AI Prime HD reliability?

thewire · Dec 1, 2020

What is your experience on using AI Prime? How reliable the light to you guys? Besides basic fan cleaning and running on a 8-10 hours schedule, how reliable the light will be? Can it at least make it past year 1 or 3 or more?
I want to make sure before I am deciding to buy it. I am still debating buying used or new? I recently bought an used one locally but able to return it since the unit is flickering and making weird sound.
I am thinking, maybe just to spend the extra $50-$70 and buy new for peace of mind. Then again, how reliable they are? What is they repair cost typically run? Ie replacing the fan, the LED board, the main board?

Waynerock · Dec 1, 2020

Had the HD primes for 2 years and ran them high with no issues. Got the 16’s on release last year and they are still flawless. Have been very happy. I have 3 16’s I just clean the screens once a month

thewire · Dec 1, 2020

Waynerock said:
Had the HD primes for 2 years and ran them high with no issues. Got the 16’s on release last year and they are still flawless. Have been very happy. I have 3 16’s I just clean the screens once a month

Wait...there is a AI HD and AI HD 16? I thought they are the same lol

chinw76 · Dec 1, 2020

I have had my hydra 26hd for 3 years now, still working like day 1.

William Mumford · Dec 1, 2020

Super reliable. Overall great light.

MugenReef95 · Dec 1, 2020

yeh im running some AI HD 16 for about 6 months with my set schedule havent touched them since, solid units so far lol

thewire · Dec 1, 2020

MugenReef95 said:
yeh im running some AI HD 16 for about 6 months with my set schedule havent touched them since, solid units so far lol

Yea i m debating now if I want to buy new or get used? A lot of the used ones I see for sale are over 1-2 years old for $140-$175. Not sure if worth the saving

MugenReef95 · Dec 1, 2020

thewire said:
Yea i m debating now if I want to buy new or get used? A lot of the used ones I see for sale are over 1-2 years old for $140-$175. Not sure if worth the saving

yeh honestly for 200 bucks you can get new 16 hd online just skip the hassle of any chance of problems and purchase new lol

MichaelReefer · Dec 1, 2020

thewire said:
What is your experience on using AI Prime? How reliable the light to you guys? Besides basic fan cleaning and running on a 8-10 hours schedule, how reliable the light will be? Can it at least make it past year 1 or 3 or more?
I want to make sure before I am deciding to buy it. I am still debating buying used or new? I recently bought an used one locally but able to return it since the unit is flickering and making weird sound.
I am thinking, maybe just to spend the extra $50-$70 and buy new for peace of mind. Then again, how reliable they are? What is they repair cost typically run? Ie replacing the fan, the LED board, the main board?

I loved mine. had two of them on my Red Sea Reefer 250 before I got my 525XL, now I run three Hydra 32s. Never had issues with them. I also currently run an AI Prime Fuge light as well, great little unit. I love the AI app, super easy to control.

thewire · Dec 1, 2020

MugenReef95 said:
yeh honestly for 200 bucks you can get new 16 hd online just skip the hassle of any chance of problems and purchase new lol

I have to source mounting arm lol

thewire · Dec 1, 2020

Anyone have experience on repair cost?

thewire · Dec 4, 2020

I am still not sold on AI. I mean looking on the housing, I am afraid salt creep into motherboard inside and will cause damage in future.
If I am going to get one, I will probably buy new with credit card (extended warranty from credit card to 2 years) instead of buying use for a small saving with no warranty

MichaelReefer · Dec 4, 2020

thewire said:
I am still not sold on AI. I mean looking on the housing, I am afraid salt creep into motherboard inside and will cause damage in future.
If I am going to get one, I will probably buy new with credit card (extended warranty from credit card to 2 years) instead of buying use for a small saving with no warranty

I had two AI Primes for over a year. Never had a problem. The screen above the fan is removable so you can wash it in the sink and get all the dust off, and then pop it back on.

Topher38 · Dec 4, 2020

had 2 ai prime hds, love the look on them. however, hated the software, and around the three year mark, my lights started to flicker etc. ALSO after the one blew up, i switched to viparspectra, my corals look MUCH better. maybe i had wrong spectrum for the corals before? i know par was good. but i wouldnt ever go with AI prime again

MichaelReefer · Dec 4, 2020

Topher38 said:
had 2 ai prime hds, love the look on them. however, hated the software, and around the three year mark, my lights started to flicker etc. ALSO after the one blew up, i switched to viparspectra, my corals look MUCH better. maybe i had wrong spectrum for the corals before? i know par was good. but i wouldnt ever go with AI prime again

Three years on a $200 light is pretty dang good man. Especially with how fast our technology in the aquarium world is changing. You can't honestly tell me it looked better with a $50 light.

Topher38 · Dec 4, 2020

MichaelReefer said:
Three years on a $200 light is pretty dang good man. Especially with how fast our technology in the aquarium world is changing. You can't honestly tell me it looked better with a $50 light.

the corals like the cheap light better, my eyes do not like the cheap light better.

thewire · Dec 4, 2020

MichaelReefer said:
Three years on a $200 light is pretty dang good man. Especially with how fast our technology in the aquarium world is changing. You can't honestly tell me it looked better with a $50 light.

Considering supposedly led has a L70 of 30k-50k hours. 3 years is a really short time considering we only run 8-10 hours per day .