I'm debating ... Brinsea, RCom20, RCom King Soro20???

[faykokoWV]

If you are just hatching in it and don't need an egg turner or turner cradle, you could go with the Brinsea eco. It does require the temperature be set when you first start using it, but mine has held the temp through three hatches without any further adjustments. It hold humidity well and is easy to clean. You can get it for $99 on sale. It looks just like the Brinsea advance but doesn't have the push button temp settings.

now, that being said, its pretty crowded in there when they start hatching.

 

[kathyinmo]

See, that is a concern I have also .... I will be using it as a hatcher, and I worry about tight quarters when hatching. Hmmmm, what to do, what to do???

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=322365 I just read this thread, and that concerns me! Poor customer support is not a good way to get my business.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Brinsea probably has the best customer support. It's never been the highest on my list...usually price is. I can usually figure most of the issues out with the owners manual.

 

[cqnguyen]

Quote:
I didn't order mine from kemps Koop, I got it from another web site, also in reagards to that persons post, you should read further down, but yeah just order it from the other website if you decide, but mine came quick and had a tracking number, good stuff on the research though

 

[Cara]

You get what you pay for. I loathe Hovabators. I don't want a $150 piece of styrofoam. They are too fragile and hard to clean, and the turning mechanism does not give me nearly as good a hatch rate as the others.

I have a Genesis, a Brinsea Octagon 20 and an R-COM 20. In the event of a power outage, the Genesis is the first to lose heat. The other two are excellent. I had the Octagon full of duck eggs and we lost power all night. Several days later I had a 100% hatch.

Out of the two it is a tough call. The Octagon seems to have a slightly better development/hatch rate, but it is not as easy to use. It is aggravating having to take it apart to refill the water channels, and the temperature dial is very small and almost too precise to adjust. The digital humidity and temperature settings make the R-COM simpler to use. The Octagon is slightly easier to clean as the bottom section and egg tray can go in the dishwasher. The setup is quite complicated though, and it is hard to watch a hatch through the lid.

 

[Mahonri]

My Brinsea gets pretty crowded at hatch, but as you know, every egg in there at lockdown hatched. (and I had to help two of them) Just doesn't have a lot of head space and I use cartons to hatch. Not so with the hovabator.

I love how the Brinsea keeps the humidity right where you want it. BUT, if you are going to buy it, wait till it's on sale.
I paid way too much for it in December and then come January it was selling for 1/4th of their regular asking price.

 

[flyweed]

I've got to put my word in here for the Brinsea. I have the Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco with autoturner. It did NOT come preset from the factory at 99.5F like it said it would...but the temp control is VERY easy to adjust and VERY precise. I could adjust in single tenths to hit the correct temp. Since I got it set...my temp has been rock solid at 99.3F and humidity at 45%. We had a cold snap yesterday..and our outside temps dropped to just 32F outside..and the Brinsea was not affected at all,,,which is up in our kitchen, on the counter, on an outside wall.

So my vote is for the Brinsea.

Dan