My Octagon 20 arrived yesterday and...

[Cara]

I realised how much I love my R-COM. It took nearly three hours to put the Octagon together, and I still don't know if i'm brave enough to put eggs I want to hatch in it. Maybe i'll like it better if it gives me good results, but so far i've got the following complaints about it:

1. The top appears to be made of slightly heavier duty Jiffy Greenhouse plastic. It seems like the slightest mishap will crack it, and it has heavy components attached to it so it is bendy when you lift it.

2. You can't really see inside it. What fun is hatching if you can't watch the pips and wiggles?

3. The wet bulb thermometer just about blew my mind when I was trying to assemble it. The instructions were terrible.

4. The only thing that's digital about the digital package is the thermometer. You still have to adjust the temperature with a screwdriver, it's not digitally controlled.

5. The egg tray is flimsy too, and will probably crack after a few uses.

6. The egg dividers seem to have been designed by someone who was given a heap of leftover materials and had to make something from them. It will take forever to take them out when it's time, and the eggs will probably fly out in the process. They take up more space than they leave for the eggs.

7. Humidity is difficult to adjust accurately. There are two troughs to fill up, and a small ventilation hole in the top. You have to take the whole thing apart, including removing the eggs, to add more water.

8. Nothing feels like it fits together quite right. The thermometer and wet bulb thermometer slip and slide when you move the incubator. The digital thermometer probe has nothing to hold it steadily in place. The top doesn't fit snugly.



I wish i'd saved another month and got another R-COM! I never thought I could feel so attached to an electrical device LOL. I think i'll end up using the R-COM as a hatcher, which will defeat the purpose of being able to hatch more eggs at a time.

 

[ebonykawai]

Oh, poo, I'm sorry, I hope you click with it soon. It looks like such a great incubator. I know you weren't wanting a styrofoam one, but the beauty of my 1588 is taking it out of the box, plugging it in, adding water and eggs, and having chicks in 3 weeks. It's completely idiot-proof, lol.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get some great hatches out of it!

 

[ebonykawai]

PS If you really don't like it, can you return it?

 

[twigg]

Your fears, in the end, will prove groundless.

It really is an excellent incubator.

On the other hand, if you don't want it I'll send you a mailing address where it will be appreciated

 

[Poison Ivy]

I would return if it your not 100% happy with it. That's alot of money your talking about for a incubator that you plan on keeping for a long time. I would call and tell them your not happy and you want to send it back.

 

[Cara]

I just called and they won't take it back used, as I have unpacked and assembled it. They charge a 20% restocking fee on unused products, plus return shipping. I'm hoping it proves me wrong with the results, people certainly don't buy them for their looks LOL. It is holding temperature extremely well, but i'm still kicking myself. Buying incubators is so hard when you can only find the styrofoam models in stores to check out before you buy.

 

[twigg]

I suspect your fears will prove unfounded in the end.

I desperately miss my Octogan 20 and wish I had brought it with me.

The problems you identify:

The lid is extremely tough and will not break. It has the heater built in and the double skin does reduce visibility (clarity) a bit.

The temperature adjustment might never need touching. If it does, it will be rare. The control is proportional, which immediately elevates it about most Table top incubators. Temperature stability is superb.

The egg tray is tough and will not break. If it does, Brinsea will replace it.

I never liked the egg tray dividers either, but they work :shrug:

The water trays are inadequate. Maybe I was inadequate but you might need to add wicks if the ambient RH is low as it often is here in winter.

I didn't use the wet bulb thermometer. I am biased against them (my fault) Instead I use an Amprobe Psychometer, it's excellent.

Good luck with it. If I could afford it I'd buy it off you.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
You are too spoiled by your Rcom20. I had similiar issues when I got my Oct40.

Hopefully I can help you here.

1-The plastic is very light and delicate. Be careful with it. As long as you don't drop
or bang it hard it will be fine. The bottom is more delicate than the top.

2-Seeing inside it isn't a better point. Keep a flashlight handy.

3-The wet bulb instructions did stink but the thermometer setup itself is GREAT!!!!!!!
Best yet as far as I'm concerned. You will have to fill it with water every 2 days.

4-The thermostat is digitilly controlled. It pulses the heater to turn it to keep the
temp steady. This is by far superior to the on/off type thermostats most others
have. Yes you do need to adjust it with your fingers but it is not neraly as sensitive
as the hova or lg type thermostats.

5&6-I haven't cracked an egg tray but I have cracked an egg. I line up the eggs and use
cotton to hold them up. This is a pain compared to my LG egg turners.

7-Humidity stays solid for me at 45% by filling the wells and keeping that top vent open.
Getting it to 65% required putting 4 napkins with their ends in the wells to wick out water
and boost moisture. Once I did this maintaining 65% was easy to do with the top vent.

8-My wet bulb thermometers clip in fine. I don't use any other Brinsea thermometers.
I do use a wiggler and a few thermometers at egg level but don't really need them.
I just set the temp to 38C and let it rip.

Take some pics of it. It may be a little different from my 40. I'm EXTREMELY happy
with my 40 but I upgraded from LG's, not an Rcom20.

Don

 

[Cara]

The R-COM turned me into a spoilt brat LOL, mostly because it's Cara-proof. I agree with your point about the bottom being fragile; is it carbon fiber? Mine had little dinks out of it when I took it out of the box, but not anywhere where they'd affect performance. The feel of it gives me chills though LOL It has that weird abrasive gritty finish.

It's trying to prove me wrong today. It hasn't varied more than 0.1F all day, and I have the humidity right although I don't know how often you have to top the water up. It doesn't help living in the desert, our humidity is 7% today. I have the vent 1/3 open and the wells full to keep it at 45. The instructions said not to close the vent any more than that for hatching. Do you have to refill the reservoir for the wet bulb often?

I have 36 quail eggs on the way, and I think I might put half in one incubator and half in the other, and see which does better. Is the visibility better when the eggs are in there?

 

[Renegade]

Hi Cara,

I love my Octagon 40 so if you decide you don't like that 20 I'll buy it from you.

Donna