Koolance RP-450X2 Warning

[coolmiester]

WOW, at $120 this has got to be a premium product right!!!

Now we get from Tim the horses mouth of Koolance and after quite a few have purchased this at $120 we're informed they are working on eliminating scratches from the most visible part on this premium res

WOW...........just WOW!!!

[Vapor]

WOW, at $120 this has got to be a premium product right!!!

Now we get from Tim the horses mouth of Koolance and after quite a few have purchased this at $120 we're informed they are working on eliminating scratches from the most visible part on this premium res

WOW...........just WOW!!!

Considering your recent post history on a few matters...I'd be careful with the trolling.

[Utnorris]

I do agree that the scratches should not be there, especially at that price point. Whether you thought they would be invisible or not once liquid was in them is not the issue. I would hope that Koolance will be willing to replace those windows for free without the end user having to send them back in. There are plenty of plexi products out there that do not have this issue. As far as the metal goes, I know Koolance caught hell when they used steel before in their fittings, so i doubt they would repeat that mistake. Not sure what to think about the screws inside though. After some of the issues I have had in the past with mixed metals I would be hesitant to use something that could potentially cause issues. Brass screws would have been the better choice in my opinion.

[Darth_Penguin]

I do agree that the scratches should not be there, especially at that price point. Whether you thought they would be invisible or not once liquid was in them is not the issue. I would hope that Koolance will be willing to replace those windows for free without the end user having to send them back in. There are plenty of plexi products out there that do not have this issue. As far as the metal goes, I know Koolance caught hell when they used steel before in their fittings, so i doubt they would repeat that mistake. Not sure what to think about the screws inside though. After some of the issues I have had in the past with mixed metals I would be hesitant to use something that could potentially cause issues. Brass screws would have been the better choice in my opinion.

When I get home tonight I am going to pull one of the screws out to measure it. I'll post the size of the screw up here for those that want to play it safe and swap the screws for brass ones.

[bench261]

mine has scratches as well all i did was take the hex key and flip the glass

[Sparky]

Regarding nickel plated steel, well, my drain plug on my koolance port was nickel plated steel (supposed to be brass but was that bad batch a long time ago) It rusted up pretty good and it was just a plug behind a valve, so.... Yes steel is an issue.

Koolance DID make it right as soon as I found out and contacted them. They shipped me a proper brass plug right away, so props to them on that. Weird there is more steel here?

[Koolance]

I've confirmed the internal screws are SUS/Stainless, and the top plugs are (still) brass. The older plugs that caused problems with customer di-water liquids were regular steel, not SUS. We use stainless in a few current products, like our power supplies without issue. Even Laing has wetted 316 SUS in the D-5 pump.

Our first RP-450X2 windows were processed with MCT. There will be less scratches on the next batch because we've changed to laser cutting. As indicated, customers are free to contact our tech/RMA if they have any issues with their RP-450X2. We have extra windows arriving, and they're easy to replace... tip the system back, and you shouldn't even need to drain it.

Tim

[Darth_Penguin]

so.... Yes steel is an issue.

Just to further clarify, I do not know what kind of steel was used in the old bungs but chances are it was not stainless hence the nickel plating. Stainless steel (300 series 18% chromium content) should not cause an issue with galvanic corrosion as it is within .15v of Cu.

[Sparky]

Just to further clarify, I do not know what kind of steel was used in the old bungs but chances are it was not stainless hence the nickel plating. Stainless steel (300 series 18% chromium content) should not cause an issue with galvanic corrosion as it is within .15v of Cu.

Right... I just meant standard steel. Stainless is fine.

[Gazmtk913]

Ok I have cut into the bottom of on of the stop fittings, I can confirm they are Brass... still waiting to see if internal screws rust


On the left is the Normal Nickel plated fitting, on the Right is the sanded fitting

So far so good on the testing

How ever as Coolmiester said it is a $120 premium product so I should not have any marks on the most visible part.... I hope you are going to replace this damaged/Defective part as this is NOT what I paid for....


This is straight on as I see it, hard to get the lighting right to actually capture it and I had to actually adjust the focus so it doesn't just blur the scratches out... proof

[penguins]

did you email koolance technical support/rma ?

[jayhall0315]

Wow, I would be peed too, if I bought a $120 reservoir and it came looking like that Gazmtk. I have a sneaking feeling that XSPC will likely make a dual 655 built in reservoir as well, only it will be $70 cheaper. That Koolance unit is just like some of that Bitspower stuff in that it seems way too expensive for what you actually get.

[millertime359]

did you email koolance technical support/rma ?

+1

Tim did come in already and ask you to e-mail tech support. If you want it replaced, you probably should do so instead of posting more photos here.

Then make certain you update us on the outcome.

[Waterlogged]

Wow, I would be peed too, if I bought a $120 reservoir and it came looking like that Gazmtk. I have a sneaking feeling that XSPC will likely make a dual 655 built in reservoir as well, only it will be $70 cheaper. That Koolance unit is just like some of that Bitspower stuff in that it seems way too expensive for what you actually get.

Yes, and the first batch would likely leak (like just about every other first batch of acrylic parts of theirs). Noticed I bolded acrylic, it's a lot cheaper than Delrin. For a chunk of Delrin that would yield 4 parts from Mcmaster, I would need to spend $289.55, that automatically means each part has a non-machined price of $72.39. Now throw in costs of building space, milling machine, electricity, cutters and the machinist and shipping and it adds up really fast. Granted, all those costs listed above are going to be a bit lower in Korea but I don't think they're going to be dramatically lower. Ppl really need to consider all costs before flying off the handle about the price of some of this stuff.

[jayhall0315]

We're holding water here.....not alien and predator blood samples, ..... so no need for Delrin .... zero. Gradually I have become a big fan of XSPC because their products look just as nice and work just as well as say the Thermochill PA 120.3, the Koolance 450 res or the Swiftech Apogee XT, but for 30 to 60% less money. I call that win-win.

[Gazmtk913]

Oh I have emailed tech support and I have a new window on the way but this showing the community what to possibly expect and to also get koolance to pick up their act a little bit.

[Church]

No. This is badmouthing vendor before contacting them and giving any chance to fix things and keeping badmouthing even after solving problem, not about being knight in shiny armor helping community to defend from evil manufacturers. 120$? Premium product must be without any glitch? Imho this thread hurt their sales for few thousands at least.

[iandh]

IMO the one large scratch is not acceptable. Other than that, Acrylic scratches if you just look at it funny, so I find it hard to get worked up about the other hairline scratches. Not to mention which, a camera flash or lighting can make it look much worse than it is. I'm guessing that when the reservoir is filled and lit, it's very hard to see any of these scratches. That still doesn't mean they should be there.



That said, Tim, I'm curious why the protective plastic sheeting isn't left on the acrylic during processing?

If the sheeting you use doesn't come with protective film, you can purchase some for several cents a unit. It's reasonably easy to avoid.

As per my other thread, this is good feedback for forum members, but we need to wait and see whether this is isolated or an ongoing problem before passing judgement.

I don't see any problem as long as Koolance works to eliminate the problem in production and replaces the window for the customer.

This isn't an issue of the magnitude that it could cause people to lose their hardware from a failure, it's purely cosmetic.



As far as the cost goes, $120 for a reservoir milled out of a solid brick of delrin is not "premium"... it barely covers the cost of material. Anyone who would disagree is welcome to look up acetal prices themselves and report back.

[BlueAqua]

We're holding water here.....not alien and predator blood samples, ..... so no need for Delrin .... zero. Gradually I have become a big fan of XSPC because their products look just as nice and work just as well as say the Thermochill PA 120.3, the Koolance 450 res or the Swiftech Apogee XT, but for 30 to 60% less money. I call that win-win.

Delrin is awesome! I'd pay extra for that over acrylic most times just for the structural rigidity and strength. I have never seen a delrin part break, its a great material for many different uses. Although it's a bit over kill sometimes, overkill is good, prevents potential problems.

For the amount of delrin you get here, plus everything Waterlogged mentioned, the price is well justified.

[shazza]

I do hope Koolance can sort out the scratch issue - I know I wouldn't be happy if I purchased one and it had lots of scratches.

That said, kudos to Tim for checking in and keeping us informed of improvements. And, as he suggests, anyone with specific concerns with a unit they purchased should make sure to contact Koolance.

[Gazmtk913]

No. This is badmouthing vendor before contacting them and giving any chance to fix things and keeping badmouthing even after solving problem, not about being knight in shiny armor helping community to defend from evil manufacturers. 120$? Premium product must be without any glitch? Imho this thread hurt their sales for few thousands at least.

Churchy you need to wake up to yourself buddy,

to pay $120 to get what I got is not acceptable, I am more than happy to overlook the poor milling work in places as I don't see them when the unit is in use, but the front window? as IANDH said why was the protective film not in place, it would have easily avoided this... and Tim even came out to see they are TRYING to fix this, well i'm sorry but saying that and hearing that other people have the same issue is hurting the sales not what I have brought up, because it shows this is not isolated and if you would look at the sample on the website, it is perfect no blemishes or scratches...

The problem is not solved until I have my replacement in hand and is at a standard I believe is acceptable.
So don't try and tell me its solved...

as for $120 for a res, thats a high price in comparison to other Reservoirs on the market which is why it is deemed Premium.

[millertime359]

as for $120 for a res, thats a high price in comparison to other Reservoirs on the market which is why it is deemed Premium.

Your forgetting something yourself here. This is not just a Res. It is a pump top/res combo.

An EK single pump top is about $40 and a basic EK150 tube res is $40. That is $80 there.

Now, this allows for 2 pumps to be run in parallel. So lets take EK's bay Spin Res @ $68 now 2 pump tops @ $80. So that comes out to about $148. (took the EK res due to the extra ports for being able to run parallel.)

Seems Koolance is a bit cheaper.

Also, all other dual D5 tops come in at just shy of $100 and that doesn't include the Res. Seeing the cheapest res I know of atm is Swiftech's @ $20 and most are in the $40 to $60 range. This really isn't that much more expensive.

[Gazmtk913]

Hmmm it seems I am forgetting that little fact, thanks for pointing that out to me Millertime,

None the less I would of happily paid $5 extra for a perfect finish on the window.
I am a perfectionist so the lightest of blemishes I freak over, and then if its actually a scratch.. WOAH! I have been known to sand back an entire paint job and start again to ensure the finish is perfect... my Friends build SilvaSurfer RV01's case I repainted the seperating plate 5 times because of little marks in the paint because a bad primer, it wasn't until the 5th paint job I used a new primer and the finish was how it should of been first time

[Creekin]

I call shenanigans....

[millertime359]

Not a problem bud, I understand your concerns here. It still is alot of money and you would expect to get a quality product for your money.

Though,

Koolance is sending you out a new window free of charge and it seems they are willing to replace anyone's window that is like yours. They deserve props for attempting to make it right.

I do have to say, you really haven't given them much credit in trying to help you out here considering it took penguins asking you about it.

Please just keep that in mind. I hope if this window comes back and meets up to your standards you will let us know as well as if it doesn't.