Jebo Aquarium Products?

[Cosper]

This company operates in foreign reigons I guess.. and is selling equipment dirt cheap. Does anyone have any experience with these products? They make UV's, canister filters, lights, skimmers, pumps, overflows... anything you can think of..and cheap!! I am thinking of going all Jebo products!!

[snulma1]

I bought a 180 skimmer. It worked fairly well. However, I had a problem with the venturi line kinking and causing the collection cup to over flow. But it did work well outside of that.

[maddyfish]

A friend of mine has a jebo pc light. Cheap and worked fine, a little rougher in construction than say a coralife, but half the price.

[Cosper]

Thanks for the input

[fragaholic]

Jebo pc light I got worked for about two months and crapped out. IME not a good product, you could tell by just the feel of it that it was not of good quality. That light made me realize that you get what you pay for!

[raskal311]

You get what you pay for.

[ctreefer]

I've had a Jebo PC light fixture for about 1 1/2 years now 130w silver 24". It does exude cheapness, but it still works just fine and at the price it does what I ask.

[cobs00]

Where can you buy Jebo products?

[fishfanv]

i have 2 jebo (now called odyssea i think) pc lights that work fine. i got them at aqua traders in san bruno. aquatraders.com is their site.

[usalreef]

I have a 24" Jebo PC and it has been running for two years now. I found it ran hot when I first purchased it so I bought two small computer fans from Radio Shack, drilled holes in each end of the light, installed the fans and now it runs very cool. I do not know if this contributed to the longevity but I am sure it helped.

[Poolrad]

The new 24" model has 2 built in fans to alleviate that old heat problem. Works like a charm..

[NorthernCF]

Made in China for the China market origionally. Infact I don't recall any other brands over there... course for a bowl of rice and a pack of Camels you can get a 120 custom. sump :)

[kite]

Think of it like buying a bootleg DVD for 5 cents in Hong Kong. You get what you pay for. ALL jebo items are made IN china, FOR the chinese market. They feel so cheap that they're gonna explode. Spend the extra cash for a better quality item.

EDIT: I forgot, I have nothing against china, I love chinese food, The culture there is really interesting, The people are friendly, this is not a rant against china. What it does say, is that Jebo products are kinda junky and maybe you should spend money on somthing more reliable

[menelaus22]

I think a lot of people that talk crap about the Odyssea line are probably the same people that have been victims of extreme price inflation in the reefing trade.

I'm running two separate light set-ups from aquatraders.com. I have the 24inch 175w MH that's doing awesome and am running the 130w PC on my sister's tank... also doing awesome. They've been running over a year and now the only problem I'm running into is what to do with all these frags I've got laying around because of all the growth under these lights.

The quality, like the price, is just fine.

[TitaniuIVI]

Jebo's Website (http://www.jeboaquarium.com/)

[ssbreef]

I had a Jebo 520 Skimmer that worked GREAT!! Every time I posted a pic of it I got the same comments, It's no good, It’s cheep!, you get what you pay for!, upgrade and you will see what I mean! I DID UPGRADE!! AND LET ME TELL YOU! The Jebo 520 ROCKS!! It was a 90$ skimmer and it skimmed better than some 500$ skimmers on the market. I think Jebo maks some really good products. They may not always use the best materials for there products but the design and effectiveness is ALL GOOD!

[fishfanv]

i just bought 2 jebo skimmers from aqua traders and they are also doing great, skimming the s--t out of the tanks. the pc lights have not overheated at all either. i guess it's just a matter of preference whether you really feel the price indicates better quality or not. i for one prefer to pay cheaper prices and spend the money i save on corals & fish.

[SFlogic]

with things like jebo you get what you paid for

[Cosper]

hrmm seems to be two pretty distinct opinions here.. but it does seem like most of the people who have purchased the products are satisfied. Others are just making generalizations, which is fine.. some things can be generalized and some cant. I guess.. I need to get some Jebo products and form my own opinion.. once agian, thanks to everyone for the input

[Zoalander]

Jebo is a great company. From what I gather they have an astonishing 50% customer satisfaction rating. Thats like half. If Jebo sold 24 pack of pop you can bet that 12 of those cans would be flat.

[Poolrad]

Realize that the people that are flaming the company do not own a jebo product. And then realize why this is...

It's simple they don't want to appear stupid by paying double, triple, or quadruple what the price of a jebo product is for the newest, flashiest, coolest name brand on the market. Then have the jebo product perform the same or in some cases superior.

So instead they come here to put it down and act like it is inferior to make themselves feel better about their expensive purchase. Sure it isn't as nice looking, sure it might not be as sturdy but in the end people can never look past their own faults...

Notice the people that own the product, a vast majority are saying they are just fine (myself included).

[Cosper]

Originally posted by Poolrad
Realize that the people that are flaming the company do not own a jebo product. And then realize why this is...

It's simple they don't want to appear stupid by paying double, triple, or quadruple what the price of a jebo product is for the newest, flashiest, coolest name brand on the market. Then have the jebo product perform the same or in some cases superior.

So instead they come here to put it down and act like it is inferior to make themselves feel better about their expensive purchase. Sure it isn't as nice looking, sure it might not be as sturdy but in the end people can never look past their own faults...

Notice the people that own the product, a vast majority are saying they are just fine (myself included).

It does seem like most of the people who actualy own a product are claiming it to be pretty good, espicaly considering the price they paid. The only complaint thus far in this thread, or anywhere else Ive read is that they overheat. That was the old models with no fan. Even still.. an overheating light is easily fixed- you add a fan.

[sailfinreef]

just a comment about the jebos being made in china, most ballasts are made in china or mexico.

[tjay]

There is some security in paying a high price for name brands.
When something goes wrong they "sometimes" will work very hard to make it right to prevent loosing customers due to bad publicity.
Smaller companies that work on value and sell to the people looking for bargains may or may not be so worried about your complaint.
Here is my opinion. If you can afford the best by the best.
If your like me, and can afford something in between then look for the best value. 250 watts of MH lighting is light. You may or may not get the exact par on the $300 lights as you will the $700 dollar set, but my guess is most of your tank creatures wont care what you paid for it.
So do the research, find out what kind of ballasts and fixtures they use and compare prices. I tend to look for value myself and for the most part it has paid off.
I own some name brands like oceanic tank, remora pro skimmer, MJ power heads but my lights are from aquauniverse. This is catilina lighting for the most part. and know what, I am tickled pink with them. I had a bulb I did not like and they are sending me out a new one.
So while it may be true you get what you pay for, it is also true that dropping loads of money may or may not get you better product.
It is called marketing, and there are tons of people very good at it.

[Poolrad]

Originally posted by tjay
There is some security in paying a high price for name brands.
When something goes wrong they "sometimes" will work very hard to make it right to prevent loosing customers due to bad publicity.
Smaller companies that work on value and sell to the people looking for bargains may or may not be so worried about your complaint.
Here is my opinion. If you can afford the best by the best.
If your like me, and can afford something in between then look for the best value. 250 watts of MH lighting is light. You may or may not get the exact par on the $300 lights as you will the $700 dollar set, but my guess is most of your tank creatures wont care what you paid for it.
So do the research, find out what kind of ballasts and fixtures they use and compare prices. I tend to look for value myself and for the most part it has paid off.
I own some name brands like oceanic tank, remora pro skimmer, MJ power heads but my lights are from aquauniverse. This is catilina lighting for the most part. and know what, I am tickled pink with them. I had a bulb I did not like and they are sending me out a new one.
So while it may be true you get what you pay for, it is also true that dropping loads of money may or may not get you better product.
It is called marketing, and there are tons of people very good at it.

Yep very good insight. I've got oceanic tanks & some remora's as well, but the new jebo 24" light on my 26g bowfront works like a charm :)

[Qwiv]

I have had a lot of there junk over the years. My first light was a Jebo. Work fine over a softy tank, buy so will a cheap NO fixture. I have had so many blow out on me with no way to get replacement parts, I am done with them. I use the old fixtures with Fulham ballasta and they are rock solid. The bulbs they come with are very poor too. If you are looking for something sufficient and cheap, go for it. If you are looking for quality light to make your corals florish, keep looking. Oh, the fans they put in PC fixtures make a high pitched sound that drives me crazy, the neighborhood dogs too.

[masson]

I have no problem with them ( 4 x55 ) , I used them for about 6 months and had no problems. The only complaint i have is that the bulbs are free to move around. The only thing holding them to the case is the wires and the clamp things. They keep the bulb from hitting the shield but not from swaying back and forth. It doesnt affect performance except you need to be careful when moving. Which I did every 2 months. They were a great deal. I only had them for 6 months and it would have been stupid to pay 300 or 400 dollars for something a "better brand".

[ssbreef]

I wish I would have known about Jebo when I purchased my fist pc light fixture from Orbit sunpaq! I paid 3 times the price of what the same Jebo fixture would have cost and guess what...BOTH BALLASTS BLEW within the year!! Yeah I tried customer service but after getting blown off about 10 times I gave up!! BUY JEBO LIGHTS! If they stop working after a year! BUY ANOTHER and you will have still paid less.

[sailfinreef]

well, i work with electrical devices on a daily basis. the truth of the matter is if 2 products have the exact same rating that means they are equal, in terms of ballasts and devices. not bulbs and that is only because they are built differantly therefor burn differantly. I woudnt at all be suprised if an ice cap ballast was just a advanced ballast with thier name on it, that happens with almost every product on the market. if you want to pay more for a better waranty thats one thing but 2 ballast with the same watt rating, same volt rating, same amp rating, same power factor rating, the odds are they are very close to being the same thing. I dont not support buying anything that is not made in the usa because I feel we are weakening our own economy. thats why i wont buy jebo, I feel a company in the usa can make the same product for maybe a little more cash here in the united states. I would rather see money spent in america stay in america. of course thats not allways possable but in my opinion buy an american made product that is equal if not better. who knows maybe one of our jobs will go over seas and then you will really be looking for a cheap product. dont mean to throw this all off topic or anything but I would avoid the jebo and get something that is atleast made in the usa.

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

jebo is bad
gwypf

[Poolrad]

Originally posted by sailfinreef
well, i work with electrical devices on a daily basis. the truth of the matter is if 2 products have the exact same rating that means they are equal, in terms of ballasts and devices. not bulbs and that is only because they are built differantly therefor burn differantly. I woudnt at all be suprised if an ice cap ballast was just a advanced ballast with thier name on it, that happens with almost every product on the market. if you want to pay more for a better waranty thats one thing but 2 ballast with the same watt rating, same volt rating, same amp rating, same power factor rating, the odds are they are very close to being the same thing. I dont not support buying anything that is not made in the usa because I feel we are weakening our own economy. thats why i wont buy jebo, I feel a company in the usa can make the same product for maybe a little more cash here in the united states. I would rather see money spent in america stay in america. of course thats not allways possable but in my opinion buy an american made product that is equal if not better. who knows maybe one of our jobs will go over seas and then you will really be looking for a cheap product. dont mean to throw this all off topic or anything but I would avoid the jebo and get something that is atleast made in the usa.

That is a very noble stance to buy american made products, but just make sure the company isn't foreign owned so the profits don't go overseas :)

I wish I was able to support this stance as well, however I just don't have enough money, patience, or time to utilize only american products (hard to find american only in some product classes).

[gophia]

sailfinreef, chances are the owner of the store that sells Jebo product lives in the USA and not overseas. If then you spend your american money in his store, the profits he/she generates remains in the USA and is spend back in the US economy i.e. they have to eat, pay bills and taxes.

As poolrad stated, chance are most product "made in the USA" are not. The individual components are most likely made else where and the final product assembled and/or packaged in the USA. Just look at the fine print on the boxes (i.e. my hagen 802 was made in Italy)

I been using my Jebo (4x55) for the past 1.5 year on my 75 and it works GREAT (not only on LPS but clams and SPS ;)

[cmcgehee01]

Has anyone had experience with their T5 lights? I have their 48" 4x55 PC fixture & have had no problems whatsoever. I am thinking about supplimenting them with their T5 2x54 for $49.00.

[sailfinreef]

i agree it is hard to find american made products all the time for a reasonable cost. and as far buying foreign products in a us store. the store is making very little on that product compared to the manufacturer. advanced ballasts are made in the us(well, most anyways) I would recomend them to people that dont want to shell out the money for an ice cap or an expensive aquarium brand ballast. all I was trying to get at before i went off on a rant was people really need to start buying more american made products, especially if those products are owned by american companies. I dont see the sense in buying a jebo anything when there are several other options available that cost about the same and are made here. like i said if you want cheap ballasts check out advanced, compare power ratings before you purchase anything. why cheap out on a product that could raise your electric bill $20 when you could have bought a product for a little more that would only cost you $8 a month on your power bill.

[mcoppedg]

Have had the 4x55W Jebo canopy running for about 6 months with no complaints. Never had a problem with overheating or anything else for that matter. They are now selling replacement bulbs on ebay for them for a great price. Not bad if you are trying to get into the hobby on a budget, or upgrading to some PC's for cheap. Highly Recommended.

Soft Corals are doing great under these lights and are dividing and growing FAST!

[GroYurOwn]

ok, first off, if youre going to reply to this thread and say something bad about jebo, how bout you come up with something a little less cliche than "get what you pay for"? maybe something more concrete, like the guy who said his burnt out on him, if you have never owned a single jebo product, nobody wants your opinion on a jebo product, cause, well, you dont have one! you have someone elses! i ran a jebo 4x55 on my 55 for 2years, NEVER - ONE - SINGLE - PROBLEM!!!i, in fact plan on purchasin the 520w MH setup from aquatraders tomorrow! and as someone earlier in the thread said, there are plenty of companies who sell there products to other companies, who will label it differently, sell it cheaper, but its the same thing! but people who always have to have "the best" and who judge the best by the price, will pay for the name brand....but a name brand has to start somewhere, right? they dont just start out huge, every huge company had to start out small at some point...anyway, bottom line is, and i will attepmt to put it as eloquently and informatively as E-A-G-L-E-S expressed his opinion, JEBO good....

[GroYurOwn]

btw, i beg that anyone reading this thread that has ACTUALLY OWNED a jebo product, please let your opinion be heard, go to www.epinions.com, post your review on these products so that they can be found by people, if you love your "cheap, chinese, get what you pay for, its gonna burn out on you, spend four times the amount for a better name, piece of junk" as much as i do tell the world so that all of us poor losers who cant afford to pay for a nike swoosh on our lighting will know where we can get some quality shine for minimal dime!

[GroYurOwn]

here's another thread you may want to browse, seems to me that most are happy...
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=646303&highlight=ODYSSEA

[Chypriss]

My Jebo Odyssea PC is the shizzle. I paid what $145 shipped. Mine does over heat at all and the tank looks great. Next purchase is going to be the Jebo 180 skimmer to replace my seaclone.

[Snakebyt]

im using there lights right now. 192 watt 36"
so far i have had no problems at all

[bboyin4lyf]

i own a jebo 180 skimmer. its noisy as hell, ive tried everything to quieten it. it pulls out barely any skimmate. not worth it

[Mook]

My first complete reef setup was a jebo. Being a student when i first started to get a complete setup (lights, filter tank and stand) for a resoanble price was a great advantage. I still have that setup as my coral grow out tank and could not complain. i Have never had a problem with any part of it. I also purchased the jebo 180 skimmer and have compared it to red sea prizms which cost triple the price and yes it is a little louder but has pulls out more skimmate than the prizm on a regular basis, therefore worth the extra nosie. Now i work in a LFS and have also heard many people praise JEBO. As with all companies you'll have some faults in products and knockers but i'm yet to have one of my costomers complain about any of there products.

[Jiddy]

Its like buying a Nike shirt at the flea market, just dont tell your friends it has a HanesWay tag on the back, they wont know!

[carolinareefs]

Or, it is like buying a JA Audio Speaker (the US retail outlet for a huge speaker company in China) that is EXACTLY the same as the Pinnacle Black Diamond Series Speakers.
JA Audio System - ~$650
Pinnacle - ~ $2500

These are the same speakers, from the same manufacturer, the retail companies just buy them OEM and put their name on it. This is the case with virtually ALL electronics companies. Just because it is cheaper does not necessarily mean it is worthless.

[Chargerfan]

I've just purchased 2 36" Jebo 192w pc's with leds and mounting hardware for $79 each from ebay. They look great! They've only been installed for about a week, so I can't comment on their longevity.

I didn't have great luck with their titanium 500w heaters though. I've tried 2 and both lasted about 6 months...

[jackal4eva]

FWIW, I have a Jebo 4x55 PC fixture on my 55 for the last 2.5 years.

It's hot, but I have a fan cooling it. I replace the bulbs a bit earlier than I would (b/c they are the Jebo brand bulbs) with other company bulbs. I am going to try another brand of bulbs once I run out. As far as growth rates of corals - I have had excellent success with a frogspawn, multiple zoas, mushrooms, and polyps. One caveat, they probably are not growing as fast as under MHs and they are doing better higher up in the tank.

I've recently ordered their T5 lighting to run along side the PCs and to also light upa 46 bf.

I'd be happy to post reviews of the T5 and also some pictures next week.

All in all, I couldnt be happier... Granted they are a bit cheaper on the manufacturing side - but I have heard the newer units are significantly better.

[fishfanv]

i will be purchasing mh's to upgrade my 30g pc lighting that i bought from aqua traders in the near future and i know they will be as reliable as the 2 pc systems i have from them. i will also be purchasing a 3rd skimmer from them as the 2 i already have are doing a great job! as far as i'm concerned jebo (odysea) is a good product and i'm glad i didn't waste my $ purchasing something far more expensive just to have a brand name.

[bboyin4lyf]

any of you jebo 180 skimmer owners know how to mod the thing to work better or be quieter. im dying to know !!!!!!!

[sailfinreef]

correct, most electronics are actually made in the us at texas instraments then sold to companies like sony. I have built most of the expensive stuff on my tank myself and saved a ton of money. I dont understand how a company can sell you a cap and coil mh ballast for over $100 when you can go to a electrical distributor and buy one for $35. I think the reflector cost more than my ballast. I also run the xm brand bulbs on my tank wich are much cheaper and I have excellent results. refer to my earlier post about why i dont buy jebo, however with gas prices these days maybe im going to start buying jebo..lol..

[blange3]

I risked $49 and bought an Odyssea 2x48" T5 to judge for myself. It arrived the end of June and the ballast failed in 3 days. Just got the replacement today and if you read the fine print of the warranty, replacements are not covered. Neither are items they consider 'free goods', which are all bulbs and mounting hardware.

Customer service was horrible. Took over 2 weeks to get someone to give me a return authorization, all the while the warranty clock was ticking down. I only got a response after I challenged the charge and filed a better business complaint. They wanted me to return the whole unit which was going to cost $39 for a $49 item. They get a volume break from UPS so you can't assume charges for a return will be the same as you paid at purchase.

Finally they agreed that I could just return the ballast, since the bulbs aren't warranted anyway. So 2 months later I have an $80 desk lamp as I have decided to go with a a hellolights VHO retrokit for my 55gal mixed reef.

From what I've read, the real boost in T5's come from the reflectors and JEBO's don't come with the goodstuff. All you get is a basic enclosure, second rate bulbs and ballasts that fail on a regular basis with a very short warranty.

Hope that's factual enough. I'm done with JEBO/ODYSSEA

[GroYurOwn]

its factual enough in your case, so thank you, but the generalization that they "fail on a regular basis" is a little unfounded if you are refering to anyone elses experience outside of your own, enough including your own, since it only failed once...i dont know how they are with warranties, i never had to use the warranty, i am not surprised they suck as far as that goes, but i think you get planty of bang for your buck as far as product goes, still havent been convinced otherwise, and i think this thread is heading in a general thumbs up direction for jebo...

[bboyin4lyf]

still longing and praying for that DIY fix for my jebo skimmer. i havent used there other products so dont judge by this post. but dear god the skimmer sucks!!!!!!!!!

[fishamajiggle]

I have had a bad experience with the 4x65 w pc's, both fans burnt out and then the bulbs burnt through the rubberbands holding them into the clip and melted the guard we replaced the bad bulb and it has worked ever since with no problem, so i have a mixed feeling about that, the question i have is does anyone have any experience with their mh setups? I have a friend getting rid of em and was wondering how was the performance? He has the 48 in 65 w pc 2x150 w hqi mh, what is the deal with this fixture if any?

[trueperc]

I was accually looking at buying one of there large aquarium ( 8 x2x2). I have check it out and it looks be be a solid tank and stand and the price is right.

[Snakebyt]

i didnt know they sold tanks

[fishfanv]

they do at aqua traders. i got a 30 there. it's great and was very reasonably priced. bought the tank w/o the lid because i bought the pc lights and didn't need the lid. tank was $40.

[blange3]

Originally posted by GroYurOwn
its factual enough in your case, so thank you, but the generalization that they "fail on a regular basis" is a little unfounded if you are refering to anyone elses experience outside of your own, enough including your own, since it only failed once...i dont know how they are with warranties, i never had to use the warranty, i am not surprised they suck as far as that goes, but i think you get planty of bang for your buck as far as product goes, still havent been convinced otherwise, and i think this thread is heading in a general thumbs up direction for jebo...


Point taken. I had in mind several threads out there that do reference blown ballasts other than my own. Since I have a bit of a manufacturing/quality control background, I'm skeptical of anything with several reported failures.

I guess my take on the JEBO lighting is you get an economical starting point, but you have to expect to upgrade bulbs and ballasts. The metal halide users seem perfectly happy getting two different bulbs and then swapping them out. Given the limited warranty and service capabilities, I'd just rather start off with something that I don't have to upgrade right off the bat.

[GroYurOwn]

i agree, i fully plan on replacing all of the bulbs i get with my jebo unit within 6 months of receiving it, but i have actually seen this unit in use at LFS and i am actually very impressed with it for its price point, i know i am making it look like i work for jebo or something on this thread, but the truth is that not everything is as black and white as some may think, and the fact that so many people would reply to the thread with such shallow responses as "you get what you pay for" with nothing to back it, probably because they have never owned any of these products really irritates me. but at this point we have some real solid responses on both sides of the issue, i think more on the positive than negative, and therefore some of the newer reefers can have a more concrete foundation on which to base a rather gigantic decision in terms of the potential of their tanks. hopefully we get more experiences posted, since i do believe this is a very important topic....

[jackal4eva]

So I received my AT t5 lights. 1 48" and 1 36"

The 36 is very good - seems like the bulbs are pretty decent as well. The 48, on the other hand, is a bit dull. I think the bulbs will need to be replaced and the ballast is shaky (the lights dim when the ballast is shook). Compared to the 220 pcs on the tank - i wouldnt say that 108 T5 puts out 50% of the light, a bit less, maybe 40%. Just first thoughts though...

All in all, for 125 shipped, i can't complaian.

[GroYurOwn]

if your friends selling hte MH set up why dont you just ask him about their performance? my guess is he would know....

[fishamajiggle]

if your friends selling hte MH set up why dont you just ask him about their performance? my guess is he would know....

actuially he brought them over to my house and I set them up last night. I think they are pretty good so far, there is such a diffrence from power compact lighting it is insane! I will have to keep you updated but my corals are already responding to the change in light.

[GroYurOwn]

cool, cant wait to get mine, i am ordering the 175w mh setup, gonna replace the pc with coralife though, because it is true that the jebo actinics are just blue, but thats only gonna cost me about 60$ more,so i will still be under 500$! will keep everyone updated

[Tom_Nev]

There are numerous places to get reviews of JEBO products (including right here on RC in the reviews section). I personally researched the company heavily before I bought lighting for my new tank.

I am a quality engineer (among other things) and designed lighting systems for commercial airlines. I also have been working with Chinese manufacturers for several years through one of my clients (we make some parts in China). Cost is associated with quality in most cases because it costs a significant amount of effort and manpower (as well as expertise) to set up proper quality controls during the development phase before going to market.

Statistical analysis and process control is what determines the product yield of any design. As a quality engineer we strive for 99.999% good parts, as an a example. The reason some people experience little or no problems with a given product with poor quality is that there is almost always some parts that are good (such as 60%). Personally, I am unwilling to accept returns or failures greater than about 1 to 5% (depending on the cost and risk associated to the consumer). This number goes down (the 1%) when the risk could be considered catastrophic (like burning up a plane, an aquarium hood, or bodily injury, etc.).

I have NUMEROUS problems with the Chinese not making parts to my specifications. They will substitute materials, change parts and make items out of tolerance regularly (and we have a direct contact located in China that monitors their systems and processes). I had a whole batch of motor covers breaking because they decided they didn't need to make it out of the plastic I specified. To their benefit, once we can get them to make it right they will repeat it every time, but we have to go through the process all over again if we decide to change something.

Here is some exceprts from my research archive on JEBO (they can be found in various places on the web).

24" light

This was the first box I opened. I plugged the light in and it didn't work. Not good. Upon closer examination, I realized that one of the wires had come loose from the pins on the bulb. I then realized that this 24" fixture does not have any actual sockets for the bulbs. It looks like there are wires coming from the ballast and they connect to the bulb using some quick-connect fittings. I think this will be more clear when I post some pictures. Once the wires were connected, the light worked with no problems.

I bought this light to replace my single flourescent light. I thought for $100, how bad can it be? When I got it, one of the PLASTIC end pieces was cracked a little bit. It wasn''t too bad so I didn''t try to return it. I was pretty happy with the light that it put out. I did not like that the light had 2 1/4" tabs on the ends that didn''t fit over the end of my 55g tank. If you touch the light a little bit it slides off the side of the tank. I think that is why one of the PLASTIC end pieces doesn''t stay on the light now. The screw mounts that hold the PLASTIC end piece to the light are broken now. I am going to take all of the internals out of the light and just make my own hood and light because it won''t stay together if you touch it at all. Other than that I think it works pretty well.

Water Fountains With Candle
Holders Recalled
Alco Industries Inc., of Edison, NJ., is voluntarily announcing the recall of 75,000 water fountains with candleholders. The tea candles on the water fountains can flare up, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. Alco Industries has received two reports of candles flaring up, including two consumers who suffered burn injuries.
The recalled water fountains have a black base and two tiers of rocks over which water flows. The decorative rocks come in various shapes and colors. Two candles are perched above the fountain, set in black candleholders, and lit behind a painted glass cover. A sticker on the bottom of the fountain reads, “Made in China.� The “Submersible Pump� attached to the bottom of the fountain reads in part, “Jebo� and “Made in China.�
Mass retailers nationwide sold these water fountain candle sets from February 2001 through October 2001 for between $10 and $20.

UV Sterilizer
I recently put a Jebo 13 watt UV light on my tank (using a 100 gal. Stock Tank) and now the sides and bottom of tank has a Black soot like covering on it. Also the inlet and outlet tubes from the U.V light box,( which is black). What is causing this and any help at all would be greatly appreciated? The water is clear now with the light, checked light and it is all clean but inside the case seems to have some black that will come off too if rubbed.

There is plenty more to be had as above if you're willing to look for it.

I determined the risk on JEBO lighting wasn't one I was willing to take due to the potential failure modes (plus I found NO evidence they were either UL or CE qualified). A protein skimmer is a different risk, it either doesn't work, leaks, works with mods, et. al. and has no risk of burning down the house.

[GroYurOwn]

thank you for providing specific detail of why you dont want to risk purchasing jebo products. although two of these three examples are definitely due to poor manufacturing on jebo's end, its only two examples, we have more positive stories on this thread alone! also, how old is the first example? the jebo brand has seen significant improvements in just the last year. your second exampl has nothing more to do with jebo than the fact that Alco decided to purchase jebo pumps to put in their firestarters, jebo didnt make the candles, and thats where the problem was. i did a search on reef central for jebo and nothing came up in any of the results as far as reviews go, so please provide a link so that the readers of this thread can see what others think of jebo / ODYSSEA .

[Tom_Nev]

Originally posted by GroYurOwn
thank you for providing specific detail of why you dont want to risk purchasing jebo products.

Welcome

also, how old is the first example?

From 12/23/2004

i did a search on reef central for jebo and nothing came up in any of the results as far as reviews go, so please provide a link so that the readers of this thread can see what others think of jebo / ODYSSEA .

Hope these work

RC Jebo 4x 55 review (http://www.reefcentral.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=43)

JEBO on RC (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=537225&highlight=JEBO)


Another JEBO (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=487294&highlight=JEBO)

There is some info in this one
Aquatraders (distributes JEBO) (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=513017&highlight=JEBO)

JEBO filter review (http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12028)

In this one, there is post from a month ago regarding the sterilizers cracking (almost certainly due to inferior plastics as I have experienced with Chinese manufacturers).

JEBO UV sterlizer (http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=20217&highlight=JEBO)

JEBO lighting (http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19765&highlight=JEBO)

More JEBO lighting (http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=17945&highlight=JEBO)

Posts from Aquaria Central (can't link these, you have to register)

Odyssea 7/15/2005
The company that manufactures them is a multi-national called Jebo. Good luck. I got one in a used set up I recently bought...it leaks at the point where the motor hosing sets on the plastic filter box. I think these filters may be "crap". If you hear otherwise please let me know (you can buy brand new ones on line, with media for about $65 US plus shipping, so I may be tempted to try a new one.

Need suggestions....compact bulbs "exploding" 4/13/2005
Purchased a 48" JEBO uni-strip light fixture which included 2- 65 watt 21" 4 straight pin bulbs. I'm hyped - nice simple fixture, just what I needed or so I thought.

The light was delivered but when removing it from the box I noticed both tubes were broken on the ends not connected to the wiring.

Simply figured that during shipping the 2 bulbs kissed each other as there was no foam protecting the tips. Wrote the company I got the light from and they sent 2 replacement bulbs, same brand, same wattages.

Got the new bulbs today, plugged them up, turned the light on and noticed wired ends came on (not the full length of the bulbs) - then both lights went out immediately. Did a close inspection of the tubes and noticed the exact same breakage pattern as the original set.

Can anyone five me some suggestions on what can cause this exploding tip problem or have experienced anything like this?

TIA

4/03/2005
You get what you pay for. I had a jebo 110 watt system. The housing was pretty flimsy and one side of it routinely broke off. Fair enough. Then I noticed that my tank looked darker with the 110 watts over it than with my old 60 watt fixture - the reflector on the Jebo is an awful dull blue. So I went out and spray painted the inside of the fixture white to reflect the light better. More work. Eventually I got fed up and bought an all-glass fixture. Look at Big-Al's online for them. Little more expensive but worth it. Just to clarify, I dont think the Jebo is a bad deal, but you really do get what you pay for it.

1/23/2005

Here is my 66g that I finished planting today, under the Jebo white and blue 'actinic' By the way, the blue light that comes with it is not really 'true blue' actinic. It is a white bulb tinted blue, I was this when I showed it to my LFS who specialize in marine tanks. I use it with a 40 watt flurosescent that is in the red spectrum. I took this photo without my flurescent turned on so you can see it is bluish, but not awful to the eye.

1/30/2005

I purchased a Jebo light on Ebay and am very unhappy. first of all you have to spend at least $50 to replace the actinic bulbs which drives the original price up to $150 when you factor in shipping from ebay. The bulbs you do get are of poor quality (Jebo bulbs). You are better of purchasing a freshwater strip light online which comes with 4 6700k bulbs at 65 watts. I have found such a unit with all coralife bulbs and fans for $199 (webaquatics). Like I always say if you are going to buy a cadilac you should get power windows.


The bottom line for me is that there was MORE than enough evidence of poor quality, i.e., improper fit, leaks, breakage, ad infinitum. It is highly likely that the phosphor compounds on the bulbs (if in fact that is what they use, one poster asserts they are painted) is not up to snuff which impacts the light spectra, particulary on the "actinic" (there are numerous posts all over about the actinic not being actinic at all). I have not seen as many complaints about the MH (no high end phosphor required).

Underwriters Lab (UL) and CE (European community certifying body) perform a valuable function regarding certification of quality so that consumers don't get literally burned. I know of one specific instance on some Christmas lights made in China where they forged the UL cert and then sold them in the US causing severe consumer injuries (was a couple years ago). Certification testing costs quite a bit (I've done it more than once for both CE and UL).

I know that some pumps, ozonizers and heaters (Ebo/Jager) have UL certs, not sure about lighting. I also know that many ballasts are not UL certified (because of the test and cert costs) but use UL certified parts which inherently cost a bit more. UL also certifies material for flammability (various requirements regarding how fast a particular material will extinguish when subject to flame tests). I had a problem (again with our Chinese manufacturer) with a product we were going to sell to Costco when we tried to get the flammability certification, again they did not use the plastic material I specified. UL 1018 is the standard electrical aquarium items are supposed to meet.

Again, there may be plenty of people that are OK with a poor quality product. Poor quality can still mean 70 to 80% don't return it or have little or no problems. If you're in the 20 to 30% though, you are NOT happy and if there is a catastrophic failure, well you'll be glad you have fire insurance and kicking yourself over saving $50.

I will not risk buying anything electrical from China without a certification and specifications I can analyze. Cracked end caps? exploding bulbs? over an aquarium? not a good start. Saving $50 or $100 on lighting (if that, after you replace the fake actinc bulbs) does not seem to be worth the risk to me if I have $400 worth of fish and another $1000 worth of inverts. Of course maybe you'll be one of the "lucky" ones. As an engineer and analyst, luck isn't part of the equation for me.

[BillnJennh]

I have the Odyssea (Jebo) 150w MH/36w PC combo and absolutely love it. The only downside was that I needed to replace the bulb when I got it, but that was not that big of a deal and the fan is a bit loud on startup, but that is it. I am well pleased--even if I did get what I paid for :):):):)

[GroYurOwn]

again, thanks for the specifices, but if you want to get into numbers anyone that reads the threads that YOU posted will see that there are VERY few people who are unhappy with their products, and i dont think there are more people than would generally have something go wrong with any product they by. Statistically there are going to be a few bad apples, and i dont see evidence that there are significantly more bad apples with jebo than any other product. there are plenty of people that wont buy fords because they have nothing but problems with them, but then there are people who only buy ford, and will only talk about the good things about ford, even though they have probably had just as many problems as the guy who hates ford! i understand what youre saying, if you can afford to avoid the risk than avoid it, i would if i could, i am sure i would go out and buy the most expensive one i could, but in this case, jebo is the most expensive one i can afford! and none of whats been posted on RC has convinced me that it is not a risk worth taking, i have seen no accounts of catastrophic failures that resultesd in dead tanks, or burnt houses. anyway, this is a great thread, and hopefully its help the thousand or so people who have checked it out, and i hope that people continue to post their experience!

[Tom_Nev]

Originally posted by GroYurOwn
again, thanks for the specifices, but if you want to get into numbers anyone that reads the threads that YOU posted will see that there are VERY few people who are unhappy with their products

I disagree. To my estimation there are 20 to 30% that are quite unhappy, too many.

Statistically there are going to be a few bad apples, and i dont see evidence that there are significantly more bad apples with jebo than any other product.

A few, statistically, is one or two in a thousand, not ten or twenty out of a hundred. Do it another way, look for the number of breakages, fit problems, failures, etc. on other dealers like Hamilton, Current USA, Ice Cap, ARO. There are far less than for JEBO.

if you can afford to avoid the risk than avoid it, i would if i could, i am sure i would go out and buy the most expensive one i could, but in this case, jebo is the most expensive one i can afford!

I never buy the most expensive of anything (often times there is significant expense in purchasing a name) so I wouldn't suggest that. I bought PC retrofit fixtures from Current USA (SunPaq), the 2 x 96 watt with water resistant end caps and reflectors for $130 each (192 watts total). The JEBO at that time were around $99 with no water resistant end caps (about $13 ea) and bulbs that aren't actinic (it would have actually cost me more for lower quality w/JEBO). I also have a 14 year old Ice Cap ballast, I bought used, that still works and will be using 2 x 160 w VHO's with them. (My total cost for about 600 watts of pretty good quality lighting is $320).

Hellolights has a deal on MH retrofit kits right now, 175 w for $125 (w/o bulbs).

i have seen no accounts of catastrophic failures that resultesd in dead tanks, or burnt houses. anyway, this is a great thread, and hopefully its help the thousand or so people who have checked it out, and i hope that people continue to post their experience!

There is one thread here on RC where someones house burned down from a Coralife power strip failure (I would guess most people think Coralife has pretty fair quality). There is not enough info on the thread to determine what lights and or other devices they had plugged in, or what the strip was rated for. I also don't think JEBO has been around very long (it often takes thousands of units in service before severe quality failures).

I've considered one of the JEBO skimmers (I'll just re engineer whatever I don't like or doesn't work). As long as people are aware of the potential pitfalls. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything in particular, doesn't matter to me what people buy. One thing is certain though, JEBO/Odyssea quality systems are not adequate when compared to the US or Japan and that isn't debatable.

Caveat emptor

[MoonGlow]

I have the Odyssea 130w PC with 2 built in fans, I am very satisfied with it so far but I have only had it for 2 months, The only thing I didnt like was that it still got pretty hot "on the side with no fans" so I added another fan I had laying around and it stays very cool now. If I had money to burn I would have definatly went with a coralife but for $64.79 shipped I am very happy with this product. I have heard some very bad things about there customer service but I cannot speak from experience.

[gbr]

I have personally owned 3 of the Jebo heater controllers that come with a 500W stainless tube. All three tubes have failed within 1 week. Actually I expected this. The LFS that sold them to me actually discounted them to $30 for the controller only, telling me that almost everyone that bought them had a failure. (there was not a good seal on the cord input so water could get into the tube). As unsafe as this is, I only used them on my QTs. The controllers work well, but I would not trust them on my main tank just because of the obvious lack of QC.

My thoughts on the debate. When I research a product, I do a quick search on the product on the internet. If I were to find as many as even 5% of the people had a problem with it, I would not take a chance unless it was for a non-critical system. I consider lighting, especially replacement lighting, non-critical, as are the skimmer, the UV, the ozone etc. You currently have lights and the replacements, if they do not work, can be replaced themselves without problems. Now, main return pump, how many people have a spare? Heater controller spare? I can't afford for those to fail. I am gone for 10 hours a day. The tank would not make it that long without flow and or heat. Lights, skimmer, uv, ozone, Ca Reactor, pH meter, fuge pump...who cares. So if you want to take a chance on a product that may fail, go for it. For the price, you could buy two, and still come out ahead.

To sum this up, if I was buying an airplane, I would not buy a Jebo. Period.
If I wanted a cheap skimmer, maybe.

[ReefCheeks]

i like the airplane analogy, i have to agree, i wouldnt buy a critical instrument that would almost certainly kill my tank if it failed...

[nodbugger]

You get what you pay for. I had a jebo 110 watt system. The housing was pretty flimsy and one side of it routinely broke off. Fair enough. Then I noticed that my tank looked darker with the 110 watts over it than with my old 60 watt fixture - the reflector on the Jebo is an awful dull blue. So I went out and spray painted the inside of the fixture white to reflect the light better. More work. Eventually I got fed up and bought an all-glass fixture. Look at Big-Al's online for them. Little more expensive but worth it. Just to clarify, I dont think the Jebo is a bad deal, but you really do get what you pay for it.


This guy is a little slow, the blue is a plastic they put on reflectors to protect them. Sometimes they don't get taken off.

[Lordhelmet]

well thought and put together Tom_Nev, I have followed every thread regarding JEBO products for the last 6 month just becuase the price is SO low. and from what iv'e read, about 20-30% of the people who have bought them have had problems. to me not worth it, thats why i went and got the Tek light T5 setup.

[jmack]

I have the big Odyssea canister filter (the Eheim knockoff)...it works fine. I think as a whole I prefer the biowheel power filters to any sort of canister but it's got me through for the past few months.

[Tom_Nev]

Originally posted by Lordhelmet
well thought and put together Tom_Nev, I have followed every thread regarding JEBO products for the last 6 month just becuase the price is SO low. and from what iv'e read, about 20-30% of the people who have bought them have had problems. to me not worth it, thats why i went and got the Tek light T5 setup.

Thank you. I agree regarding the 20-30% (though I did not do an actual compilation of the data I use statisitics enough to get a ballpark number and I've read enough to know there are severe quality control issues).

I used to design satellites and weapons systems prior to designing commercial aircraft lighting. On a satellite (or weapons system), the quality pretty much HAS to be 100% yield (better than 6 sigma minimum) because if it fails you either have to send an astronaut up in the shuttle to fix it (satellite) or there is potential loss of life (the weapon system operator) of the good guys.

Commercial aircraft lighting is another story (much to my dismay). Some of the FAA reps were incompetent at best and let almost anything pass and some of the engineers used to tell me "Don't worry if it fails or burns we'll get the parts back when the plane lands, it's NOT a satellite".

In any event, the quality control necessary is directly related to the potential failure modes and their potential outcomes. Chinese manufacturing issues are somewhat mitigated when a US company is in control of the quality aspect (i.e., we control the process, QC inspection and don't allow the crap past the gatekeeper). However, when a Chinese (or any other nations) manufacturing company is allowed to import and sell it's products without having to meet any standard of quality (as I believe is the case with JEBO/Odyssea), we as consumers must be aware of the risk.

That said, it appears that although there is a UL standard for some electrical items in the Aquarium industry, companies are not required to meet it to sell their products (as evidenced by all the equipment on the market with no certification). So the average consumer is left hung out to dry. All things being equal (which they aren't, but if a standard was enforced we'd at least know they met some minimum) price is always a consideration and may indeed be the deciding factor.

I've read lots of good things about T5's. With lighting being an essential component of a reef, it HAS to work and be safe (due to potential catastrophic failure). Once the tank is loaded with light loving inverts, a catastrophic lighting failure could be that they just don't work and there is no means to replace them ASAP because the budget is already spent (it would be to me).

[bboyin4lyf]

usless, i just realised that my 10g nano tank is e jebo r338. been working fine for over a year-all pumps/lights. its well designed and looks great.

[GroYurOwn]

i would like to hear from anyone who has problems with products other than jebo....or perhaps they dont exist? i doubt that. i purchased a jebo 4 x 55 about 2 years ago and never had problem with it, but i have pretty much had a problem with everything else, name brand of course, i've had replace all of my powerheads (maxi and penguin) my heaters, my protein skimmer (prizm) so i guess that my have something to do with the fact that i think there isnt that much of a difference, of course thats in my uneducated opinion, i dont have a statistivs degree, and am not a rocket scientist, just a guy who has replaced everything but my piece of junk light!

[GroYurOwn]

btw there is no quality control on DIY, and that seems to be a pretty popular option for reefers....

[ctreefer]

The only problem with compiling statistical data from forums with complaints is people will generally feel more inclined to respond if they've had a negative experience than if they've had a positive one. Aside from this though, I would most likely agree that Jebo's products suffer in quality control. Definitely not 20-30% though.

[Tom_Nev]

Originally posted by GroYurOwn
i would like to hear from anyone who has problems with products other than jebo....or perhaps they dont exist? i doubt that.

Gro, I already posted earlier that someones house burned down from a Coralife power strip failure (at least as indicated on an RC thread). I had problems with Coralife salt (as soon as I started using it I had a hair algae bloom).


i purchased a jebo 4 x 55 about 2 years ago and never had problem with it, but i have pretty much had a problem with everything else, name brand of course, i've had replace all of my powerheads (maxi and penguin) my heaters, my protein skimmer (prizm) so i guess that my have something to do with the fact that i think there isnt that much of a difference...

I have heaters from Jager over 20 years old still working fine, an Ice Cap ballast 14 years old still working fine and 20 year old powerheads I still use also. There are a number of poor reviews of the Prizm skimmer (as well as other info that may indicate quality issues with Red Sea).

...of course thats in my uneducated opinion, i dont have a statistivs degree, and am not a rocket scientist, just a guy who has replaced everything but my piece of junk light!

Why so defensive? The responses are not intended to be a knock on you personally. However, the responses are intended to raise awareness and advise that people check and modify any systems (particularly electrical) as required to be certain that they are safe (i.e., cracked end caps, broken bulbs, loose wires, etc.)

[Tom_Nev]

Originally posted by ctreefer
The only problem with compiling statistical data from forums with complaints is people will generally feel more inclined to respond if they've had a negative experience than if they've had a positive one.

Agreed, it's definitely not scientific.

[GroYurOwn]

i do want to make one very important side note, i can only find these products for sale either on ebay or on the internet at aquatraders.com . while i may not have a particular problem with ODYSSEA / jebo , i do have a very big problem with aquatraders, DO NOT BUY FROM THEM! i initially tried to purchase the MH setup about 2 1/2 weeks ago (8-29-05), they said my card was declined due to a mismatch on the address, so i went ahead and sent a money order, the same day i checked my credit card, and there was a hold for the sale amount on my credit card! so i called the customer service line, customer service is used loosely here, and told them that they needed to send back my money order if they were going to charge my card, the person i talked to could hardly speak english, and said all she could do was note the account. so i called the credit card company, they told me that the hold would probably be released within the following two days, so i emailed aquatraders to let them know to go ahead and cash the money order, since the credit card company said the hold would be released, got no response, i waited four days, hold had not released, still no response, fifth day, i get an email saying my order has been shipped....i can track it online, so i click the link, log in, and it says that the money order was canceled at my request ! so now i dont know if my order shipped, if the money order was cashed, when i will have my money back on my card...so i once again call the customer service line and say " i have a question about my order" and without asking any questions the guy says he cannot answer any questions about orders, i have to email! i told him all i want to know is did it ship or not, he cant answer.... i ask him what the number is supposed to be for, and he says to track orders! i tell him thats what i am trying to do, he says he cant track mine. so now what?! BTW funds still have not been released back to my card, and aquatraders is telling me it is because of my credit card company, my credit card company is telling me it is aquatraders credit processors, aquatraders refuses to even conatact their processors, and in reply to an email stating that i will contact a lawyer here is their response "A copy of the declined transactions will be mailed to you on Monday. Again, the
fund was "declined" two times due to not able to verify card information. In
other words, no money from your card get into our merchant account.
Please bring the copy to your lawyer and your credit card issuing bank/mall.
The professional can explain to you better what "decline" means.
This is your credit card issuing bank/mall not able to process the credit back
to your card. They are the party need to responsible for resolving the problem
with you.
Regards,
Aquatraders" finally i emailed them one last time and told them to make sure they send back that money order, and that "the professionals" have already told me who needs to release the funds, and told them that it doesnt seem as if it would be that difficult to contact the credit processor and ask them if they can release the funds. finally, today, the funds were released, i dont have the money order yet, but expect to see it in the mail soon. bottom line, if you buy jebo / ODYSSEA , youre already taking a risk on the product, but if you buy from aquatraders / 123fish / 99cent fish , your doubling the risk of being dissatisfied, im just gonna buy a current USA, i dont mind risking that my product may look cheap but i do mind being treated like crap!

[jackal4eva]

I used an Amex and was ready to cancel the transaction should anything go wrong. It was a smooth purchase... but i was ready to cancel and call Amex to void the transaction at the first sign oftrouble...

[blange3]

Originally posted by jackal4eva
I used an Amex and was ready to cancel the transaction should anything go wrong. It was a smooth purchase... but i was ready to cancel and call Amex to void the transaction at the first sign oftrouble...

My intention as well. But as long as they live up to their policies, the credit company has to reinstate the charge. When they didn't get back to me with a return authorization for my $49 T5 fixture the charge was reversed. Once they reported that they had issued an RA and I hadn't returned the item, the charge company processed the charge without contacting me. Iwas still in the process of working out the return shipping problem. To ship the same way I recieved the item was almost as costly as the original purchase. Finally we settled on returning the ballast only, which was indeed blown. I would have preferred just to call it quits at that point. They are just to risky to deal with for my taste.:mad:

[GroYurOwn]

its no wonder they have had to up and move so many times...