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| Product: Dual-Temp Heater
Series |
overall score: |
| Manufacturer: MarineLand |
1 2 3
4 5 |
| Price:
$25-(100 watts) <--> $30-(300 watts) |
| Pros:
Easy set heaters are extremely accurate.
Very simple for beginners to use! |
| Cons:
Still more pricey than the higher quality
Ebo-Jager. Not much flexibility on temperature settings. |
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Product Review |
Models Used for
this review->200 watt |
The Dual-Temp was Mainland's first jump into
the heater market under their "MarineLand" brand name. However, it was
not the first heater they have created. They have been making the
"visi-therm" series of heaters for years under their "aquarium systems"
brand name.
The question with any new
product is what it brings to the marketplace that other products do not.
In this case, the new gadget for the dual-temp is hidden in its name.
The Dual-Temp heater can be set to 2 temperatures. That is correct,
you can only set it to 2 temperatures. The two temperatures it can be
set to, 76º and 82º will meet the needs of the vast majority of aquarium
fish. This heater is designed specifically for beginners and those who
want to set the heater to specific temperature and then walk away. |
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Accuracy (9)- |
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The Dual-Temp claims that it is Laboratory
Tested to within ONE degree. Meaning that if you set it to
76º, the heater should never get above
77º. In fact it does do this very well. I have only on one
occasion seen the water at 2º off of 76º. |
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Ease of Use (9)- |
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I don't think there could be an easier heater to use...unless of course
you wanted to set the temperature to say 78º.
Unlike your typical heater, the Dual-Temp gives you only two settings you
can change it to. There is absolutely no guess-work involved on this
one. The only confusing part I found was that I didn't understand the
concept when reading the MarineLand information on the heater. It
wasn't until I actually received mine in the mail that I understood what
they were trying to do. |
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Reliability (9)- |
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This is an area I hate to judge in so short a time. I have been
running the heater for just over 6 months now and have found no flaws in it.
It clicks on and off without a problem. I have not had any water
seepage into the heater as is common within this timeframe with the Tetra
Acura heaters, and I have not had any overheating of the aquarium as is
common with Top Fin heaters. Truly, I think heaters need more time to
show there reliability, but I have no reason to believe that there are any
substandard parts in the heater. |
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Overall (8)- |
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This series of heater does what it sets out to do very well. However,
doubt it will make it on the market in the long term. The reason for
this is that I believe advanced hobbyists will pass over the heater feeling
that it doesn't over them enough control over the temperature of their
tanks. In addition, Ebo-Jager heaters, the industry standard, are
cheaper. Newer hobbyists will likely pass by the heater as it looks
much more complicated than it is. Nevertheless, if you have the
ability to get one of these heaters cheaply, I highly recommend doing so.
I'm sure you won't be disappointed. |
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