Received the Dickey 3/1 Electronic yesterday and unboxed it. I'd like to share my review on this thread because they say they are swamped with orders so if you are thinking about one... watch the video on youtube with unboxing and assembly instructions before you order. I didn't. I read all the reviews I could find and none prepared me so watch the video.
Total price was $1074 total with shipping and tax. The incubator itself with 6 egg trays, electronic thermostat and acrylic door was $877. I'll use this price as a basis for my comments and review.
There is some assembly required, I was invited to pick it up in person and have it completely assembled for me and I would recommend that for everyone. At the time an 8 hour round trip (under perfect conditions) was more than I could commit to. I'm dyslexic so even something as simple as turning a screw clockwise or counterclockwise can be an exercise in error and frustration.
That said, this is not a digital incubator. Many reviews mention "digital" or "electronic", the terms are not interchangeable. The Dickey has an electronic thermostat. Once it is set it maintains temperature very steadily (in theory since I haven't hatched yet, I'm still trying to square the door). It is not a digital (meaning there is no control board for setting temperature. You have to adjust the thermostat screw manually and wait for the thermometer/hygrometer to register the new temp before proceeding.
First the pros:
Packed very well.
It is very stable cabinet incubator. It won't tip over accidentally.
Real wood construction.
Excellent seals.
There is plenty of space inside. It is big and roomy.
The legendary quality and reputation of Dickey's is the foremost reason I went with them.
Love the acrylic door, it's thick.
The trays and shelves are heavy -duty.
I don't understand the electronic thermostat yet but am told it is high quality.
I don't understand the back up wafer yet but it may one day save my hatch.
What is problematic:
The door is not squared to the opening. This is a big problem. The latches on the door are not straight. They are ever so slightly crooked. (some of the hardware also is not on straight but slightly crooked). Don't know if this is part of the issue or if shipping was the culprit but the fix that the video shows is not possible for a woman with one bad shoulder who weighs not much more than the incubator. Hence I had to enlist a friend who could fix the issue for me. She is currently at the hardware store.
The wafer screw was bent but that is an easy fix (hardware store trip). Shouldn't have been in the thread, imo. It could have come in a package with other hardware. My incubator didn't arrive with a hardware box like it shows in the video. The screws and hardware were rolled up in a small plastic bag (not a big deal but there was one screw missing).
The screws for the acrylic door are too short and fall out. (hardware store trip).
The door when closed gets STUCK. There is no handle to pull open. I had to undo all the hardware and gently coax it open with a blade TWICE.
The stickers with serial #, position instructions for switches... fell off in the shipping box. Maybe because they are not meant for the finish.
The paint job is garage quality. Being a wooden cabinet, the finish has the potential to create a classical touch but it's just painted over with a gloss paint and it could have been sanded better. I won't tell my family how much I paid for it. It doesn't look like an $870 machine but prices have gone up on everything, so.... .
My biggest disappointment is that I expected a classic incubator reminiscent of the old school cabinet incubators built back in the day when people took pride in their work. Spending an entire day on getting the door to open and close properly, having the wrong screws, missing screws, bent screw, the embarassment when I've been boasting about this incubator to a friend who unboxed it with me. She was silent but I really expected something that was legendary out of the box. And I haven't even set the wafer and thermostat yet.
Bottom line: watch the video before you order. Could be you are engineering and carpentry inclined and the legendary quality of the manufacturer, the electronic thermostat and the back up wafer thermostat is all you want. Could be you are not engineering or carpentry inclined and you may have dyslexia or a physical limitation of some sort that would make putting this together and fixing the flaws a huge drag.
I'll update this after my first hatch with a review of its working capacity which is really the make it or break it point. I can live with it if everything else goes perfectly. Time will tell but I think it is not worth the price.
To their credit, the Dickey's folk always answered the phone or called me right back and were honest about what their backlog was which was only one week from order to shipping. I should write that into the review.
