Ecoxotic panorama pro:1 yr review

Broncos · 02/17/2013, 11:12 AM

I purchased 3 24" pro fixtures about 1 year ago and I'd like to report my experience to date.

THE GOOD:
These fixtures have an excellent color spectrum which looks great and i can grow most anything under them (an extra strip in each fixture wouldn't hurt and thats their new approach).

They don't overheat my tank at all.

They have great customer service.

Expandability provides uniform coverage and little color banding.

THE BAD:
These fixtures have LOTS of connections nd the connectors from the three into one wires are identical so one could easily plug things in wrong (i.e. plug a strip directly into the transformer OR plug one 3 to 1 into another 3 to 1, etc.). This is very complicated with multiple fixtures! replacing lights takes lots of time and dilligence to ensure the wiring is correct.

The wiring covers are cramped and its difficult to squeeze another fixture's wire under them. The wiring covers screws rust and want o strip out the aluminum slot they go into. They are a PITA to add fixtures to... Not like the ads where they magically expand.

My setup requires 6 outlets. Mahing room in APEX EB8 is, well, interesting. They shock me lightly if i touch them when my hand is in the tank

They have good customer service. This is bad? IME this is a sign of companies that experience lots of quality issues.

THE UGLY:

A couple of dimmers failed. I dissasembled one-it was melted internally. Scary. I eventually removed them all when i got my APEX. They are advertized as dimmable...thats true, but you have to do this manually, in my case via 6 different rheostats.

Oh yeah, ALL 15 OF MY MODULES FAILED IN LESS THAN A YEAR. They slowly started "melting" leds within each strip, then total failure. This occured slowly over several months and i didn't notice it at first. Customer service replaced them but it took a long time from when i noticed, negotiating with customer service, shipping and then finding time to rip out my fixtures to replace them which can take a long time (my career requires lots of OT). My last two strips failed recently and I just bought more-I dont want any more help from customer service. I lost quite a few corals in the first round.

I was told that these should have fans on them by customer service. The absence of need for noisy fans was one of the reasons i bought them. In my opinion, the reflectors and their hood design may have contributed to trapping heat. They have changed the design (because of failures?) but the old ones had small electrical components that were exposed through the epoxy they use to pot the LEDs in. New ones dont have this issue. This may have contributed?

SUMMARY

I spent $1500 on these to reduce cost (bulbs and bills), heat and downtime for replacing bulbs. I have wasted a LOT of time trying to fix and replace these strips over the past 6 months or so... I hope the replacements last. I'm poor, this isn't pocket change to me.

As i was replacing the last of these today, i removed my netting to remove my lights and my favorite fairy wrasse silently exited my tank

. It was very upsetting. Between that and my corals, I've lost hundreds of dollars in livestock. The constant hardware repairs are taking the fun out of this hobby.

I would never buy these again. I give them a D- (woulda given an F if they didn't have such nice color).

If you've experienced similar issues, please post here or PM me. I'd like to know your experience.

Matt

Chris Mills · 02/24/2013, 11:55 AM

I have heard similar from a friend who has this exact same unit - he had a lot of problems with his modules failing within a year.

rtparty · 02/24/2013, 12:38 PM

Over 18 months of use on my Ecoxotic equipment with not a single failure on anything.

I have pro modules, stunners, panorama marine and actinic fixtures and some others I'm forgetting.

I don't have any LEDs over my reef tank any longer but they are on my fresh water still.

Sent from my Galaxy S3

mcgyvr · 02/24/2013, 12:42 PM

yep crappy..crappy...crappy...crappy...crappy thermal management with no room for error..

I love how they even tell you "yes they should have fans"...
Well then put them there in the first place idiots..

A company like that can only live on "luck" for so long.

Plato · 02/26/2013, 03:15 PM

Same experience. They suck. For what they cost I could of had 2 x AIs. Have to wipe them down all the time as I'm afraid of led burning out. Do not buy them. Not worth the money. Go AI or Radion.

ForSaleByAndy · 02/26/2013, 04:34 PM

I'm not sure if it's just me -- but is Ecoxotic all the sudden having a TON of problems?

Most of my items are on backorder. Their customer service dept. has been down for the last 3 days -- can only leave a message.

I've had three items fail and am very, very disappointed by what used to be a good experience turning poor so fast. Anyone else having issues with them?

chadfarmer · 02/26/2013, 04:48 PM

seen a lot of them have bad leds, arent they supposed to last 10 years

mcgyvr · 02/26/2013, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadfarmer

seen a lot of them have bad leds, arent they supposed to last 10 years

LED's when properly managed "thermally" will typically last 50,000 hours or more.
LED's done by companies that don't know what they are doing can will have a MUCH shorter life. Its all about maintaining a low LED junction temperature..
The higher the junction temp the shorter the lifespan.

Clearly Ecoxotic does NOT know what they are doing.

02/17/2013, 11:12 AM	#1
Broncos Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 77	Ecoxotic panorama pro:1 yr review I purchased 3 24" pro fixtures about 1 year ago and I'd like to report my experience to date. THE GOOD: These fixtures have an excellent color spectrum which looks great and i can grow most anything under them (an extra strip in each fixture wouldn't hurt and thats their new approach). They don't overheat my tank at all. They have great customer service. Expandability provides uniform coverage and little color banding. THE BAD: These fixtures have LOTS of connections nd the connectors from the three into one wires are identical so one could easily plug things in wrong (i.e. plug a strip directly into the transformer OR plug one 3 to 1 into another 3 to 1, etc.). This is very complicated with multiple fixtures! replacing lights takes lots of time and dilligence to ensure the wiring is correct. The wiring covers are cramped and its difficult to squeeze another fixture's wire under them. The wiring covers screws rust and want o strip out the aluminum slot they go into. They are a PITA to add fixtures to... Not like the ads where they magically expand. My setup requires 6 outlets. Mahing room in APEX EB8 is, well, interesting. They shock me lightly if i touch them when my hand is in the tank They have good customer service. This is bad? IME this is a sign of companies that experience lots of quality issues. THE UGLY: A couple of dimmers failed. I dissasembled one-it was melted internally. Scary. I eventually removed them all when i got my APEX. They are advertized as dimmable...thats true, but you have to do this manually, in my case via 6 different rheostats. Oh yeah, ALL 15 OF MY MODULES FAILED IN LESS THAN A YEAR. They slowly started "melting" leds within each strip, then total failure. This occured slowly over several months and i didn't notice it at first. Customer service replaced them but it took a long time from when i noticed, negotiating with customer service, shipping and then finding time to rip out my fixtures to replace them which can take a long time (my career requires lots of OT). My last two strips failed recently and I just bought more-I dont want any more help from customer service. I lost quite a few corals in the first round. I was told that these should have fans on them by customer service. The absence of need for noisy fans was one of the reasons i bought them. In my opinion, the reflectors and their hood design may have contributed to trapping heat. They have changed the design (because of failures?) but the old ones had small electrical components that were exposed through the epoxy they use to pot the LEDs in. New ones dont have this issue. This may have contributed? SUMMARY I spent $1500 on these to reduce cost (bulbs and bills), heat and downtime for replacing bulbs. I have wasted a LOT of time trying to fix and replace these strips over the past 6 months or so... I hope the replacements last. I'm poor, this isn't pocket change to me. As i was replacing the last of these today, i removed my netting to remove my lights and my favorite fairy wrasse silently exited my tank. It was very upsetting. Between that and my corals, I've lost hundreds of dollars in livestock. The constant hardware repairs are taking the fun out of this hobby. I would never buy these again. I give them a D- (woulda given an F if they didn't have such nice color). If you've experienced similar issues, please post here or PM me. I'd like to know your experience. Matt

02/24/2013, 12:38 PM	#3
rtparty Raise The Reef! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 7,404	Over 18 months of use on my Ecoxotic equipment with not a single failure on anything. I have pro modules, stunners, panorama marine and actinic fixtures and some others I'm forgetting. I don't have any LEDs over my reef tank any longer but they are on my fresh water still. Sent from my Galaxy S3 __________________ Ryan Click on my user name and check out my homepage! Current Tank Info: 50g Cadlights/Giesemann Spectra (250w Radium, 2 ATI Blue Plus, 2 ATI Actinic)/2 x Vortech MP10wQD/Skimz SN123/Eheim Compact 3000+

02/24/2013, 12:42 PM	#4
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	yep crappy..crappy...crappy...crappy...crappy thermal management with no room for error.. I love how they even tell you "yes they should have fans"... Well then put them there in the first place idiots.. A company like that can only live on "luck" for so long. __________________ Who me?

02/26/2013, 03:15 PM	#5
Plato Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: NC Posts: 638	Same experience. They suck. For what they cost I could of had 2 x AIs. Have to wipe them down all the time as I'm afraid of led burning out. Do not buy them. Not worth the money. Go AI or Radion. __________________ Genesis 2:28 God blessed them and said to them,"Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Current Tank Info: 275 starphire, 3 x 400 watt MH + 4 x 80 watt T5's, 2 x MP 60 + 2 x MP 40, Orca 250 skimmer, CADS filter head (SeaVisions), ProCal Ca reactor, GHL controlled.

02/26/2013, 04:48 PM	#7
chadfarmer Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: ST Charles, MO far from nanook Posts: 11,045 Blog Entries: 1	seen a lot of them have bad leds, arent they supposed to last 10 years __________________ If you think you know the answer than ask 3 more people the question Current Tank Info: 200 Gal RR,ATB medium, 4 AI blue sol,230 LBS LIVE ROCK, no sand , 40 GAL sump, airstar1800, 3 tunze 6105 1- 6205 1-6305, Geo 818, profilux3ex with toys

02/24/2013, 11:55 AM	#2
Chris Mills Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: San Luis Obispo, California Posts: 96	I have heard similar from a friend who has this exact same unit - he had a lot of problems with his modules failing within a year.

02/26/2013, 04:34 PM	#6
ForSaleByAndy Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Livonia, MI Posts: 128	I'm not sure if it's just me -- but is Ecoxotic all the sudden having a TON of problems? Most of my items are on backorder. Their customer service dept. has been down for the last 3 days -- can only leave a message. I've had three items fail and am very, very disappointed by what used to be a good experience turning poor so fast. Anyone else having issues with them?