Ecotech radion g5 knock off found!

Well theres a good chance I would kinda have to hire the chinese to make them for me in the first place if we were to compare to this situation.

No you don't. Almost lost a 100m company to Chinese IP theft and we made nothing there. We got lucky... not everybody does.
 
Thanks for that post, that does clarify a lot of speculation for me and clarifies they do the assembly and much of the manufacturing in the states and the knock offs really are just that. Someone else copied the cosmetic design and led layout which does help justify the much higher costs vs if it were made elsewhere.
 
What happened to the light in the first post?

Yup, wondered the same thing myself. Did anyone actually buy one? Been following the thread for a while just couldn’t bring myself to comment …. to much Groundhog Day.

Chinese made doesn’t have to mean cheap, though it has historically meant less expensive for the reasons folks have noted. Somebody also made an observation earlier about ‘manufactured’ versus ‘assembled’. Proclamations about made-in-America almost always are just assembled-in-America. I’ve just not paid enough attention to the ETM business model. Perhaps assembling overseas components in PA does convey greater reliability.

My own personal experience with LED lights is that it’s not the diodes/cluster that fails, it’s the supporting electronics.
 
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Yup, wondered the same thing myself. Did anyone actually buy one? Been following the thread for a while just couldn’t bring myself to comment …. to much Groundhog Day.

There are several versions of it now...

A8SE - G5 Pro layout, generic PSU, generic diodes

A8S - G5 Pro layout, Meanwell PSU, generic diodes

A8 - G5 Pro layout, Meanwell PSU, name brand diodes

A8 Pro - G6 Pro layout, not sure on PSU or diodes

X30 - G5 Blue layout, not sure on PSU or diodes

There is another thread in this forum with a bunch of people running several different versions. People really seem to like them.
 
Yup, wondered the same thing myself. Did anyone actually buy one? Been following the thread for a while just couldn’t bring myself to comment …. to much Groundhog Day.

Chinese made doesn’t have to mean cheap, though it has historically meant less expensive for the reasons folks have noted. Somebody also made an observation earlier about ‘manufactured’ versus ‘assembled’. Proclamations about made-in-America almost always are just assembled-in-America. I’ve just not paid enough attention to the ETM business model. Perhaps assembling overseas components in PA does convey greater reliability.

My own personal experience with LED lights is that it’s not the diodes/cluster that fails, it’s the supporting electronics.
Same here. For me it was mainly salt creep damaging the 0-10v potentiometer control knobs was my main issue on a few different types of lights now. I also had a number of 80mm fan failures. I did have some premature failures of the UV leds in my first set of lights which I replaced with different uvs led only to have the same issue again with the leds slowly turning black and failing to output much of anything.
 
There are several versions of it now...

A8SE - G5 Pro layout, generic PSU, generic diodes

A8S - G5 Pro layout, Meanwell PSU, generic diodes

A8 - G5 Pro layout, Meanwell PSU, name brand diodes

A8 Pro - G6 Pro layout, not sure on PSU or diodes

X30 - G5 Blue layout, not sure on PSU or diodes

There is another thread in this forum with a bunch of people running several different versions. People really seem to like them.
I've been following different treads concerning these lighting options and been searching AliE for these different options but i can't find the A8 Pro that is posted here which translates into the G6 Pro, would you be able to provide me a link to this specific unit if you would wouldn't mind? i'd really appreciate it.
Thank you kindly
 
I've been following different treads concerning these lighting options and been searching AliE for these different options but i can't find the A8 Pro that is posted here which translates into the G6 Pro, would you be able to provide me a link to this specific unit if you would wouldn't mind? i'd really appreciate it.
Thank you kindly

It was on page 21 of this thread, but got lost in the noise.

1707767535929.png


 
So I’ve been really looking into the different options available and a little confused on which way to go and was wondering if someone could offer up some advice. Originally I was purchasing 4 of the ET xr30 blue’s so I’m trying to figure out what would be the closest to these with what is available. I’m trying to look at the color patterns and color led’s that come with each fixture.

So Im wondering what would be best, the XR30 blue on AliE or the A8 Pro on Alibabba from link provided above.

I was leaning towards the latter due to it being newer and G6 style but not sure if it will be blue enough if that makes sense. Im still new to the LED’s so please go easy on me.

Basically in your opinion what do most think is best out of the two for a mixed reef tank I am setting up.

Thank you
 
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So I’ve been really looking into the different options available and a little confused on which way to go and was wondering if someone could offer up some advice. Originally I was purchasing 4 of the ET xr30 blue’s so I’m trying to figure out what would be the closest to these with what is available. I’m trying to look at the color patterns and color led’s that come with each fixture.

So Im wondering what would be best, the XR30 blue on AliE or the A8 Pro on Alibabba from link provided above.

I was leaning towards the latter due to it being newer and G6 style but not sure if it will be blue enough if that makes sense. Im still new to the LED’s so please go easy on me.

Basically in your opinion what do most think is best out of the two for a mixed reef tank I am setting up.

Thank you

If you were getting Radion XR30 Blues, the AliE X30 Blue is the closest match.

All the rest of them (A8, A8SE, A8S and A8Pro) are patterned after the XR30 Pro with red/green LEDs and fewer blue LEDs.
 
MOUNTING OPTIONS - Does anyone know if you can use the brand name radion RMS mounts on the A8 Pro fixtures?
 
Who is?


And what happens when your small market evaporates because some factory in China is willing to sell your item at 0% margin, or even a loss just to put you out of business? Don't answer, it is rhetorical.

Good luck with your business and I hope (sincerely) that it does well enough for you to buy a yacht, or put your 12 kids through Harvard, or whatever it is that is your goal.
Product dumping to corner market share… anyone remember the DRAM days? Japanese companies(Toshiba comes to mind) engaged in dumping dram at much lower price and forcing out American companies making DRAM ie Intel/IBM. Then the Japanese complained the Koreans and Taiwanese of dumping….
Once the innovation stagnates… it becomes commodity and from there it’s a race to the bottom.
Intel gave up on DRAM and focused on making systems and cpus that uses DRAM and other US companies went into Graphics chips/card design. And being the main designers that uses the DRAM and GDDRam, they end up forcing the standards and expected pricing on those commodity manufacturers.
 
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Anyhow I’m still curious to see a full tear down of the board electronics and led assembly quality compared to ecotech’s offering
 
There are several versions of it now...

A8SE - G5 Pro layout, generic PSU, generic diodes

A8S - G5 Pro layout, Meanwell PSU, generic diodes

A8 - G5 Pro layout, Meanwell PSU, name brand diodes

A8 Pro - G6 Pro layout, not sure on PSU or diodes

X30 - G5 Blue layout, not sure on PSU or diodes

There is another thread in this forum with a bunch of people running several different versions. People really seem to like them.
I just asked the seller, the X30 comes with Chinese branded LED and Meanwell power supply. Really wish they have one with CREE or other well known LED brands, but I guess theres no other choice if you want the Blue version instead of Pro.
 
I might order up a Pro just for my temporary tank I am building right now. I really don't want to spend a ton of money on it just to break it down in 8-10 months and when I move I am setting up my 200 gallon again. When I sold my house I moved into a apartment that has restrictions on the size of tank. But I am in the process of looking for land and build a new house and when I do my big tank is going back up so this might work for what I need. Something cheap but works good or I would be happy with ok to. I don't need to be growing SPS on the bottom.
 
The generic chinese LEDs in these generally have poor efficiency and binning when compared to name brand stuff, but can work well when derated to run cooler and last longer- This is my general experience after having to reapair a Radion knockoff not too long ago. The PCB designs and PSUs in them are the weak points.
 
Naked shot of the blue, I’m relocating the plug from the back to the side so it will work in Aquaticlifes fixture.

IMG_1128.jpeg
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
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