Eheim customer support email
- Thread starter jaws7777
- Start date
Yes, but us old farts know that the fail time of today, is much shorter than in years past. While I don't expect many things to last a lifetime, I'm old enough to remember when many items would do just that.
As an example specific to this topic, pre Eheim ownership, Yager heaters on average lasted 10 yrs, some shorter, many much longer. Having a Yager last 15+ years was not unheard of. German owned, and typical German technology, from a country where manufacturer pride is a big thing. Then Eheim bought them out, and parts such a their integral thermostats were sourced elsewhere, for cheaper. The result, heaters that commonly fail within a few years, lots right out of the box. This has nothing to do with safety & liability issues, and more to do with bottom line issues. It's difficult to compete with overseas parts (Chinese) and overseas labour. Today we live in a throwaway society, where a part made from solid brass that commonly lasted 25 years, is now made from plastic, and lasts 5 years.
My first post said that along with profit reasons safety and liability do play a role. I never said it wasn't for profit I just stated that there are other influences on why "cheaper" materials are used. Eheims were and still are great filters but even they have a time where they are planned to fail. It's like anything, if it's not taken care of, properly maintained, properly used it will eventually fail. Consider your Eheim heaters. The glass casing component could last forever, the electronic components however would have to be periodically replaced if you wanted it to last forever (like the shingles on your roof?). It's only noticeable in things with a shorter life span as it doesn't seem feasible to replace a part of a broken heater when the whole thing could be replaced.
How does sourcing out and using lower cost components such as integral thermostats, have anything to do with anything BUT the bottom line? Are you kidding me? lol
Eheim went cheap, and as the new owners of Jager factored in a failure rate that was acceptable to them. It's that simple. If you don't think that these heaters took a sudden drop in quality, ask a vendor that has sold thousands of them over the years, such as Jason at Pets & Ponds.
Eheim went cheap, and as the new owners of Jager factored in a failure rate that was acceptable to them. It's that simple. If you don't think that these heaters took a sudden drop in quality, ask a vendor that has sold thousands of them over the years, such as Jason at Pets & Ponds.
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/planned-obsolescence-advantages-disadvantages-75368.html
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/g202/planned-obsolescence-460210/?
http://msc-technology.wikispaces.com/Planned+Obsolescence
The third link provides context to both sides of the argument. In the end there are many reasons why things are made to fail other then profit. The 2nd link kinda pointless but reinforces the argument of why things should not last forever in the introduction.
LOL, it's not that I don't understand the concept of planned obsolescence, but that is NOT related to the vast majority (if not all makes & models) of aquarium heaters, including the brand being discussed here.
"A conscious act either to ensure a continuing market or to ensure that safety factors and new technologies can be incorporated into later versions of the product." I feel this applys to a lot of aqarium products including the heater being discussed. The Eheim Jager fails to ensure a continuing market, as Eheim continues to gets complaints on their failing heaters they work to improve the next line of heaters that leaves the factory. Another way to look at it is with the new thermostat chips they incorporated safety shut off features, having the heater break after a few years of use ensures that the consumer buys a new heater therefore replacing the old thermostat with new ones which increases the safety aspects of the product as the thermostat is now replaced.
here is a relatable example. Joey lost his rays because the cobalt heater broke. The heater he had was faulty and was known to be faulty claimed cobalt. That heater that he had probably had a date that it would fail, may not have been planned to fail but it was manufactured faulty and was prone to failure. If Joey knew that his heater was part of a batch of faulty heaters would he have replaced it with a newer, technologically corrected model? Of course he would. Although it wasn't a given that it would fail the increased safety factor involved with the newer production models would more then likely convince him to replace the heater. Jager heaters might fail to ensure they are periodically replaced so all the bugs in the units can be worked out
I think that you are living in a state of denial. 
Heaters are not built better, or safer, they have gone in reverse. They are built cheaper, and have a higher failure rate. Not too sure how this makes them safer? Human safe, fish safe? Part of this is due to consumers wanting everything to cost as little as possible, the other reason is due to corporate greed. It's a simple concept, and is why most of the items that used to be manufactured here in NA, are now farmed out overseas. I get it, it's difficult to compete at any level with the Chinese. All the designer/engineer double talk in the world won't change this simple fact. Money talks, BS walks, a concept that has been in place since the inception of mankind.
Heaters are not built better, or safer, they have gone in reverse. They are built cheaper, and have a higher failure rate. Not too sure how this makes them safer? Human safe, fish safe? Part of this is due to consumers wanting everything to cost as little as possible, the other reason is due to corporate greed. It's a simple concept, and is why most of the items that used to be manufactured here in NA, are now farmed out overseas. I get it, it's difficult to compete at any level with the Chinese. All the designer/engineer double talk in the world won't change this simple fact. Money talks, BS walks, a concept that has been in place since the inception of mankind.
