for those considering a cannister filter...

It does appear to be a Eheim knock off..but cory keeper may be right it may actually be Eheim.. not sure
I purchased it to test it.
I have to start out by stating I'm Eheim prejudiced. I was so grateful years and years ago when my dad got one (lots less work for us kids), and for the last several years the classic canisters have been my sole canisters on all of my set ups (I'm running 6 2217's and 1 2213 on various systems)- for all the reasons stated before re: Eheim's - I'm brand loyal.

All of that being said, I know the owner of my LFS, he's been involved on a variety of levels in the hobby,research, testing equipment and such, and I learned a lot about plastics manufacturing related to aquarium keeping from him. F&S sells a 'mini-rapids canister' for around $30, they also sell that same basic mini canister under a brand name - can't think of it off the top of my head but if it matters I can give him a call, anyway turns out that the company that produced the original filter couldn't/didn't want to pay the exorbitant amount of money to the plastic company necessary to 'own' all of the molds and specific extrusion equipment for the pieces of that filter - essentially they didn't believe they could produce enough profit to justify the cost. They made a deal with the plastics company that gave the plastic guys the full right to use the mold design in exchange for a substantial cut in production costs, fast forward, the plastic guys don't make their money on cartridge media so they slightly modify the interior of the filter allowing for easier custom fill, the name brand sells for twice as much and is built for pre-made cartridges (that apparently have bypass issues) that are a continuing income source and the no-name is the buy to beat according to my local expert. Apparently this business scenario is fairly common these days, something to do with the atypically small profit margin on aquarium equipment compared to other plastic mold and extrusion products. Add all of this info together and maybe this a a 'legal' knock off. It is definitely be worth some trials.

Thanks for posting the link and your experiences, I am often encouraging people toward canisters who aren't the DIY type, cost has been a factor for many and this could very well be a good alternative. :)
 
I'm running the Jebo/Odyssea version of that filter now, Star_Rider... have been since Nov. It cost me $49 too. I have top brand-name filters also, but to get the same thing from Eheim would have been almost $300. I just couldn't afford that at the time but still needed something right away. Needless to say, it is very cheap so I didn't expect much. So far, so good. This one is also very quiet, was built more solid than I expected, sends out strong flow, lets me use a lot of media.

Unfortunately, cutting costs at times in a real expensive hobby is the only option some of us get. I'd love to be able to buy only the best, most reliable equipment every time I get something new, but the reality is that's not always possible. Many of us need to know what else we can use for less that's still going to do a decent job. So thanks for testing this for other people like me.
 
Is it UL listed?
 
i have the jebo 328 filter aswell i like it but would rather buy something else with the money

pros: 4 media baskets with lots of room, detachable separate-hoses,
comes with spray bar

cons: flow rate is half of what is listed, disconnecting hoses leaves you
wet, priming aint that good

3.5 stars
 
I think you guys don't remember what crap early hondas were in the '70s, that's all meant by "Chinese crap" (ie foriegn crap, I know the difference whether you do or not...Sploke) I object to the "nationalistic bigotry"... see Chevy: Novas, et al.
 
haha i'm a broke college kid so i'm really liking this thread. thanks for finding and testing this out. please keep us posted!
 
Ok sorry for continuing to be a negative nancy here but.

1 Is it UL listed ?
2. Let us know how it works. My issue is not with saving money its the risk of a fire or a flood
 
I'm pretty sure it's not UL listed. Well, I would be surprised if it was. Several other knock-offs that I've seen haven't been so, again, this one probably isn't either.
 
I'm pretty sure it's not UL listed. Well, I would be surprised if it was. Several other knock-offs that I've seen haven't been so, again, this one probably isn't either.

OK, was feeling pretty stupid here, so I went to look up some info on UL listings, turns out they aren't the only 3rd party safety group recognized by OSHA, so looking for another companies mark may indicate solid safety ratings as well.....electrical is so complicated, ugh.
 
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