H&S vs Deltec

tcollins · #1 06/20/2007, 06:17 PM

I'm looking to buy either a H&S A150-F2000 or a Deltec APF600. The H&S is a little cheaper and from what I've heard they have a better build quality, but I've also read great reviews about the Deltec. Interested in hearing comments on the pros/cons between the two.

Andrew · #2 06/20/2007, 06:30 PM

Overall, they will both skim the same and Deltecs are overpriced for what you get. Deltec doesn't even use clear cast material like H&S uses.

ReefRockerLive · #3 06/20/2007, 06:37 PM

I'd go with the H&S because it is cheaper and the replacement parts are cheaper too. Deltec charges lots of money for a replacement pump, last I heard they wanted $500 for an Ehiem pump while H&S's replacement pump costs $300. Both of these pumps are the same ehiem models, but the Deltec pumps are suppose to be further modded. IMO, it doesn't seem worth the extra $200.

Both H&S and Deltec have great reviews.
The Deltec is very similar to the H&S proformance wise. I have a Deltec AP600 and I have had no complaints about the skimmer at all.
JMO

jeninjohnk · #4 06/20/2007, 09:52 PM

never used a deltec-love my H@S

Henry Bowman · #5 06/20/2007, 10:22 PM

I vote H&S ! for the above listed reasons. I love mine too...

sjm817 · #6 06/20/2007, 10:28 PM

APF600 - $815
A150 - $650

Gotta throw this in too...
DAS EX-1 - $260

EDIT:
The DAS EX-1 seems more similar to an AP600, which is not in the same class as the other two.

Goodwood · #7 06/20/2007, 10:39 PM

I would go H&S, Deltecs are awsome but expensive to replace parts.

DAS, another decent choice if you dont want to pay for a name

africangrey · #8 06/20/2007, 11:05 PM

where are the Deltech police, come defend your pride.

mavgi · #9 06/20/2007, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by africangrey
where are the Deltech police, come defend your pride.

kdblove_99 · #10 06/21/2007, 12:39 AM

Yeah but for that money you can get a DAS EX3 for $629.00 and i doubt these 2 skimmers could toch it!

klam114 · #11 06/21/2007, 12:43 AM

Both are excellent performers. H&S has 2 year warranty, Deltec 1 year. H&S is willing to do a little customization to their skimmers, like shorten the body and reposition the pump so performance is either not affected or minimally affected. H&S charges a flat fee of $50 for customization on any of their skimmers. Don't know if Deltec will do any customization, but if they do, it would probably cost quite a bit.

jimdogg187 · #12 06/21/2007, 01:05 AM

How does H&S rebalance the pump to match the body?

Just curious. I haven't heard anything about this

Jim

hahnmeister · #13 06/21/2007, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by klam114
Both are excellent performers. H&S has 2 year warranty, Deltec 1 year. H&S is willing to do a little customization to their skimmers, like shorten the body and reposition the pump so performance is either not affected or minimally affected. H&S charges a flat fee of $50 for customization on any of their skimmers. Don't know if Deltec will do any customization, but if they do, it would probably cost quite a bit.

So for $50 more than MSRP, they can make me an A200 1260 that is 6' tall (Ill force feed it with an alita)?

Reef Sponger · #14 06/21/2007, 02:56 AM

ReefRockerLive is correct that replacement parts are about double. Before I purchased my A150, I found out the replacement pump is $160 and the Deltec version is $375.

FuzzyLogic · #15 06/21/2007, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ReefRockerLive
Deltec charges lots of money for a replacement pump, last I heard they wanted $500 for an Ehiem pump while H&S's replacement pump costs $300.

Someone made that statement when I was shopping for a skimmer and comparing Deltec with H&S. I asked but couldn't find any Deltec or H&S owners that actually had an Ehiem pump fail and had to replace it. Are these pumps so unreliable that we need to worry about replacing them?

ReefRockerLive · #16 06/21/2007, 10:20 AM

Both H&S and Deltec Ehiem pumps are very reliable. If anything goes bad in the pump or it is dropped, you'd have to pay the replacement price. It is unlikely that they will go bad in less than 3 years, but if it does and you have a deltec, be prepared to pay the $500.

FuzzyLogic · #17 06/21/2007, 12:41 PM

Honestly, I'm not worried about dropping my skimmer on the floor

A realistic concern is the pump failing prematurely. Again, I was unable to find a Deltec or H&S owner that has needed to replace their Ehiem pump. If you install your skimmer properly and maintain it, that Ehiem pump will last WAY beyond the manufacturer warranty. I would say that the odds of needing a $500 replacement pump are close to zero.

Bebo77 · #18 06/21/2007, 01:03 PM

a good friend of mine (saurus) on RC just upgraded from a euro reef to an H&S to a deltec and even he said. the deltec is way better then the others... I don't think most of you "H&S" owners have ever had deltec... you will learn that there are a lot of deltec haters out there... funny thing is none of them have ever had a deltec.. go figure

Fliger · #19 06/21/2007, 01:14 PM

They're both great skimmers. I've used two Deltecs and four H&S. I like the build of H&S better and I think the look of Deltec is more modern. Depends on what you like more because neither really make them skim any better.

I paid $50 to have my current H&S cut shorter - they did rebalance the pump vertically. They also asked my input on where to cut the height out of - the neck, the lid, or the body. They also had their reco, and I just said go with that. But $50 was a good price considering we had a few back & forths. If you went taller I think it would be fair to be a bit more than $50 since its labor/time + materials.

I believe the customization price is lower since H&S is a small operation. I read that just as of a couple years ago - H&S was comprised of a handful of fabricators, half a dozen IIRC that put these together by hand - so its a little more custom. Which is also why there are so fewer H&S than some others. My custom arrived very quickly.

On the pumps - its not really the entire Eheim - but the impeller that I've seen most problems with. There have been a couple situations here on RC. I'm not sure of the price difference between H&S or Deltec.

You can't go wrong with either skimmer, that is for sure!

edit - bebo, i don't think most h&s users are deltec haters - there have been a few but i think those debates are long gone. i've used both and to be honest it was a tossup when i ordered last year. at the time was running an ap702. also had an mce600. i did end up going back to h&s because of the build, replacement part costs & warrantee. plus the lead time & custom fee was small. actually the a200 1x1260 is the only size where h&s is actually more expensive than the deltec here in the US. h&s typically cost more than deltec on all models in other countries. still, i wouldn't hesitate to buy a deltec. customer service for both is great.

also remember the deltec footprint is a little smaller between the two skimmers, this might make a difference.

manderx · #20 06/21/2007, 03:27 PM

Quote:

funny thing is none of them have ever had a deltec..

i've had 2 skimmers and their kalk stirrer.

Quote:

you will learn that there are a lot of deltec haters out there

and alot more people who are overly proud of their deltecs just because they want to be part of the club and automatically assume that just because it's more expensive, it's better.

Bebo77 · #21 06/21/2007, 03:34 PM

lol... ^^^^^^ there is one of them...

Reef Sponger · #22 06/21/2007, 03:51 PM

tcollins, when you finally make your decision, let us know what you decide. you definitely have a lot of comments & feedback here. probably didn't think it was going to get aggressive, huh? surprise, surprise. lol

tcollins · #23 06/21/2007, 04:48 PM

I read as many threads on H&S and Deltec I could find before I even posted my question. For a while I was swayed by the bubble master and all of the good comments on them. I looked on the Singapore forums and those European forums I could read. I considered DYI's and the lesser expensive clones that serve reefers well. Basically my heads been spinning on all of the pro's and con's for each.

Knowing there is no magic bullet for every situtation and it seems that everyone finally finds the skimmer that works best for them. It finally comes down to where I want to end up at the end of my search.

After reefing in the 70's and with the major advances in the hobby, I started conservative and having been there and done that, I realize that it is better to spend the money once than again and again and again. Think I've read that countless times here and else where.

I've ordered the custom H&S A150-F2000 from Ed. I did this based on the quality the skimmer itself, the quality of the build reputation I've read about, the fact that it fits well in my cabinet. The fact that it was $150 was only a factor in that I didn't know if I'd see that much difference between it and the Deltec in performance.

I do appreciate the feedback from everyone and I realize it's kind of unfair to both manufacturers as both build quality products and I know that this kind of thread can seem to lead to bashing products, but when your considering what for me is a significant investment, it is the opinions of the fellow reefers that help confirm or direct a decision of this kind.

I'll have more of these questions as I move towards what I hope to be a system that will provide me a quality environment for my livestock and allow the upgrades that we all know will be coming.

Thanks,

TCollins

RichConley · #24 06/21/2007, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bebo77
lol... ^^^^^^ there is one of them...

So everyone who doesnt like the deltec is a "hater"? Thats a real mature way to have a discussion.

I've had a deltec. An AP600. Decent skimmer, but no better than some much cheaper skimmers (RS80, etc). The H&S is much cheaper and better built.

I upgraded from a $600 deltec to a $179 skimmer, and saw a large increase in performance.

DeltecRules · #25 06/21/2007, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RichConley
So everyone who doesnt like the deltec is a "hater"? Thats a real mature way to have a discussion.

I've had a deltec. An AP600. Decent skimmer, but no better than some much cheaper skimmers (RS80, etc). The H&S is much cheaper and better built.

I upgraded from a $600 deltec to a $179 skimmer, and saw a large increase in performance.

LOL with some of your previous discussions I seen from some of your previous threads you shouldn't be talking.

And I highly doubt a $179.00 skimmer can out skim a AP600 unless you had no idea how to set up the AP600 properly.