What is the real difference between a $150 and $350 snail fans?

[Mikey P]

Are features like carpet clamps, daisy chaining, tilting options, multiple speeds enough to charge an extra $200 +/-

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or is it an increase in CFms, longevity or durability that warrants the extra cost?



What factors make YOU decide to pay more?

 

[dealtimeman]

A lot of things warrant a higher price tag, but for us it is the lower amps quality of build and overall operation ( how quiet is unit, does it have daisy capability, can someone stand on it with out it cracking) that we look for.

 

[tmdry]

A lot of things warrant a higher price tag, but for us it is the lower amps quality of build and overall operation ( how quiet is unit, does it have daisy capability, can someone stand on it with out it cracking) that we look for.

I would agree.

Speaking of quiteness, any of you guys have the older Prochem Apache's 1HP? You can hear those things from across the street lol - I hardly ever use 'em

Lower amps/daisy chain deff the factor choices.

 

[Desk Jockey]

LOL We used to have a couple dozen of the Apache's.


Low amp, daisy chain, solidly built. Lots of machines move air but if the fall over in a van or get dropped and you lose your investment then that cheap price is hardly worth it. We prefer to buy the best and have it last vs buying cheap and replace them as get damaged. I know a competitor than just buys them and replaces them, he likes changing them out like that. I think he's a fool but it works for him.

We have 90% Drieaz with some Gail Forces and Force 9's thrown in the mix.

 

[Jeremy N]

Pretty much what everyone said. We started with a bunch of used equipment and some new Mytee air movers. It was what we could afford at the time so we went with it. It worked out for us. Now we need to improve what we have.

If you have the money and are not desperate for something to work I would buy less of the nice stuff and built your stock as you go vs. buying more of the cheaper stuff.

 

[Mikey P]

what about risk of the cheapies running for too long and catching fire?

 

[dealtimeman]

We started with powr flite and had them running for weeks and never a fire. When the cheapest are done they just hum or just won't do anything.

The main thing I hated about the cheapness is the start up pum! Pum! Pum! Pummmmmmmmmmmmm! And they they go so loud.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I think they are thermal protected. Maybe if you had a long light duty extension cord you could cause a problem where they connect but other than that you should be fine.

 

[tmdry]

I just know we are getting stuffed in the rear everytime I think how much those axials are going for retail $400 bucks, (focus or force-9's).

100 fans sometimes is not enough, $400x100 is $40k - that's a lot of dough, and if you get a good size basement you can easily do 25 fans in there, that's 4 jobs. Now you get a major storm go thru, and the phone rings non stop and you cringe. I've started to realize that as much as I want nice fans, I should start buying smaller cfm centrifugals @ half or a third of the cost of the nicer axials just to be able to get those extra jobs when they come in, since not every job will need 3500 cfm's at every 15 lf spaced out, and the $5 bucks difference on Xactimate is not that much of a difference. Took me a while to comprehend since I always want the best.

 

[Chris A]

I just know we are getting stuffed in the rear everytime I think how much those axials are going for retail $400 bucks, (focus or force-9's).

100 fans sometimes is not enough, $400x100 is $40k - that's a lot of dough, and if you get a good size basement you can easily do 25 fans in there, that's 4 jobs. Now you get a major storm go thru, and the phone rings non stop and you cringe. I've started to realize that as much as I want nice fans, I should start buying smaller cfm centrifugals @ half or a third of the cost of the nicer axials just to be able to get those extra jobs when they come in, since not every job will need 3500 cfm's at every 15 lf spaced out, and the $5 bucks difference on Xactimate is not that much of a difference. Took me a while to comprehend since I always want the best.

100 fans x $40 a day is 4k per day so who gas if they are 400 a pop?

 

[Steve Lawrence]

I tried a few cheapies but never again. Drieaz all the way.

We had several dryers from Jon Don 10 years ago. The switches were really crappy and there was no way to wrap the cord on it. When one started smoldering in a routine cc job I ditched it and never used any of the others again. No way I could sleep at night with one of those on a WDR job.

 

[The Great Oz]

I think they are thermal protected. Maybe if you had a long light duty extension cord you could cause a problem where they connect but other than that you should be fine.

The thermal protection in the PowrFlites worked by closing instead of opening. A little corrosion and it doesn't work. We (luckily) just had a hole burned into our dry room floor when one jammed and caught fire. We would only take DriEaz units into the field after that. We bought them because they threw more air than a comparable DriEaz at the time, and we got a pallet-load price. Since one drop would kill them they weren't worth what we paid.

All of our snail fans are DriEaz; the last of the fiberglas ones just died after 25+ years in use. We also have some JonDon axials that have run perfectly for 15 years now, but they weren't cheap, and the Studies...

 

[Desk Jockey]

I hate it when you make me look bad! I make it toooo easy for you!!!

 

[Ed]

We have a few dozen of the Mytees and they are the last to go out. I think we paid $150 per air mover, so for the money, they've been well worth it. Paid for themselves many times over. The downfall is that we toss a few every year because they just give up the ghost. They aren't daisy chainable but they draw the same amps as the Dri Eaz saharas. We use dri eaz and have mostly ACE's and a few dozen saharas. The ACE is somewhat cumbersome and the motor mount welds tend to break if they are mistreated by the techs or if they fall over in the truck due to techs driving like they are Nascar drivers. The cord wrap SUCKS on the ACEs as well. I have a couple CVX or whatever they're called, but I personally haven't had much feedback on them. They are pricey though.