Is BRS highly overpriced or is this a different product

DavidJTawil · Sep 4, 2020

I’m looking to drill my 150 gallon tank and am considering doing it myself. BRS recommend using a drill press attachment. They have one for sale on their site for $54.99.

Drill Press Attachment for Hand Drills

Why does BRS recommend this? If you have never drilled glass before it can be a bit daunting. To make it easier we highly recommend a drill press to keep your drill from jumping around and allowing you to have nice smooth control of the drill bit. These presses will work for many other...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I took a look on Amazon and found what I believe is the same product for about $30.

Could somebody confirm that these are the same product?
Much appreciated,
David

DavidJTawil · Sep 4, 2020

@Bulk Reef Supply

Gernader · Sep 4, 2020

It appears that BRS have a different brand than the one you showed on Amazon, but BRS usually have cheaper/similar prices compared to their competitors.

Gernader · Sep 4, 2020

You could always check out HD, Lowes or Amazon if it is not strictly aquarium related

JCTReefer · Sep 4, 2020

I just purchased this one from amazon. It got good reviews on amazon and Home Depot. About the same price. Same price as HD. Either way it would have to be ordered. Home Depot doesn’t carry this one in the store so I decided on Amazon for free shipping and prime.

F i s h y · Sep 4, 2020

I think there is a difference in size. The one on Amazon says it accommodates up to a 3/8 inch bit. The one BRS is selling says 65mm (roughly 2.5 inches)?

F i s h y · Sep 4, 2020

But that may just be the center drill bit and not the size of the hole bit it can accommodate

Reef. · Sep 4, 2020

Are they the same? If not I think it is unfair to link two different brands of products then ask if BRS’s product is overpriced, if they were the same product then that would be different and a fair question.

ChrisNH · Sep 4, 2020

I ended up getting Milescraft 1318 Drillmate Drill Guide with chuck which worked ok and was as well constructed as you can expect for $30ish.

Ling_Thing · Sep 4, 2020

Imo opinion these are unnecessary, just use the template the drill comes with duct tape it to the tank turn on the hose and start drilling

DavidJTawil · Sep 4, 2020

Fishy65 said:
I think there is a difference in size. The one on Amazon says it accommodates up to a 3/8 inch bit. The one BRS is selling says 65mm (roughly 2.5 inches)?

I was thinking the same thing however the 3/8 inch is talking about how large of a bit the input could hold whereas the 65mn is the diameter of the whole which the one in amazon doesn’t specify.

JCTReefer · Sep 4, 2020

The 2.5 inches is definitely not the chuck size.
The one on amazon says this in the description.

Portable - Go to your Project - Lightweight cast aluminum base plate can be easily maneuvered
Drill Centered Holes - Simply twist the base for immediate centering on the edge of a board
Angle-Measuring Scale – Double guide bars are attached to the metal base and can be shifted back-and-forth to set your preferred angle up to 45°
Guide Bars – Dual springs control the rate of penetration and return – Especially useful for repetitive drilling
Adjustable Depth Stop – Thumb screw quickly releases and sets depth
V-Groove Base – Secures a wide variety of round and odd-shaped work-pieces up to 3 in. diameter
3/8 in. Mounted Drill Chuck & Key – Allows the guide to be used with all 3/8 and 1/2 in. portable drills
Removable Handle – Adds extra control and leverage for heavier-duty jobs

DavidJTawil · Sep 4, 2020

Gernader said:
It appears that BRS have a different brand than the one you showed on Amazon, but BRS usually have cheaper/similar prices compared to their competitors.

This is not true. The one’s on BRS are WOLCRAFT just like the one on amazon

mike550 · Sep 4, 2020

@DavidJTawil So my first comment is how did you even find that on BRS?! I have always felt like BRS sold more things than I could find on their website -- this just reinforces it.

Anyway ... If BRS is selling the Wolfcraft 4525, then you're right. You can get the same model from other retailers for less. My guess is that places like Amazon, Home Depot, etc. buy that item in larger quantities than BRS or at least more of the Wolfcraft line. Always pays off to shop around.

DavidJTawil · Sep 4, 2020

JCTReefer said:
The 2.5 inches is definitely not the chuck size.
The one on amazon says this in the description.

Portable - Go to your Project - Lightweight cast aluminum base plate can be easily maneuvered

Drill Centered Holes - Simply twist the base for immediate centering on the edge of a board

Angle-Measuring Scale – Double guide bars are attached to the metal base and can be shifted back-and-forth to set your preferred angle up to 45°

Guide Bars – Dual springs control the rate of penetration and return – Especially useful for repetitive drilling

Adjustable Depth Stop – Thumb screw quickly releases and sets depth

V-Groove Base – Secures a wide variety of round and odd-shaped work-pieces up to 3 in. diameter

3/8 in. Mounted Drill Chuck & Key – Allows the guide to be used with all 3/8 and 1/2 in. portable drills

Removable Handle – Adds extra control and leverage for heavier-duty jobs

The 2 1/2 isn’t the chuck size the 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch is. That is a different measurement then the diameter of the hole opening which is not specified on the amazon product.

JCTReefer · Sep 4, 2020

I purchased one to drill my custom 210. I wanted the hole to be drilled level. On my current tank I didn’t use a guide. It’s a little 54 corner. Drilled two holes in it. Now on my new custom tank I wanted the holes drilled as straight as possible. If I’m spending 4,000$ on a tank, what’s another 30$ to drill a straight hole. That’s how I look at anyways.

DavidJTawil · Sep 4, 2020

mike550 said:
@DavidJTawil So my first comment is how did you even find that on BRS?! I have always felt like BRS sold more things than I could find on their website -- this just reinforces it.

Anyway ... If BRS is selling the Wolfcraft 4525, then you're right. You can get the same model from other retailers for less. My guess is that places like Amazon, Home Depot, etc. buy that item in larger quantities than BRS or at least more of the Wolfcraft line. Always pays off to shop around.

Hahah BRS sells everything and are usually very well priced. With this specific product I was surprised to find that there was such a difference in price which led me to ask if their the same product

Greybeard · Sep 4, 2020

BRS is a reef aquarium supplier. On reefing stuff, apples to apples, I find their prices are reasonable. Not always the cheapest, but very seldom out of line. For stuff like this, comes from a vendor they don't buy much from, not really their core business, yeah. Sometimes they're a bit high.

Point is, if you go to a seafood restaurant and order a cheeseburger, you're likely to overpay... and it's unlikely to be a good burger

BRS spends a good deal of time and effort trying to educate reefers, advance the hobby... even when it doesn't make good business sense (Remember when T5 bulbs were shown to last much longer than the prevailing wisdom?) I always go there first, and typically buy from them, even on products that might be a bit cheaper at Amazon or whatever.

JCTReefer · Sep 4, 2020

DavidJTawil said:
The 2 1/2 isn’t the chuck size the 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch is. That is a different measurement then the diameter of the hole opening which is not specified on the amazon product.

Yes, that’s what I said. The 2.5 inches is not the chuck size. 3/8 inch and 1/4 is.

BZOFIQ · Sep 4, 2020

Fishy65 said:
I think there is a difference in size. The one on Amazon says it accommodates up to a 3/8 inch bit. The one BRS is selling says 65mm (roughly 2.5 inches)?

That's just the shaft.