Brinsea Octagon 20 ECO Auto Turn Egg Incubator

I bought this thing mostly just to use as a hatcher. I have an Rcom that I love that I incubate with. It worked fine for that purpose for a while. Although it is incredibly difficult to clean, because there are too many nooks and crannies that you can't get to.

I did end up getting a turner for it, and that had to be replaced under warranty. I really haven't used this thing much at all, and it has been stored in the house for the entire time I've had it (3 years, I believe). I had to replace the fan a month or so ago because it was noisy and clearly going bad. Then, just today, I cleaned it and then plugged it back in (it had been off for a few days), and it won't heat. Brinsea doesn't even sell heating units for this thing on their website, so I guess I'm just out several hundred dollars (and potentially eggs that I have no where to move). I can guarantee I won't be replacing it with another Brinsea. Maybe it'll make a good doorstop?

The first few hatches everything worked great. I cleaned it and stored it and the next year is when things started going bad, after the warranty was up, of course.

The temperature was stable until the eggs went in, then it was all over the place. Got it adjusted, but when lockdown came and the humidity went up the temperature started to fluctuate again and when chicks started hatching the temperature swings got really bad. I moved the remaining eggs to a styrofoam incubator for hatching and it went okay, but the whole point of a Brinsea was the easy cleanup.

Cleaning the top is a nightmare. You have to take it apart and try to wipe it down without disturbing all the works inside, no easy task. To get to the water slots the egg tray needs to be removed. Since the whole thing is in the turning cradle, this means removing it and putting it back on sometimes when it is tilted sideways and then maneuvering it back on without damaging the cradle.

I was super careful with the cradle as many have posted that they break easily. No overloading or forcing and it still stopped working. I took it apart to try and find what was broken, but everything looks okay. Working now with the incubator empty, but making a clicking sound, so not sure if it will function with a load of eggs.

I paid full price from the Brinsea site and feel that it was not worth it. Will not buy any more Brinsea products.

I bought this incubator about 6 years ago based on enthusiastic BYC member reviews. I used it approximately 4 times over the next several years with awesome results hatching chicken, duck and goose eggs. It's been packed away since last summer, and when I brought it out a few days ago to fire up I discovered the fan is operating but the red light is out and the heater isn't working. It's off warranty of course, but it was a significant investment for me and I would like to get it repaired if that's a possibility. Brinsea is apparently no longer making this model and their website lists no parts that would correspond with what I need. The fact that they aren't responding to my queries is frustrating. Is this incubator a "throw-away" item? I hope to be able to update this review more positively in the near future, but at this point I would be hesitant to purchase more of their products due to the problems with communication.

The Brinsea Octagon 20 ECO turn egg incubator is an excellent small incubator. Hatching eggs is made easy using this, even though this was my first experience using an incubator. Using my own eggs I have close to 100% hatch rate.
The only negatives are that it really doesn't hold many eggs. I expected it to hold at least 20, but the most I ever put in it was 18 and they were crowded. They were also shipped eggs and I had a poor hatch rate.
I've found that 15 large fowl eggs fit in it comfortably and I have excellent results limiting the eggs to 12, which isn't a problem for me, but someone might want a larger incubator.
It also is a bit pricey. Mine was over $400.00 shipped, but it was a gift and there were some extras gotten with it. I do enjoy it very much, but if I wanted to hatch more eggs at once I would probably try something else.

I have the brinsea octagon
And so far I have had no problems at all.
I will update you on it when they hatch.
You should buy this incubator!

LOVE this awesome self bought Mother's day gift (before I knew my children's Father was shopping at Tiffany's) but still the best present

It was easy to assemble, temp adjusted in minutes! and that was super strait forward, it's easy to clean and looks good too. HOWEVER I have to say, it removes some of the interaction the user has with the incubating living things... I've hatched a 93%-100% out of my ancient pre owned still air Hova-Bator with all original parts... each time hand turning each individual egg 5x+ a day. I plugged this Brinsea in and actually didn't feel as close to the hatch as I have in the past (pre-natal bonding fail?) I haven't actually set eggs from start to finish as it arrived a week after I had set my e-bay eggs ($70 never again) and so I can't truthfully say how it works. Can't wait to try it though!

My husband bought me the eco 20 model w/turner about a week ago without consulting me....

The ad blurbs say the temp is factory pre-set, the paperwork in the box say it isn't - and it wasn't. The ads also say it includes a thermometer, which it did not, and thermometer is not listed as 'included' in the paperwork. The temp is difficult to get stable; two days at 99.3 when empty turned into 98.6 two days after loading it, and I'm afraid to monkey with it now that it's got eggs going. At the rate it's going through water, I'm sure I need a hygrometer quickly. The rails for separating eggs into rows are a good idea... but not so easy in practice; they won't hold in place until the tray is inserted in the machine because the tray bows out. I wouldn't have bought this incubator for myself; now that I have it, I still wouldn't. Will revisit this with comment after incubation time is up & I have, or don't have, live chicks.
The husband, OTOH, was definitely worth the investment.

I really like this incubator. It's well designed, holds temperature and humidity steady and is easy to use. I highly recommend it for busy folks or newcomers with the auto-turn cradle. In order to get proper humidity please invest in a good hygrometer. The ECO model does not come with one. If you need to boost your humidity cut two sponges in half and place them in the water troughs. After hatch throw them out. DON'T RE-USE THEM as they will have absorbed bacteria. In between hatches your cradle needs to be lubricated to ensure smooth movement. White silicone grease works best. Get yourself a small screwdriver and dismantle your lid. The clear plastic doesn't always show you how much bacteria is inside your bator. Wipe it down for the sake of your next batch.

I love this incubator! I hatch out hen and they turned out wonderful! One thing I like the most about it is you don't have to turn each individual egg. You turn the whole incubator!! I love this Incubator

The Brinsea Octagon 20 ECO Auto Turn really is so simple. I just made the mistake of not using the factory recomended humidity levels, and left the humidity to high, so my first hatch was a bust. Second one is going strong!
For the people who don't have enough time in the day to manually turn their eggs, or make sure that the temp is just right, this is the incubator for you! It is pricey, but I think it is well worth it. There is a great warranty on it, and the quality is superb!

I would definitely recommend this incubator. I have hatched many chicks in it. The time it did break brinsea fixed it for free. One thi8ng I do struggle with is that I can't get the humidity high enough with the water troughs. I have to fill both to get 45%RH. Then I add little dishes to get it to 65%. This was my first incubator and I love it. I will be using as a hatcher only in the future.

this incubator is great!
I hatched 30 quail and 4 chickens in it, it holds a lot of eggs but you have to pour in water,
I would highly recommend this incubator for beginners because it is so easy to use,
the price is a little high, but it is much better than those styrofoam incubators,

I'm happy with my Brinsea, I'm so glad I did some research & chose to buy it instead of some of the other brands out there. I love the fact that you can turn the eggs manually just by tilting the incubator, even without the optional auto-turn cradle you never have to open it!

I also like the fact that I can see in it from the sides, it helps to be able to see what condition the chicks are in when they emerge. I just can't say enough good things about this incubator, the temp. stays stable even when the temp. in my room swings a little at night. I can't forget to mention - it's so easy to clean! (I have heard about how nasty the styrofoam incubator can be). The only thing I could find to complain about would be the fact that it only holds so many eggs!

Maybe I'll have to get another one...

I would highly recommend this incubator for those who don't want to pay an exorbitant amount of money but still want a quality product.

You can buy two for the price of the Brinsea Advanced 20. It is about the same price of a Hova Bator with fan and turner. Yes it holds less eggs but I get a lot better hatch than my Bator. The only thing I whish it had is a built in hygrometer.