Brinsea is one of the most touted. It's really true you get what you pay for with incubators. Many of us can't afford these beauties though, plus the capacity is much lower. The hovabators are good midline incubators. I recently bought the 1583 which is the non digital version of the 1588. Love the picture window and the thing holds temps beautifully. I don't need the digital, so the 1583 fit my needs perfect at a less cost. No matter what incubator you go with, the important part is double checking all thermometers and hygrometers for accuracy. A thermometer that is off can compromise your hatch.
For 2 1/2 years I incubated very successfully in an old LG 9200. Boy, it was a lot of work monitoring and adjusting temps, but it can be done. I also prefer hand turning instead of using the automatic turner. I started with the turner and switched to hand turning on my 3rd hatch.
As for humidity, I think we get too caught up in numbers. Like banty said people use so many different ranges successfully. Mostly because there are just too many variables that affect humidity's effect on different eggs. The trick is finding what works for you, but even then, eggs from different sources can need adjustments. I'm a big advocate of low humidity incubation for standard eggs if the hatcher is not in high elevations. But.... with that, I am a firm believer of monitoring air cells to know what your humidity is doing for your eggs. I think if more new hatchers understood the importance of humidity and what it does to eggs instead of just getting a number and trying it, success would be found much quicker. I use this method:
http://letsraisechickens.weebly.com...anuals-understanding-and-controlling-humidity. I know quite a few people that have been helped by learning this method. Dry incubation as it is often (and to my thinking wrongly) named is nothing new, but when you add the explanation of humidity and a way to monitor it, is one of the best methods for many.
I think another important part of hatching is understanding that there is no one right way to do it. People are so narrow minded that because they have success doing it "this" way, that everyone they attempt to help should do it "that" way. I think saying "you should" or "you shouldn't" should be replaced with, "in my experience" or "it is my belief" because many of us break the traditional "rules" of hatching with the same success as others. If we embraced the differences of hatching techniques and methods and offer our experiences as possibilities instead of certainties, I think we would be of much more value to new hatchers that we are trying to help.
