Dickey's Incubator with Review

[Araucana Nest]

ETA: changed the title to better reflect the thread. I added a review (post #7) below.

Is Dickey's still manufacturing? I need to expand my incubation and was planning to buy a Brinsea Ova Easy 100 but had a disappointing experience with the Ovation 56 EX and it has made me look around a little - well, their OE 100 cabinets are out of stock right now so I've been looking around and found Dickey's.

Other than GQF, whose lack of customer service has decreased the chances I will buy again from them, are there any other cabinet incubators out there that are under 1k?

 

[Araucana Nest]

Well I’ll answer my own post since I just got off the phone with Dickey’s. I’m going with them. Bittersweet to separate from Brinsea but Dickey’s has more capacity for less price and a stellar reputation. I’ll post after I get it and hatch. The phone call was very helpful.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I hope you'll like it . I just bought a gqf 1502 Sportsman.

 

[Araucana Nest]

I hope you'll like it . I just bought a gqf 1502 Sportsman.

Thank you. Sportsman is a great cabinet incubator. I had a 1202 back in the day and loved it - great hatches - but GQF really dropped the ball on a purchase I made last year. Their customer service was non existent for me. At any rate, like Brinsea, they are out of stock too.

 

[Araucana Nest]

Getting it next week in time for my March hatch

 

[Araucana Nest]

If anyone is looking and wants to compare, there is a "newer" cabinet incubator at the Hatching Time website. The CT. I think it's imported from Malaysia (???). Just another one to keep competition interesting. The prices are similar and the lead time is end of March. https://hatchingtime.com/

 

[Araucana Nest]

Received the Dickey 3/1 Electronic yesterday and unboxed it. I'd like to share my review on this thread because they say they are swamped with orders so if you are thinking about one... watch the video on youtube with unboxing and assembly instructions before you order. I didn't. I read all the reviews I could find and none prepared me so watch the video.

Total price was $1074 total with shipping and tax. The incubator itself with 6 egg trays, electronic thermostat and acrylic door was $877. I'll use this price as a basis for my comments and review.

There is some assembly required, I was invited to pick it up in person and have it completely assembled for me and I would recommend that for everyone. At the time an 8 hour round trip (under perfect conditions) was more than I could commit to. I'm dyslexic so even something as simple as turning a screw clockwise or counterclockwise can be an exercise in error and frustration. Turning screws was required. A simple little task for most people.

That said, this is not a digital incubator. Many reviews mention "digital" or "electronic", the terms are not interchangeable. I thought it was digital, my fault entirely. The Dickey has an electronic thermostat. Once it is set, it maintains temperature very steadily, much better than a wafer but is not a digital (meaning there is no control board for setting temperature). You have to adjust the thermostat screw manually and wait for the thermometer/hygrometer to register the new temp before proceeding.

First the pros:
Always answered the phone or called me right back.
Honest about their stock and up front about total price (before shipping but it was good enough for a close estimate).
8 days from order to arrival at my gate.
Packed very well.
It is very large and stable cabinet incubator. It won't tip over accidentally.
Real wood construction.
Excellent seals.
There is plenty of space inside. It is big and roomy.
The legendary quality and reputation of Dickey's is the foremost reason I went with them.
Love the acrylic door, it's thick.
The trays and shelves are heavy -duty.
My first time with this thermostat and so far, so good.
The back up wafer will regulate heat in case the primary electronic thermostat fails.


What is problematic:
The door is not squared to the opening. It may have happened in shipping but there are little things that make it seem like it is due to not being detail-oriented when assembled. The latches on the door are not straight. They are ever so slightly crooked. (some of the hardware also is not on straight but slightly crooked and brush against the door and make it dificult to open). The fix that the video shows is not possible for a woman with one bad shoulder who weighs not much more than the incubator. Hence I had to enlist a friend who could fix the issue for me. She is currently at the hardware store.

The wafer screw was bent but that is an easy fix (hardware store trip). Shouldn't have been in the thread, imo. It could have come in a package with other hardware. The screws and hardware were rolled up in a small plastic bag (not a big deal but there was one screw missing).

The screws for the acrylic door are too short and fall out. (hardware store trip).

The door when closed gets STUCK. There is no handle to pull open. I had to undo all the hardware and gently coax it open with a blade TWICE.

The stickers with serial #, position instructions for switches... fell off in the shipping box. Maybe because they are not meant for the finish.

The paint job is practical. Being a wooden cabinet, the finish has the potential to create a classical touch but it's just painted. A practical look but not very classy. I won't tell my family how much I paid for it. It doesn't look like an $870 machine but prices have gone up on everything, so.... .

My biggest disappointment is that I expected a classic incubator reminiscent of the old school cabinet incubators built back in the day. Spending an entire day on getting the door to open and close properly (and it won't because there is a piece of hardware jutting out that can't be sanded down enough), having the wrong screws, missing screws, bent screw, the embarassment when I've been boasting about this incubator to a friend who unboxed it with me. She was silent but I really expected something that was legendary out of the box.

Bottom line: watch the video before you order. Could be you are engineering and carpentry inclined and the legendary quality of the manufacturer, the electronic thermostat and the back up wafer thermostat is all you want. Could be you are not engineering or carpentry inclined and you may have dyslexia or a physical limitation of some sort that would make putting this together and fixing the flaws an unworthwhile drag.

(added- I've got it running now and it is running very well. Very solid. A bit of a loud hum. Not sure if the trays are turning )

I'll update this after my first hatch with a review of its working capacity which is really the make it or break it point. I can live with it if everything else goes perfectly. Time will tell but I think the price is fair with a few more finishing toughes and maybe assembling more of it in -house .

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

After waiting almost 3 weeks I contacted QC supply were I bought my Sportsman's 1502 to ask them for an update on the incubator I bought and was charged for. They answered oh yeah we're out, even though it says we had it in stock we didn't really physically have any.
So I'm never buying anything from QC Supply again.
Got a 1202E incubator ordered from Incubator Warehouse on Thursday, called Friday to make sure they got my order and if they even have the item. They answered yes your order is processing and we never sell things we don't have.
Incubator Warehouse is a company I'd definitely recommend doing business with. My incubator is supposed to be here Monday!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Received the Dickey 3/1 Electronic yesterday and unboxed it. I'd like to share my review on this thread because they say they are swamped with orders so if you are thinking about one... watch the video on youtube with unboxing and assembly instructions before you order. I didn't. I read all the reviews I could find and none prepared me so watch the video.

Total price was $1074 total with shipping and tax. The incubator itself with 6 egg trays, electronic thermostat and acrylic door was $877. I'll use this price as a basis for my comments and review.

There is some assembly required, I was invited to pick it up in person and have it completely assembled for me and I would recommend that for everyone. At the time an 8 hour round trip (under perfect conditions) was more than I could commit to. I'm dyslexic so even something as simple as turning a screw clockwise or counterclockwise can be an exercise in error and frustration.

That said, this is not a digital incubator. Many reviews mention "digital" or "electronic", the terms are not interchangeable. The Dickey has an electronic thermostat. Once it is set it maintains temperature very steadily (in theory since I haven't hatched yet, I'm still trying to square the door). It is not a digital (meaning there is no control board for setting temperature. You have to adjust the thermostat screw manually and wait for the thermometer/hygrometer to register the new temp before proceeding.

First the pros:
Packed very well.
It is very stable cabinet incubator. It won't tip over accidentally.
Real wood construction.
Excellent seals.
There is plenty of space inside. It is big and roomy.
The legendary quality and reputation of Dickey's is the foremost reason I went with them.
Love the acrylic door, it's thick.
The trays and shelves are heavy -duty.
I don't understand the electronic thermostat yet but am told it is high quality.
I don't understand the back up wafer yet but it may one day save my hatch.


What is problematic:
The door is not squared to the opening. This is a big problem. The latches on the door are not straight. They are ever so slightly crooked. (some of the hardware also is not on straight but slightly crooked). Don't know if this is part of the issue or if shipping was the culprit but the fix that the video shows is not possible for a woman with one bad shoulder who weighs not much more than the incubator. Hence I had to enlist a friend who could fix the issue for me. She is currently at the hardware store.

The wafer screw was bent but that is an easy fix (hardware store trip). Shouldn't have been in the thread, imo. It could have come in a package with other hardware. My incubator didn't arrive with a hardware box like it shows in the video. The screws and hardware were rolled up in a small plastic bag (not a big deal but there was one screw missing).

The screws for the acrylic door are too short and fall out. (hardware store trip).

The door when closed gets STUCK. There is no handle to pull open. I had to undo all the hardware and gently coax it open with a blade TWICE.

The stickers with serial #, position instructions for switches... fell off in the shipping box. Maybe because they are not meant for the finish.

The paint job is garage quality. Being a wooden cabinet, the finish has the potential to create a classical touch but it's just painted over with a gloss paint and it could have been sanded better. I won't tell my family how much I paid for it. It doesn't look like an $870 machine but prices have gone up on everything, so.... .

My biggest disappointment is that I expected a classic incubator reminiscent of the old school cabinet incubators built back in the day when people took pride in their work. Spending an entire day on getting the door to open and close properly, having the wrong screws, missing screws, bent screw, the embarassment when I've been boasting about this incubator to a friend who unboxed it with me. She was silent but I really expected something that was legendary out of the box. And I haven't even set the wafer and thermostat yet.

Bottom line: watch the video before you order. Could be you are engineering and carpentry inclined and the legendary quality of the manufacturer, the electronic thermostat and the back up wafer thermostat is all you want. Could be you are not engineering or carpentry inclined and you may have dyslexia or a physical limitation of some sort that would make putting this together and fixing the flaws a huge drag.

I'll update this after my first hatch with a review of its working capacity which is really the make it or break it point. I can live with it if everything else goes perfectly. Time will tell but I think it is not worth the price.

I hope you get outstanding hatches after all the hassle. Perhaps then it will be worth it all.

 

[Araucana Nest]

After waiting almost 3 weeks I contacted QC supply were I bought my Sportsman's 1502 to ask them for an update on the incubator I bought and was charged for. They answered oh yeah we're out, even though it says we had it in stock we didn't really physically have any.
So I'm never buying anything from QC Supply again.
Got a 1202E incubator ordered from Incubator Warehouse on Thursday, called Friday to make sure they got my order and if they even have the item. They answered yes your order is processing and we never sell things we don't have.
Incubator Warehouse is a company I'd definitely recommend doing business with. My incubator is supposed to be here Monday!

Wow. I'd be mad too. Unfortunately that is more common these days. Hope your new one gets there quickly To their credit, the Dickey's folk always answered the phone or called me right back and were honest about what their backlog was which was only one week from order to shipping. I should write that into the review.