I haven't bought one yet. None in the country to buy.
This skimmer purchase is purely elective. I decided to try something different than my Alpha 300, and that I would go for one with a long riser tube that operates on a Mazzei injector vs the same needle wheel technology of the BK/Alpha 300 types.
The Alpha is very close to the BK SM 250/300 in the way it operates, needle wheel, etc. Great skimmer, but I am curious about the LifeReef. I haven't heard a bad thing about this line, and they have been around for 30 years.
I had an Orca 200 with a Beckett injector years and years ago, but never a Mazzei based skimmer.
Who knows, I may buy a BK SM 250 as well and do a direct comparison. I am an admitted equipment junkie.
If there is any downside to needle wheel skimmers, I have always thought that with my Alpha 300 I have to skim wet to get the best performance out of it. Never been an issue for me, as I have always skimmed wet. Cone skimmer technology, as I understand it, is based on making the exposure time of the bubbles to water longer. A broad base on the bottom and bottle neck small diameter opening at the top is how this is achieved. In the LifeReef skimmers it is old school with a tall reaction chamber. I think I can play with dryer skimming with this type of skimmer better than I can with a BK. I may be wrong, but whenever I have tried dryer skimming in a cone type, I get a huge buildup of goop on the inside of the riser tube. Wetter skimming helps stop this, but then you only can do one type of skimming.