oxygen concentrator reliability - no vendors please !!!
 

oxygen concentrator vendors input NOT WELCOME HERE !!!

I will be attending the Gathering next month. I always enjoy this event. There is so much to be learned in just a few days. Great beads and beautiful people.
My question has to do with the reliability of oxygen concentrators. I see vendors or resellers putting warranties on there equipment for X amount of years.
I would like to hear from users of the machines of how long they actually run before they malfunctioned. I would like to know what type of machine failed during the warranty period.. Did the machine arrive DOA and had to be repaired before you had a chance to use it. Did it work a few days, weeks or months? Was oxygen purity an issue, what type of torches are being used.

VENDOR INPUT NOT WELCOME !!!
I am looking for customer feedback ( all types )

I'm Go'in fishin

i am interested as well. i am on tanked oxygen now but the large canisters are a problem to get in and out of the house since we moved. a concentrator would be much easier but i hesitate to switch from tanked. so, i will be watching this tread and hoping for some feedback...kath

I have an OG-20 running a Cheetah. I have had it for at least 3 years. One malfunction - operator error - was fixed in 3 minutes (turned a knob without pulling it out first, thus pulling a tube off - just had to take the cover off and push the tube back on).

i have 3 Unlimited O2 huricanes.

the first one had to be sent back within the first 2 weeks for fixing.
the second one worked fine when i got it
the third one had to be sent back to be fixed also.
dont know what the actual problems were.

UO took care of all shipping to and from and i now have 3 working generators.
the oldest one has been working for almost a year without any problems. the other two have been running for about 6 months with no problems.

1 huricane will power 1 lynx 100% or 2 lynxes with a little push/pull in the higher O2 flames
2 huricanes (T'd together) will power 3 lynxes 100% with very little push/pull, or will power a phantom at 90-95%, or a Carlile CC at 85-90%. it all depends on your torch settings and how fast you want to work.

i am still waiting for my 4th huricane so that i can power 6 lynxes with 4 huricanes.
i am still waiting for my complimentary 1st filter replacements.

i highly suggest using GTTs on generators because they are the most efficent torches and use less O2 than a carlile, national or minor. knowing how to use your blue valve and turning down your green valve makes these torches very efficent and able to run on less oxygen which enables you to hook up 2 lynxes to 1 huricane and still be able to work at about the same speed.

These machines cannot be switched on and off lots of times a day....they are better if you turn them on and work for 1-4 hours. once you shut them off you have to wait 10 min before you turn them back on.

they sound like window air conditioners. i can barely hear them over my fan and music.

I'm running a Mini CC on a 5LPM Devilbiss Oxycon. So far so good, absolutely no problems. Due to the economy I went with the cheapest one I could find.

Ran a MiniCC on an Unlimited Oxygen M10 for about 18 months. It worked great for the first few months (January to May) then the strength of the flame decreased significantly. May is when the humidity and temperatures started to be quite high in Florida and I was running it in my garage. When the weather cooled and became drier, the flame re-strengthened but was never as strong as it had been originally and the flame had become very reducing.

The M-10 was replaced by a Regalia which I've had for a year. Dealing with Pyronamix was fabulous. The oxycon arrived in less than a week from the order date. It was extremely well-packaged. And best of all, the Regalia has run beautifully for the past year.

As a general rule, oxygen concentrators are designed to run 24/7 for several years with only minimum maintenance (changing filters).... When you think about this... If original manufacturer warranties machine for say 3 years, that is about 26,280 hours of continuous operation .. Remember these machines are designed for sustaining people lives, they have to be reliable..... A rebuilt "pumped up" machine may produce more oxygen, the flip side is reliability may go down.... But then again your life does not depend on this machine....

Dale

Run my torch on 2 DeVilbiss Solaris concentrators for 5 years, maybe longer.
Been very happy.

If you are going to be at the Gathering, be sure to go to open torch. There will be opportunity to see and try out torches running on concentrators and generators there. As well as tanked oxy.

I have three oxycons. My Regalia and Oxybox-13 (Airsep) are y'd together and I run my Phantom on these - no tanked oxygen. I love these two machines and they work great together. I also used this setup for two of my other larger torches, a Barracuda and a Knight Little Dragon 21. They are quiet and reliable and give me enough power for my work even without tanks. The customer service from Kimberly and a company called B.T.E.S. respectively were excellent. Other than washing out the foam filters, I've had no other maintenance.

Along the way I purchased a new Psyclone (UO) generator based on reviews of it being capable of large capacity output. Initially I was happy with it, although it was very noisy. But after about a year it started to rumble and shake but even worse, caused my flame to fluctuate a lot. I checked to make sure the filters were still correctly seated-they were. Other than that, I can't think of anything to check on my own. The unit is large and very heavy so I can't imagine packing it up and sending it somewhere to be looked at. I've read mixed reviews on these units. So it sits in my closet. Maybe some day when I'm in the mood I'll haul it out and give it another try. It could have been weather, humidity or whatever.

That's my experience. Hope that helps and good luck.

I am curious to know approximately how many hours you were able to use the new psyclone machine before it began to " shake, rattle N roll "
Shouldn't the people you bought this machine take some responsibility to get it running again ? Did the unit have any kind of a warranty on it.
Sounds like a lot of money and aggrevation to end up using it as a closet fixture.

I have had my Onyx+ for about 3 1/2 years now and it runs great.
Kinda pricey but no malfunctions so far, knock wood.

I would pull it out, give Jack a call and see if it's an easy fix. If not, I'd send it in and have it fixed. It's under warranty. ;)

I asked vendors to stay out of this thread.:rolleyes: This means YOU Mr. Smiley.=;

I think this lady is smart enough to figure out what to do. At the rate these machines are breaking down there is surely a back order on warranty repairs
at the UO fix, patch and blame shop.

Mr. Smiley - stay out of this thread so we do not have vendors muck it up with bickering and cheap stabs at one another. Send a PM if you need to.
I would hope you would respect this forum and its members enough to pedal your goods elsewhere.

I'm Go'in Fishin

I have an Invacare 5. I bought it used off eBay in 2002. I've NEVER had any problems with it and I runs my Midrange just fine (though I'm always told it shouldn't). I'm It currently has 7,013 hours on it. My sister also bought an Invacare 5 and she hasn't had any issues with hers either.

Candy

The only one getting nasty here is you. I can post in any thread I want to. I merely gave somebody (not even my customer), some advise on getting a unit fixed. If you want vendors to stay out completely, you'll have to start your own forum and then you can control who posts. I have honored your request not to post my experience with my machines. I am actually a glass worker / end user and I do have an experience to post, but I'm a vendor too, so I didn't post my positive experience.

I'd tell you to stop being so crabby, but I can't control your attitude any more than you can control when and where I post. Have a nice day.

Just a quick search of YOUR posts show that you seem to ONLY chime in on Oxycons and you always seem to have contact info for ONE company in particular.

Who's using this forum to exclusively peddle their wares? I melt glass and talk about all sorts of things... what else do you talk about?

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/se...archid=2272589

Who is "Good Ol' Boy"?

I've asked before and he doesn't want to answer... the company he always plugs is in Virginia... and guess where his IP traces him to? Yep... you guessed it.

What is he hiding? Why is he hiding? The world may never know...

I sure do wish all the nastiness would end. I certainly don't enjoy being attacked for being nice and giving somebody advice. I can think of much better ways to spend my days. ;)

There will always be with us those whose marketing strategy relies heavily on denigrating their competition. That practice is as repugnant in business as it is in politics.

I also can think of better ways to spend my days but believe this petty practice should be neither condoned nor tolerated but confronted whenever its foul face appears. I add to that my suggestion that any poster that declines to identify themself should be viewed as irrelevant and inconsequential.

I suggest readers of this thread ask themself why someone would post a request that vendors not participate in a discussion about oxycons then begin trash talking a specific vendor.

just got back from fishin,

caught lots today.
Got me a Carp, named him Mr. Smiley
Got me a Sucker, named him Mr. Brady
Threw them both back, Both ugly and not worth spending any time on.
Both R bottom feeders ya know and leave a bad after taste.
I make beads as a hobbie, who I am is none of your business. I am not a vendor and have made no mention of any and don't want to hear from any.
I hope to learn some information from fellow beadmakers
NOT from you two BUTTHEADS


I'm Go'in Fishin

Wow..... You just invalidated yourself. Congratulations while it normally takes 10 times your post number for me to file anyone into the asshole category, your a weiner!

I know you really don't care, but TRY to realize I have only said less than 4 negative things about posters since I've been here, and it's been since day dot.. Three years. Ummmmm makes me wonder.....

Edited to add: I read your posts and I agree I'm going fishing! Fish hard or soak a bait!

Staying on topic
 

This was the original question below. I am considering upgrading my oxygen supply. Reliability is important to me, as well as purity and pressure.
I do not care what a vendor has to say in this instance. When you are asked to stand down, the attacks and name calling starts up, accusations are made.
You gentlemen need to get Real. :lol::lol::lol:
I want the steak, not the sizzle Mr.Brady. :doubt:
I will be at the gathering and would like to speak to real people who can give me some insight, . You can pm me.
This thread is in the process of being hijacked by the two vendors that sell oxygen generators. This is what they do.



I am more interested now more than ever to find out the answer to my question from users, non brand specific,non vendor specific of these machines and what works good.


LETS STAY ON TOPIC

I'm Go'in fishin :-\":-\":-\"

If there isn't blood on the deck, you really didn't catch anything worth while. :lol: Great picture Loco!

I guess it really doesn't matter who you are Good Ole Boy. After your tirade, I highly doubt anybody is gonna pay you much attention. Larry and Justin aren't here any more because they treated people the same way you do. Keep it up and you can join them. LE is a great place for everybody to share information, but we do try to weed out the truly nasty folks. I wish you the best life has to offer... seems you could use a little more happiness in your life. ;)

Threats Again
 

Threats, intimidation and personal attacks, is that the level you are sinking to Mr. Smiley, Par for the course I suppose. This what you do when people want information. Shame on You !! You are a BULLY

This is a good place to share information. So why don't you let us members do just that.

I am going to stay on topic :waving:

I'd love to give my opinion, since I worked and taught classes on concentrators for the better part of two years straight (probably 50+ hours a week on those concentrators in that time). But, I sold a few concentrators a while back, so I guess that disqualifies me...

I am a member too and I did honor your request to keep my review out of this thread. I still don't understand how giving somebody advise and trying to help them made you mad. I'm not threatening you... just letting you know that your name calling is not welcome. If I intimidate you, it's not intentional. You're the only one beating your chest and getting demanding.

You do not intimidate me. Your more of an annoyance
BTW I have a Great life and am a very happy person. I have made requests that you construe as demands and that not my problem.

Let people feel free enough to partisipate in a question instead of trying to
disinterest them and run them off.
Members should not have to be made to feel uncomfortable because you do not know how to back off.

Come on Down
 

I would be interested to hear whatever it is you have to contribute. If you use to deal with machines and are not a concentrator vendor now them I would imagine you would have good information to share.
I would love to keep this disscussion on topic.[-o<

You hijacked your own thread and turned it ugly. I offered advise to a fellow glass blower having an issue. I would have done that for anybody in any thread.

This might have been an informative thread for others, yet again...senseless denouncing and vituperation has taken over.

I wonder if consumers will ever get to see feedback from a strictly consumers standpoint.

I have been following the countless threads on the Oxygen Concentrators. I have been in the market for one to purchase for the last year. I am taking my time trying to decide on what I should purchase and from which vendor, I am interested in user reviews, as to help me make an informed decision. Reading threads like this has made me shy away from making a purchase from any one vendor for any particular concentrator.

When I buy any new piece of equipment or tool that is of any significant value I like to read non-biased reviews. For example - on buying a new SLR camera I read many reviews from various sources. I valued the user reviews. I never once saw the vendors offer their point of view or offer advice while reading "user review" sections. Another example - When we bought tools to renovate our house, we read reviews and made our decision based on the information of other peoples experience with those specific tools. I am sure the examples could go on.....

Do you read reviews from the manufacturers and vendors of cars when you are looking to buy one? or do you like to hear and read what other people have to say about the car without biased input???

As there is no place yet other than Forums to gain information from users of specific Oxygen concentrators and how they would review them, this is probably a good of venue to start in.

Maybe someone (non-vendor specific) could make a webpage, list the oxygen concentrators out there that are in use by the lampworking community and have it enabled so that users can write reviews and rate the oxygen concentrators.

Understanding how others are using the oxygen concentrators, what torch they are using, how long they have been using the concentrator for and the reliability issue - is valuable information for everyone.