue. I'm going to wait until they refine the design and can prove reliability before I jump into one.

Tunze last forever and are quiet , ecotech maybe an option now that they are quiet, jabeo i tried was garbage, not impressed at all but it was cheap compared to a ecotech mp10.

:lol: Such a diplomatic answer when Brad's just trying to stir the pot again, lol.

I've got Ecotech's and Jabeo's. I definitely want to try the Gyre when they get a few bugs get worked out.

Still have the older MP40 set up, they've always been noisy and hard to align. The wife hates it when they are pulsing or ramping. Makes her nauseous listening to it she says.
I love the randomness and programmability. I also like being able to just grab the head out of the tank to clean them. But have to agree, they're pretty noisy and I don't like not being able to direct the flow.

Jabeo - how can you complain about the price. Now they have a controller to sync pumps. Fairly big and ugly in tank, but good flow and you can direct it wherever you want.

Dollar for dollar - Jabeo wins for me

That hurts Dom..

I like my Tunzes and really theres no point in switching them out to the latest fad. When they die I'll jump on the nearest bandwagon (or get more used Tunzes off someone that is jumping on the nearest bandwagon :wink: ) but right now there is no need to spend money to reinvent the wheel.

I voted other, which is Maxxspect Gyre. What is the problems with them that you people are waiting for to fix? Other than the one that arrived faulty and replaced on warranty I have zero problems with mine. I run 2 of them at 100%and can not hear a thing. I have ran Ecotech, Tunze, Korallia and Maxijet. and these are my favourite by far. Two of them together is awesome

I've been burned a few times buying gen 1 gear. I'm excited about the technology, but there are always quality control and little bumps to iron out in the first production period.

I'm also going to wait and see how the dependability works out. I've heard some stories about shattered blades because stuff gets into the intakes.

I try to live by the motto if its not broke dont fix it. As long as everything is working and there are no problems with the tank I try my best to resist the urge to buy the next big thing. We all like new toys but an expensive hobby gets even more expensive when buying things you dont actually need. Now when things break is the time to get that new toy you have been itching to get. For some reason I have been wanting to buy the rw-8s when my wp10s are working just fine.:confused:

Absolutely. I ran Tunze for 8 years, loved them. When they died, I bought Jebao instead. Now I love them. And I love the left over money to buy other things with. I currently have a pair of 6055, but when they go (already replaced grills, impellers and power supplies), I'm not spending another 450 to replace them when I can get RW8s at a fraction of the cost.

Dumping perfectly good gear to buy the latest toys seems silly to me.

I have the gyre

Ya, I saw a few pics on RC when snails got in the drum and disintegrated the blades. Then they came out with a different mounting magnet which supposedly quietened them down?
Those are the only 2 negatives I've heard so far

Besides, my 210 hasn't got any water in it yet, once it does, I may not have the patience to wait :D

Teem maxispect!

Maybe it's just me and I have crap luck with jebao products lol

Had my dct12000 die Xmas eve after i waited for the tech to get better , heard things were fixed so jumped on it lol not much changed there lol and i just had a rw8 fail after a days use lol

I bought the rw8 to replace my mp40 , side by side there no comparison my vortech is a much better suited power head , the rw8 is strong but lacks control ability , on it's lowest setting still quite strong while the mp40 can be dialed down much more , both on max are both strong.

I don't want to spend a fortune on a power head that's why I bought the rw8 but if I had my time back I'd just throw for what was working ad get another mp40 , mines been running years and haven't had to repace a thing on it and since I only use it at %50 it's dead quiet (rw is too)


Try getting a pump warranty on Xmas eve lol

I hear you Denny. Thats why I have two of those dct12000's. One is brand new. Just as a back up. I just dont trust the tech yet, and with good reason I believe. My Dct 12000 has been running since Nov 26 without a hiccup yet but only time will tell. I always used to run brand name stuff. This is the first time I've ever gone the other route looking for best bang for buck. It's more of an experiment for my own peice of mind. If I start to have issues with the Jebao stuff I'll go back to brand name but for now I'll stick with it til it does me wrong. I also ran two of the maxspect grye 150's in my tank. With it being 300 gal I just find the massive flow of my rw 20's to be more suitable for this tank. Gyre seemed to be a good product too. Not sure if they're worth the money. To me they fall more in along the Jebao brand quality. IMO quality wise the Tunzes and Vortechs really have no competitors. When you throw dollar value into the mix things really begin to even out. Another example would be the Vertex Alpha cone 250 I had on one of my older systems. Was it beautiful? Hell yes it was! One of the prettiest skimmers I've ever seen. Was it worth twice the cost of the Reef Octopus recirc skimmer I'm running on my current system? Maybe... if looks are worth it but performance wise I would say my Reef octopus out performs it. But it sure was pretty.

I have a few Jebao's no problems at all, just keep them clean.
Also have a couple of Tunzie's there ok.

I've been a Tunze guy for as long as I can remember. They have never failed me. Recently I have been playing with the Gyre and they are amazing. I think Ecotech and Tunze have a new kid on the block to watch out for!

I figured after a days use my rw was as clean as it possibly could be , I guess I could have cleaned it more lol

I like the gyre , there's two running at concept......I agree with Aaron that I would put the quality on par with jebao it's a shame they charge so much for the gyre If I were to buy one I figure it's functions would work great but I don't see me dropping it more than once lol

did you get it wet? You can't get them wet..

I started with Hydors from a friend(freebie's) and then kept using the newer models never had an issue with them when I get money ahead I will prob upgrade but I have no issues with the Hydors at all.

Hydors are ok as long as there not running backwards on start up, PITA sometimes after a power outage. It's only reason I don't use them.

I've run Jebao's (WP-25 & RW-8) and replaced them with a Gyre, very happy with it so far. There was a problem with the controller being too sensitive but it was replaced as soon as I notified the distributor.

I don't think Gyres are expensive at all when you consider the number of powerheads it can replace.

Ran Tunze,s way back when. Used the Hydors & still do, except when they run backwards. Have a pair of RW 8,s on my tank along with an MP 10 & Mp 40, which are still my fav.

I've got 4 RW8s been running 6 months or so. One of them hummed a bit I took it out shook it and it stopped humming few days later it did the same thing so I shook it again (I was assuming the impeller was slightly out of spec) 6 months later no cleaning on any of them and all dead silent. Fr the price point I'm really happy, but they are also the most expensive power heads I've used as well.
I'll deal with a cord in the tank instead of a loud motor with a cord from the side of my tank and 5 times the price

I have used Hydor, jebao,vortech,gyre and based on my criteria of importance Flow/Programmability/Volume/Price/Design/Durability . Hands down Jebao. It has huge flow,does lack programmability compared to vortech But it's pulse mode can make everything in my cube tank sway,runs silent,it is a little ugly but i can control it's flow direction,and I have never had a single problem with my 3 pumps in 2 years

Ohhh and for what it can do jebao pumps price can't be beat

When I bought the Tunze 6105s a few years ago they only lasted maybe 6 months, and the shafts came loose. J&L replaced them under warranty. Now I just had the shaft corrode off one of the Tunze.

I've been running a Jebao RW-15 in my frag tang and quite like it. Although it's a little noisier than the Tunze, it also puts out more flow. Switching to 2 RW-15s for the display, hopefully they are more reliable than the Tunze!

I originally bought 4 Jebao WP40's and all but one have now died. Seems they only have a lifetime of just over one year (not good). Have replaced them with RW-15s (pumps only). They can use the same controller and power supply as the WP40s. Hope their lifetime is longer than the WP40s.

Otherwise I like the Jebao pumps, good flow and low noise. Good thing they are cheap...

Jebao gyre
 

FYI
Jebao has a new product out......
I think, that if the big brands would cut a bit off their pricing, they'd be further ahead.

Knock on wood, but my Jebao pumps have been great for about 2 years so far.

Hydor Koralia pumps, on the other hand, died on me regularly.

I also bought some of the original Tunze Nanostreams (one of the few times I was an "early adopter"). What a mistake. The holder broke almost immediately and those early model Nanostreams never worked properly for me. Over $300 wasted. Really turned me off from spending more hundreds on brand name wavemakers.

The older Tunze Streams were real workhorses but huge for the flow achieved.

Same with the Seio powerheads I had before. Worked well, cheaper than Tunze and just as big.

So far (again, knock on wood), I've had my best luck with Jebaos and I'm still only using the WP series. I have an RW15 waiting to be picked up from my friend's place, so looking forward to that upgrade.

Anthony

What setting do you use with your WP40s? I have been using the random flow (else), and maybe that is harder on the pumps? Also what power supplies do you have? I have the 2.5 amp ones that came with the WP40s.

I mostly use W1. Also, the power supplies are 1.5A.