BashSea of Reef Octo?

Not to knock downdrafts, or you... but that is quite a lot of misinformation there. Not even sure where to start.

 

go ahead... its all in spirited debate and a learning situation for us all. I do not take offense. Have at it please.

you are the "skimmer guy" after all.

 

Now I said all that just to say this... downdrafts has stuck around for a reason. They might have a place still in this hobby and are useful... but so do needle wheels... they are very simple and easy. Very consistent. Very energy efficient, and perform every bit as good as anything out there. The dirty little secret is that they may not perform any better than an old downdraft.. that all skimmers are limited in what they can do and all of the best designs are pretty equal... I find that to be quite possible... which means that downdrafts are no more the "heavy weight" champs any more than the new shinny needle wheels.... but when it comes to power consumption, noise, consistence, simplicity, and performance... then it becomes damn hard to beat a needle wheel.

 

Your wisdom is much appreciated sir. Glad I went with a needlewheel skimmer. Its been working great for me so far.

 

this is a no contest queston, anyone who has had both(myself and several of my reef buds) to REALLY compare will tell you bashsea hands down! the quality and customer service alone wins by far let alone the performance is not even close. i have had a twisted skimmer for well over a year and a blu demon for over 5 months now, being in michigan where bashsea is everywhere, everyone around here will tell you the same, the reef octo's are good intill you see and use a bashsea...no contest!!

 

What compared to what? Better how? What does not even close mean?

I don't want to give the impression that I'm down on Bashsea. One thing small companies do have is customer service and it is great to be able to talk to a locals about stuff. I do find it funny though that it was always compared how much better Twisteds were over needles, but now of course Bashsea offers needles... hummmm. What is frustrating about this hobby... which I guess is like most hobbies... is the emormous volume of fan boy reviews one must wade through to get any sort of usefull information. Heck just talk to I-Tech owners and you would think the skimmer cured cancer.

The best performing skimmers out there are pretty equal in performance, it really comes down to features at that point and how much quality you want to buy. Most skimmers work quite well for a good price.... then there is the cheap crap that works poorly that nobody should own. There is not worlds of difference between the top and the middle. When one compares apples to apples things look pretty similar. After looking at tons and tons of all the latest greatest... I'm have gotten pretty jaded on claims of miracle skimmers. They are just bubble machines. Sorry... rant off.

 

That isn't a prototype. Many people have used them as with a great amount of success. It is very easy to dial in and produces quite a lot of air. BashSea even put on an intake meter to prove that point. The one pictured was one of the first built, but the thread has the best pictures, hence why I posted it.
Also, BashSea likes to prototpe his stuff, even if it is a custom skimmer or something. He sold these to get feedback from the initial design and made some minor tweaks thereafter. Hence again not "unproven" and with no real feedback".
To give some credibility, I own a Reef Octo and love it. The build quality is excellant, its very easy to adjust and produces a nice dark cup a week. I love it! I've worked in a store dealing with BashSea, along with talking to him on many occasions including at the release of the Blu-Demon.
I don't think we can compare a Beckett to a Needlewheel, as they are geared towards different systems ad both sacrifice different things.
Now, Reef Octo is a very respectable company, thousands own them and I haven't ever seen a complaint. BashSea is a local small company that maybe a few hundred own. Plus not many people review them. I could see how that would be a deterrent and fully understand. If someone tried to sell me a new type of calcium reactor that no one owned, I would be very skeptical.

 

Perfectly reasonable. And when I say something... of corse the opposite is it sounds like I'm Bashing Bashsea... totally not doing that. Taking you at your word... he sounds like one of those cool enthusist builders that like to make stuff, turns out good work, and has great customer service. Very respectable.

Sometimes though when people have a crappy product and get a better one... they attribute the improvements to that brand... you said the Blue Demon is easy to dial in and pushes a lot of air... those are attributes of needle wheel skimmers... not necessarily a Blue Demon... just using that as an example... you explained your remarks well.

And so... even I can see reasons to go with a Bashsea... you like the small builder, want made in USA, want to help out the little guy, good customer service, and all that with a well performing skimmer... I get it. sort of the same reasons I got a K2 from Warner Marine. I just try to add some perspective from over the top reviews when it comes to parting with hard earned cash. Decide on a needle or a beckett or a down draft... then pick a price point and the features and quality you want. It will be narrowed down to one or two pretty quick... and usually from that point you won't go wrong with either. But it gets pretty confusing to come to a decision when everyone tells you their skimmer is the best on the planet and evey one has something different.

 

Thats true, and I agree wholeheartedly after having seen some Deltec reviews where it seemed the skimmer was the key to the universe. (Not bashing Deltec as I'm sure they are excellant, just the way some reviewed them)
Hopefully this has helped clear some confusion for the OP.

 

Yes thank you everyone for the help, I talked to Steve Bashi and will be going with there bio-fuge and 8x30 skimmer ran buy a mag24. The amount of info and just tip top amazing customer service is without a doubt what won me over.