Im done with ecotech who makes a reliable led?

[LiamPM]

Just want to counter the ECOTECH hate...... Three XR15 within a hood/canopy here, about 8 inches from the water line - Going on 4 years now, no issues. Three Vortechs too, no issues.

The hood is heavily aerated and was designed with the fixtures in mind and the fact that all electronics clearly do not mix with water. Two large fans within the hood roof push air out of the canopy 24/7 to prevent condensation. Im amazed at what some people are spewing about warranty here and from reading the whole thread its like we should all be expecting free replacements when warranty is up. I bought these lights knowing the warranty time limit and because they are what some call a premium cost i clean and care for them regularly, after all they are the heart of my reef.

Im across the pond to most of you and our Ecotech service guys are top notch here. But i will say this. Everyone interprets bad customer service differently. Some will say its bad service because they simply told you they are out of warranty and water damaged, just because you didn't like that FACT reply doesn't mean its bad service and to me thats not bad service at all.

OP, you said you could physically see condensation on your fixtures, i personally would not buy any other type of light until you can address that issue. That is the problem. Even if you bought a waterproof fixture i personally would not be happy with physical water droplets on the fixture all the time.

 

[mattdg]

Failing equipment is a major PITA. I've never had an issue with my Viparspectra 165 Watt LED's, placed in a cabinet, blanket on top during winter, high moisture at 8" above the water and 1/8th the price. They are economical enough to have two backup's, just in case. However, I am not recommending you go with "lower end" lighting. It really comes down to how many lighting parameters you prefer to automate. Nearly any high power LED system will grow coral perfectly fine. How much you want to spend, is up to you. You could always use the cash saved on a quality PAR meter and use whatever lights you want, moving forward.

 

[reef_daddy]

Kessil AP700. Only issue I had was an LED was stuck on. Great customer service, they sent me out a brand new light, and I sent back my old one in the box. It was seamless.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Your aka definitely of warranty is Not what every one is talking about. It’s the simple fact he was mistreated, period. It’s based on his experience, his personal experience which umm You were not there. You have not a clue what the op went through. You absolutely don’t know what they spoke about. Yet you discredit him and take Ecotechs side.

You're 100% right. And by that same sentiment, neither were you. From personal experience, I can attest to the MANY times I have contacted Ecotech CS and was met with professional, courteous CS. But lets not confuse professionalism with what our predetermined outcome should have been. By OP own account he had the light fail twice due to moisture, by the OP own account he can see droplets of water collecting under the hood. I don't care what brand of light you use, any LED with electronics will not fair well in those conditions. The fact that the lights were out of warranty and that Ecotech bent over backwards to make the OP whole by offering a new fixture at half the price can be construed as great CS.... No.... It wasn't free to replace, but considering the circumstances, that was more than fair.

In addition lol Ecotech are made in China, their parts are made in China. We know this because they use cree leds which are patented, which Ecotech has to order them from China, including the boards they go into.

No company offers 100% made in america, no one expect Ecotech to create their own LED or individual electronic parts . this video suggests that whatever they can manufacture in house, they do.

If their so amazing why do soo many people complain, I mean look on other sites that sell them. A very common complaint is terrible customer service, and faulty product. They can’t all be lying, I certainly don’t think he is lying. He asked for an led that would solve his problem. You didn’t offer any solutions.

For the simple fact that most people aren't going to the forums to rave about a product that works as expected, but flip that coin, when someone feels like they got a faulty product, they will race to the forums to drum up support.

There's been many suggestions as to what he can do to solve the problem, and as already mentioned, he will keep getting poor results until he fixes the condensation portion of his problem. No LED will function long in that environment.

In all the aquariums i have worked with and been gifted to study not a single one used Ecotech (no why do you think that is?) they use Chinese black boxes, current usa, mh, I have maybe seen one with hydras and nothing Ecotech. Aquariums are based on donations to buy products, they can’t do Ecotech. But their reefs are gorgeous, maybe there is more to growing an amazing reef than saying I use all Ecotech.

That's the beauty of a capitalistic society, we all have the choice to pick what we want. But there's a lot to be said that every coral farm that means business use Radions.

Don’t you think if he wanted and liked them so much he would have just replaced them?

In all honesty? No. I think he's hoping for a fixture that can survive in those conditions. Unfortunately whatever he chooses, he will be disappointed. He was right to go with Ecotech in the first place, and if he didn't have the problem of condensation, he very well may have been singing a different tune.

Even Kessill came onto support the user who had problems with a screw. Where is the great Ecotech on this forum? Where is there help for the op on this forum. I have yet to see them every and I’m on quiet a bit.

I haven't seen Ecotech on any forum for a long time, which I would understand as being a policy for the company. It makes more sense to contact them directly with a problem rather than going through a 3rd party forum to solve problems. It certainly appears that Kessill doesn't share in this policy and rightfully many others as well.

I personally see the reasoning behind it, when I have problems with my Apex, I conduct a search, and most of the results that offer fixes are out dated and no longer pertain to a solution. Which ramps up the frustration even more.... not to mention, I have to wade through hundreds of opinionated comments that have nothing to do with the problem at hand.... why not go directly to the source?

 

[Kyl]

Assembled != Made in. Most of the "high end" equipment is made in the same fabs as what you find on fish street, just with a slightly different material profile, or higher degree of quality control. You're mostly paying for ecosystem buy in and marketing. It sure as hell isn't for a better warranty, on those "high end" parts, that are only expected to last a year.

There are very few manufacturers in this hobby that in-house most or all aspects of production.

 

[Waynerock]

The new Ai lights are supposed to be basically water proof. They are smart and say they are water resistant but doing some reading they are almost totally sealed! And the intake for the air is NOT facing the water...that is just stupid

 

[CuzzA]

You're 100% right. And by that same sentiment, neither were you. From personal experience, I can attest to the MANY times I have contacted Ecotech CS and was met with professional, courteous CS. But lets not confuse professionalism with what our predetermined outcome should have been. By OP own account he had the light fail twice due to moisture, by the OP own account he can see droplets of water collecting under the hood. I don't care what brand of light you use, any LED with electronics will not fair well in those conditions. The fact that the lights were out of warranty and that Ecotech bent over backwards to make the OP whole by offering a new fixture at half the price can be construed as great CS.... No.... It wasn't free to replace, but considering the circumstances, that was more than fair.



No company offers 100% made in america, no one expect Ecotech to create their own LED or individual electronic parts . this video suggests that whatever they can manufacture in house, they do.



For the simple fact that most people aren't going to the forums to rave about a product that works as expected, but flip that coin, when someone feels like they got a faulty product, they will race to the forums to drum up support.

There's been many suggestions as to what he can do to solve the problem, and as already mentioned, he will keep getting poor results until he fixes the condensation portion of his problem. No LED will function long in that environment.




That's the beauty of a capitalistic society, we all have the choice to pick what we want. But there's a lot to be said that every coral farm that means business use Radions.



In all honesty? No. I think he's hoping for a fixture that can survive in those conditions. Unfortunately whatever he chooses, he will be disappointed. He was right to go with Ecotech in the first place, and if he didn't have the problem of condensation, he very well may have been singing a different tune.




I haven't seen Ecotech on any forum for a long time, which I would understand as being a policy for the company. It makes more sense to contact them directly with a problem rather than going through a 3rd party forum to solve problems. It certainly appears that Kessill doesn't share in this policy and rightfully many others as well.

I personally see the reasoning behind it, when I have problems with my Apex, I conduct a search, and most of the results that offer fixes are out dated and no longer pertain to a solution. Which ramps up the frustration even more.... not to mention, I have to wade through hundreds of opinionated comments that have nothing to do with the problem at hand.... why not go directly to the source?

You do realize there are IP67 fixtures, right? Sorry, but I couldn't help but point out that there are waterproof fixtures. Your posts states there is no such thing, but that's not true.

I bought a waterproof fixture because I have enough experience between reefing, boating and diving to know the marine environment eats electronics up.

Manufacturers who are building passive cooling units are headed in the right direction. Get the drivers, fans, etcetera, out of the environment.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

You do realize there are IP67 fixtures, right? Sorry, but I couldn't help but point out that there are waterproof fixtures. Your posts states there is no such thing, but that's not true.

Can you point me to an aquarium light that has that rating level?

 

[ca1ore]

Strongly doubt their boards are assembled and flowed in the USA, same for the power supplies. US assembled with globally sourced materials is probably the correct term for their equipment.

Yes, almost certainly the case. Nothing wrong with sourcing electronics parts from China BTW. China is quite capable of making quality components - it’s all about the price point.

 

[ca1ore]

Hard for me to reconcile folks negative experiences with ETM customer service. My own interactions, over many years, have been consistently fine. Not saying it’s always true, but my suspicion that the ‘blame’ for poor interactions usually falls at the feet of the reefer. Either a bad attitude or unrealistic expectations.

 

[LIreefguy]

This is the second time I have lost a radion to moisture. Sure it's a good light but ecotech fails to do anything about making their light moisture resistant. I have my lights 8 inches off the water in a canopy and after the first failure I added glass tops. 2 years is still all I get before the moisture renders it useless. Ecotech only solution is to repair for $275 or replace for over $400. It doesn't seem to matter your issue, no matter how many thousands you spent on their products, this is their only solution. Instead of me lining their pockets again I'm considering a switch. Is there any lights that are durable and moisture resistant. So far everything is pointing to kessels. Any information or input will be appreciated.

not saying your points aren’t true
But my experience with them has been different
My mp60 broke after 2 years they fixed it for free , my reef link broke after 3 years they sent me a brand new one no charge. My ration light broke after 3 years then sent me a brand new one free of charge. All I paid every time was shipping charge to them

 

[LIreefguy]

And that's why I made the switch. #Customer4Life

Honestly have nothing against kessil. Used on one of my tank and used radions on my other 2. The reason I got rid of my kessil is they didn’t have an app to control my light. Had to use a hard wire to control light setting not WiFi. I like the reef link features since I don’t have an apex. That was 3 years ago maybe kessil dies used WiFi now so if I am wrong let me know

 

[LIreefguy]

Thank you for your input! Good to know!

OP needs to resolve his or hers humidity problem for potential issues I've stated.

I agree. It was really nice of kessil for there input. 2 year warranty is great. But I feel if the light breaks in 18 months because of humidity by replacing the light all your doing is putting off the inevitable. The new light will break too.
Like others said try to work in your humidity problem. I know your in an area with high humidity but many people have tanks in tropical locations and don’t have this problem
Explain your set up in more detail. There are so many helpful people on this forum someone is bound to give you the answer.
Good luck to the op

i know it can be frustrating

 

[Amado]

I use kessil lights 350we 360we and the 360x
I like kessil. I don’t understand how these companies can make a 1k reef ligh made for salt water that’s not water proof. Amazon has led growlights for plants that are 100% water proof for $40. We need to stop buying equipment that’s not water proof for our tanks.

 

[LIreefguy]

How is he “mistreated” if he was out of warranty? Out of warranty is out of warranty. They cannot replace it free of charge if it is out of warranty. Read the op’s applications. Most lights would fail in that condition. As of why local aquariums don’t use ecotech products, they simply cannot afford them. Most aquariums use hundreds of fixtures. A cheap $100 fixture opposed to a $800 fixture will add up over time. There is no definite fix. If you let condensation build up on the lights, you have other problems then your lights. You need to take care of your equipment right? Do you get oil changes for your car every so often? He needs fans in the canopy or he will get rust, mold, and kill more lights just like kessil said. I actually already offered my opinion on what lights to get.

While I am on your side with Ecotech customer service being great. They replaced 3 items out if warranty for me.
lfs do not pay list price for lighting equipment most manufacturers have a discounted price for display use only
I want to say Ecotech is around 350. But not 100 sure

 

[LIreefguy]

No I’m not saying it should but warranty is clearly stated as discretionary. Meaning if one dropped it in they can choose to fix it or not including out of warranty. Nothing is actually promised which is why it’s a limited warranty. Example when I dropped my light in the water it failed. When I called current usa I was 2 years out of warranty. They still replaced it (which the light actually didn’t fail, but the ramp timer did). So in short with the how limited warranty is worded they don’t have to fix anything warranty or not. They state that they will replace an item of it fails under normal conditions. So even if he was under warranty, do to the item getting wet that’s not covered.

It’s not their product so much that people dislike, its
How badly they are treated as customers. I did not even own any items and I was treated poorly. When I went to research their lights, all they said was we are the best light. They couldn’t tell me why, when I asked again I was transferred and their response was they are better because of reef link wifi cosmetics etc. not once did they say or explain what made their lights good. I don’t care how the light looks, nor do I care if it has reef link or WiFi. I want it to grow coral and be durable. Every company will have items that fail its proven. But when I mention they are horrible and have bad reviews 95% are how the person was treated. In this case the op clearly stated he was treated poorly. it’s bad enough when expensive items break, even worse when it cost money to fix. But above those and main reason people switch any item, is customer service.

reef2reef. Not sure if there is an award but Sarah gets my vote for longest responses.

But on a side note
Just because one company covers you dropping your light into the water died jf mean they all should.
also we have no idea what Ecotech said to op. Only his version of what happened. I will tell you Ecotech replaced 3 items out if warranty for me All they asked me was to send light, mp60 to them I paid for shipping. When they checked there product and found it failed because of no fault to me. I don’t drop lights in tanks and I don’t keep electronic inhumidity. Even kessil them self stated salt , water , electronics don’t mix well
Also your very vocal about Ecotech. Have you every had any direct experience with them
I personally don’t like to bash any company unless I directly dealth with them. Ecotech is a great light imo. So is kessil. , so are many others.

 

[vangvace]

Year to year they get great reviews, just look at BRS best LEDs for 2019, Radion XR30 G4 Pro w/ diffusers was one of the top three and the top premium fixture. Lets not trash an entire brand for one experience.

There is a danger of using BRS as an example. They don't sell products that fail to meet their bottom line and they don't comment or rate products they don't sell. Their Best of series also includes their sales volume. Not saying Radions don't deserve high marks, but there are caveats to most of the top product reviews in our hobby.

That said, customer service was pretty good when I was upgrading my MP10s. I cannot speak to their lights because they haven't appealed to me.

 

[Sarah24!]

reef2reef. Not sure if there is an award but Sarah gets my vote for longest responses.

But on a side note
Just because one company covers you dropping your light into the water died jf mean they all should.
also we have no idea what Ecotech said to op. Only his version of what happened. I will tell you Ecotech replaced 3 items out if warranty for me All they asked me was to send light, mp60 to them I paid for shipping. When they checked there product and found it failed because of no fault to me. I don’t drop lights in tanks and I don’t keep electronic inhumidity. Even kessil them self stated salt , water , electronics don’t mix well
Also your very vocal about Ecotech. Have you every had any direct experience with them
I personally don’t like to bash any company unless I directly dealth with them. Ecotech is a great light imo. So is kessil. , so are many others.

Ahhh you guys are lucky you didn’t have to read my research papers (on average 200-300 pages), some of my final papers took me months to write and I had one that was close to 550 pages.

 

[alton]

Can you point me to an aquarium light that has that rating level?

orphek OR2 Light Bars. My BML's are also IP67 rated along with their drivers, too bad they quit making aquarium lights to keep up with horticulture lighting.

 

[Terri Caton]

I'm having problems with EcoTech as well. My lights have a mind of their own. Go on and off at different times. Different ones act independently of the others even though they are programmed the same.

EcoTech was quick to respond but I'm told that nearby WiFi signals are probably causing the problem. The Problem with that is I program them directly connected to the lights! Don't even use WiFi. So how can that be possible?

Reading this thread with interest.