Cheap lighting HQI... to good to be true?

[The Grizz]

No offense taken, I just think that manufactures of most SW equipment are pricing things way more then they are really worth. Take Vortec mp40s for example, as a retailer you could probably buy them in the area of $350 but Vortec demand resellers to sell them $499.99. It obvious to me they are making money off what they sell them to the store for so why do they set the MSRP so much higher.

[milano07]

Originally Posted by The Grizz

No offense taken, I just think that manufactures of most SW equipment are pricing things way more then they are really worth. Take Vortec mp40s for example, as a retailer you could probably buy them in the area of $350 but Vortec demand resellers to sell them $499.99. It obvious to me they are making money off what they sell them to the store for so why do they set the MSRP so much higher.

Yo do make a good point here but we usually pay a huge mark up on most items and am not just talking about reef stuff. This a bit off topic but it's just like naming corals with stu*&%id names and charging a premium for them when the store owner most likely didn't pay that much for them.

[viperfish]

Ecotech has the patent on the design so they don't have to worry about some chineese factory banging out copies. A lot of the manufacturers out there rely on their brand and the old "made in Germany" which is overplayed IMO. Not a whole bunch of innovation coming out of Germany these days. There's no disputing European craftsmanship, but with all the CNC technology today, pretty much anyone in the world can rival them.

[lastlight]

Originally Posted by medhatreefguy

Ecotech has the patent on the design so they don't have to worry about some chineese factory banging out copies. A lot of the manufacturers out there rely on their brand and the old "made in Germany" which is overplayed IMO. Not a whole bunch of innovation coming out of Germany these days. There's no disputing European craftsmanship, but with all the CNC technology today, pretty much anyone in the world can rival them.

From Roger over on the Tunze Forums:

"The power supply is also made in China, to be technically exact it is made in Hong Kong which is now a Chinese territory. We took over a year to source the power supply and tested just about every manufacturers power supply, these were the coolest running with no fan and that is why they were chosen. Power Supplies, like magnets are something that is almost exclusively made in China. The pump is still made in Germany at the Tunze factory in Penzberg. "

So yeah even the German stuff is Chinese.

[RuGlu6]

look here if you want to see the fixture and ballasts pics.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...183#post618183

[syncro]

What are the differences between the Extendable Series and Adv Plus Series?

24" 298W Metal Halide System Extendable Series
24" 346W Metal Halide System Advance Plus


Better, extendible legs? Does one have a better/newer ballast design? Individual reflectors?

[The Grizz]

The Adv + have 4 T5 instead of 2, 4 LED moon lights instead of 2,individual reflectors and better legs but they don't extend past the fixture

[syncro]

Thanks Grizz!