Full Review - Kamoer Reef Master SPA
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- The future of reef keeping is almost upon us, it seems like every brand is racing to release a "fully automated tester" that covers all of the critical parameters.
Kamoer have entered the ring with their mighty impressive Reef Master SPA which can test Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate, Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium and Iron.
But is it any good?
For more information, please check out the Kamoer Reef Master SPA webpage:
www.kamoeraqua...
And as mentioned in the video, you can see the manual here:
cdn.shopify.co...
Thanks Sam! Looks like a nice piece of gear! Look forward to some long term reviews from those that purchase it.
It’s certainly a step or two in the right direction!!
Looks a neat little unit. Currently running the xepta auto balance with an Abex Pro.
So far pretty accurate results. I've owned the following testers
Reefbot version 2, Alkatronic, Mastertronic, Smart Tester and now the Xepta.
What I've learnt with the testers I've had and sold is wait a good while and see what people think.
This unit looks best of the bunch if it is accurate
It’s certainly showing some potential!
It looks like a nice peace of gear, with a couple little flaws but i hope they can rectify before it comes out. Great review!
Thanks mate!
Looking at the Hydros unit or the spa. Definitely an interesting time. Thanks for the excellent review.
Thanks for watching! So many great units about to be released, it’s an exciting time!
Me too spa or hydros maven for me. I wonder if you can get a cradle or something neat to hold the reagents.
Curious how close is the test results to ICP tests? This would be a good video.
It is a good questions and would be valuable knowledge, whilst I haven't had the opportunity to test that with a isolated sample of water through each parameter and then off for ICP, I can say that it has been very relatable to recent ICP results
Hi Sam, for the No3 issue, not sure if you have double checked the unit setting. Reef master SPA seems to have three different no3 testing ranges, from your results, I will assume your unit is set at 0 - 1ppm range, there are 1 - 15 ppm and 15 - 50ppm range that you can select as well. mine works well when I change the testing range.
Interesting, I wonder if this is new?
@@ParkersReef maybe, lol. Mine was like yours until I found out the range setting, the number then make more sense.
Where do we get these the review is all good but cant find them anywhere
Still waiting on release date and price :/
did you calibrate it? and how
I did not, however it is possible via either official Kamoer certified solutions that you scan the QR code of and then run a test with. Or you can alter the reading to match your baseline from another test kit in the software if you prefer
Just started watching and already liked the video!
Haha brilliant!
Kamoer products are usually great but I've found it extremely difficult to get support when I needed it.
By comparison, I had a few issues setting up my Mastertronic and the support I received was brilliant.
Yes agree 100%, Kamoer support needs improvement and Focustronic support is amazing
I actually had different views. Kamoer support is ok but Mastertronic is none zero especially from USA>
@thomasmccaffery5941 it's funny how different regions get different support for different products.
Where do you buy the replacement tubing for your x1 pro t?
my local fish store carries it
Great review. Hey Sam are you going to be at fragorama in Brisbane?
Sure am mate! You going?
I'll be there I'll make sure I come say hi
@MrEvilmitch fantastic, please do!!
Does it need any type of calibration? Or is it pretty much plug and play?
Plug and play is the idea, but nitrate was out in my unit
Thanks Sam, I was looking into the Kamoer reef master SPA and noticed you had a little teaser in your last vid. I had been waiting for this review! Looks like it has a lot of potential and gives us aussies a bit of a solid range of options in this current lacking market. I originally looked at apex but it turns me off that there is never replacement parts or reagents in stock and kind of defeats the point of buying a auto tester. I really hope this one takes off from Kamoer as they do create quality products other then the app can be very infuriating at times with its slow load times or endless "loading" especially on the android version of the app.
Glad it was useful for you mate, if you have any other questions - fire them away!
@@ParkersReef Thanks Sam, I think pricing, availability are the 2 big ones now and maybe a future update if they let you test it longer 🙂 Hopefully they are listening to the feedback, working on some minor improvements, very excited for the future of this hobby! thanks for the awesome videos and appreciate the useful content
ahh and maybe some might be curious if they are thinking about adding options for automatic control through the actual cloud app instead of buying the extra connectors? I see they dont support all models of there doser range
Hi Sam, great video - just a thought, try setting your phone to 24 hours and see if the push notifications work…
I can try, but if that’s what it takes - I’ll still pass. I don’t like 24 hours time :)
Havent needed ro do that for andriod. Perhaps verify the app settings ally push notifications. Looks like you're an iphone user, so perhaps is an issue with the apple version of the app. @@ParkersReef
Hey Sam, how do you compare this unit to your mastertronic? Which one would you choose and why?
Mastertronic has a number of advantages, mostly around choosing the parameters you want to test and how to do actions based off of the results.
But
This is a solid machine that I think meets 95% of reefers needs.
@@ParkersReef I would stay awy from Mastertronic especially if from USA. Customer support is awful and parts hard to come by. If you do find parts they overpriced because of demand and availability. Hydros Maven or Reef Master Spa is what its about
Awesome review. It is definately something that it now on the shopping list as soon as they are released here in Oz. Initially when I set up my tank in January I leant heavily into RedSea for hardware. Have you heard any roumors about if they are releasing anything soon? Mind you after your review they would need to produce something impressive to be better than the Kamoer.
Oh, and I note that in a comment you replied with the fact that it does not use a lot of water, I assume that means that the waste water is also very minimal? How long do you think an 800mm VOSS bottle would last?
I would have no doubts that RedSea are planning a smart tester of their own at some stage, it is the next logical step for them. As for if it will be better than others already to market, who knows, I guess time will tell!
As for water usage, yes, very minimal. I would say a few millileters per test, I would think an 800ml voss bottle would last you quite some time. Probably a good 100 tests or so. But why not do what I do, feed it to your skimmer cup? That's waste that you empty frequently anyway :)
Greta review!
thank you!
Hey Sam, I saw your alk is running between late 6 to early 7's DKH on this tester, is this accurate for your tank? It seems low?
Yeah it’s accurate, my alk is quite low at the moment
Great vid Sam.
I remember in one of your vids you replaced a doser head tubing and wondered where the best place to source some tubing from in oz.
It is a ekoral doser . Cheers
Best thing to do would be to take some of the existing tubing to a place like “purple pig”.
Theyll be able to tell you exactly what material and size it is and sell you a roll of it for cheap :)
Thanks again Sam
Do you know that kamoer will sell the reagen seperately? Or in package for whole 7 bottle?
No idea, I assumed a set but will see if I can find out for you!
@@ParkersReef thx a lot sam. Since i believe most of us will consume KH reagen faster than the rest of reagen. Looking forward to see your next review of this auto tester. I am looking forward to have it IF it has positive reviews
Watched back twice now, no mention on how much tank water per test? Can someone hook me up with a timestamp if I’ve missed it please?
Not specifically mentioned, but I can say it is very small amount. Perhaps a few millilitres
@@ParkersReef thanks Sam.
How about the HYDROS? Have you tested ? Thanks man I really enjoy your videos!
Not available in australia sadly :(
@@ParkersReef oh :(. Have you tested trident?
@@Dibilibix27 also not officially available in Australia
Ouch, somebody need to send these ones for you!
Hydros Maven isn't released yet. Issue I would have is maintenance of the Reef Master Spa looks complicated. The Maven is less complicated and you also can send it in for maintenance if you wish. Hydros support also is very good. Focustronic is awful here in USA. Kamoer is ok
Great review as always! I am (almost)convinced to ditch my Mastertronic, Alkatronic and Dosetronic once this is available. However, There is one key question for me which is the price of individual reagents. 117 tests for Alk in my case would give me at most 2 months. SO I would need at least 6 bottles of ALK to have a one year supply, whilst Ca/Mg would last me almost 3 years (although unfortunately I would be forced to test them 3x faster because they only last for 12 months). So key question would be if reagents can be bought separately and at what price. Thank you very much!
Will see if the reagents are available individually or only as a set. Availability and price on these will be key
Yes, that will be key. If they only sell in bundle I will definitely not buy this as it would imply buying 6-12 sets per yeat. Even 6 kits will be more than 1.000$ per year and a ton of wasted Ca, Mg PO4 and No3 reagents.
my understanding is that colormetric tests for alk are always going to be significantly higher cost than the acid/ph test like the alkatronic. I'll never ditch my alkatronic and don't use my mastertronic for alk.
@@Reef_Ranch That is 100% correct (unless you use ABC reagents on a Trident). My major issue with the Focustronic equipment I own (and I have owned GHL KH Director and Neptune Trident in the past) is that with the ALkatronic + the Mastertronic I have more maintenance than I want to have. There is not a week that goes by without having to calibrate some pumps, calibrate the pH probe on the Alkatronic, calibrate the syringe on the Mastertronic, replace tubing in the pumps (on either Alkatronic or Mastertronic), replace the filters that draw water from the tank, replace pump tubing… etc. I mostly want to simplify and have one machine that does it all (but with its own reagents) and with easy maintenance.
@@Reef_Ranch that is correct (assuming your reagents cost more than a basic acid mix, which it almost always does)
Hello parker reef, are you use reef master spa with kamoer f4 pro? Looks like the auto correction doesn’t work
I’m currently not. I’d reach out to Kamoer for technical assistance 👍🏻
@@ParkersReef thnks you 🙏🏿
looks very much like a trident on the inside!
Yeah ok interesting, yet the trident only does three parameters?
@@ParkersReef yes thats true, only three. but the SPA looks like one original trident (top) and a juiced up trident (down). also the color detecting unit looks like the exact same setup as the trident has. i´ve torne mine down a view times and have a pretty good understanding of how it (technically, not on the chemical side) works
On push notifications, my phone gets blown up when fx-stp2 tube life hit 1,000hrs. I run mine all slow (
so you are getting push notifications? Or only when you open the app?
@@ParkersReef they push for me on Android
Find it hard to believe that the first question wasn't, "How much will this cost?" Can't fine any information on price. Online I've seen $1,500 to $1999.
It was the last question covered 👍🏻
Shame we don't have this tech for tropical freshwater tanks..
I think Kamoer may do something similar for freshwater systems actually? I'll look into it for you
@@ParkersReef Thanks Sam
Strange you do not get push notifications, we have the SPA, KH Carer and Qijian protecting our systems and we get push notifications on all devices.
Kamoer also have an acrylic holder for all reagents
How have you found the accuracy of the kamoer salinity tester?
@@scottrousseau8441 if you're referring to the Qijian its amazing, spot on.
Yeah not sure why, but Kamoer push notifications have never worked for me on any of their devices. 🤷🏻♂️
Unrelated to the Kamoer (other than saying great job btw) is that as a data hoarder I can appreciate the Plex app on your phone :D Love the 'watch together' option for movie night with family members. Keep up the good work and have a great day.
Love Plex!
🤘🐠
Thank you!
It's a shame about the support form kamoer I will never buy anything from them in future no matter how good the product may seem after non-existent after sales care here in the UK I will wait until a decent reptile company brings one out 🤞
Yeah that’s no good, sorry to hear that
No thanks I’ll jsut keep checking with my Hannah
Go for it 👍🏻
Pre production- f that
lol fair enough
great video and congratulations to Kamoer too!
Thanks team! We’re all looking for your next move 😎
I think the unit is overpriced for what it is, however I dont care, ill be buying one. I have the K.H carer currently and love it.
yeah fair enough, I guess it does come in about twice the price as a KH carer, it does do a lot more than double the parameters though!
Just to add to your video, which is great btw. I got this unit in late January(NZ based) my over all view to setup and get started was the easiest of them all. However, once its been setup and running, nunbers doesnt match up to manual testing. You can o ly do manual calibration and no automatic calib, meaning you manual put in the results from your calibration from another test. Just remember you can only do this on the KH CA and MAg. It takes about 2 weeks and the devices readings are all out. P04 and N03 are well off with no means of correcting them. We are a couple of reefers in NZ that has these units and to be honest, we are not happy. No help from Kamoer in regards to sudden drop with readings, no calibration instructions. In my opinion its a great device, onky if it works. I will not recommend this device untill Kamoer can give some feedback.
Interesting. Mine is about 5-6 weeks in now and is still testing accurately (with the exception of nitrate). The calibration of entering in the "actual" value is good, I am curious on your thoughts on what an automated version of that would be?
Appreciate your feedback!
I tested manually KH, and CA with 3 diffrent devices or testing kits. My KH was tested at 8.4, Kamoer at 6.4 6.5. CA manual testing at 430, kamoer at 390. Once I have done the manual correction of the elements on Kamoer it test correct for a day or 2 then it drops again to the lower numbers. I would recommend you do manual testing on your KH with 3 different testing kits, put in the manual readings in the device and check your device after about 3-4 days.
internals look identical to the Trident
I've not pulled apart a trident, but that is interesting!
$175 for the reagents is a little depressing lol value wise its not bad but having to drop almost $200 bucks every few months would get old, but i guess so does manually testing 😂
To be fair, I am only guessing at that reagent price but I think it would be pretty close to that. With the number of tests you get, I think you'd only be buying a new set every six months (which is also super convenient having to only do it once or twice a year)
@ParkersReef ya twice a year sounds better, I had a couple months in mind without doing the math lol that makes it sound better. Might give this 1 a go, seems to be a decent product
@jjmccloud looks good at this stage!
I’d like to see you test the SPA against a ICP test. To see the level of error and compare also against the Hanna Checkers. Because this is a science the level of accuracy matters and would justify the price.
ICP is a considerably more expensive machine and not something you can schedule to test on your tank, so it isn't an overly fair comparison but hanna checkers are comparable and were compared for this review. The device was testing well within range (with the exception of nitrate) on all parameters
How much Salt water does it use per test? Can we put the waste water back to the tank like the reef factory KH keeper? Do we need to worry about topping up the salt water?
Can’t out waste water back into tank, but it is only a few millilitres per test
Love these gadget/tech reviews.
Thanks for watching, they take a lot of work!!
This unit looks like it blows all the other current auto testers out the water
Certainly has the potential to be the pack leader!
@@ParkersReef low maintenance, good brand name, flexible testing schedules, looks like you could forgo a standalone KH tester with this unit as well. Hook this up to your kamoer 4x dosing pump with the E1 module and you’ve got automated dosing
yeah definitely ticking all the boxes!
I trust, given your auto racing history, you've gone back and turned that birdsnest of hoses into something respectable! 🤣🤣
Hahaha motorsports is not about pretty, it’s about function!!! 😂😂😂
@@ParkersReef I dunno...some of the fab work and harness arrangement are absolute works of OCD art!! 😄
@AdamEwart yeah…. Not always on my builds 😂
@@ParkersReef 😄 I guess if it passes scrutineering..........
always functional, just perhaps not magazine pretty :D
$1600 thats a rip off. do it dose your tank=no/control your tank=no waste of money just stay with the best apex trident/NP=not $1600
It can dose your tank :)
But hey all good, if you like apex - don’t let me stop you 👍🏻
1600 isn't bad. Neptune will have you tied up for about $2500 to test those same parameters. Yes, you will get a bit more gear along with that. The kamoer afaik can share data with a 3rd party, so apex, hydros, etc. Should be able to have that data ans possibly make dosing decisions based on that. Personally, I think that's foolish. Set your dosers manually, use auto testing to alert when you should verify with a manual kit, and then adjust dosing. Gonna end up with problems chasing numbers and killing animals with the calculated dosing.
To each their own, is the beauty of reefing!
@@ParkersReef exactly. Alot of diehard fans (mainly neptune) are really trying to bad mouth these new innovative devices. Neptune snoozed, and others stepped up. I think it's absolutely great for the consumer to have that competition vs. A near monopoly.
I liked my Neptune APEX until it died and they didn't bring any more into the country. Still got a whole lot of Neptune gear that I can't use because the gear has no smarts on its own.