Is this the year the controller market gets disrupted?

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flimflam

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On the heels of the Apex announcement, here comes https://reefbuilders.com/2016/05/25/tunze-controller-can-manage-the-entire-aquarium/">Tunze with a sub $400 controller with multiple probes and wifi built in</a>

When I think about it, there's not really been a serious disrupter come into this space like you see in so many other verticals. Is Tunze the player that's going to disrupt the market? Is there another player lying in wait with another product?

IMO, it's high time for this space to get shaken up a bit and bring costs down.
 
hzheng33;1086094 wrote: whether you hate or love the new apex, this tunze controller comes no where near an apex in terms of functionality.
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Not at all. I'm not comparing the two.

I'm asking the general question as to whether this part of the market is primed for some serious disruption or are we locked into ~1K for a well sorted controller?

An example would be OBD2 scanners for cars. I remember the 90's when you would pay 100-150 bucks for a decent scanner that hooked up to your laptop. Today you can scanners for 15.00.
 
I see your point. but if you look at seneye, they revamp their controller as well. not sure if there's any new change but the overall black encasing is different from before. and don't forget, cerebra is coming out too in roughly 2 months.
 
Genesis;1086093 wrote: Let's go Jebao/Jecod time for an Apex knock off......
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Sorry but I would never trust a Jebao controller on my tank.
 
Fishbit will also becoming out sometime.

I think that Ecotech is goi g to try and make their own controller, but would on,h work with Ecotech products.
 
I'm still without a controller but I'm ready to pull the trigger on something. And now all of these announcements start rolling out so I'm back in "wait and see" mode :)
 
This has got some nice little features cute splashproof etc.
Owning Tunze prouducts that have never failed me, I trust their products and customer service is excellent.

IMO it's obviously not an Apex, however for $347 it's capabilities are a value for anyone just starting out in the hobby.
 
its time for a wave to pass through ... i think , because of where the tech is now, it will get cheaper and cheaper to make good controllers. For a long time all I could remember was ReefKeeper and Apex. There were some fringe controllers like ReefAngel.. but those 2 pretty much cornered the market.
More controllers will drive the price down across the board.
 
hzheng33;1086094 wrote: whether you hate or love the new apex, this tunze controller comes no where near an apex in terms of functionality.
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Yeah an Apex can literally run your entire house with enough EB8s. The real question is is that absolutely necessary. My answer is always no. You are also comparing an arguably $700 system with the Apex and a system coming in under $400. Also Tunze is a brand that is synonymous with performance, customer service, and dependability.

IMO a controller is the most important piece of equipment when it comes to the long term success of a reef tank. I feel that controllers such as an Apex, RK, and the like are what have really have brought this hobby to what it is today. If we are in a new generation of affordable and high quality controllers I am all for it.

At the least this will bringing down the price of the base controllers and that is definitely a good thing.
 
I couldn't agree more Kathleen. I really hope someone figures out how to measure the more critical items we have to test for. That will transform reefing as we know it.
 
HiImSean;1086100 wrote: Sorry but I would never trust a Jebao controller on my tank.
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+1000

Let me see, skimp on the one product that could most easily, single handedly, wipe out an entire tank that has a single coral worth more than the controller? Yeesh!

I trust Jebao to do two things. Require tons of maintenance to work or plain break.
 
Seth The Wine Guy;1086166 wrote: +1000

Let me see, skimp on the one product that could most easily, single handedly, wipe out an entire tank that has a single coral worth more than the controller? Yeesh!

I trust Jebao to do two things. Require tons of maintenance to work or plain break.
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I love how even a hypothetical Jebao controller is getting people riled up! :eek:

I am a fan of Jebao products for one reason and that is competition. Whether you like their products or not it is hard to beat their prices and availability. Let's be honest here, before the last year or so Apex has been pretty slow when it comes to innovation. I think Jebao had a direct impact on multiple companies bottom dollars and has forced them to get out of their comfort zones. There has been an explosion of products in the reef hobby over the last two years. Everything from pumps, to lights, to wave makers, to dosing pumps have all been reinventing themselves in this more competitive market. I know Jebao does not have the best practices or products but I do think they deserve more credit than most hobbiest like to give them. Especially when it comes to pushing the industry forward into the next generation of aquarium hardware.
 
Curtismaximus;1086171 wrote: I love how even a hypothetical Jebao controller is getting people riled up! :eek:

I am a fan of Jebao products for one reason and that is competition. Whether you like their products or not it is hard to beat their prices and availability. Let's be honest here, before the last year or so Apex has been pretty slow when it comes to innovation. I think Jebao had a direct impact on multiple companies bottom dollars and has forced them to get out of their comfort zones. There has been an explosion of products in the reef hobby over the last two years. Everything from pumps, to lights, to wave makers, to dosing pumps have all been reinventing themselves in this more competitive market. I know Jebao does not have the best practices or products but I do think they deserve more credit than most hobbiest like to give them. Especially when it comes to pushing the industry forward into the next generation of aquarium hardware.
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You mean pushing other companies in the industry to sue them. There is a reason Rit stopped selling their gyre knock-offs.


I'm not an Apex advocator, I'd love to try GHL controllers, but you can't really say they have been slow in their new products. Until a year or so ago they were strictly in the monitoring business. They created products to help support AI lights when they came on the market. They supported Ecotech with lights and powerheads. So that's been about the past 4 or so years.

Jebao do create competition for cheap knock off products. But you hear way more failures on Jebao products than their counterparts for a reason.I'm 2 for 3 with Jebao product, 2 WP25s run pretty well but require a lot of attention, a WP40 that flat out stopped working, plus I won their doser but I wouldn't trust that thing to dose anything in my tank.
 
HiImSean;1086208 wrote: You mean pushing other companies in the industry to sue them. There is a reason Rit stopped selling their gyre knock-offs.


I'm not an Apex advocator, I'd love to try GHL controllers, but you can't really say they have been slow in their new products. Until a year or so ago they were strictly in the monitoring business. They created products to help support AI lights when they came on the market. They supported Ecotech with lights and powerheads. So that's been about the past 4 or so years.

Jebao do create competition for cheap knock off products. But you hear way more failures on Jebao products than their counterparts for a reason.I'm 2 for 3 with Jebao product, 2 WP25s run pretty well but require a lot of attention, a WP40 that flat out stopped working, plus I won their doser but I wouldn't trust that thing to dose anything in my tank.
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Innovation is not always pretty or legal for that matter. The reality is Jebao has sold thousands of products and has delivered to a once ostracized consumer group. Would I recommend a Jebao product to a high dollar setup with $1000s of dollars invested? Heck no! Would I recommend them to someone just starting out that wants to spend the least amount possible? Yes I would.

My point was not if Jebao makes good or legal products. My point was that we are in a new age of controllers and it is a very exciting time. We can argue all day about how we got here but we can all admit that this is an exciting time for reef geeks like most of us here.
 
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