brinsea octagon incubator

[blueoval1]

Can someone tell me about this incubator or the experience you have had with it. Thanks

 

[Mahonri]

I'd love a report on this also... seems expensive for how small it is, but it also looks pretty effortless.

 

[sandspoultry]

We have an octagon 40 and we don't like it/ hardly ever use it. Alot of people swear by them but the problems we have with ours are as follows

1) (and this is the biggest) The temp will swing with changes in room temp. We have our house set on an auto thermostat to cut back on the heat and cooling bill so the house temp changes about 4 times a day. The 'bator just doesn't have enough thermal mass to hold the temp steady even when full.

2) you have to open the lid to add water to the RH trays (we are big fans of setting the eggs and leaving it closed until time to stop turning)

3) For the price we paid my jaw about hit the floor when we got ours, for that kind of money I want something more solid than plastic

4) spare parts are expensive, for example the heat element is molded into the cover-to replace you have to replace the whole cover.

5) the directions say you can incubate goose eggs in it, I can tell you from personal experience the turner can't turn it fully loaded with goose eggs.

Steve in NC

 

[PurpleChicken]

We have had this debate before on other threads. On a few points I
agree with Sandspoultry.

1 - Temp swing is minimal. Any bator should be loaded with eggs
or water bottles to insure stable temps. I have an Octagon 40, a
forced air LG, and a Genesis all in the same room. Room temps
swing as much as 10 degrees. With a full load of eggs and the
vent closed my Oct stays will stay within 1 degree of the target.
The Genesis is the worst but is used as a hatcher so it's almost
empty.

2 - I do wish there was a way to add water without removing the trays.
Brinsea sells a humidity module for $160.

3 - The base is a brittle plastic and easy to break. You can buy a new
base for $40. My base has a few hairline cracks but it fine and can
be glued.

4 - Some spare parts can be considered expensive but heat tape
doesn't go bad and you can replace just the digital thermostat.

5 - I have no experience with goose eggs but I've had mine PACKED
with chicken eggs. For $10 they make an upgrade for the turner that
is awesome.


Now, why is it the best bator under $500?
The Brinseas use heat tape coupled with a true digital thermostat.
It heats more evenly than any other bator I know of. It also heats
quicker than any other bator I know of so when you do open the
top it comes back to temp fast.

Is the Brinsea expensive? You decide. A Little Giant with forced air
and a turner or equivalent Hovabator will cost around $150. The Oct
40 costs $400. I bought miine used for $175 (Lucky)

Can you have great hatches in any of those bators? Yes, and I have.

Do I love and trust my Octagon 40? You bet.

Would I buy one again? No. I want the Brinsea cabinet bator or
GQF Sportman with hatching trays but that has nothing to do with
the Oct 40.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I have the octagon 40. Ive had it since 2002 (i think). It works great. The temps always stay stable. I always get great hatches from that incubator. I would say you should get one. It is very easy to use.

 

[Renegade]

We have an Octagon 40 and love it. I just hatched Marans eggs in it yesterday and had 100% hatch rate. We've had this for two years and have always gotten great hatches from it.
It holds the temp rock solid. I've never had any temp fluctuations and mine is in the coldest room in the house.
I would buy another in a heartbeat.

Donna

 

[chickabator]

well I have had several incubators I just sold a lyons tx7 works good but out of all of them we have had I would swear by my 2 octagon 20's 1 is an octagon 20 advance where you set the humidity digitally the other is just an ocagon 20. out of 24 eggs that we set 23 hatched 1 was not fertile. we have had excellent results with them. If the eggs are fertile they Will hatch. I have 23 eggs in the advanced right now that are due to hatch sat. we love them. I bought 1 of mine new and the other used. You only have to add water every three days you set the temp and it gets there then on the last 3 days you up the humidity fill the trays and wait. I even left them in the turner till hatch day and that night when I finally realized it was hatch day took them out of the turner and by the next morning we had 23 little fuzzy butts in there, didn't even get the humidity up til I realized what day it was.
If I had to buy another it would be another octagon or an ova easy so I could hatch more eggs!!!

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Yeah exactly!!!

I almost wish my Oct40 would poop out so I had an
excuse.

Not to go off topic but I wonder which is better, the Sportman or Ova
Easy.

Brinsea makes nice stuff.

 

[Morrisstacy76]

We have had this debate before on other threads. On a few points I
agree with Sandspoultry.

1 - Temp swing is minimal. Any bator should be loaded with eggs
or water bottles to insure stable temps. I have an Octagon 40, a
forced air LG, and a Genesis all in the same room. Room temps
swing as much as 10 degrees. With a full load of eggs and the
vent closed my Oct stays will stay within 1 degree of the target.
The Genesis is the worst but is used as a hatcher so it's almost
empty.

2 - I do wish there was a way to add water without removing the trays.
Brinsea sells a humidity module for $160.

3 - The base is a brittle plastic and easy to break. You can buy a new
base for $40. My base has a few hairline cracks but it fine and can
be glued.

4 - Some spare parts can be considered expensive but heat tape
doesn't go bad and you can replace just the digital thermostat.

5 - I have no experience with goose eggs but I've had mine PACKED
with chicken eggs. For $10 they make an upgrade for the turner that
is awesome.


Now, why is it the best bator under $500?
The Brinseas use heat tape coupled with a true digital thermostat.
It heats more evenly than any other bator I know of. It also heats
quicker than any other bator I know of so when you do open the
top it comes back to temp fast.

Is the Brinsea expensive? You decide. A Little Giant with forced air
and a turner or equivalent Hovabator will cost around $150. The Oct
40 costs $400. I bought miine used for $175 (Lucky)

Can you have great hatches in any of those bators? Yes, and I have.

Do I love and trust my Octagon 40? You bet.

Would I buy one again? No. I want the Brinsea cabinet bator or
GQF Sportman with hatching trays but that has nothing to do with
the Oct 40.

Can you help me with one I got recently? Know nothing about how it's supposed to go either, but the cradle arm is broken and the temp stays about 103-110F.