ASM Skimmers

[Dobber]

What is the general opinion on these

[fkshiu]

They're yesterday's news. They were a good deal when they came out. Essentially a cheap EuroReef clone. But ER has since dropped their prices and ASM has slightly increased theirs resulting in no real advantage in going with the ASM. Buy a ER and you'll still get a better built skimmer with better quality materials.

[untamed]

Really? I guess it has been almost two years since I last purchased my G6... At that time, I could have purchased almost 4 ASM G6's for the cost of a comparably sized ER. I wonder if that is mostly because of the large size...?

I've owned both ASM and ER. I ran the ER on my small tank, and the ASM on my large one. ER is much better constructed for sure, but I would not say that it skims any better. I have to handle the ASM more carefully for fear of breaking it...but I also figured I could replace it 3x over and still be ahead of the game. One has to figure that ASM has 99% of their cost in the pumps.

[surgeonfish]

I agree with untamed.
I had a ASM G3 and switched to a ER RC250. The ER is a much better constructed skimmer. However, the ASM was a much cheaper skimmer but still did a good job. Maybe the prices have changed. If you had the money, go with the ER. However, I say the ASM still works well.

[Tom R]

I have the ASM G5.
I am using it on a system of approx. 525G. I bought the ASM when they first came out to replace a PM Bullet II.
It has performed to expectation and beyond for 4 years now.
The ER looks to be better constructed however I would not pay 1 cent more for it over the ASM. Now that being said, if you are going to use ozone in your system then the ER is the one to buy as the ASM will not take the use of ozone.
It is only a skimmer. They both do an equal job. I have not seen too many hobbyist kick around their equipment to the point that better construction is an advantage. I see people out buying cast acrylic over extruded and paying 3 and 4 times the cost for what its only a Skimmer or Calcium Reactor. They both do the same job.

[fkshiu]

This is my point: Tom, umtamed and surgeonfish all have their ASM experiences before ER switched over from the CS series over to the RS series and dropped their prices across the board. ER's RC series is recirculating and cannot be directly compared to ASM.

Check out OA's website where you can compare prices and specs side-by-side. For example: ASM G-1 - $335 vs. ER RS 100 - $288.

If I'm paying about the same price, I'd definitely go ER over ASM.

All lot has happened to ER lately. They've moved their tooling/manufacturing over the China (hence the price dropped) and they having serious issues with Canadian distribution. Check J&L's website - no more RS skimmers listed and looks like their trying to get rid of the remainder of their RCs.