Iain
When people start sourcing and filling their own filters with materials sourced from non compliant suppliers
And then putting them in my machines - it is my Brand that people look at with expectations of air quality
Below is a example of things that can go horribly wrong when people do what they want and don't source the correct materials
I was on holiday at this site - running 3 Bauers and a Nitrox Membrane system - i felt the air was not up to standard and asked to see their filters and compressors
Attached you will see a picture of molecular sieve and activated carbon which i pulled out of a machine ( a Bauer with P21 filters - woefully inadequate for the conditions ) which they were repacking - just in layers !! not with the carbon running up the middle and molecular sieve on the outside
They were re - using the sponge pads - not even washing them or putting new ones
The oil !! we drained it and it was completely black ( this was sourced from a Bauer agent - who was decanting Shell oil into a 5 L and writing by hand "Bauer synthetic oil " it may have been breathing air grade oil - Nitrox compatible ?? Clearly not as it was black
I had the most disgusting air ever from this Bauer setup
Its seems you have nothing good to say about Coltri - other than its a Paintball machine pressed into service
( yes we do supply paintball - but the majority of our units end up in the Scuba and Fire markets )
So instead of knocking Coltri - why not put your clearly vast knowledge to educating people out there of correct practices and not encouraging that
they start repacking their filters with dubious materials
At least I know when i send out a machine it has a adequate filtration system specced as standard
And we supply original oil - it is specced for our machines for Nitrox
And when my clients re pack their filters they are using the correct materials sourced from me -
So i ask you ! would you like to breathe off a machine with correct materials and a properly trained operator or someone who is putting in the cheapest materials he can find
My goal is the best quality air out there for all clients - through education and not scaremongering
and i try and keep my materials at the best possible pricing
see the pic of materials from the mentioned site View attachment 202656
what should be molecular sieve has been identified as Activated Alumina
and heaven knows what that carbon is ?
and you can make your own deductions as to which is the proper oil
View attachment 202656View attachment 202657
Ok my thoughts on your response;
Agree, some people take short cuts and take the cheapest nastiest options. As a supplier you cannot stop people buying your product and then abusing it and then trying to blame you. Yes, it sucks and not your fault, but that's the reality of the world, and you will be unable to stop those who don't care. They just wont listen. I think nothing you say will make many change their minds.
You say a bauer agent supplied oil not to spec, now I don't know you or anyone in SA, so potentially every supplier in SA might do the same. In reality I know most wont, but you understand my message here, just because you say you are honest Joe, doesn't mean you are. I am not saying you are less than honest but words mean little. The chinese ripoff Coltri I bought was "a quality product and they were going to look after me and provide all the support I needed" that is until it broke, and then I had nothing, so again I state words mean little, in particular with the internet and the vast distances involved. Actual actions and reliable product speaks volumes.
I understand your issue re the bauer compressor and agree that sucks, but soon as the compressor leaves your hands you have no control over it.
In any regard, your argument doesn't prove that every non genuine item is bad, I agree some are, however you just proved, bauer a recognised and top of the range compressor, can be tainted by a bad agent. A good non genuine supplier in the circumstances you describe would be a better option. You as the SA supplier of Coltri may be the genuine article, however one of your resellers might be the worst in SA, thus your image becomes damaged. Not the fault of the customer at all.
I have a bauer now (after my disappointing chinese coltri copy), and have genuine and non genuine spares. Oil is genuine, and some filters, but I also have non genuine which to me look quality. I have purchased refill material from reliable compressor suppliers, so should I now not use them, just in case? Just because its not bauer (or coltri) doesn't mean its necessarily bad.
An example is I went to a car yard to buy an expansion plug for my car made of brass. Its about 60mm and a dish shape to seal a machining hole in the engine block. They wanted $30. The component is stamped out like mouse poo. I went down the road to a non genuine dealer and bought one for 30 cents which is about what they are really worth. Paying 100 times the real price doesn't make it any better quality, and if I were a betting man, they both came from the same manufacturer.
Now in trying to deal with my "chinese coltri", I wrote to coltri and told them of the counterfeit and asked if they were interested in dealing with it. I supplied emails, pictures and would have supplied the compressor to them. I was offered stony silence. So much for wanting to protect their product, I was very disappointed. I was prepared to give them all the evidence and help with any prosecution. Now if I follow your logic they should have been incensed as it reflects badly on their product. To me it was an exact "visual" copy, and yet they didn't even give me the decency of a reply.
Whilst I appreciate your frustration, you cannot paint all suppliers with the same brush. Unfortunately its up to the consumers to sort out the wheat from the chaff.
If I were to apply your logic to my situation, I would have to say anything that looks like a coltri sucks as they are all bad, but clearly this is rubbish. The genuine article is probably a good product, but the chinese look alike I bought is crap at best (and that's from experience).
As I said I have one of the P21 stainless refillable cartridges and am happy with the product and the engineer is willing to make me a stainless version for my personal filter. From my perspective the product speaks volumes and is not just hearsay.
Just because an item is cheap, doesn't mean its bad. If its manufactured badly, regardless of price then its bad and crap.
I like that you are trying to supply quality product and a cheap price, that's what business is all about, but unfortunately the customer choses, regardless of your intent or desire to provide a good product.