Odyssea Lights Value or Junk ???

mikeguerrero · 02/08/2006, 06:27 PM

Can anyone comment on these lights? For the price and what you get it looks like a steal !!!!

Thanks,

Mike

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=218

dr.darkness · 02/08/2006, 06:31 PM

My comment is: JUNK!

PiNaPLeX · 02/08/2006, 06:34 PM

They're a crapshoot, some people have no problems, others have them burn out in 30mins. If you feel like pressing your luck then get them. But if they fail, then you'd end up spending more money than if you had just bought a quality light with in the first place.

IMO, i'd pay the extra money for quality lights.

clord · 02/08/2006, 06:39 PM

If your going to spend that much please buy better lights why flush $350 down the drain.

jun_celis · 02/08/2006, 06:42 PM

Like everyone always says: You always get what you pay for. Mostly in this hobby, you buy cheap... you get unsatisfactory results. You'll just end up buying another one again.

Spuds725 · 02/08/2006, 06:43 PM

Valunk OR Jalue

I don't have that oneI have the 48" PC fixture-- PC 260W with night lights...

This is based on my experience only....

Pros

+Price
+Lights are decent PC lights and have lit my tank for 9+ months.

Cons
-Fans were loud for the first month (I've heard this with other people too)
-Fans quieted down after the first month when they quit working.
-On my unit, one cord so you can't use timers for the Night, Actic, or White-- controlled by 3 switches.
-Where ends mount on legs-- doesn't fit together very well-- like it was designed by two differnt people... other people have said the same thing to me.

orlenz · 02/08/2006, 06:55 PM

well
the negatives.

there plastic

there only 175W ( may be ok for a very shallow tank or a softy tank)

try finding a decent 175W HQI BUlb when it comes time to replace the m.

they use PC bulbs, instead of T-5 or VHO's

basically a suck fest.

bpatrol · 02/09/2006, 12:37 AM

there not plastic but metal, actually the hood is well made, my friend has one a 36" single but he opted for the 150 hqi setup for bulb compatibility..
the bad is all the bulbs suck.. you will need to replace the hqi bulb and actinic pc bulbs becuase they do suck...otherwise it has worked fine..good luck mike...phillip

Daemonfly · 02/09/2006, 12:46 AM

I have no actual experience with them, but I'm considering getting one of their T5 fixtures, so researched a bit. From what I've read, most of the problems seem to be with their MH fixutres, even to the point of fire. I haven't seen anything bad mentioned about the T5 or PC fixtures though, other than just low quality of the bulbs.

Figured I'd get the cheap T5 fixture, mod in some Icecap reflectors, and when bulb change time comes around, get some giesemann bulbs.

loyalty · 02/09/2006, 12:48 AM

don't do it, i've seen a fixture at a friend's house and it was very cheap looking/feeling. what's funny is that he has about a thousand bucks in livestock, and wants to cheap out on lights. i always thought that was ironic

BodiBuilt · 02/09/2006, 12:58 AM

Is Odyssea the same as jebo? If so, I belive the "jebo" line was the crappy stuff, but they have made some advancements with "Odyssea" line. Newer units include seperate power chords per light (i.e.;m.h. one plug, p.c. one plug, moonlight led one plug), with on/off switches for each. Also include aluminum housings/duall fans etc. Check out 72" 785w M.H/P.C/L.E.D. system @ aquatraders.com for $399.90!

bigbenji · 02/09/2006, 02:00 AM

I'm pretty sure jebo is odyssea. I've been watching aquatraders reviews for about a year now, and although the products have been updated, their customer service has not. I think they're still offering all of the bulbs as a free gift, so if they break during shipping you're out of luck. I've seen too many threads where people complained of fire hazards, mismatched ballasts and bulbs, and overall poor quality. I'd just spend the extra cash. I've already dumped too much money into my tank, what's another $500 for something reputable.

wjhuie · 02/09/2006, 02:12 AM

They suck dont waste your money!

dtaranath · 02/09/2006, 08:01 AM

Here's the lowdown on Aquatraders:

they suck.

Over the past year, there have been multiple threads on this company. There have been several who have purchased the MH unit that you described, and there have been nothing but complaints. One guy's house almost burned down. Another person also posted that their ballast melted as well. Everyone who bought one of their fixtures (MH, T5, or PC) all said that the bulbs were terrible.

The WORST part about them is their customer service. They are based out of China. Most of their customer service is via email. Everyone has had problems trying to return faulty equipment. There does not seem to be accountablity on the part of the company.

and yes, Odyssea is Jebo.

If you value ALL the other things you own (clothes, electronics, home), then don't take a chance on a potential fire hazard, just to save an extra $200. Spend the money on something quality.

Beware.

mrcool · 02/09/2006, 04:57 PM

I have three mh oddysea lghts i agree their initial quality is lacking however Ive had no trouble with mine so far but maybe ive been lucky their leg set up blows though I would consider hanging or another way of supporting these lights

Drewpy · 02/09/2006, 05:47 PM

do not buy from aquatraders.... they'll take your money but that's where they feel their job ends.

psimitry · 02/15/2006, 02:41 AM

It's funny how much aquatraders seems to be a crapshoot.

They seem to have actually gotten a little better recently. They seem to have started eliminating the 150W driven to 175W setups, and they've started adding 3 cord solutions for their setups.

Personally, I picked up a 150W MH system not too long ago and have been pretty happy with it (this was about 3 months ago).

Pretty much my entire tank seems to like it.

I'm actually going to go to T5's soon (because oddly enough I prefer the light), and I would go with aquatraders if they had individually reflected T5 bulbs.

Edit: going to go ahead and do some really quick pro's and cons on this.

Pros:
-Cheap
-Made 80% of aluminum
-Reasonably good construction. On par with the coralife I almost bought
- Bulbs are decent. Not good, not bad.

Cons:
- The reflectors in the PC fixtures might as well be non-existant. They REALLY need to be modded.
- The directions that come with the hanging kit might as well be non-existant. They're worthless. Figure it out yourself.
- Stand elements are worthless - hang it.
- "Actinic" bulbs are clearly NOT actinic.
- Main MH bulb should be replaced shortly after purchase.

HappyReefer2 · 02/15/2006, 02:51 AM

it's up to you on what you want to do, buy from them or not. it is a hit or miss with them as their quality control is almost as if there isn't any. if you get a bad one, just send it back.

when i dropped by their store in December, there were at least 3x refurbished MH lighthood for sale... asked them about it and all were customer returns because of a problem. they said problem has been corrected and now must sell as refurbished.

Shadowramy · 02/15/2006, 10:36 AM

This is absolutley a terrible by. You spend $329 for the light plus around $50 shipping. The total is then $379. If you spend just a little more, you can get a 2x250w setup with VHO... XM and URI bulbs, electronic ballast, and all from about $450 from Hellolights.

sales weasel · 02/15/2006, 11:21 AM

Like Spuds725, I bought one of the 48" 260w pc fixtures. I bought it about 9mos ago for maybe $80. It has three switches but only one cord. I just took it out of the box on Monday and plugged in all the lights for the first time. It worked but I noticed the actinics were not evenly lit and flickered a lot. For 260w, it didn't seem very bright even for a PC fixture. It does have a useable aluminum reflector inside and I'm going to to do some diy modifications. I have two 175w MH bulbs and ballasts that I'm going to fit into it along with two new actinics. I also read another post where a guy unbridged the two pc ballasts and added separate cords for better performance.

Quote:

Originally posted by Spuds725
Valunk OR Jalue

I don't have that oneI have the 48" PC fixture-- PC 260W with night lights...

This is based on my experience only....

Pros

+Price
+Lights are decent PC lights and have lit my tank for 9+ months.

Cons
-Fans were loud for the first month (I've heard this with other people too)
-Fans quieted down after the first month when they quit working.
-On my unit, one cord so you can't use timers for the Night, Actic, or White-- controlled by 3 switches.
-Where ends mount on legs-- doesn't fit together very well-- like it was designed by two differnt people... other people have said the same thing to me.

Zoalander · 02/15/2006, 11:22 AM

Eevry week there is a thread on this subject, only if the search function worked. I saided it before and I'll say it again, if you buy it just make sure you mount a smoke alarm above your tank.

Chckrbrd Wrasse · 02/15/2006, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mikeguerrero
Can anyone comment on these lights? For the price and what you get it looks like a steal !!!!

Thanks,

Mike

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=218

Mike I bought the exact same light your looking at. It is about a month old. The light has had some redesigning according to Aquatraders. There had been cases of over heating ballast . One member here at R.C. mentioned a close call on a fire.
I have a mixture of SPS Hard Corals, LPS Hard Corals,
Soft Corals, Coral Polyps. My tank is 24 inches deep. The quality of the bulbs according to my corals. Which I do not have all kinds to say it is enough or not enough . I can only say the ones I have seem to like the light. I do not regret buying the light how ever I do regret buying from aqua traders. I have tried to get answers on some of the accusations posted here at R.C. They replied the first time with some answers. My second question irritated them to where they wrote if you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t like our brand buy else where. Once you do buy the light. If you do have or would have concerns they will not make attempts to relieve you of them.

TheVillageIdiot · 02/15/2006, 01:06 PM

i think that the EVC retro kit for the 250w MH (159 per) at oceanencounter.com is a much better setup...

02/08/2006, 06:27 PM	#1
mikeguerrero Registered Member. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 607	Odyssea Lights Value or Junk ??? Can anyone comment on these lights? For the price and what you get it looks like a steal !!!! Thanks, Mike http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=218

02/08/2006, 06:31 PM	#2
dr.darkness Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: bay area,ca Posts: 346	My comment is: JUNK! __________________ "I don't care who you think you are, when it comes down to it you're just another piece of meat to a serial killer" - William Dan Current Tank Info: 85g reef/12g nano

02/08/2006, 06:34 PM	#3
PiNaPLeX Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 439	They're a crapshoot, some people have no problems, others have them burn out in 30mins. If you feel like pressing your luck then get them. But if they fail, then you'd end up spending more money than if you had just bought a quality light with in the first place. IMO, i'd pay the extra money for quality lights. __________________ PiNaPLe X - If fate really exsists, then it HATES my guts! Current Tank Info: 29g glass tank, Penguin 330 filter, AquaC Remora Skimmer, 2x65w PowerCompacts (10k & actinic), 90g RR AGA tank /w Megaflow(in progress), 40g Sump/Fuge, 2 x Seio 1500, Dolphin 800, 2x250W MH (XM 10k), 2x54W T5 (Actinic Plus + True Actinic)

02/08/2006, 06:43 PM	#6
Spuds725 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Toledo, Ohio USA Posts: 2,051	Valunk OR Jalue I don't have that oneI have the 48" PC fixture-- PC 260W with night lights... This is based on my experience only.... Pros +Price +Lights are decent PC lights and have lit my tank for 9+ months. Cons -Fans were loud for the first month (I've heard this with other people too) -Fans quieted down after the first month when they quit working. -On my unit, one cord so you can't use timers for the Night, Actic, or White-- controlled by 3 switches. -Where ends mount on legs-- doesn't fit together very well-- like it was designed by two differnt people... other people have said the same thing to me. __________________ "I only have time to neglect one tank"-- Me "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work, I want to achieve immortality by not dying"-- Woody Allen Current Tank Info: 125G mixed reef with 135G Sump

02/09/2006, 12:48 AM	#10
loyalty Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1,742	don't do it, i've seen a fixture at a friend's house and it was very cheap looking/feeling. what's funny is that he has about a thousand bucks in livestock, and wants to cheap out on lights. i always thought that was ironic __________________ your friendly neighborhood casual reefer Current Tank Info: 58 Oceanic mostly zoo tank under some T5s

02/08/2006, 06:39 PM	#4
clord Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Langhorne Posts: 904	If your going to spend that much please buy better lights why flush $350 down the drain.

02/08/2006, 06:42 PM	#5
jun_celis Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Algonquin, IL Posts: 1,487	Like everyone always says: You always get what you pay for. Mostly in this hobby, you buy cheap... you get unsatisfactory results. You'll just end up buying another one again.

02/08/2006, 06:55 PM	#7
orlenz Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: California Posts: 1,648	well the negatives. there plastic there only 175W ( may be ok for a very shallow tank or a softy tank) try finding a decent 175W HQI BUlb when it comes time to replace the m. they use PC bulbs, instead of T-5 or VHO's basically a suck fest.

02/09/2006, 12:37 AM	#8
bpatrol Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: tucson,az Posts: 208	there not plastic but metal, actually the hood is well made, my friend has one a 36" single but he opted for the 150 hqi setup for bulb compatibility.. the bad is all the bulbs suck.. you will need to replace the hqi bulb and actinic pc bulbs becuase they do suck...otherwise it has worked fine..good luck mike...phillip

02/09/2006, 12:46 AM	#9
Daemonfly Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Pa Posts: 806	I have no actual experience with them, but I'm considering getting one of their T5 fixtures, so researched a bit. From what I've read, most of the problems seem to be with their MH fixutres, even to the point of fire. I haven't seen anything bad mentioned about the T5 or PC fixtures though, other than just low quality of the bulbs. Figured I'd get the cheap T5 fixture, mod in some Icecap reflectors, and when bulb change time comes around, get some giesemann bulbs.

02/09/2006, 12:58 AM	#11
BodiBuilt Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: NorCal Posts: 1,326	Is Odyssea the same as jebo? If so, I belive the "jebo" line was the crappy stuff, but they have made some advancements with "Odyssea" line. Newer units include seperate power chords per light (i.e.;m.h. one plug, p.c. one plug, moonlight led one plug), with on/off switches for each. Also include aluminum housings/duall fans etc. Check out 72" 785w M.H/P.C/L.E.D. system @ aquatraders.com for $399.90! __________________ Tell Them Dave Was Here Current Tank Info: 280g In Progress

02/09/2006, 02:00 AM	#12
bigbenji Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Oak Harbor OH Posts: 1,200	I'm pretty sure jebo is odyssea. I've been watching aquatraders reviews for about a year now, and although the products have been updated, their customer service has not. I think they're still offering all of the bulbs as a free gift, so if they break during shipping you're out of luck. I've seen too many threads where people complained of fire hazards, mismatched ballasts and bulbs, and overall poor quality. I'd just spend the extra cash. I've already dumped too much money into my tank, what's another $500 for something reputable. __________________ "But Dad, it's shark week!" Ben Current Tank Info: I have tank envy.

02/09/2006, 02:12 AM	#13
wjhuie Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: dyersburg Tn Posts: 764	They suck dont waste your money!

02/09/2006, 08:01 AM	#14
dtaranath Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Reading, PA Posts: 542	Here's the lowdown on Aquatraders: they suck. Over the past year, there have been multiple threads on this company. There have been several who have purchased the MH unit that you described, and there have been nothing but complaints. One guy's house almost burned down. Another person also posted that their ballast melted as well. Everyone who bought one of their fixtures (MH, T5, or PC) all said that the bulbs were terrible. The WORST part about them is their customer service. They are based out of China. Most of their customer service is via email. Everyone has had problems trying to return faulty equipment. There does not seem to be accountablity on the part of the company. and yes, Odyssea is Jebo. If you value ALL the other things you own (clothes, electronics, home), then don't take a chance on a potential fire hazard, just to save an extra $200. Spend the money on something quality. Beware. __________________ ______________________ 220g mixed reef

02/09/2006, 04:57 PM	#15
mrcool Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 101	I have three mh oddysea lghts i agree their initial quality is lacking however Ive had no trouble with mine so far but maybe ive been lucky their leg set up blows though I would consider hanging or another way of supporting these lights

02/09/2006, 05:47 PM	#16
Drewpy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Mid coast, Hope, Maine Posts: 861	do not buy from aquatraders.... they'll take your money but that's where they feel their job ends. __________________ drew Current Tank Info: 46 gallon bowfront, t5 ho 4 x 39 tek fixture, turboflotor 1000 multi, hob refugium

02/15/2006, 02:41 AM	#17
psimitry Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Phoenix Posts: 1,560	It's funny how much aquatraders seems to be a crapshoot. They seem to have actually gotten a little better recently. They seem to have started eliminating the 150W driven to 175W setups, and they've started adding 3 cord solutions for their setups. Personally, I picked up a 150W MH system not too long ago and have been pretty happy with it (this was about 3 months ago). Pretty much my entire tank seems to like it. I'm actually going to go to T5's soon (because oddly enough I prefer the light), and I would go with aquatraders if they had individually reflected T5 bulbs. Edit: going to go ahead and do some really quick pro's and cons on this. Pros: -Cheap -Made 80% of aluminum -Reasonably good construction. On par with the coralife I almost bought - Bulbs are decent. Not good, not bad. Cons: - The reflectors in the PC fixtures might as well be non-existant. They REALLY need to be modded. - The directions that come with the hanging kit might as well be non-existant. They're worthless. Figure it out yourself. - Stand elements are worthless - hang it. - "Actinic" bulbs are clearly NOT actinic. - Main MH bulb should be replaced shortly after purchase.

02/15/2006, 02:51 AM	#18
HappyReefer2 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mt View CA Posts: 157	it's up to you on what you want to do, buy from them or not. it is a hit or miss with them as their quality control is almost as if there isn't any. if you get a bad one, just send it back. when i dropped by their store in December, there were at least 3x refurbished MH lighthood for sale... asked them about it and all were customer returns because of a problem. they said problem has been corrected and now must sell as refurbished.

02/15/2006, 10:36 AM	#19
Shadowramy Moved On Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 598	This is absolutley a terrible by. You spend $329 for the light plus around $50 shipping. The total is then $379. If you spend just a little more, you can get a 2x250w setup with VHO... XM and URI bulbs, electronic ballast, and all from about $450 from Hellolights.

02/15/2006, 11:22 AM	#21
Zoalander Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Oak Park Illinois Posts: 1,571	Eevry week there is a thread on this subject, only if the search function worked. I saided it before and I'll say it again, if you buy it just make sure you mount a smoke alarm above your tank. __________________ Previously known as Vetter1980 Current Tank Info: 36x36x10 frag tank

02/15/2006, 01:06 PM	#23
TheVillageIdiot Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Woodstock, GA Posts: 894	i think that the EVC retro kit for the 250w MH (159 per) at oceanencounter.com is a much better setup... __________________ Click my little red house! Current Tank Info: 65g Anemone Tank