Best cabinet incubator?

[ChickenRonin]

Okay, I have been saving my pennies for about a year now and I FINALLY have enough for a good cabinet incubator. I have been researching but I can't make up my mind. I need help!
I want something that I can basically set and forget, as easy to deal with as possible. I am soooo tired of messing around with styrofoam incubators I can't see straight, so the easier the better. I don't mind checking on it daily, but I am SO OVER staying up all hours of the night worrying about temperature spikes.
Also I would like to know how well they work with shipped eggs. I know alot depends on the post office and incubating practices, but I am curious to know if cabinet incubators have better hatch rates on shipped eggs than styrofoam ones.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Mahonri]

If I were going to spend the money I would do so in this order.

1. Brinsea Ova Easy... there are two sizes one for 160+ eggs, one for 300+ eggs. Set and forget.

2. GQF Sportsman 1502... I think you can do over 120 eggs in it... and you can stagger your hatches.

3. Dickey... I've only heard positive reports about it.

Those are the big three. Unless you are going commercial.

Wish I owned even one of them, but I would need a bunch of land and many large coops to support that many chickens.

 

[NancyP]

I own a Dickey and love it.

 

[FowlDelights]

I have a GQF Sportsman 1502 purchased used on craigs list. I also have the ova easy 190. The best bang for the buck to me is the 1502.

The 1502 has better humidity control. Temperature control is equal on both. Yes you can get the humidity pump on the 190/380 and for incubating it is truly a set and forget process. However during the hatching process you will have to baby sit it constantly (every 4 hours). On mine, with the humidity pump, I had to add water to the container in the morning and evening, in addition to leveling the trays to add extra water containers to each tray (all 3). I could not get the humidity above 60% for hatching and that's with the vents closed down.

The 1502 from GQF is $660 not including shipping. The 190 model is $750 with a free humidity pump (a current special, otherwise $120 more) not inclucing shipping. The 380 model is $1,000.

The 1502 holds 90 chickens eggs per incubation tray (3). The 190 model holds 36 and the 380 model holds 72 eggs per incubation tray. The 1502 is $90 less than the 190 model. The 1502 is $340 less than than the 380 model. The 1502 has greater capacity. The shipping for the 380 model is almost double the 190 model (I couldn't find the shipping costs this time) when I bought mine and was a factor in the model I selected.

Remember the calculations do not incude shipping or accessories. I use the 1502 for hatching (turner is broken) because controling the humidiy is far superior for hatching (IMO) than the 190 model.

The technical support from Brinsea is fantastic. The technical support from GQF is good but could be better.

I don't have any exerience with Dickey.

Hope this helps

ETA: My results with shipped eggs has varied from incredible (23 out of 30) to extremely poor (1 out of 16). I don't know how to pinpoint the problems. But if you do get bad results from a shipment and you let the seller know, then they usually will send a replacement batch for the cost of shipment. So far all the sellers on BYC have been outstanding. You take your chances on EBAY.

 

[ChickenRonin]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I have pretty much narrowed it down to the GQF 1502 and the OvaEasy 380, although the humidity problems FowlDelights mentioned with the 380 are making me lean toward the 1502. Not to mention the price - it would be nice to have a little extra money left over to fill it too

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Put me down as a another Dickey fan.

 

[Linda Michelle]

I bought the 1502 model of cabinet incubator I did a lot of research and I got tired of the styrofoam incubators they just wasn't getting it done but I seem to really like this have three peacock eggs in it right now and will be setting Mandarin ducks and Indy Ducks today will let everyone know how it works out