External Canister Filter

[This Old Spouse]

Does anybody have any feedback on this one?

Jebao filter

 

[This Old Spouse]

And then there's this one.

 

[KittyKat]

And then there's this one.

Yes, this is the only Eheim external range which is crap. I recommend you stay well away from the Ecco.

 

[KISSfn]

Why do you say this??

 

[This Old Spouse]

Yes, why do you say that? I looked up the 2234 on KISSfn's recommendation!

 

[StandbySetting]

The Eheim Ecco's are prone to failure, their design is poor and components are cheap and poorly made, at the last LFS I worked at Eheim Ecco's and the Fluval 05 range were our most returned products.

 

[KISSfn]

How soon after purchase were the Eheim's returned??

 

[KittyKat]

Why do you say this??

As above, because it is of poor quality. As far as I am aware, it is the only Eheim external which is manufactured and assembled in Asia (in China, I think). The other Eheim externals are at least assembled or finished off in Germany, possibly manufactured here too.

On the other hand, I can't fault their other ranges: I have an Eheim Classic which is at least 21 years old and it works flawlessly, with spare parts still available on eBay..

On my Fluval 05 range filter, the plastic started snapping and cracking when the filter was 2.5 years old.

 

[StandbySetting]

All were within 3 years, which for an external filter is appalling, a good Eheim will last 15-20+ years, I still maintain that the Eheim Classic the best filter ever manufactured.

 

[KISSfn]

Why do you say this??

As above, because it is of poor quality. As far as I am aware, it is the only Eheim external which is manufactured and assembled in Asia (in China, I think). The other Eheim externals are at least assembled or finished off in Germany, possibly manufactured here too.

On the other hand, I can't fault their other ranges: I have an Eheim Classic which is at least 21 years old and it works flawlessly, with spare parts still available on eBay..

I still have the box and in 3 locations it states Made in Germany including the bottom (which is the most important) "Eheim Germany Made in Germany". I know that the US is very strict on manufacturers' claims of country of origin or assembly on their products. I just bought a Kodak printer yesterday and it's box, along with most items purchased here, clearly had China printed on the bottom.
If the law were not strictly enforced, I'm sure Kodak and many other companies would put a big American flag and Made in the USA on their products as patriotism is at a fever pitch here with the anniversary of 9/11 coming up.

 

[KittyKat]

Why do you say this??

As above, because it is of poor quality. As far as I am aware, it is the only Eheim external which is manufactured and assembled in Asia (in China, I think). The other Eheim externals are at least assembled or finished off in Germany, possibly manufactured here too.

I still have the box and in 3 locations it states Made in Germany including the bottom (which is the most important) "Eheim Germany Made in Germany". I know that the US is very strict on manufacturers' claims of country of origin or assembly on their products. I just bought a Kodak printer yesterday and it's box, along with most items purchased here, clearly had China printed on the bottom.
If the law were not strictly enforced, I'm sure Kodak and many other companies would put a big American flag and Made in the USA on their products as patriotism is at a fever pitch here with the anniversary of 9/11 coming up.

For something to bear "Made in USA", it has to be ""all or virtually all" made in the United States" and "it is a prerequisite that the product have been last "substantially transformed" in the United States"[1], which Kodak cameras are not.

For something to bear "Made in Germany", it is can be made wherever the hell the manufacturer pleases[2,3]. There are currently no regulations for "Made in" used within Europe and the USA does not care about anything which is labelled as "Made in" outside of the US. Apparently there have been a handful of test cased in Germany about the labelling, which I assume resulted in products which had nothing to do with Germany not being allowed to be labelled as "Made in Germany".

In other words, the labels you see on the boxes and the filter do not mean anything more than if you had taken a crayon and written them on yourself

[1] http/www.ftc.gov/os/1997/12/epsmadeusa.htm
[2] http/online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704062604576105691622922576.html
[3] http/web.ita.doc.gov/otexa/hotiss.nsf/68b2d3c855f32245852574160059deff/92c79342365ad9a6852577c4006f8cb9?OpenDocument

 

[KISSfn]

For something to bear "Made in USA", it has to be ""all or virtually all" made in the United States" and "it is a prerequisite that the product have been last "substantially transformed" in the United States"[1], which Kodak cameras are not.

For something to bear "Made in Germany", it is can be made wherever the hell the manufacturer pleases[2,3]. There are currently no regulations for "Made in" used within Europe and the USA does not care about anything which is labelled as "Made in" outside of the US. Apparently there have been a handful of test cased in Germany about the labelling, which I assume resulted in products which had nothing to do with Germany not being allowed to be labelled as "Made in Germany".

In other words, the labels you see on the boxes and the filter do not mean anything more than if you had taken a crayon and written them on yourself

[1] http/www.ftc.gov/o.../epsmadeusa.htm
[2] http/online.wsj.co...1622922576.html
[3] http/web.ita.doc.g...b9?OpenDocument

I'm glad the US does not misrepresent products like Germany does. I doubt the US does not care about anything labelled "Made In" other countries otherwise why bother to have an Import Administration and an International Trade Administration with fines imposed on those caught breaking trade laws? As long as Eheim honors their 3 year warranty that will be enough for me. Crayons are all my doctors will let me use so I don't hurt myself or others.

 

[KittyKat]

I'm glad the US does not misrepresent products like Germany does.

That wasn't quite what I said Germany, as a country, does not have any laws or regulatory bodies regarding the matter, so therefore it does not misrepresent anything. It is not uncommon for individual companies to "fine tune" or test the products in the country it is registered in, and then stick a "Made in x" sticker on it.

I doubt the US does not care about anything labelled "Made In" other countries […]

If it cared, then nothing would ever be imported into the US unless it was from China or Japan, which have similar laws to US regarding the country of origin.

[…] why bother to have an Import Administration and an International Trade Administration with fines imposed on those caught breaking trade laws?

Trade laws cover things like import duty, dumping of good, embargoes, import restrictions, taxes, certification for electronic goods and so on, which is why they exist.

As long as Eheim honors their 3 year warranty that will be enough for me.

They will, but the point is that we are comparing filters which will last (for example) for 20+ years and 3 years here, which is a difference that is not reflected in the price.

 

[KISSfn]

That wasn't quite what I said Germany, as a country, does not have any laws or regulatory bodies regarding the matter, so therefore it does not misrepresent anything. It is not uncommon for individual companies to "fine tune" or test the products in the country it is registered in, and then stick a "Made in x" sticker on it.

Then the Eheim company is misrepresenting it's products. On the front page of their website advertising the Ecco series it boldly states "Made in Germany". Reputable companies at least put "Assembled in x" on their packaging.

I doubt the US does not care about anything labelled "Made In" other countries […]

If it cared, then nothing would ever be imported into the US unless it was from China or Japan, which have similar laws to US regarding the country of origin.

You're probably right, the government is a bunch of corrupt millionares. If it were up to me, Congress would be abolished and US citzens would make their own decisions. Congress is no longer needed to "represent" the people in this age of high tech when citizens can vote using a secure (as possible) connection to Washington. Unfortunately this will never happen as the foxes are guarding the hen house and will never allow it.

[…] why bother to have an Import Administration and an International Trade Administration with fines imposed on those caught breaking trade laws?

Trade laws cover things like import duty, dumping of good, embargoes, import restrictions, taxes, certification for electronic goods and so on, which is why they exist.

I may have gotten the agency's name wrong but I've heard politicians speak of getting companies to disclose more info. (Probably just saying what the people want to hear so they can get re-elected and then they do whatever the highest bidder wants them to do)

As long as Eheim honors their 3 year warranty that will be enough for me.

They will, but the point is that we are comparing filters which will last (for example) for 20+ years and 3 years here, which is a difference that is not reflected in the price.

Back in the 1980's or earlier some products were produced to last. But today many companies have a site in Asia or some third world country for cheap labor. At least Kodak (forced or voluntarily) had "China" on the bottom of the printer box. I seriously doubt ANY filter manufactured today will last 20+ years. There's not enough profit margin or incentive to do it. Even the American company I work for has facilities in Japan, China and the Philippines so upper management can keep their Swiss bank accounts full.

 

[colleen0309]

I know most people lean towards the Eihem and Fluval cannister filters, but I have to do things economically. I have 8 aquariums and my husband has been out of work for over a year. I shop alot on ebay and do alot of diy projects just to keep my tanks running. In December I bought my first cannister filter from ebay. It's an Odessa cfs4. It is a great filter! I paid $35 for the filter and $15 for shipping. I loaded the cannister with bio balls and ceramic rings(they came with the filter). I just cleaned it for the first time last week. It didn't need to be cleaned (still had great flow). I was just feeling bad because I'm used to HOB filters needing to be cleaned once a month. I don't know how well it will hold up through the years, but it seems to be made very well.