Hovabator 1588 versus Brinsea Octagon 20

[FoodFreedomNow]

So taking everyone's advice into consideration I have decided to wait and save to purchase versus buying now.
The two I'm looking at are the Hovabator 1588 and the Brinsea Octagon 20 those of you who have used either would you mind sharing pros and cons of each and am I just paying for a name or is Brinsea really worth the large price difference. Keeping in mind this is just for us not using to hatch and sell chicks.
Thanks!

I have both (actually, two 1588s now and a Brinsea 20 Advance)...both definitely have their merits. I keep an extra turning cradle on hand for the Brinsea, just in case, but my primary turner is still working just fine. The Brinsea is rock solid, but it only holds 24 chicken eggs, and you wouldn't want to have that many hatch in the unit or it will be bedlam. I find the 1588 a bit more finicky with regard to humidity - instead of the "wells" that the Brinsea has, there are fairly flat channels for water in the 1588, and you have to do some trial and error to figure out how much water to add to get the humidity where you want it. Also, the styrofoam construction isn't as tight as the Brinsea's plastic, and more prone to damage and staining. The 1588 does hold 50 chicken eggs, though.

If you're looking to hatch larger numbers of eggs, I'd go with the HB 1588. For smaller hatches (and if less hands-on is desirable), I'd choose the Brinsea 20 Advance. If you go with the Brinsea Octagon Eco (manual), you save some $ over the Advance, but it will require you to be more hands-on...and I personally prefer the digital controls of the Advance.

 

[twoquinns]

Does anyone else have problems gripping the lid of their Brinsea Octagons? I love the incubator but would like to figure out a way to attach a handle for lifting it. I have actually dropped it on occasion, and as you know, it's too expensive to take a chance on breaking it.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Does anyone else have problems gripping the lid of their Brinsea Octagons? I love the incubator but would like to figure out a way to attach a handle for lifting it. I have actually dropped it on occasion, and as you know, it's too expensive to take a chance on breaking it.

I know what you mean - if you grab the lid by the center section (where the controls are), it's pretty smooth. Even some kind of grippy strips there would help. I haven't tried affixing handles to it, I just hold onto it very tightly. You might try lifting it from the two (longer) sides where it attaches, instead..?

BTW, I once found that the lid didn't seat completely when I placed it back on, so now I run my fingers along the edges to verify the seal each time. There's nothing like finding an incubator ever so slightly ajar to create paranoia.