I'm narrowing down the search...R-Com/Brinsea

[calgal98]

I'm challenged so which is the easier to use? I will be using it as a hatcher initially but may switch if I like it very well. I currently use a dickey cabinet inc, but need more hatching room. Which would you prefer and why? This is a notoriously poorly answered question with no real discussion...come on guys. If you use one or the other please shout out?? Thanks

 

[Gypsy07]

I suppose it depends which model of each you're wanting to compare. The RCom mini only holds three eggs, but the Brinsea mini holds seven. The Brinsea Octagons can be manual or digital temp control, manual or digital humidity control, and hand turning or auto turning. I assume the RComs are the same. The RCom King Suro is a fully automatic (temp, turning and humidity controlled) bator, and it's much cheaper than the similar Brinsea fully automatic, but from what I've heard it isn't nearly as reliable. As in, it works brilliantly for as long as it actually IS working, but it tends to break down quite quickly if it's used a lot. I think the RCom 20/50 is on the same quality level as the Brinsea Octagon 20/40, and I don't think Brinsea make an incubator that's really comparable with the King Suro.

I've just got a Brinsea Octagon EX - the one with full temp and humidity control. I've only been using it for two weeks so far, so I have no hatching experience with it yet but I'm really loving it so far. When I first posted asking for any 'insider secrets' from people who already had them, one person said they found the fact that all the bits and pieces (turning cradle, humidity pump) are external and use separate plugs to be very cumbersome. They said they'd lost an entire hatch because the wires got tangled up and the turning cradle pulled the humidity pump sideways and the whole lot went crashing to the floor. Now, having used the same setup for a couple of weeks, I can see how this might happen if you weren't very careful to sort out all your cables and keep them untangled. But I'm not counting it as a major downside to the design.

The person who told me they had lost their hatch said they were going for an RCom 20 next, cause everything on them is internal - the turning system, the humidity pump, everything. I'd considered an RCom before I decided on the Brinsea and it was that very same thing that put me off them: I was worried about how easy they would be to clean out, because everything was all contained in the one unit. I got my Brinsea second hand so had to do a thorough scrubbing of it before I used it, and I found it relatively easy to dismantle and put back together. I removed the ventilation cover, the fan motor, the heating element and the control panel so I could really clean it out properly, and it all came apart and went back together easily. I'm not sure about the RComs, but they don't look very easily dismantle-able...

Is that a good enough answer for you?

 

[calgal98]

LOL...great answer! I watched a video on the r-com and the whole unit comes apart for cleaning. I looked really easy, but thats a video for you! I really like the size of the unit, though. I've used my dickey for 4 years and it takes a lot of space. But anything will!

 

[yinepu]

I love my Brinsea (Octagon 20) with auto turn.. I've always used homemade bators in the past and had to hand turn everything plus had to keep an eye on the temps.. this one just seems idiot proof to me.. and it has me sooo spoiled now!

No experience with the R-coms so I can't comment on them

 

[StevenW.]

#1 Idiot Proof incubator is the R-com.


Wish I had the money to buy one though.

 

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
Was the video on YouTube? I'd like to see that. I'd like to see how the turning system works. I assume it's rollers, but I'm not sure.

Yinepu is right, the Brinsea really does seem idiot proof. I've got a couple of other bators (homemade still air styro and Lincu TopHatch with auto turn) and they both need constant checking, temp tweaking, refilling the water trays, removing the water trays etc etc. My Brinsea has been running for two weeks at 99.4F and 45% humidity and I don't think it's deviated more than 0.2F and 1% humidity in that whole time. It's amazing, it really is.

Maybe RCom is no.1 in the idiot-proof stakes cause they also know when to stop turning the eggs for you. The Brinseas don't do that.

 

[calgal98]

Yes the video was on Utube....I'll see if I can find it and link it.

 

[Denninmi]

Quote:
That was me. I've got both of mine full of eggs again, but this time, they're both sitting on the floor in a sealed room behind a piece of furniture where NOTHING can disturb them.

 

[ChooksChick]

I run a half-dozen styros and an RCOM20.

The rcom is amazing. It's fully contained with the water reservoir in the unit, the turner is a conveyor floor, and the whole thing is incredibly easy to use. 'Set and forget' is a literal statement here.

It's worth every penny if you hatch in any number, because you can easily get far more chicks than you would in conventional situations. I would pair it with the Brinsea Eco-Glow for a brooder, too- that is the easiest thing to use while growing them out that man ever designed, and it pays for itself in electricity savings in 6 weeks.

Good luck!

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
That was me. I've got both of mine full of eggs again, but this time, they're both sitting on the floor in a sealed room behind a piece of furniture where NOTHING can disturb them.

I should also say: the rcom has three easy release catches- that's all. No screws, etc. to get it apart. You release those, the top half comes off, which has easy-wipe surfaces and doesn't get dirty, really. The base comes off, with no electronic parts and is easy to clean and submersible. That's it! I can sterilize mine in under 5 minutes.