Anyone using the new Needle Wheel skimmers by Vertex & PM?

[albert_dao]

Euroreef RC series is manufactured in China...

[TheRealBigAL]

I have been running a PM RL150 for a month or so now and I love the skim I get off of it. The vertex skimmers look more appealing because of the Bubble plate. The pumps that come with them are crap! I would take a product made in the USA anyday over a MADE IN CHINA product. I have talked to people who have seen both skimmers running. The end relust is if you put the RL pump on the Vertex you would have the best of both worlds. The bottom line when your buying a skimmer is the quality of the pump in my mind. But hey we cant really complain both are very good skimmers for the price.

EVERYONE JUST NEEDS A BUBBLEKING !

[Delphinus]

145W for that size of skimmer (150-250gal tank)? That is indeed not very good. I can run a sizeable beckett skimmer off a Mak4 and it draws 110W. Needlewheels are supposed to trump becketts in the power usage category if all else (ie., tank volume ratings) is comparable. Not the other way around!! The design of the skimmer itself seems good though.

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by TheRealBigAL

I have been running a PM RL150 for a month or so now and I love the skim I get off of it. The vertex skimmers look more appealing because of the Bubble plate. The pumps that come with them are crap! I would take a product made in the USA anyday over a MADE IN CHINA product. I have talked to people who have seen both skimmers running. The end relust is if you put the RL pump on the Vertex you would have the best of both worlds. The bottom line when your buying a skimmer is the quality of the pump in my mind. But hey we cant really complain both are very good skimmers for the price.

EVERYONE JUST NEEDS A BUBBLEKING !

I'd hate to burst the bubble for PM, but RL skimmers are also made in China. They are running RLP/OTP pumps which are the same as the pumps you'll find on the Octopus skimmers (needlewheel).

Vertex skimmers run Resun pumps. For any of those not aware, these skimmers have been used to great success by many skimmer manufacturers over on this side of the pond (e.g. EuroReef). You probably know them as Gen-X pumps. Additionally, they are running pinwheels, not the archaic needlewheel.

I guess my point boils down to this:

RL 100 $219.00.....Vertex 100 $198.95
RL 150 $289.00
RL 200 $369.00.....Vertex 180 $284.95
..........................Vertex 250 $319.95

Both skimmers have the same neck assembly. The Vertex product sports the following features over the RL:

Cup drain w/ plug
Bubble plate
Zirconium Ceramic shaft and bearings (interesting fact: if you hold one of these impellers in your hand and flick it with your finger, it will spin 30-50% longer than a comparable impeller from another company)

[Drock169]

The Vertex pumps actually went back to needle wheel, as the pin wheel wasnt working out for it.

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by Drock169

The Vertex pumps actually went back to needle wheel, as the pin wheel wasnt working out for it.

... What?

Edit: Pinwheel =)

[kwirky]

the pinwheel on the vertex doesn't look like it's of good quality. It honestly appears to be something you'd find in a kinder suprise lol

[Canadian]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Euroreef RC series is manufactured in China...

I realize that. My post was more to the point that the large scale manufacturing and lack of copyright protection in China facilitates the potential for a) Euroreef to continue making cheaper products in China and try to sell them under a different name and b) Chinese companies to blatantly copy to their heart's content.