Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I want to begin by saying I cast no dispersions on those who have found the EHEIM Quick Vac Pro to be more than adequate. I am not in the business of casting judgment on anyone's experience with this product. My whole approach is to be truthful and accurate in my analysis. That being said, I have given the EHEIM Quick Vac Pro adequate testing and have determined that there are TWO major foibles. The provided video should help potential buyers know that this product IS NOT 100%, and validate some low ratings regarding this product. NOTE that this analysis is no reflection on the vendor (My EHEIM Quick Vac Pro Amazon purchase was sold by Companion Caterers - Amazon featured seller is now ValuePetSupplies). These problems are the result of one or more EHEIM problems regarding poor quality control, poor design, or a rush to market. I purchased this unit, on 7 March 2013, to aid me in the cleaning of my 40 gallon Uniquarium during recovery from hernia surgery. Anticipating a helpful tool, it did not take long to prove itself less than capable. There are two major foibles: Foible ONE: Impeller Jamming The tendency for the impeller to jam is fairly quick. The close clearance between the impeller and the siphon intake appears to be the issue. This is a major show-stopper for any aquarium cleaning aid (One wants an `aid' to do its job, not add to the cleaning task). Foible TWO: Battery Compartment Seal The is no matching interface lip between the o-ring and battery compartment. There is only one o-ring in an area which can (and will) be flexed by the user as they energize and deenergize the unit, and move the unit through the aquarium water and gravel. For a true water-tight seal, there should be more than one point securing the cap to the housing. I recommend NEVER submerging this device above the o-ring. Please see customer supplied photos for an example of a well-designed water-tight seal. A third foible, but no show-stopper, is the manner in which the filter element disassembles. The filter end-cap easiest to remove is the top section. However, the sludge gathers at the bottom of the filter - And that end-cap has no assist and is hard to remove. These foibles are documented in my video. You may get lucky and receive a `working' unit. Whatever, you decide, I hope this review has helped. UPDATE 18 May 2014 Well it's been over a year since I first published my review of the EHEIM Quick Vac Pro. I have never seen such "feelings" attached to an inanimate object with the exception of automobiles. Oh well. Most of the feedback on my review has been good, even some of the negative feedback. It is out of respect for this that I am updating my review regarding: Foible ONE: Impeller Jamming I have received several comments regarding the 'dirt' or 'cloudy water' seen in the video. This is not dirt, per se, but laterite, which is important for healthy Amazons. As you notice, laterite moves easily through the EHEIM's debris screen - and quickly settles. Therefore, it has no chance of jamming the impeller. All of my jams are the result of the impeller sliding off the shaft, impeller refusing to restart, or impeller jamming on a piece of matter, which should have passed easily into the debris compartment. This foible stands sufficient for rejecting this unit. Foible TWO: Battery Compartment Seal My description of this foible in the video and written word was poor. The "no matching set or indentation for the seal ring to compress itself against" should say "interface lip" - of which the EHEIM has none. I have added an additional picture to the customer images. Please see the new addition, which shows a well-designed water-tight seal. It is important to note that I never experienced a water leak myself because ... 1) foible one failed the unit on its own merit; 2) the unit has to be returned to Amazon in a timely manner in order to receive a refund; 3) leak tests take time to perform and may destroy the unit; 4) many users had already complained of leaks. These unfortunate ones were already out of the money spent on their EHEIM Quick Vac Pro, since the time required to produce the leak exceeded the allowable return time. I believe that most reviewers here, while perhaps overly passionate, are truthful in their assessment of the product. Based on the EHEIM design foibles (as I have pointed out), and poor quality control (strong divergent reviews as evidence), I still don't recommend this unit and don't recommend submerging this device above the seal. However, there is still an eighty percent chance you will receive a good unit.