GQF vs Brinsea?

[Frosty]

Some years ago, I got an old GQF cabinet incubator on eBay. I don't know what model it is, I can only say that it doesn't have a hatching tray and appeared to be set up for emu eggs when I got it. It has metal trays with 1/4" wire on the bottoms and is not the newer digital model. I haven't done much hatching for some years but plan to start now that I got some nice chicks that I hope are good quality.

Now for my question... I have been drooling over the Octagon 20 thinking that I could use it for smaller batches. What I like about it:
Great reputation
Folks have great hatches using one
Smaller size (if I don't need the space in the big one)
Less power to operate

So... is the Octagon 20 a lot better than a GQF cabinet type? I think GQF also has a great reputation, right? Will the hatch be as good in the cabinet when it isn't fully loaded as when it's full? Would the energy savings be enough to justify the price of the Octagon?

Does anybody have experience with both and want to share your opinion?

 

[Baralak]

Well.. Were talking apples and oranges here...

Any GQF incubator is a Great incubator!.. They are quality made and have been around for some time.

Brinsea incubators are also Great incubators.

Cabinet vs small batch.....

It's hard to compaire a Cabinet vs a small batch incubator. A lot of us on this board only dream of owning a cabinet incubator, and due to price constraints, just cannot afford one at this time. The Brinsea octagon (eco, ex, advance) make Wonderful incubators! Even the eco version is almost a set and walk away from incubator if you get the turner. You will have to monitor humidity, but even that is quite easy to do. I can tell you this, I have in the GQF line, 1 1588, 1 1602n, I have an LG, and I have a Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco. If I'm going to hatch expensive, hard to hatch, or want to have to best hatch rate I can, they go into the Brinsea. My 1588 would be the second choice. I have just started making the 1602n and the LG hatchers.

I built a large incubator out of an old upright freezer. It started with 12 dozen duck eggs, we are down to 5 dozen. A lot of the eggs were in bad shape when I received them, so it was expected to have a large amount thrown out.

I know this doesn't help much..

 

[tia]

I don't know anything about the large cabinet style, but I have an Octagon Advance and really like it. It was bought by the school I work for. I own a couple of R-Com incubators and they are of equal quality to the Brinsea. I have had great hatches with them. I just had a 100% hatch in the R-Com 20 http://www.strombergschickens.com/product/R-Com-20-Digital-Incubator/advanced-incubators. Good luck!