Why are fluidized reactors so expensive?

[ccole]

$1000+ for a Deltec....... Got to be some good DIY plans out there.

[RichConley]

Because people will pay for them, and then find some way to justify it in their head, and then convince someone else to pay for one.

[fishy&co]

Hi,

I really liked the idea, but agreed that they were way over-priced! I bought a acrylic cylinder from my supermarket for $9 (it was designed to store spaghetti). I removed the steel latch and lid. Then i cut two squares of thin perspex.

On the first sheet i cut a hole slightly smaller than the opening of the cylinder.

I joined the first sheet to the cylinder using plastic bond. Then I sealed it with the silicone (I know it might peel off). I also glued a seal on top of the piece.

On the second I drilled two identical holes in the middle.

I siliconed two lengths of flex tube into the second piece (I know it might peel off). One reaching to the bottom of the cylinder and the other very short.

On both of the sheets i drilled 4 holes, one in each corner, for plastic bolts.

I use a small pump and a two way divider at the bottom of the cylinder.

The water escapes out the second piece of tube in the top and i cover the end of the tube with a mesh bag (in case any media escapes).

It's been working fine and cost me $40 all up.

[ccole]

Yep...... $40 is less than $1000!

Any other DIY plans out there?

[douggiestyle]

lets be fair.

that $1000 reactor most likley has about $500 in materials alone. now throw in the actual labor involved, if i was making it myself im certainly not charging minimum wage. then you have insurance, advertising, packaging, machinery, electricity and other overhead. if you do not charge for all these things you will go out of business. in addition you MUST make a profit on all these costs or you will go out of business. so they are charging a fair price.

notice the small one (about the size of a spaghetti container) is only $199.

[douggiestyle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9085911#post9085911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ccole
Yep...... $40 is less than $1000!

Any other DIY plans out there?

forgot to mention that foster and smith have them on sale for about $33.99. and if you recieve their catalog you will get an additional $5 off.

so $28.99 plus shipping. and if you plan on using it for gfh, the have the lowest price ive seen for that also. $7.99 for 150g

[PLNelson]

Where exactley at fosters and smith is this reactor? I couldn't find it.

[douggiestyle]

drsfostersmith, fish, drs choice sale

[ccole]

douggie..... $500 in materials? Are you certain?

There's an acrylic tube, some fittings, sponge, and no pump..... $500+labor?

Keep in mind, I will always pay for reliability and craftsmanship, but a reactor is a simple item...... not even any moving parts!

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9088040#post9088040 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by douggiestyle
lets be fair.

that $1000 reactor most likley has about $500 in materials alone. now throw in the actual labor involved, if i was making it myself im certainly not charging minimum wage. then you have insurance, advertising, packaging, machinery, electricity and other overhead. if you do not charge for all these things you will go out of business. in addition you MUST make a profit on all these costs or you will go out of business. so they are charging a fair price.

notice the small one (about the size of a spaghetti container) is only $199.


Douggie, I've seen reactors made out of $30 worth of materials selling for $500+. These things are 90 percent markup/labor.

[douggiestyle]

10" or 12 " acrylic tubing @ $9-$11 per inch 40 inches is about $400. in my business i need at the very least a 40% margin on material and labor to stay in business. so, thats $666 just for the tubing. now i have no idea what their margin is, i would suspect its 50% or greater. manufacturing will have the larger margins. i could be wrong they could be making and selling at cost just to be nice.

rich if you went into business for yourself, one thing you would need to say is "what do i need to pay myself". if your current job is giving you a yearly sallery of say $50,000 and that works, you need $50,000. so now you go and bid your first job and that job will take exactly 1 year. you need to take 100% of your expenses and add them to your sallery plus the additional taxes, ss and medicaid that your current employer pays (but you never see). then add your profit margin. this might make your bid for the job $100,000. so after you pay yourself the $50,000 as well as all your expenses lets say you show a profit of $20,000. now you can safely use that $20,000 for expanding the business. or you could give yourself a bonus for staying under budget.

not understanding these guide lines is partly why 60% of businesses fail in the first three years.

im not arguing, just being fair. there is no way i would buy a $1000 reactor. i would find another hobby first. also i will never need a reactor that big.

[woz9683]

There's no way a company like Deltec pays for their acrylic based on a retail price/inch. They probably get it direct from Spartech or whatever company supplies them, so their material cost is nowhere near $400. It's all markup because people will pay it, just like Rich said.

That being said, Deltec is nowhere near the norm when it comes to pricing their products. Even my LFS has fluidized reactors for under $100, and there are many other quality products out there for a more reasonable price.

Not to discourage you if you want to DIY. I'd just hate to see you spend $400 for acrylic and end up with something comarable to a $50-$100 unit you could have bought.

[john f]

FWIW,
I have a nice unit from Myreef that cost $250. I could have built it (not as well) for $150, so I don't think $100 for Andys time and build quality is too much to ask.

Deltec prices are ridiculous I agree..........they are German correct?



John

[douggiestyle]

so how much do you think the pay. say they buy from a distributer. ok 15-20% off retail. how much 12" acrylic do they buy. what lengths does it come in. custom lengths. or do they buy standard lenghts and cut off the excess and through it away. so you have absolutely no idea what deltec pays for the material. now say they do buy it factory direct and pay the same price that a large distributer pays. does that mean they should then turn around and sell it for below retail? no, if you buy the material you sell for it for at least what its being sold for in the retail market. you got to make a profit on it. why be in business. suddenly your just a handyman, not in the manufacturing business. so you've got as i earlier suggested at least $500 in material.
im not saying that i know what deltec pays for material. but looking at the market i can tell what they should charge.

John how big is your reactor? is it 10" in diameter and 40" high? or is it 12" by 40"?