Why all the hate for Chinese knockoff filters?

Redundancy.....

all these filters, heaters, lights can break down one way or another any time any where....

Reason why I place 2 pumps in my wet and dry sump, use 2 heaters......etc.

Now there are certain brands I stay away from not because of where they were made, but these brands have failed one too many times. Yes, some of these have lifetime warranties, but each replacement item sent back to me likewise failed.

I have owned heaters, filters that failed that were not made in China.

Cost ---- Funny thing is that the cheapo filters I bought have been running much longer without failed parts than the name brands I paid a bit more. Maybe they a bit noisier, aesthetically not as appealing.....but heck it is doing its job.

xraycer said:

If you can afford $1000 for a fish and/or have the resources to house a full grown pacu, then shouldn't it be obvious that this thread really doesn't apply to you?.........I guess not

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I'd argue, I have a Jack Dempsey I raised from a 1"juvi that cost me about $4 that I bought from Petsmart. He now resides in a 180 gal mansion with all the bells and whistles. He was my main reason for building a large display.

I don't think anyone should have fish as a hobby. It's something you dedicate yourself to, not just financially either. I compare it to having children. It's why I have fish now because I don't have anything else that is dependent on me. I don't have any constraints to give only the bare essentials.

To be relevant to the specific topic at hand there's somethings that haven't even been mentioned.

A lot of times Chinese companies are already making the name brand companies products you are buying and all the name brand company does is package the product differently and include their instructions warranty etc.

I.e. Marineland canisters are almost completely identical to the sunsun cans despite the color.


When you buy a "knock off" these are just the manufacturers swing at it. When companies outsource work there is a contracted time frame that the manufacturer can solely distribute to one company most of the time. As soon as this time is up then the manufacturer can now distribute it's own "copy" even though it's the same darn thing as the original with poor English and packaging.

As far as hating on products I don't until I've had a personal failure or a real reason not to like something. Like cheap led diodes and people thinking a cheap green or blue color is the spectrum as the proper one you need for PUR not PAR.

Only knock off I bought was a pair of Jebao wp40 power heads. At first I thought they were good and the next best thing. Well not even a 1 1/2yrs later I am into them for 3 wet sides and a controller. Not to mention they are no good in stingray tanks as they can't be fixed in a position and the stingrays move them all over the place and one day I came home to the power head pointing straight down. Cleared the entire bottom below of all the substrate(lucky me). Now can you imagine if that was pointing straight out of an area in the tank where there was no barrier or lid....Water on the floor!

The old saying you get what you pay for...Well I am going to pay for the name brand as they have never let me down.
I see a lot of issues coming from improper use or the person didn't know how to set the equipment up properly. So they start to run into problems. They get mad and blame the equipment instead of the user and jump off the band wagon and try something else. I too tried the jebao power head but I wasn't replacing anything just needed more power heads so I thought I would give them a try. Well I was very disappointed with the durability and won't be going the cheap way anymore. Having 3 wetsides fail and a control box has nothing to do with not knowing how to set up the product. Plain and simple they just crapped out because they are made cheap!!

I have never had a brand name product crap out!! True story!

I have aquaclear filters in my 2 smaller tanks and they are over 14yrs old. All I have had to do is change is the magnet impeller as they become demagnetized over time and thus loss of flow.

I have two FX5 filters that I bought when they first came out. Long time ago right! Well no leaks,no motor changes and no problems to speak of since I bought them. Why? Because I knew how to set it up and maintain it!!! I now have an FX6 added to help with the filtering one of my smaller tanks and it runs just fine.

I have had Eheim filters for years that I had no problems with and eventually had to sell them still working as I was selling the tanks they were filtering.

I have ebo jager heaters since day one. If you have problems with the thermostat then the easy fix is just buy a temperature control box. I have had maybe a couple heaters fail in 25yrs so I would say they are a good product. I use a temp control box for the ones I have in my sumps. I had stealth heaters and they work good too but had to return them due to the recall.

I have Ecotech vortech power heads since the day they came out. Only had to change a few wet sides over the years and that was usual maintenance. They never let me down and if a stingray grabs them all they do is fall off in the tank and you put them right back up. Happens very seldom so no big deal.

I use reeflo pumps on my sumps. No leaks and no break downs to speak of and one of them I am thinking is over 5 yrs old.

So since I have a good track record with all my brand products I won't be changing to the cheap China knockoffs. Whether some of my stuff is made in China or not doesn't matter as the brand name products I am buying have not let me down so no need to change to a cheaply made cheap knock off. For me spending a little more money for a piece of mind is nothing to cry about.

Made in China, guaranteed until lunchtime. LOL! A lot of products made in China are junk. Basically what the Chinese do is copy someone's design and create a knockoff. Why do most modern aquarium heaters fail? Because the thermostats are made in China. I have heaters over 25 years old that still work. Haven't found a recently made heater that is reliable due to thermostat failure. As to filters, the biggest problem with filters made in China is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to find replacement parts (and you will need them LOL!) I've been in this hobby a long time. I have seen many products come and go. Those that stand the test of time are the ones I buy and use. Name brand products like AquaClear, Fluval, Eheim, Danner Supreme, etc. are well built and have been around for a long time. Let me know if your Chinese filters are still running 30 years later, and I may buy one. You may save a chunk of change by buying cheaper filters made in China, but they will cost you in the long run.

joe jaskot said:

Made in China, guaranteed until lunchtime. LOL! A lot of products made in China are junk. Basically what the Chinese do is copy someone's design and create a knockoff. Why do most modern aquarium heaters fail? Because the thermostats are made in China. I have heaters over 25 years old that still work. Haven't found a recently made heater that is reliable due to thermostat failure. As to filters, the biggest problem with filters made in China is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to find replacement parts (and you will need them LOL!) I've been in this hobby a long time. I have seen many products come and go. Those that stand the test of time are the ones I buy and use. Name brand products like AquaClear, Fluval, Eheim, Danner Supreme, etc. are well built and have been around for a long time. Let me know if your Chinese filters are still running 30 years later, and I may buy one. You may save a chunk of change by buying cheaper filters made in China, but they will cost you in the long run.

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Hmmmm....doubt if I will be around 30 years from now to let you know. But if a miracle drug is invented, will let you know for sure.

My main point and question as the Op were basically "if you dont like these chinese filters, have you actually tried them?"

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I have no problem with those that choose to purchase lower priced knock offs, but after only using these filters such a relatively short duration, do you really think that you should be promoting their quality &/or their durability?

I've owned Eheim, Fluval, Aquaclear, Tetra, and Aqueon. My Ac110 and Ac30 are in a landfill somewhere, my Fluval 406 and 104 are both operating after purchasing plenty of spare parts over the years. My Eheim is in storage, I hated priming it so much I just gave up on it, I had problems since day one. In my dad's basement I have a lifetime supply of crusty old whisper filter parts.

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I have several AC 500's (pre 110) that are still running 24/7 after approx 15 yrs use. (some more, some less) In fact, other than changing out a few impellers over the years (due to sand getting into them)at a price of under $5 per unit, I have had zero issues with that line of filters. How or why anyones AC 110 would end up in a landfill is beyond me. AC 110's are the work horse of HOB filters in the aquatic trade, and have been for decades. That, and all of their working parts are easily maintained, and if need be replaced at a relatively low cost.

When you buy a "knock off" these are just the manufacturers swing at it. When companies outsource work there is a contracted time frame that the manufacturer can solely distribute to one company most of the time. As soon as this time is up then the manufacturer can now distribute it's own "copy" even though it's the same darn thing as the original with poor English and packaging.

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For the record, that is most definitely not always the case. In many/most cases the "knock off" is not made or distributed by the same manufacturer, or property rights owner at all, but is simply a lower cost imitation made from a completely different manufacturer.

Let's not glorify counterfeit goods, and for those that don't understand the differences .....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfeit_consumer_goods

ktrom13 said:

You shouldn't be using a jack as a main support for working under anything anyways.

I've heard of all brands, SunSun, Duvall, etc , crapping the bed. I don't personally have a SunSun because all my filters were caught used for a cheap price. But if I had to buy a new filter it would be a SunSun hands down.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

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Boom, beat me to it. If you aren't using a jack stand then I'm not even sure I'd fault the equipment completely when you become a soupy puddle under your vehicle.