INCA 100 Incubator Review
This review refers to the INCA 100 model we examined and does not apply to any other model manufactured by D.M.P. Engineering or any other manufacturer.
Part 1
We have recently visited D.M.P. Engineering LTD Company, which specializes in manufacturing of incubators for all types of parrots. The company was established by Mr. David Vishnia, an engineer who grows and breeds parrots as a hobby. Most of you know Mr. Vishnia and his products from our discussions regarding different incubators' quality and hatching success/hatchability of the different brands.
Here, our goal is to introduce our impressions and detailed review, step by step, of the INCA 100 incubator, as growers with no commercial or other interest. We have chosen the INCA 100 as a model that fits our needs and requirements; we will examine the INCA 100 functioning from all growers/breeders' aspects, including incubator's operation, handling and performance. Note that we are currently able to examine this model only since we dont have any other incubators available; therefore this is not a comparative review.
Company Accessibility
The company is located in Ra'anana industrial area. Accessibility is fairly comfortable; there is a parking lot nearby, which was almost full but we managed to find one parking space.
Packaging
The incubator was packaged in a reasonable but not sufficient manner in a cartoon box. All parts and accessories were put inside the incubator and the doors were taped to avoid movement. The box did not contain any Styrofoam to protect the glass; no plastic was used for wrapping and the electric cable had no designated region to avoid scratching of the incubator. It is worth mentioning that the product contain several fragile components, thus taping is not the appropriate solution for protecting and keeping it from damaging.
Cleaning
Prior to operation, we easily took out the egg rolling device; cleaning was convenient with no slits and corners which allow for dirt accumulation.
Humidity gauge
The INCA 100 is equipped with a wet/dry relative humidity gauge which, by Mr. Vishnia, is more accurate than other commercial gauges. The humidity gauge is located on the egg rolling device inside the incubator. This location is necessary for accurate humidity measuring; we have encountered lack of knowledge cases in which the humidity gauge was located in close proximity to the incubator's window for easier reading of the small scale. We suggested Mr. Vishnia to "upgrade" this scale and add a magnifying component for easier reading.
Temperature Controller
The INCA 100 is equipped with a good quality temperature controller that includes protection and heating element cutoff for protection against overheating problems.
Ventilation
The INCA 100 is equipped with a 60 mm diameter fan with little magnetic noise. We would suggest using a larger fan with a lower speed for reduction of the noise.
User Manual
When we purchased the incubator, we received a detailed explanation about the incubation process, the incubator operation and its different parts and accessories. The incubator appeared to be easy to operate, an aspect we will review next. The user manual was printed in a "domestic" printer and was not bound, but rather stapled; overall it gave an amateur impression while we expected a little more professionalism, i.e. hardcover color manual that will be maintained for a long time and will be pleasant to study.
The manual is written in Hebrew and contains general operation instructions including safety instructions, basic operation, preparation of the incubator for use, and cleaning. In our opinion, the manual can be enriched with details, advice and recommendations such as preferred humidity levels for different parrots, etc. It is notable that Mr. Vishnia's mobile phone number was printed on the manual, and we were encouraged to use it for every matter or question.
Basic Operation
The incubator is easy to operate, with convenient water tank filling and timer set with clear and simple instructions.
Egg Rolling Device
As soon as we turned on the incubator we noticed that the egg rolling device motion is not smooth but rather in short irregular intervals ("jumps"). Later on we noticed that the device does not complete a full 360 degrees rotation, but rather a 180 degrees half rotation back and forth. We have reset it but after a few rounds it went back to 180 degrees half rotation. At this point we contacted Mr. Vishnia, who asked us to reset the incubator according to his instructions. After another trial we decided to return the incubator to the factory for examination. In the examination performed by Mr. Vishnia, it was found that one of the shafts does not fit in size and consequently applies pressure on the rolling device and prevents it from working properly. The problem was fixed and we got the incubator back. After working properly for 24 hours, and after Aviva Vishnia called us to make sure the incubator is working well, the rolling device got out of order again. We wondered why there is no component for regulation of the motion, and were answered that such component was installed in past models but since they were causing problems they were removed from the newer models. According to Mr. Vishnia, there might be occasional deviations in the egg rolling device rotation, and in this case we should reset the device. However, he noted that these should not happen on a daily basis.
In our opinion, considering that the rolling device is an essential part of the product, its rotation should be improved, better regulated and more accurate.
Egg Capacity
Up to 25 Jakoo (African Grey) eggs (39.5x31mm).
Temperature and Humidity Stabilization
The incubator's temperature and humidity was stabilized within 1 hour. We had to change the water tank opening only twice to achieve the desired humidity level.
Hatching success/hatchability
Not examined yet.
Warranty
2 years for components failure under proper usage conditions, 5 years for the heating element (was mentioned verbally by Aviva Vishnia; not mentioned in the warranty form).
Advantages
User friendly, easy to operate
Convenient access for cleaning, no need to disassemble inner parts
Excellent service and availability
Local manufacturing (made in Israel)
Disadvantages
A sense of an unfinished product
Amateur, unsafe packaging
High cost
Conclusion
The incubator is easy and convenient to operate with accessibility to the entire inner space for cleaning; no need for complicated, time-consuming disassembly. The egg rolling device, which seemed to be the weak spot of the incubator, can be improved relatively easily with very little cost and turn into an excellent device which works properly and accurately.
It is worth mentioning David and Aviva Vishnia, who were always available and willing to help, and even called us on their promotion to make sure everything is in order. However, considering its high cost we expected to receive a better quality product by means of packaging, user manual quality and product essential components including rolling device performance and quality assurance.
Final Grade
The examinations will continue and updates will be provided accordingly.
Should other manufacturers interested in introducing their products and set up an examination, we will be more than happy to do so.
Additional picture incubator in operation
Part 2
During the incubation period, the rolling device kept its 180 degrees half rounds as well as its short, irregular movement intervals. Since eggs were already in incubation, we decided not to send it back to the factory again, but rather wait for hatching.
On April 24 2008, one egg started to crack. The hatchling was unable to break the egg, and by the time we decided to break it ourselves it was already dead.
By April 29, the two remaining eggs have passed the incubation period and did not hatch. We called Mr. Vishnia to inform him about the situation. During our conversation, I brought up the rolling device issue, which was not working properly despite the fact that the unfitted shaft was replaced. Mr. Vishnia asked us to bring the incubator back to the factory, and since I was unable to drive back and forth we decided that he will visit us at home 4 days later (on Saturday) and perform the examination. I tried to ask him to replace the incubator but he insisted he did not have any available in stock, although he did have some at the time I purchased the current one. I replied that he has 4 days to finish manufacturing one unit, check it for failures and bring it over on Saturday, considering that the problems began as soon as I brought the current one home. Mr. Vishnia reconciled and promised to call back with an answer. After a short while, Aviva Vishnia called and informed me that they will bring a new incubator on Saturday.
On Saturday May 3, David and Aviva Vishnia arrived without an incubator. They claimed that a new incubator is not necessary, and instead they brought a smaller egg rolling device. After examining the original one, Mr. Vishnia noted that it has a bending and consequently it is moving too close to the incubator's walls in its center, which makes it difficult to rotate smoothly. To my question why the device rotates only 180 degrees instead of 360 I was answered that "this is not important" and "the eggs receive heat from all sides as it is".
After the rolling device was replaced, I told Mr. Vishnia that the Jakoo pair which eggs weI incubated has been previously laid fertile eggs that successfully hatched for 4 hatching rounds. I was puzzled by the fact that I got 0% success with the incubator compared to parents brooding. At this point Mr. Vishnia argued that there are several different reasons for this failure and made speculations such as diseases, fertility reduction etc, and refused to take into consideration the incubator's faults
On May 4, when we were certain the eggs will never hatch, we decided to open them and check their content. As we suspected, the eggs were fertile and it seemed that the embryos development terminated at a late stage (see picture).
Facts and Conclusions
1. The eggs were laid by a pair with 100% past hatching success.
2. The eggs were fertile.
3. None hatched after incubation in the INCA 100 incubator.
4. After purchasing the incubator, the egg rolling device rotated irregularly with little jumps which might have damaged the eggs.
5. The replacement of an oversized shaft did not improve the rolling device operation.
6. After Mr. Vishnia's examination and replacement of the whole rolling device, he concluded that a bending in the original device interrupted its proper operation.
Considering the manufacturing failures, the poor quality assurance and the delayed troubleshooting, and consequently the complete hatching failure and our disappointment, I expected a full refund for this product.
Mr. Vishnia shook off responsibility as a response to our arguments regarding the poor (0%) hatching success. He pleaded that "blaming the incubator is the easiest explanation" and claimed that there are several possible reasons for this fiasco, including diseases, low fertility, statistics and even "bad luck", but none was related to the incubator's faults.
As we mentioned at the beginning, our goal was to introduce our impressions and detailed review of the incubator as growers with no commercial or other interest, for the benefit of other growers/breeders who consider purchasing an incubator.
We have summarized the process, step by step, from the moment we received our incubator to the point we opened the incubated eggs. Despite the difficulties, we were hoping to have at least partial success but eventually proved false and lost 3 hatchlings.
Obviously, Mr. Vishnia's response is welcome at any time and we would be happy to receive his comments.
Part 3
After Mr. Vishnia's visit and the replacement of the egg rolling device, we decided to re-examine the incubator with 3 additional Jakoo eggs, which were brood by the parents over half the incubation period required. This time 2 eggs have hatched, one of them with some help from us. The third egg did not hatch; the embryo within it was found in the same developmental state of the first 3 eggs we incubated.
During the second incubation period we monitored the rolling device operation and noticed that there are still irregularities in its motion, although much less than before its replacement. After completion of the incubation, we took out the rolling device and examined the shafts and their slits for possible obstacles that may have interrupted its proper motion. Apparently, at a certain point of the rotation, the shaft cannot move freely within its slit since the slit is not completely smooth; there are small bulges and pits which apply pressure on the shaft, thus causing the unbalanced motion of the device. The replacement of the device took off some of the pressure from the shaft but could not completely prevent the irregularities.
A picture of the slit through which the shaft is moving
Conclusion and Clarification
The incubator has failed our examination, simply because it was unable to fulfill its purpose and therefore did not match our expectations.
Furthermore, Mr. Vishnia did not stand behind his words and his products.
To date, the Jakoo pair which eggs were used for our examination has laid 2 eggs that successfully hatched. A third egg of the same patch was taken into the incubator at a relatively early incubation stage for a third trial; this egg did not hatch.
In general, incubators manufactured by D.M.P. Engineering exhibit successful hatchings and are commonly used world-wide and. However, there are severe failures in the specific incubator we purchased, as proved by our examination and by Mr. Vishnia's parts replacement.
As breeders, we could only speculate what were the exact problems which caused this failure; the controller did not work properly or was not calibrated; the humidity gauge was not calibrated; the rolling device "jumps" and irregular motion have damaged the eggs and prevented proper development; etc. In any case, we feel that if Mr. Vishnia would have taken responsibility for his product and, by his experience and knowledge, would have tried to find the essence of the problem as soon as it started (with full cooperation on our behalf), the results would have been different.
We received a defective product which parts were replaced twice over a short period of time, including a false promise that the product will be replaced in whole. The company compromised us by agreeing for an 80% partial refund, with a comment that 20% value reduction is the best they can offer (indulgently) and seems fare to them.
No responsibility was taken; for the least, an extensive factory examination should have been performed, which would probably have tracked the root of the problem and fix it as soon as it was noticed. We would expect much more than that from such a respectful company.
Please Do Not remove copyright Source: Tukinfo.com Israel parrot site תוכים מידע ומכירות Translator: Adi Laser-Azogui
Next: RCOM Bird Pavilion Nebulizer-Digital Scale-Egg Inspection-R-COM 20 PRO
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Tukinfo.com תוכים מידע ומכירות תוכי תמונות וסרטונים ופורום תוכים
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