Vortech QuietDrive

[D-Nak]

Personally, I am still ****ed they dropped their pants on these pumps. Same thing happen to me when I purchased the original Radion Pro for $900.00

I don't see myself buying anymore EcoTech products anytime soon. The idea of using a solid state drive would be smart! But, I have taken a big hit on resale value and has left a sour taste in my mouth. Hell, most of the LFS in the area feel the same way, I am sure most of us new about the price drop before they did.

For the money, I think the Gyre is a good investment. I will wait another six months before making a decision on that pump I think, let them work out the kinks.

-Mark

I don't think they "dropped their pants" on the MP40s. The shared speculation was the that price drop signaled something new was coming. It's the same way people watch an iPhone inventory drop as signaling when a new iPhone is coming. It happens all the time. And the people who bought the MP40s at the reduced price should've known that they were taking a chance.

Do you really think we knew about the price drop before the LFS? How do you figure? In terms of public information, they have access to it just like we do. I don't know how a price adjustment of this sort works, but I would like to think that Ecotech didn't screw their resellers by not telling them of a price drop ahead of time.

And keep in mind, MP40s probably have the best resale value of ANY reef-related piece of equipment where the typical re-sale value is often half of the original price, if not less. I get that more of flooding the market, but I think that more to do with the Gyre than anything else. And Ecotech had to lower their price on the MP40 because sales of used MP40s were canibalizing sales of new MP40s.

From what I've read, there is going to be an upgrade option for MP40 owners, much like they have with Radions. Personally I like Ecotech because they allow such upgrades. Their customers don't have to buy something completely new if they choose to simply upgrade instead. I don't know how people will be able to upgrade an MP40 in these new versions, but we also don't know how they work yet. It could be like the Radions where the pucks are replaceable.

I'm just trying to make you feel better -- I get that it leaves a sour taste in your mouth -- but the reality is that this happens all the time with technology. Things get better and they get cheaper. It's progress. It's a good thing!

 

[nanomarine]

There's a beta tester review on youtube. You can see it in action and get an idea.
Just search for mp40wqd in youtube.

 

[Mark SF]

I don't think they "dropped their pants" on the MP40s. The shared speculation was the that price drop signaled something new was coming. It's the same way people watch an iPhone inventory drop as signaling when a new iPhone is coming. It happens all the time. And the people who bought the MP40s at the reduced price should've known that they were taking a chance.



Do you really think we knew about the price drop before the LFS? How do you figure? In terms of public information, they have access to it just like we do. I don't know how a price adjustment of this sort works, but I would like to think that Ecotech didn't screw their resellers by not telling them of a price drop ahead of time.



And keep in mind, MP40s probably have the best resale value of ANY reef-related piece of equipment where the typical re-sale value is often half of the original price, if not less. I get that more of flooding the market, but I think that more to do with the Gyre than anything else. And Ecotech had to lower their price on the MP40 because sales of used MP40s were canibalizing sales of new MP40s.



From what I've read, there is going to be an upgrade option for MP40 owners, much like they have with Radions. Personally I like Ecotech because they allow such upgrades. Their customers don't have to buy something completely new if they choose to simply upgrade instead. I don't know how people will be able to upgrade an MP40 in these new versions, but we also don't know how they work yet. It could be like the Radions where the pucks are replaceable.



I'm just trying to make you feel better -- I get that it leaves a sour taste in your mouth -- but the reality is that this happens all the time with technology. Things get better and they get cheaper. It's progress. It's a good thing!

I agree with you overall points, but yes, a few of the LFS were not privy to the price drop and showed frustration.

The only way I see, in my opinion, this price drop having any redeeming qualities is if they keep this price consistent. I would be interested in seeing this new model at a more modest, and "progressive" $300.00, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a decent premium.

Either way, I'm just bitter because I was considering selling the vortechs for some gyres

-Mark

 

[Chris155hp]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/ecotech-introduces-a-new-generation-of-vortech-pumps

at the bottom are the PDF of manuals

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Great review. He mentioned a $350 price point? That would be a game changer. It doesn't look like the depth has changed at all either on the dry or wet side.

 

[Maximus]

The AA article states they will be available by the end of Feb. Sign me up for a pair of Mp40's!

 

[D-Nak]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/ecotech-introduces-a-new-generation-of-vortech-pumps

at the bottom are the PDF of manuals

Thanks for this. I didn't have a chance to see if Leonard was able to update his article.

I read through the information packet located here:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/QD_Information_Packet.pdf/at_download/file

So... in a nutshell, it sounds like Ecotech has a new driver for all three MPs, and that they finally upgraded the technology of the wet- and dry-side of the MP40 to be that of the newer MP10 and MP60 (which is why all three dry-sides look the same now).

I'm curious to know how a simple change of the driver will decrease noise, as I assumed the noise was always a hardware issue, not how it was driven.

Obviously, to gain the full benefit, we really need to buy an entirely new MP40QD, but now the question remains -- exactly how much of a gain do we get upgrading just some of the components? How close to the "90% Less motor noiss (MP40 QuietDrive compared to MP40wES)" can we get?

This is going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[D-Nak]

I agree with you overall points, but yes, a few of the LFS were not privy to the price drop and showed frustration.

The only way I see, in my opinion, this price drop having any redeeming qualities is if they keep this price consistent. I would be interested in seeing this new model at a more modest, and "progressive" $300.00, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a decent premium.

Either way, I'm just bitter because I was considering selling the vortechs for some gyres

-Mark

I was in the same boat as you -- I thought about selling my MP40s for a Gyre. But I was really planning to get the Gyre first, and seeing how much I liked it, and then sell my MP40s if I was blown away by the Gyre, or if I wanted to just run both and have the MP40s run at a lower speed (and making them quieter). This is still a viable option even with the launch of the new QD version

The only part that throws a monkey wrench into that plan are the upgrade paths. It all depends on how much they cost and how much we gain. I think deciding how much of a gain though, will be personal opinion.

 

[skp]

What I'd be looking for in a new Vortech would be:

* Shallower footprint inside, but especially outside the tank
* Smaller diameter exterior power cord
* Quieter (I think we all want this)
* Less maintenance (sounds like they are on this track)
* Directional flow. They should have a cage kit, or available cages for purchase that can direct flow different ways or even create a Gyre effect if wanted.

The last piece should be available to existing owners as well.

As far as power, these seem plenty powerful, at least for my size tank.

I would also like:

* Magnets working on thicker glass (ie. mp10 on up to 15mm) so people can have the option to run multiple smaller pumps on larger tanks.

 

[BeanMachine]

What I'd be looking for in a new Vortech would be:

* Shallower footprint inside, but especially outside the tank
* Smaller diameter exterior power cord
* Quieter (I think we all want this)
* Less maintenance (sounds like they are on this track)
* Directional flow. They should have a cage kit, or available cages for purchase that can direct flow different ways or even create a Gyre effect if wanted.

The last piece should be available to existing owners as well.

As far as power, these seem plenty powerful, at least for my size tank.

According to the information that is available now... your points 2, 3, and 4 have been addressed.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

According to the information that is available now... your points 2, 3, and 4 have been addressed.

Yeah, it's looking like it's going to be a great pump. If the reviews are still good a year or so after release, I'd definitely consider switching over. I would love a quieter tank. Right now the only two things which have noticeable sound in my tank is my skimmer and my MP-40s. That said, my MPs are super quiet and the skimmer, which isn't that loud, is louder than the MPs. But...if I could go with quieter pumps AND a quieter skimmer, I might do it...

I could live without #5, but it would be really nice to have #1...one can wish...

 

[tlf]

This thread seems to have died, but just in case anyone is interested I have two new MP40 quiet drives operating on my 260 gallon mixed reef tank. I had stayed away from them over the years due to the noise issues that always seemed to be prevalent. I will categorically state that the quiet drives are just about silent. I am managing them through a Reeflink and very happy overall with them.

 

[bluecoyote79]

I just replaced my mp40wes with a mp40 quiet drive and I couldn't be happier. The old pump was good but the quiet drive is worlds better.

 

[Maximus]

I love my MP40QD's! Been running them since they came out and I can honestly say that these are the best pumps I've ever ran.

 

[chagovatoloco]

Looks like my next pump will be a mp10qd

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Yep, I ended up swapping out my two wES for QD's and couldn't be happier. They are silent at 70% Reefcrest.

 

[Bamm Bamm]

cant wait to get my new quiet drive mp40

 

[agent007]

I just read through this thread. I have two of the older MP40s. Great pumps but they do generate a fair amount on noise. After a while the fan falls out of line with the dry side and what was once relatively quite becomes a fluctuating hum. It gets old having to realign these things to reduce the sound. However, they are great pumps with awesome flow.

I am currently in the dilemma of leaving the hobby and selling my tank or hanging in there until I get back the desire. If I stay in the hobby, I would be interested to know how the new quite pumps fair over the coarse of a year. If I'm still in (and I can afford it) I might give them a try.

 

[D-Nak]

I just read through this thread. I have two of the older MP40s. Great pumps but they do generate a fair amount on noise. After a while the fan falls out of line with the dry side and what was once relatively quite becomes a fluctuating hum. It gets old having to realign these things to reduce the sound. However, they are great pumps with awesome flow.

I am currently in the dilemma of leaving the hobby and selling my tank or hanging in there until I get back the desire. If I stay in the hobby, I would be interested to know how the new quite pumps fair over the coarse of a year. If I'm still in (and I can afford it) I might give them a try.

I never have to adjust mine. Sounds like you may have the spacer set incorrectly. Even after I give my wetsides a vinegar bath, they snap back into place.

My plan is to simply replace the driver as I am happy with the flow. By replacing only the driver, the sound is supposed to diminish significantly. The MP40wES "“ MP40wQD upgrade is $75. Much better than spending $350 for a completely new unit.