NanoBox Hybrid Fixture Review: Now With BF Mini Case Review! Update

[Steensj2004]

Or as I like to call it,"The Ferrari of Lights."

 

Intro:

I decided to build a new reef tank, and was having a hard time with lighting options. I had always been a LED guy, specifically Ecotech Radions, but had a Nanobo Duo at one time and really liked it. I was considering an ATI T5 fixture as they are pretty cheap, and I was very interested in T5 lighting and trying it out. A member on NR suggested Dave's Hybrid fixture. At first, I was skeptical on the price, but after thinking it over, it really wasn't much more expensive than other fixtures, and came with enough in extras to make my mind up. I ordered the light.

 

Unboxing:

After what felt like the longest, hardest wait of all time, my light arrived. Upon opening the box, I already knew I made the right decision. The fit and finish was unrivaled, and the solid, custom CNC enclosure felt like quality. Finish of the paint was flawless, smooth, and the matte black was just plain sexy. I will admit the seemingly endless set of wires had me concerned, as well as setting up the fixture.I had been getting impatient waiting for the light. I know Dave only did Nanobox part time during the time frame my light was built, but it seemed like ages. After the light arrive, and it was un-boxed and in hand, it became clear that I could have waited another month or more for this light. It was just that badass out of the box. I was going to have to wait for help to hang the light, I decided to fire it up and learn how to hook it up.

 

 

Assembly:

Very little to assemble on this light. Bluefish was painless, plug in the SD card deal, and plug in the power and other cable( not sure proper nomenclature). Installing the bulbs was easy, Dave had only a few screws in the splash-guard so removal was a breeze. I only installed about 8 screws for ease of maintenance( as mentioned and suggested by Dave). One negative includes installing the splash-guard once hanging, but I'll cover that later.

 

Start-up:

One negative, and I will be honest, is managing the wiring. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a rats nest, but it isn't like you big name brands with one cord. A lot of this has to do, IMHO, with the custom nature. All the wires are clean, well made, and quality, there are just a few more then normal to deal with. After some time messing with, and figuring it out, I got it fired up. It came on while I was looking straight into it......yeah....mistake. Saw spots for about 15 minutes.

 

BlueFish Mini:

After getting the light powered up, it was time to link the Bluefish to my phone. Short and sweet, it was easy, took a few minutes, max. Control on this thing is excellent, top notch. Learning curve was painless if you have the least bit of tech-savvy.

 

Hanging Kit/ Hanging Fixture:

The hanging kit was quality, and it was INCLUDED FREE, so Dave was already ahead of the competition by 50.00! Required 1/2 inch holes for the spring loaded clips , which seemed large. however, the included covers look great, and the holes could be easily filled down the road. Hanging was straight forward, easy, and pretty painless. Two cons-

1. Hanging kit was easy to use, but there isn't a lot of ways to hide excess cable for future adjustments. I cut all but about 6" off. There is a pocket where the cable comes out of the bottom, but the cable is stiff and nearly impossible to wrap up into the pocket without a zip-tie or similar device. No biggie, but awkward.

2. The splash guard screws are pretty small, and it makes it HARD to install them after the light is hanging. This is further complicated by the stiff cable and trying to secure any extra for future adjustments. I used an extra set of hands to prevent dropping the guard in the tank. No biggie, it won't need to be removed often. A pretty irrelevant issue, but present all the same. The kit itself gets a 9/10, its really top notch, negatives/cons are negligible.

 

Light Performance:

Not much to say, I got 4 of Daves custom LED pucks, with 2x(24") T5 bulbs. It's hanging about 18-20" off the surface, and My corals go bat-shit crazy for this thing. Colors are amazing, control to customize on par or better than anything I've ever used. Spread is great, covers my 36" tank with NO problem(I think you could get close to covering more like 40" for LPS).I feel like this part of my review is pretty much a waste of time. I mean, common, it's a Nanobox light. Dave don't make no shit.....nuff said.

Final Comments:

I think the review is pretty self explanatory at this point. The light is in a class of it's own, Dave really poured his heart and soul into this light, and you can tell. That makes this light worth that much more IMHO. Wait time was long, but what custom work of this caliber doesn't have a wait time? I wouldn't trade this light for any other one on the market. It really has heart and soul, matched with fit, finish, and performance. Hope you enjoyed this review, thanks for stopping in, and I hope it was informative!

 

Final Evaluation (10 Scale)

Customer Service: 10/10

Performance: 10/10

Quality: 10/10

Price: 8/10

Setup: 9/10

Control: 10/10

[VW_TDI_02]

Can we get a picture of the underside while the lights are off? I'm having trouble finding one.

[Steensj2004]

Can we get a picture of the underside while the lights are off? I'm having trouble finding one.

Here you go!

 

[jaynkeel]

Good write up. I know this is about the light but, that stand is screaming for a coat of lighter paint. Coming from a guy who buys all his stands in black. That thing has some nice details that are lost in the shadow, darkness.

[VW_TDI_02]

Good write up. I know this is about the light but, that stand is screaming for a coat of lighter paint. Coming from a guy who buys all his stands in black. That thing has some nice details that are lost in the shadow, darkness.

I think it's supposed to be a dark stain so that you can still see the grain. Can't really tell very well with the light. That's how my stand is too. At night it looks like a splotchy black due to the grains but with regular light it looks just fine.

 

Thanks for the picture! I feel like the wiring could be a bit tidier but that would definitely mean a lot more labor time without any real benefit since it's not like anyone is going to see it while they are on. Reminds me of when I used to build computers and I would individually sleeve each of the wires and try to route them perfectly so they were barely showing.

[DaveFason]

I think it's supposed to be a dark stain so that you can still see the grain. Can't really tell very well with the light. That's how my stand is too. At night it looks like a splotchy black due to the grains but with regular light it looks just fine.

 

Thanks for the picture! I feel like the wiring could be a bit tidier but that would definitely mean a lot more labor time without any real benefit since it's not like anyone is going to see it while they are on. Reminds me of when I used to build computers and I would individually sleeve each of the wires and try to route them perfectly so they were barely showing.

I am working on a few new things for this. I am also considering a black out on the splash guard as the entire underside is shown. Not something I really prefer.

 

Thanks for the review! Glad your enjoying.

 

These Hybrids are truly a labor of love.

 

-Dave

[metrokat]

I can't see the light too well.

[VW_TDI_02]

I am working on a few new things for this. I am also considering a black out on the splash guard as the entire underside is shown. Not something I really prefer.

 

Thanks for the review! Glad your enjoying.

 

These Hybrids are truly a labor of love.

 

-Dave

I'm thinking some cable holders would help. I think the ideal would be a custom sleeved cable harness. Then again, that would definitely be a lot of work and nobody is even going to see it when the light is on.

[Steensj2004]

I can't see the light too well.

I'll take some more pictures this afternoon for you Kat, what do you want to see?

 

I will also throw up some pics and a secondary review of the BlueFish Mini enclosure when it arrives.

 

I am working on a few new things for this. I am also considering a black out on the splash guard as the entire underside is shown. Not something I really prefer.

 

Thanks for the review! Glad your enjoying.

 

These Hybrids are truly a labor of love.

 

-Dave

Honestly, I understand what VW is saying, being a bit of a perfectionist myself. However, its the underside of the light, not in view, I consider it a non-issue IMHO. Notmally, you would have a Lens/puck and the rest of the shield would be blacked out. The inside of other mainstream fixturs are likely the same, you just can't see them.

[metrokat]

I'll take some more pictures this afternoon for you Kat, what do you want to see?

 

 

 

The light. Side view, corner view, top view.

[Steensj2004]

 

The light. Side view, corner view, top view.

Got busy last night, sorry. Ill put some up tonight

[Steensj2004]

 

The light. Side view, corner view, top view.

Here you go Kat! Sorry it took a day or two!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Markburns43]

Such a beautiful piece of craftsmanship! Thats exactly the light ill be needing for my larger build.

[Steensj2004]

Such a beautiful piece of craftsmanship! Thats exactly the light ill be needing for my larger build.

It is, indeed! You cannot go wrong with the Nanobox line, period!

[plainrt]

That's a piece of art.

[VW_TDI_02]

Oh, one more question. How loud is it when at full power?

[Steensj2004]

Oh, one more question. How loud is it when at full power?

No louder then any other light fixture I've ever had. As a matter of fact, I don't notice ANY fan noise at all.

[Steensj2004]

Lookie what came in the mail today?!

 

Parts, there were a few, nothing to overwhelming..... Looks impressive out of the box, asssssss usuall.

 

The case was pretty self explanatory, nothing to crazy. The black o-ring was a mystery until Dave told me it was a spacer. Overall, as usual, build is perfect, fit and finish is top notch. I will say one thing, Dave uses a lot of socket cap screws( screws that require an Allen Set), and there is no wrench included. While I am a guy who has tools, some may not. I would suggest down the road including a wrench for both the light splash guard screws and the case....but these are new and evolving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall( 10 scale)

Quality: 10/10

Fit and Finish: 10/10

Hardware: 9/10

Instructions: TBD

[Steensj2004]

Light has been up for about 3 weeks now. Decided to pop a update in here, everything is still goign well! My Single polyp of Jason Fox Acid Reflux zoas has sprouted 3 new polyps, Acan has 3 new heads starting as well . so they MUST like the light.

 

I will say I am havign a heard time between the Maxspect Gyre and this light geting ALL the corals happy. My elegance coral puffs up but never opens up, and my torch/frogspawns open well, but seem a little unhappy. I have since backed the light off slightly, and changed the flow around some, time will tell. I do know that the colors, and coral health seem to be great, and the issue is more likely flow then light source as I can't find a good meidum with this Gyre. Seconds away from ordering 2x MP10, lol.

[metrokat]

Thanks for those pictures BTW, forgot to say that.