Eheim classics - lower quality now they are made in China.

G

GazP

AC Members
May 31, 2011
18
0
0
UK
I don't post too much on here but I feel I have to share my feelings about the Eheim classic range. It's a bit of a moan really but I feel I have to get it off my chest. :mad2:

I have 4 classics running in total. 3x 2217 and 1x 2215. All are on fresh water tanks with no sand in them, only gravel. 2 per tank, just incase 1 fails. Previously I had used Fluval 405s but I got rid of those as they had massive filter bypass. Another story perhaps...

Anyway 2 of the filters are just over a year old, the other 2 are just under a year old. All have been bought brand new. All assembled and filled as per the Eheim manual.

Last week I noticed how loud 2 of them had become and it was starting to become obvious that there was a problem somewhere. So I cracked one of them open as it was due a clean. Everything got cleaned, media, sponges, new fine filter pad added, impeller and impeller shaft cleaned, I even took the top cover off and greased the O ring inside the outlet tube. Nothing changed. It was still noisy. That loud humming noise that most people will have experienced at some point in their fish keeping life.

I thought it could be the filter resonating inside the cabinet but after putting my head near to it I could tell it wasn't the cabinet. :headshake2:

Now don't get me wrong, no fish tank filter is silent, there is silence and then there is aquarium filter quiet. You will always get some kind of noise from any filter. It doesn't matter who the manufacturer is.

The 2 on my other tank are very quiet, as in you can only hear them when the doors are open and you put you head inside. This is what I expect of Eheim filters. The other 2 weren't though!

You hear about people running Eheims for over 10 years without having to replace anything, yet 2 of mine have ended up noisy. Searching the 'net it seems I am not the only one with this problem either. I bet they never had this problem when they were made in Germany!

So today I decided to bite the bullet and replace the impellers, impeller shaft and bushings on both of them. And guess what?

Both are now silent! :thm:The new parts fitted are made in Germany, not China.

Most things these days are made in China, in fact most filters are made in China apart fro the Eheim pro 3 range. But Chinese parts don't seem to last as long as they should.

Filtration wise, I can't knock my classics, my water is crystal clear and my readings are always zero for ammonia and nitrite.

I am just waiting for the other 2 filters to pump up the volume now. Spare impellers are ready and waiting.
 
I don't suppose this would be covered under the 2 year manufacturer's warranty?

I don't get it, why pay $100 for a "German" filter with parts made from China when you can get a generic, Chinese filter for $40? :confused:

I love canister filters, I really do, but I am over them for the time being. I've thinned out mine and have only two now, whereas previously I had one running on every tank above 20 gallons. When they wear out, I doubt I will be replacing them.

They are just too much hassle. They can go a long time without cleaning, but that isn't a good thing when you think about it. I would dread cleaning mine because even my Eheim (which, to be fair, I bought used) would be finicky to put back together. The valves would get stuck and I was always afraid of breaking them trying to loosen them. Or the O-ring would need lube to get the motor back on properly. Or on my Cascade canister, it wouldn't prime without my helping it along for a few minutes.

I'd rather just have sponge filters and hang on the back power filters fitted with reusable AquaClear media. Believe it or not, my tanks are cleaner because of having more circulation (the downfall of all canisters vs. power filters) and getting cleaned more frequently.

After having TWO slow leaks in the same spot from both of my AquaClear 70s, after owning them for less than 2 years, I am over AquaClear as the gold standard in power filters as well...at least until they change their brittle plastic filter cases for something more flexible and durable. The much maligned, Aqueon series is my go-to filter now. It's extremely quiet, primes when dry, and they are cheap as can be, and easily acquired used. They do a fine job for a lot less money.

That last sentence pretty much sums up the way I feel about canisters vs. power filters now.
 
Last edited:
Hi Platytudes,

I bought Eheim classics as they had a reputation for being bullet proof and lasting for a long time. The fact that they have no bypass at all was a major selling point as well.

It just seems that the manufacturing quality has gone down since they are made in China.

I wouldn't touch a Sun Sun or Odyssea filters as they seem to leak a lot and you can't get spare parts for them over here in the UK.
 
Well, I imagine that reputation will not last much longer if they are being made in China now. They are still just as expensive as always, as far as I can tell. Hopefully some other brand will come along that can distinguish itself again, I'm hoping the same for heaters too.
 
bah... i need sleep
 
Last edited:
GazP said:
I wouldn't touch a Sun Sun or Odyssea filters as they seem to leak a lot and you can't get spare parts for them over here in the UK.
Click to expand...

A $40 filter is a disposable filter. The reason people buy Eheim parts is because if they bought it new, they've spent $100 or more for their filter. Hence the justification in spending $25 for an impeller, $14 for an O-ring, etc.

I wish things were still made the old fashioned way...I wish LFS still carried parts for stuff! Unfortunately, I am not financially able to afford high end filters new, which is why I buy them used. Unfortunately, that means to work properly, sooner than later they will need high end parts. Which may cost as much as I paid for the used filter.

I'd rather buy a disposable filter, even if it is bad karma for me environmentally.
 
Sadly this is a trend in allot of other appliances. Name Brand window AC units previously made in USA/Canada that used to last 12 years now made in CCP are now lasting 2 years, Central AC unit capacitors that are now made in CCP are lasting 3-6 month, I actually had to switch to an industrial capacitor (made in USA). The magnetrons made in CCP for our name brand microwave ovens now fail in 2 years, new refrigerators are the same. So do your customer review research and where the parts are made or subcontracted. Dont get me wrong CCP make a lot of simple things well like floor jacks, hand-carved furniture, hammers, and some filters like the Sunsun. But when it comes to complicated machines (motorcycles) or electronics, its best to steer clear if your paying top dollar until their manufacturing R&D catches up oin about 10 more years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom