Nano Box Comparison Chart : Stacking Against the Competitors

[DaveFason]

I get frustrated when I hear that Nano Box Reef is " expensive " compared to other LED manufactures out there. So what did I do? I put together a comparison chart for the other heavy hitters out there. There are MANY others but I would not compare my line to the Chinese fixtures and other one and done companies.

 

I broke the units down by Nano, Medium and Large. You can put some of the medium in the large category and there other way around.

 

Print by David Fason, on Flickr

 

Nano :

The Prime is my direct competition in this category. What I think makes the Tide a better option for most is the smaller and less intrusive mounting, amazing LED array and the ability to choose your housing colors. Now coming standard with the wireless Bluefish controller, this really sets it apart from the pack. As well each Tide is made JUST for you.

Medium :

The Kessil is my direct competition in this category. The DUO really is an amazing light for most nano/medium size tanks. The DUOs 12" body allows for a evenly dispersed light over a medium sized aquarium. Minimizing shadows almost completely. The small size has an amazing output that really makes it shine. The DUO also comes standard with the same style gooseneck tank mount that is on the Mini in a 9" or 13" length. Coming in over 90 custom colors for the same price. Equipped with the wireless Bluefish controller for the same price as before the DUO is priced very conservatively which the rich features it has.

Large :

The Radion is my direct competition in this category. Once all the add ons are purchased this makes the Radion $200-300 more than the QUAD and $50-100 more then the HYBRID! The QUAD is an amazing light for tanks 24" - 38". With the 24" housing, it spreads the light evenly across the tank. The amazing part is the smaller size, measuring in at 24" x 3" x 1.25". The QUAD also now comes standard with the wireless Bluefish Mini controller and multiple tank mounts. As always you can choose over 90 different colors for the housing and accents. If you want an extra punch, the HYBRID line will give you 2-4 24" T5 bulbs to help fill in the gaps of a larger tank ( or if you are " old school " )

 

As you can see the Nano Box Reef lineup not only compares very closely with the other big guys out there but the price can come out cheaper than them! Sometimes before the needed add ons are even added! Now standard with the wireless controllers it also puts them ahead of some of the others.

 

Every piece is assembled in the USA and 90% of the work is done right here in North Carolina. I love building each unit for you guys and only hope this helps sway some of you over to the Nano Box Reef side!

 

Happy Reefing!

-Dave

[D Z]

Cool write-up Dave. I am glad to see that you finally did this. Your product line deserves you to push like like this. I have heard people say that your products are more expensive that what else is available too many times. Personally, I think you should include the hybrid in its own category where you can show how it matches up against other MUCH MORE expensive hybrids that are available on the market, such as the ATI Powermodule.

[Hart24601]

I really like your stuff, but when I was shopping for lights I found it a bit confusing and it would have been nice to have a guide. I know many will disagree with me, and that is fine, but this was my experience when looking for a new lighting setup. I actually 1st checked out your site, but I didn't really see options that I was looking for. It would have been nice to have recommended lights for common tank sizes listed somewhere with layouts and mounting ideas/solutions. I really wanted something to give great coverage front and back and edge to edge and I also wanted to be able to control all the fixtures at once and hang them all together. I ended up going with 5 hydra 26s with their rail mount and director over my 48x24x24 tank. The rail mount could be used with legs or hanging with 2 wires for all units, the director easily scales up the lighting units (I started with 3 hydras), and the rails allow me to move the lights around a little bit. All I had to do was plug in the lights and director, 5 min setup and all of them were working together. I am not an AI fanboy, there are things they can improve, but it was easier to figure out based on the website a solution that would work well for me.

 

I don't want to start a big argument or have others say how stupid I am, but I just wanted to give you my personal thoughts when I was looking for lights and some constructive feedback. I didn't really see what I was looking for, and I didn't want anything custom made, but just a few clicks and order. I really think you might have been able to provide something that works as well or better for perhaps less price, but I wasn't able to find it easily.

[Cencalfishguy56]

I love your work man but at the time I bought my kessil your tide wasn't at $299 yet

I get frustrated when I hear that Nano Box Reef is " expensive " compared to other LED manufactures out there. So what did I do? I put together a comparison chart for the other heavy hitters out there. There are MANY others but I would not compare my line to the Chinese fixtures and other one and done companies.

 

I broke the units down by Nano, Medium and Large. You can put some of the medium in the large category and there other way around.

 

Print by David Fason, on Flickr

 

Nano :

The Prime is my direct competition in this category. What I think makes the Tide a better option for most is the smaller and less intrusive mounting, amazing LED array and the ability to choose your housing colors. Now coming standard with the wireless Bluefish controller, this really sets it apart from the pack. As well each Tide is made JUST for you.

Medium :

The Kessil is my direct competition in this category. The DUO really is an amazing light for most nano/medium size tanks. The DUOs 12" body allows for a evenly dispersed light over a medium sized aquarium. Minimizing shadows almost completely. The small size has an amazing output that really makes it shine. The DUO also comes standard with the same style gooseneck tank mount that is on the Mini in a 9" or 13" length. Coming in over 90 custom colors for the same price. Equipped with the wireless Bluefish controller for the same price as before the DUO is priced very conservatively which the rich features it has.

Large :

The Radion is my direct competition in this category. Once all the add ons are purchased this makes the Radion $200-300 more than the QUAD and $50-100 more then the HYBRID! The QUAD is an amazing light for tanks 24" - 38". With the 24" housing, it spreads the light evenly across the tank. The amazing part is the smaller size, measuring in at 24" x 3" x 1.25". The QUAD also now comes standard with the wireless Bluefish Mini controller and multiple tank mounts. As always you can choose over 90 different colors for the housing and accents. If you want an extra punch, the HYBRID line will give you 2-4 24" T5 bulbs to help fill in the gaps of a larger tank ( or if you are " old school " )

 

As you can see the Nano Box Reef lineup not only compares very closely with the other big guys out there but the price can come out cheaper than them! Sometimes before the needed add ons are even added! Now standard with the wireless controllers it also puts them ahead of some of the others.

 

Every piece is assembled in the USA and 90% of the work is done right here in North Carolina. I love building each unit for you guys and only hope this helps sway some of you over to the Nano Box Reef side!

 

Happy Reefing!

-Dave

[DaveFason]

I really like your stuff, but when I was shopping for lights I found it a bit confusing and it would have been nice to have a guide. I know many will disagree with me, and that is fine, but this was my experience when looking for a new lighting setup. I actually 1st checked out your site, but I didn't really see options that I was looking for. It would have been nice to have recommended lights for common tank sizes listed somewhere with layouts and mounting ideas/solutions. I really wanted something to give great coverage front and back and edge to edge and I also wanted to be able to control all the fixtures at once and hang them all together. I ended up going with 5 hydra 26s with their rail mount and director over my 48x24x24 tank. The rail mount could be used with legs or hanging with 2 wires for all units, the director easily scales up the lighting units (I started with 3 hydras), and the rails allow me to move the lights around a little bit. All I had to do was plug in the lights and director, 5 min setup and all of them were working together. I am not an AI fanboy, there are things they can improve, but it was easier to figure out based on the website a solution that would work well for me.

 

I don't want to start a big argument or have others say how stupid I am, but I just wanted to give you my personal thoughts when I was looking for lights and some constructive feedback. I didn't really see what I was looking for, and I didn't want anything custom made, but just a few clicks and order. I really think you might have been able to provide something that works as well or better for perhaps less price, but I wasn't able to find it easily.

No need to apologize! It is an item I need to work on. I am learning and teaching myself new stuff every day. Being a one man show it can make it hard to nail the details on some items. Feedback like this will only help me!

 

-Dave

[DaveFason]

I love your work man but at the time I bought my kessil your tide wasn't at $299 yet

Curious, was it $299 with gooseneck and controller?

[Boggers]

No Dave....He is saying your Tide wasn't that price yet.

great info in this post Dave

[CatfishSoupFTW]

if at the time, the Canadian Dollar wasnt so bad, I wouldnt have mind going for nanobox. But due to all that, I ended up going to Kessil. No regrets at all, and maybe down the line trying out a nanobox would be neat. I ended up hanging the kessil which saved me some dough, and no controller yet, which saved me some more..... but its not to say I wish I had a controller. XD

 

The ability to basically have a custom light is what got me from the start. aesthetically I do find the nanobox to be the best looking out there in the market. and lets just forget about aquatic lifes new light...... -__-

 

Quick question, as most of us know, Kessils shimmer is beyond amazing - simply because the leds are very close together. Have you ever debated making an even tighter cluster? or is there a limitation you are hitting? The current clusters you make some fairly close to begin with, more than a radion it seems as well.

 

Also, hows your production so far just out of curiosity? i.e. if one were to order now, what would be the eta?

[Cencalfishguy56]

Curious, was it $299 with gooseneck and controller?

Yea what boggers is saying, I was looking for a light at the time when I got my kessil and your tide didn't have the price reduction yet, so it was $400 or something like that I couldn't remember, and I had seen a kessil in person so that's basically what swayed me

No Dave....He is saying your Tide wasn't that price yet.

great info in this post Dave

[DaveFason]

if at the time, the Canadian Dollar wasnt so bad, I wouldnt have mind going for nanobox. But due to all that, I ended up going to Kessil. No regrets at all, and maybe down the line trying out a nanobox would be neat. I ended up hanging the kessil which saved me some dough, and no controller yet, which saved me some more..... but its not to say I wish I had a controller. XD

 

The ability to basically have a custom light is what got me from the start. aesthetically I do find the nanobox to be the best looking out there in the market. and lets just forget about aquatic lifes new light...... -__-

 

Quick question, as most of us know, Kessils shimmer is beyond amazing - simply because the leds are very close together. Have you ever debated making an even tighter cluster? or is there a limitation you are hitting? The current clusters you make some fairly close to begin with, more than a radion it seems as well.

 

Also, hows your production so far just out of curiosity? i.e. if one were to order now, what would be the eta?

I understand the conversion. It blows.

 

As for the LEDs being closer I see no need. The shimmer is very there in the Nano Box line. Currently Mini, DUO's, QUADs are 3-10 days. HYBRIDS are much longer as they are simply beasts!

[tibbsy07]

Kabam! Nice side by side, Dave.

[CatfishSoupFTW]

I understand the conversion. It blows.

 

As for the LEDs being closer I see no need. The shimmer is very there in the Nano Box line. Currently Mini, DUO's, QUADs are 3-10 days. HYBRIDS are much longer as they are simply beasts!

 

 

sweet thanks for the fast reply! ill wait and see where things take off. Been itching on a 12G long or 20 long..... but, we all know how it goes. lol

[VW_TDI_02]

I think you should also take coverage into account. The Duo can cover up to a 30" tank while the Hydra 25 is more for 24". That makes a huge difference for those running 20 Longs.

[jedimasterben]

I think you should also take coverage into account. The Duo can cover up to a 30" tank while the Hydra 25 is more for 24". That makes a huge difference for those running 20 Longs.

IMHO not really. The LEDs have about the same spacing between the two. The Hydra (and I believe all other AI fixtures) have 80 degree optics, reducing their spread, but despite the Duo not having any optics, it just doesn't have enough LED sources to use on a longer tank without shadowing.

[VW_TDI_02]

IMHO not really. The LEDs have about the same spacing between the two. The Hydra (and I believe all other AI fixtures) have 80 degree optics, reducing their spread, but despite the Duo not having any optics, it just doesn't have enough LED sources to use on a longer tank without shadowing.

From the looks of it, the base of the nano box pucks (the side with the wires and is on the inside of the fixture where the gooseneck connects) are about 4" or so apart. This is strictly from looking at pictures as I don't know the exact dimensions. On the Hydra 26, you have a 7" long fixture with two ~2" pucks spaced evenly which leaves about an inch between the inside edges of the pucks. So for the Hydra you're looking at about 3" from center of one puck to the center of the other puck. With the duo you're looking at about 5-6" from the center of one puck to the center of another. Couple that with the Hydra using 80 degree optics and the lack of optics on the duo means you should be able to cover some longer tanks. The Hydra will give you higher PAR numbers but just not as much spread.

[DaveFason]

I have multiple customers using the Duo over a 30" in length tank. They can't put light demanding corals on the edges but it certainly looks "well" lit.

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I just brewed some ice coffee and will be grinding some info out tonight!

-Dave

[VW_TDI_02]

I have multiple customers using the Duo over a 30" in length tank. They can't put light demanding corals on the edges but it certainly looks "well" lit.

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I just brewed some ice coffee and will be grinding some info out tonight!

-Dave

That's what I've seen. What I was saying is that I don't think the Hydra 26 can cover a 30" tank as well as the Duo.

[Horerczy]

Neat break down.

[RJWalters]

 

Nano :

The Prime is my direct competition in this category. What I think makes the Tide a better option for most is the smaller and less intrusive mounting, amazing LED array and the ability to choose your housing colors. Now coming standard with the wireless Bluefish controller, this really sets it apart from the pack. As well each Tide is made JUST for you.

 

 

I just thought it would be good to mention that the Primes body is plastic where as yours is metal so the overall quality difference between the two is pretty significant.

[Horerczy]

You need led families/colors added to the list Dave.

 

Also I'm pretty sure the Radion XRxxw Pro units are 8 channel. Got that channel of yellow LEDs added over the base unit.

 

Still what I take from this chart is nanobox units cost up front while other lights bite your ass with required accessories.

[cuber14]

Great comparison chart Dave. Now I can shove it in a few friends faces who swear by their lighting choices( cheap chinese junk or overpriced "name brand" fixtures).As soon as money allows still thinking about that BC14 retro if you still have time to retro.

[HarryPotter]

You need led families/colors added to the list Dave.

 

Also I'm pretty sure the Radion XRxxw Pro units are 8 channel. Got that channel of yellow LEDs added over the base unit.

 

Still what I take from this chart is nanobox units cost up front while other lights bite your ass with required accessories.

Yes, my Radion XR30w pro is 8 channel. $749 new, $99 for the mount, $99 for the reeflink, and $40 for the TIR lenses.

 

I'm thinking of getting a hybrid unit, but am concerned with the unrefined controller system. I want something that can be easily done via my iPhone or Mac and user friendly.

[DaveFason]

Yes, my Radion XR30w pro is 8 channel. $749 new, $99 for the mount, $99 for the reeflink, and $40 for the TIR lenses.

 

I'm thinking of getting a hybrid unit, but am concerned with the unrefined controller system. I want something that can be easily done via my iPhone or Mac and user friendly.

There is absolutely nothing unrefined about the control system. The APP works perfectly on iPhones, iPads, Android tablets and Android based phones. I have personally been using the Bluefish line for over a year ( I was a beta tester ) and Spencer has done an amazing job on the APP updates over the course of its life.

 

While my units do not sport a as many colors, I can tell you there is no need. If you have an array that is well balanced your set.

 

Hope this clears it up for you!

 

-Dave

[HarryPotter]

There is absolutely nothing unrefined about the control system. The APP works perfectly on iPhones, iPads, Android tablets and Android based phones. I have personally been using the Bluefish line for over a year ( I was a beta tester ) and Spencer has done an amazing job on the APP updates over the course of its life.

 

While my units do not sport a as many colors, I can tell you there is no need. If you have an array that is well balanced your set.

 

Hope this clears it up for you!

 

-Dave

I totally did not understand the control system- sorry! I thought it was just a small screen attached to the fixture, like the AI controller. I will defiantly look into it more- what is the app called?

 

Thanks

[DaveFason]

I totally did not understand the control system- sorry! I thought it was just a small screen attached to the fixture, like the AI controller. I will defiantly look into it more- what is the app called?

 

Thanks

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/359122-nano-box-reef-going-wireless/