# Eheim now made in China.. any good?



## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

I've seen some Chinese copies of Eheim Pro II's, but they did not have the Eheim name on them.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Eheim knock-offs coming out of China are poor quality, but if you run Eheim(Germany) side by side against Eheim(china) you'll see notice no difference.

http://www.petfrd.com/forum/printthread.php?t=18672&page=2&pp=15


I'm pretty devoted to the Pro II series, owning 2 2128s and 1 2026, and I have absolutely no complaints. All 3 are made in china. I've even run the classic and ecco series made in china with no problems what so ever.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

belladee said:


> I did a ton of recearch and decided on the Eheim classic for my 75 gallon. When I got to the store the guy told me that the Eheims are being returned a lot. He also told me that they were once great when they were made in Germany but now that they are made in China not so great....
> 
> I also noticed that this filter was priced less then the Rena and the Fuval.
> 
> any comments/opinions on this?





Left C said:


> I've seen some Chinese copies of Eheim Pro II's, but they did not have the Eheim name on them.





jmhart said:


> Eheim knock-offs coming out of China are poor quality, but if you run Eheim(Germany) side by side against Eheim(china) you'll see notice no difference.
> 
> http://www.petfrd.com/forum/printthread.php?t=18672&page=2&pp=15


Like Left C and jmhart said...are you those are authentic Eheim filters? AFAIK, they're all still German-made. The ones made in China are actually knock-offs and aren't the real thing.


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

I started questioning where Eheims were made these days, and, FWIW, according to Petsmart, some are made in Germany and some in China...might be a mistake:

Classic made in Germany:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753159

Pro II Thermofilter made in China:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753154

Pro II made in Germany:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753131


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Hm..well, what do you know. Guess I have to be a bit more careful now. 

Thanks!


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

I have also never heard of Eheim's made in China. I have a number of Eheim filters here from 1 month old to 8 years old and it does not say on the boxes or in the manuals where they were made. Are the supposed "Chinese Eheims" labeled in any way as to country of manufacture? The latest 2028 manual I have here has instructions in 18 different languages but no instructions in Chinese. If they make them there they apparently do not sell them there.


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## Natty (Apr 2, 2008)

China needs to stay away from Eheim. Whenever I go shopping, my first question is "is it made from China?". 

What's messed up is I have some Chinese friends and they do the same thing :hihi:. I'm Vietnamese and I try avoiding Vietnamese made stuff too. Not much confidence there.


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## Rev2eight (Jan 11, 2008)

My 2213 from petsmart is indeed made in china. Although the shutoff valves still state that they are made in Germany. Its been trotting along fine for the past 6 months so no complaints here.


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## fshfanatic (Apr 20, 2006)

captain_bu said:


> I have also never heard of Eheim's made in China. I have a number of Eheim filters here from 1 month old to 8 years old and it does not say on the boxes or in the manuals where they were made. Are the supposed "Chinese Eheims" labeled in any way as to country of manufacture? The latest 2028 manual I have here has instructions in 18 different languages but no instructions in Chinese. If they make them there they apparently do not sell them there.


That's because they are smart enough not to buy Chinese manufactured products as they suck. :hihi:


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

The Drs have a good deal on 2126 and 2128 Eheim's. I wonder why they are closing them out?

Do you remember that a few years ago DrsF&S discontinued anything Eheim and didn't carry their line? Then months or a year later they started carrying their line of products again. That sure was odd.


Eheim Pro II Filters
CD-16059 2026 kit $299.99
CD-16058 2028 kit $349.99
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+10946&pcatid=10946

CD-922105 2126 freshwater w/heater $319.99
CD-922118 2128 freshwater w/heater $379.99	

CD-18678 2126 marine w/heater $329.99 $249.99 
CD-18679 2128 marine w/heater $399.99 $299.99
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+20024+3617&pcatid=3617

The marine 2126 and 2128 w/heaters are $50 cheaper than the 2026 and 2028 w/o heaters.

2126: The marine model is $70 cheaper than the freshwater model.
2128: The marine model is $80 cheaper than the freshwater model.

The marine models are good deals, aren't they?


Eheim has some new models. They have the
ECCO Pro: http://www.eheimasiapacific.com/prod_e_extfilter_eccopro.html
Pro 3e USB: http://www.eheimasiapacific.com/prod_e_extfilter_pro3eusb.html


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

Rev2eight said:


> My 2213 from petsmart is indeed made in china. Although the shutoff valves still state that they are made in Germany. Its been trotting along fine for the past 6 months so no complaints here.


How were you able to confirm where it was made? I can't find any country of origin labeling anywhere on the packaging or filters/parts I have here. Not sure how to avoid buying a Chinese Eheim if they aren't labeled.


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## Rev2eight (Jan 11, 2008)

captain_bu said:


> How were you able to confirm where it was made? I can't find any country of origin labeling anywhere on the packaging or filters/parts I have here. Not sure how to avoid buying a Chinese Eheim if they aren't labeled.


Bottom of the box states "made in PRC" or People's Republic of China. Unless ive mistaken that acronym and it means something totally different. Ironically, the german made shut off valves started leaking only after two months of use. Luckly i had an older set laying around. They certainly dont make them like they used to i suppose :icon_smil


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## PDX-PLT (Feb 14, 2007)

fshfanatic said:


> That's because they are smart enough not to buy Chinese manufactured products as they suck. :hihi:


Really? Apple iPods are made in China. I've never heard anyone say "they suck". My Thinkpad notebook is made in China, and it's about as high-end as you can get.

Country of manufacture means nothing. What counts is the design specification, and how well the factory follows those specs (e.g., ISO 9001).


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

I wish that Dr. W. Edwards Deming was still alive and he could go to China to help with China's quality control issues. He was the one that helped Japan to produce excellent products after WWII.


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## Riiz (Apr 30, 2008)

I just purchased a 2026 the other day, no where on the box does it state where it was manufactured, but it does have a chinese symbol and 2 letters. Looking at the motor label that shows the electrical qualities, it does state "made in Germany". But it was purchased from a Petsmart and is the same item that JMhart linked and stated were Chinese made.


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## belladee (Jun 15, 2007)

well I guess I was concerned because everyone was saying that these were such great filters because they were made in Germany. And then I buy one from Big Als and it states on the bottom made in PRC.. China. 

I have to assume this is not a knock off or a fake since it was bought at a repituble LFS right?


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

Here are Pro II knock-offs. http://cgi.ebay.com/Aquarium-Canist...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50 and http://cgi.ebay.com/180Gal-EXTERNAL...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50

Eheim Classic 2218: :drool:


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## lizziotti (Mar 8, 2008)

I just found this:
Eheim filters made in China

For all you die hard Eheim fans, just posting some information that I received from EHEIM

Dear Vinay Kanodia 

Thank you very much for your inquiry by email. The classic filters 2211 - 2217 are produced in china, with the same quality standards and controls like in germany.

All other filters are still produced in germany. 

I hope that this information is helpful for you. 

If you have further questions please don't hesitate to contact us again. 

With best regards 

i.A. Cornelia Veith 
Service 

EHEIM GmbH & Co. KG 
Plochinger Strasse 54 

Oh boy I was just going to buy one too!

Here's the link:
http://www.petfrd.com/forum/printthread.php?t=18672


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## joy613 (Jun 19, 2007)

There is a way of telling country of origin by looking at the bar codes here is a list look at the first numbers on the code
00 ~ 13 USA & CANADA
30 ~ 37 FRANCE
40 ~ 44 GERMANY
49 ~ JAPAN
50 ~ UK
57 ~ Denmark
64 ~ Finland
76 ~ Switzerland and Liechtenstein
471 ~ Taiwan
480 ~ Philippines 
628 ~ Saudi-Arabia
629 ~ United Arab Emirates 
690 ~ 695 China
740 ~ 745 Central America 
I know it doesn't have all of them but it will help when checking out items. I have noticed some products from china doesn't have where it was manufactured at.


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

I sent Ernesto at Eheim an email yesterday inquiring about this issue. He responded that he would like a link to the forum to clarify the matter himself. We'll see what he has to say, as I certainly won't be able to tell you as per his email disclaimer, which reads: 

"This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for
the addressee. The perusal, publication, copying or dissemination of the
contents of this e-mail by unauthorized third parties is prohibited. If
you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please delete it and
immediately notify the sender."

I did as he asked, so hopefully he will provide us with some good information "from the horse's mouth," so to speak.

It's unfortunate that I may have to end my love affair with Eheim because of a stupid move to try and cut costs by diverting manufacturing operations to China...I wish LesC would chime in....


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

Honestly, this sounds like the "Made in Japan" stigmatism that was going around when I was a kid. 
Buy a Japanese car? HAHAHAHAHA.

Who's laughing now?

I also still look forward to Ernesto's post.

And as far as:


> "This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for
> the addressee. The perusal, publication, copying or dissemination of the
> contents of this e-mail by unauthorized third parties is prohibited. If
> you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please delete it and
> immediately notify the sender."


It's pretty standard on Corporate e-mail systems.


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

Here are some of the great things China did for us back in 2007: 

January 2007
Toxic Overalls: Samarra Brothers recalled Chinese-manufactured children’s two-piece overall sets because the coatings on the snaps in the overalls and shirt contain excessive amounts of lead, posing a serious risk of lead poisoning and adverse health effects to young children.

Fire Hazard Heaters: Family Dollar Stores recalled 35,000 oscillating ceramic heaters that were found to overheat and smoke, which could pose a fire hazard to consumers.

Bad Wiring In Fans: Holmes Group recalled about 300,000 Chinese-manufactured oscillating tower fans that were found to have bad wiring that creates a fire hazard.

Dangerous Candles: Sally Foster recalled over 46,000 sets of imported Tea Lights candles after it was reported that the candles have a clear, plastic shell that can melt or ignite, posing a fire or burn hazard to consumers.

Dryers With Electrocution Hazard: Metropolis Beauty recalled about 18,000 Travel’N Baby Mini Hair Dryers, which were not equipped with an immersion protection plug to prevent electrocution if the hair dryer falls into water. Electric shock protection devices are required by industry standards for all electric hand-held hair dryers.

Improperly Wired/Flammable Lamps: Hong Ten Trading recalled about 4,000 electric oil lamps that had power cords that were not correctly secured and had no strain relief on their switch housing. The switch housing was also not flame-retardant, which poses a fire hazard.

February 2007
Overheating Remote Controls: Best Buy recalled about 10,000 Isignia DVD Player remotes after it was found that improper battery placement in the remote could result in overheating and present a burn hazard.

Lead Poisoning Hazard: 115,000 Claudia Jublot children’s rings, which were sold at Big Lots stores, were recalled because they contained dangerous levels of lead.

Defective Lamps: Currey & Company of Georgia recalled about 2,600 Chinese-manufactured lamps that had defective light sockets, which could pose electrical shock and fire hazards.

Lead Accessories: Kidsite jewelry sets, which were sold at Kmart stores across America, were recalled for containing high levels of lead.

Toxic Jackets: Samara Brothers recalled thousands of its outwear jackets for children because the snap closures on the jackets contained excessive amounts of lead, which poses a lead poisoning hazard.

Lead Bracelets: Imported Chinese bracelets that were sold under the “Ultra Gear” brand were recalled because they contained high levels of lead.
Hazardous Toy Batteries: JAKKS Pacific recalled over 240,000 battery packs for toy vehicles after dozens of reports of the batteries melting or catching fire.

Lead Rings: About 280,000 children’s Rachael Rose Kidz rings were recalled after they were found to contain high levels of lead.

March 2007
Breakable Bike Frames: Target’s made-in-China Triax PK7 and Vertical PK7 bike frames were recalled after it was found that the frames could break rather easily, injuring anyone unlucky enough to be riding such a bike.

Razor Blades For Kids: Tri Star International recently recalled a made-in-China children’s stationary, which contained a dangerous razor blade.
Shocking Extension Cords: Dollar Stop Plus recalled 15-foot extension cords that had undersized wiring, and failed to connect properly at the plug and receptacle ends. This poses fire, shock and electrocution hazards to consumers.

Lead Easels: Discount School Supply recalled Elite about 2,500 5-in-1 Easels after finding that the chalkboard side of the Chinese-manufactured easels contained high levels of lead.

Lead Necklaces: Children’s necklaces sold at Accessories Palace were recalled because they contained high levels of lead.

Toxic Paint: Toys R Us recalled over 128,000 Elite Operations toy sets 
because the paint used by the Chinese manufacturer of the toys contained high levels of lead.

Lead Mood Necklace: About 47,000 children’s mood necklace imported from China by Rhode Island Novelty were recalled for containing high levels of lead.

Dangerous Sconces: Home Dectorators recalled about 900 Chinese-produced wall sconces, after finding that many were missing back plates, which exposes consumers to live wires and poses a risk of electrical shock to consumers changing the light bulb.

Lead Paint On Baby Toys: Stuffed Fun Balls, which were sold at dollar stores and other discount stores from June 2006 until March 2007, were recalled because the paint used by the Chinese manufacturer of the baby toy contained dangerous levels of lead.

April 2007
Poison Pet Food: Two Chinese companies intentionally exported contaminated pet food ingredients to the United States, killing hundreds of American pets that ate the food.

Unhappy Hanukkah: Aviv Judaica Imports recalled its Chanukah Oil Candles sets after it was found that they can become engulfed in flames and melt the plastic cups holding the candles in place, allowing hot wax to leak out, which poses fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Oil Heater Fire Hazard: Holmes Group recalled about 300,000 of its oil-filled electric heaters after discovering that a poor electrical connection within the Chinese-manufactured heaters could overheat and cause fires.

Flaming Boomboxes: Coby Electronics recalled over 13,000 USB/MP3/CD boomboxes due to electrical problems that could cause them to overheat and catch fire.

Collapsing Baby Seats: Infant Bouncer Seats were recalled by Oeuf LLC after reports the seats’ metal frame breaking.

Flammable Baby Clothes: Disney Stores recalled its Baby Einstein Caterpillar Sleepwear and Baby Einstein Duck Sleepwear because of a failure to meet the children’s flammability standard, posing a risk of burn injury to children.

Hazardous Candles: McCormick Distilling Company recalled 60,000 Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream candle sets after finding that the martini glass containing the gel candle can break while the candle is burning, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Lead Bracelets: A&A Global Industries issued a recall for about 4 million of its Children’s Groovy Grabber Bracelets, which were painted with paint that contained high levels of lead.

Lead Key Chains: Dollar General Merchandising recalled about 400,000 Chinese-manufactured Keychains because they contained high levels of lead.

Shocking Palm Trees: iObjectSolutions Inc. of Georgia’s Chinese-made Pre-lit Palm Trees was found to have electrical problems with its lighting system, which could cause fires or electric shocks.

Unguarded Blades: Sears warned customers to remove the “Craftsman” logo label from their Chinese-made Craftsman Circular Saws, after it was found that the label could become partially detached, leading to exposure of the saw blade and injury to those operating the saw.

May 2007
Toxic Fish: It is believed that imported Chinese monkfish was actually deadly puffer fish, a labeling disaster that lead to the hospitalization of at least one person in America.

Tween’s Lead Jewerly: Tween Brands Inc. of New York recalled a set of Chinese-manufactured metal jewelry for children that jewelry contained high levels of lead, which can cause adverse health effects and is toxic if ingested by young children.

Toxic Drums: The Boyds Collection of Pennsylvania recalled its “Eli’s Small Drums and Liberty’s Large Drums” when it was found that the paint used by its Chinese manufacturer contained dangerous levels of lead.

Children’s Rings: Cardinal Distributing Company of Maryland recalled its “Children’s Turquoise Rings” for containing dangerous levels of lead.
More Lead Jewelry: Spandrel Sales and Marketing of Arizona recalled 200,000 children’s necklaces, bracelets and rings because they contained dangerous levels of lead.

Collapsing Stools: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store recalled over 2,000 Chinese-manufactured kitchen stools, which had been found to unexpectedly collapse during use.

Lead Bamboo: Anima Bamboo Collection Games, manufactured by HaPe International Ltd., of Ningbo, China, were recalled when the toys in game sets were found to contain lead paint.

Hazardous Grills: Grills produced in China by Sagittarius Sporting Goods were recalled after many were found to be missing a hose that connects the grill manifold to its side burner, posing a risk of fires and burn injuries to customers.

Toxic Jesus Fish: Oriental Trading Company of Nebraska recalled over 130,000 religious fish necklaces for children, which had been found to contain high levels of lead.

Hazardous Candles: Vivre Royal was forced to recall a set of Chinese-produced candles when it came to light that their exterior coating and decorations were highly flammable.

June 2007
Kerosene Eyeballs: Gemmy Industries recalled several hundred plastic “Floating Eyeballs” because they contained kerosene, which if broken, presents a chemical hazard to children.

Deadly Tires: Tire importer Foreign Tire Sales, based in Union, N.J., recalled as many as 450,000 tires after it was reported that the treads on light-truck radials manufactured by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. in Hangzhou, China, were shoddily manufactured and could separate. Several traffic deaths have been blamed on such tires.

Tainted Seafood: The FDA detained imports of three types of Chinese fish — catfish, basa and dace — as well as shrimp and eel after repeated testing turned up contamination with drugs unapproved in the United States for use in farmed seafood.

Toxic Thomas the Tank Engine Toys: American toy company RC2 was forced to recall a series of wooden toys based on the popular children’s show after it was revealed that they were painted with dangerously toxic paint.

Lead Earrings: Accessoriesãƒ»Silver Stud Earring Sets, jewelry for kids that was sold in Kmart stores across America, were recalled after being found to contain dangerous levels of lead.

Deadly Cribs: American company Simplicity Inc. recently found that the directions for its made-in-China Nursery-In-A-Box crib had been improperly produced. If followed, the Chinese-made directions could cause the crip to come apart and trap/injure babies.

Poisonous Toothpaste: The FDA recently found that several low-priced toothpastes imported from China contained diethylene glycol, which poisons the liver and kidneys and depresses the central nervous system.

Lead Necklaces: Geocentral’s Butterfly Necklaces for kids were recalled when it was found that the metal clasps on the necklaces contained dangerous levels of lead.

Unexpected Shattering: Pier 1 Imports recalled over 200,000 Chinese-made glassware pieces after it was found that they can crack or break unexpectedly, posing a laceration hazard to consumers.

Collapsing Recliners: Rockingham Deluxe Lounge Chairs, imported from China by Rockingham Deluxe Lounge Chairs, were recalled because the chairs can collapse or fall backward due to faulty support brackets or weak frames, posing fall and severe laceration hazards to consumers.

July 2007
Dangerously Crappy Hammocks: A free-standing hammock manufactured by the Chinese company Danlong Industries has been found to break quite easily, sending anyone unlucky enough to be resting in the hammock to the ground. Several people have reported injuries.

“Essential” Lead Jewelry: Future Industries of New Jersey recalled their “Essentials for kids” jewelry product line after the Chinese-manufactured jewelry was found to contain dangerous levels of lead.

[Note: Most products on recall lists we checked were American companies’ products manufactured in China, but we have chosen to mention only the incidents that seem most likely connected to problems on the Chinese side, such as dangerous/faulty materials being used in production.]

From http://www.who-sucks.com/business/made-in-china-2007-danger-timeline

Here's another good read: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/the-problem-with-made-in-china/190444/


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

Coleman, if that was for my benefit, I never said they were angels. I just will be curious on if History will repeat itself...... again.

Trust me. I've had to deal with a crying 3 year old as I packed away his Thomas trains to be mailed away due to lead paint. 
And actually thanks for this one:


> Kerosene Eyeballs: Gemmy Industries recalled several hundred plastic “Floating Eyeballs” because they contained kerosene, which if broken, presents a chemical hazard to children.


I have a few of these on my desk, and one that rolls around on the dashboard of my car (bug the wife). My son does/did like to play with them.


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## Riiz (Apr 30, 2008)

So, besides the non-classic Eheims being produced in Germany. Anyone feel like compiling a list of what Canister filters are produced in countries other than China?


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## Etos (Aug 5, 2008)

EHEIM Classics and Liberty are the only filters manufactured in China, ALL other EHEIM filters (Pro II, eccos, Pro 3, Pro 3e's) are made in Germany.

It seems that people are concern about quality but the Classic filters however they have been manufactured in china since 1999 and is only recently that people are talking about it. 

I you need confirmation, please see this video: http://www.eheim.com/base/eheim/movies/Filtersysteme_GB.wmv

I'm sure that at this point most of us have an EHEIm made in CHina and haven't even noticed.

Etos


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

Sure wish that wasn't a wmv file.:icon_roll...

Also, let me just throw this one out for ya: 

Some people, including myself, don't want to spend their money on products made in China. There is no question in my mind that manufacturing "quality control" specs exist, but it is no doubt apparent from the above examples and countless others that Chines manufacturers in general will go above and beyond to build a substandard product - anyhting to save money...And there's a reason those Eheim Classics and Liberty's are made in China now, and you know it as well as I do: it's CHEAPER. That's it. It's a way to save money - on labor, on materials...I suppose the rebuttal would be something like - "well, we pass that savings on to you the customer...," though somehow, I find that hard to believe....

By the way, does anyone else find it odd that the Eheim Liberty is manufactured in China?


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## kid creole (Dec 25, 2008)

Please stop bashing the Chinese. In most of these cases the blame is equally shared on both sides.


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## kid creole (Dec 25, 2008)

ColeMan said:


> There is no question in my mind that manufacturing "quality control" specs exist, but it is no doubt apparent from the above examples and countless others that Chines manufacturers in general will go above and beyond to build a substandard product - anyhting to save money...


What is a quality control spec? I have worked in countless factories, and never heard the term quality control spec. What does that even mean?


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

quality control specifications - I'm using it as a generic term for quality control standards, whatever they may be...notice I said, "in general..." I'm not bashing the Chinese - I'm certainly not. I'm bashing the seemingly intentional manufacturing of substandard, dangerous products, which the Chinese happen to be doing a lot of lately. 


The author of a June 18, 2008 NY Times article notes, "Over all, the number of products made in China that are being recalled in the United States by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has doubled in the last five years, driving the total number of recalls in the country to 467 last year, an annual record."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/business/worldbusiness/19toys.html



kid creole said:


> Please stop bashing the Chinese. In most of these cases the blame is equally shared on both sides.


Ahem...Please don't misconstrue my words. :wink:


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

If eheim is as good of a company as people say, why do you think the quality of their filters will drop because they are made in China?


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## Left C (Nov 15, 2003)

I provided a Wiki link to Dr. W. Edwards Deming earlier. I studied his teachings and helped to make a few increases in the quality of some textile products from the mid 80's for 20 years. Here is a prime example of quality control management from an automotive point of view.

"Dr. Deming's teachings and philosophy can be seen through the results they produced when they were adopted by the Japanese, as the following example shows: Ford Motor Company was simultaneously manufacturing a car model with transmissions made in Japan and the United States. Soon after the car model was on the market, Ford customers were requesting the model with Japanese transmission over the USA-made transmission, and they were willing to wait for the Japanese model. As both transmissions were made to the same specifications, Ford engineers could not understand the customer preference for the model with Japanese transmission. It delivered smoother performance with a lower defect rate. Finally, Ford engineers decided to take apart the two different transmissions. The American-made car parts were all within specified tolerance levels. On the other hand, the Japanese car parts had much closer tolerances than the USA-made parts - e.g. if a part was supposed to be one foot long, plus or minus 1/8 of an inch - then the Japanese parts were within 1/16 of an inch. This made the Japanese cars run more smoothly and customers experienced fewer problems."


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## PDX-PLT (Feb 14, 2007)

tazcrash69 said:


> Honestly, this sounds like the "Made in Japan" stigmatism that was going around when I was a kid.
> Buy a Japanese car? HAHAHAHAHA.
> 
> Who's laughing now?


Yea, me too.

As I mentioned on another forum where this came up, Apple iPods are made in China. Has anyone every said they weren't high quality? So is the Thinkpad notebook I'm typing this on: these are about the best-constructed notebook PC's you can get.

It's all about the design specification, and the ability of factory to follow that spec., not the country of manufacture.


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## belladee (Jun 15, 2007)

well the reason I brought this up is because when I was reading reviews a lot of them said "great filter" "of course it is German made" "It is so great because it is Greman made" So to see that it is not German made made me wonder if they are still so great.

So does anyone have the newer version and feel it is just as great?


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## sykogngsta (Apr 12, 2008)

I was thinking of getting an Eheim 2213 for my 20l tank. shoudl i not reconsider and get a different canister filter? Or shoudl the Eheim 2213 still be good.


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## PDX-PLT (Feb 14, 2007)

belladee said:


> I was reading reviews a lot of them said "great filter" "of course it is German made"


You must be listening to this guy:


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## Etos (Aug 5, 2008)

ColeMan said:


> I suppose the rebuttal would be something like - "well, we pass that savings on to you the customer...," though somehow, I find that hard to believe....


Well... I know for a fact that in the 80's and early 90's you could pay over $500 for an EHEIM classic with no filter media (did anyone here paid that much and still has his EHEIM?). 

Nowadays if you shop around the 2217 can be bought around $180;while the 2028 is normally is around $270 (both rated fro the same size aquariums).

If products made in China scare you, you can always have the ecco and Pro II and soon there will be the Pro 3 (2071,2073 and 2075).


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Dude, bottom line is that Eheims are great filters, period.


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

There's no doubt about it. I love my Eheim classics, and would not trade them for any other filter on the market. It's unfortunate that Eheim has outsourced labor to China for all of the aforementioned reasons and more. Friends still come over and ask how I can run a tank with no filters...when I open up the cabinet and show them that I actually have 2, they're almost always shocked. "But they're so quiet....I used to have an aquarium and you could hear the damn filter from any room in the house..." 

I offer the following apology to my Eheim*:

Eheim, although we may have our misunderstandings from time to time, you know I still do - and always will - love you. Despite hard times, we will always work it out....You just call....out my name...and you know wherever I am...I'll come running...oh yea, Eheim, to see you again....

Note: this apology does not in any way reflect an apology to subpar, Chinese manufacturing companies, which I still hate.


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## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

Left C said:


> "Dr. Deming's teachings and philosophy can be seen through the results they produced when they were adopted by the Japanese, as the following example shows: Ford Motor Company was simultaneously manufacturing a car model with transmissions made in Japan and the United States. Soon after the car model was on the market, Ford customers were requesting the model with Japanese transmission over the USA-made transmission, and they were willing to wait for the Japanese model. As both transmissions were made to the same specifications, Ford engineers could not understand the customer preference for the model with Japanese transmission. It delivered smoother performance with a lower defect rate. *Finally, Ford engineers decided to take apart the two different transmissions. The American-made car parts were all within specified tolerance levels. On the other hand, the Japanese car parts had much closer tolerances than the USA-made parts - e.g. if a part was supposed to be one foot long, plus or minus 1/8 of an inch - then the Japanese parts were within 1/16 of an inch. This made the Japanese cars run more smoothly and customers experienced fewer problems*."


And that, friends and neighbors, is a quality control or machine tolerance standard. It is a set of specifications that control tolerances on production lines.

It is a very common nomenclature, I'm surprised anyone in a manufacturing environment hasn't worked with them.

If the specs are tight enough, it doesn't matter where it is made. Considering these things have been made in china for a decade now, I'd wager the majority of Eheim owners on this board own a Chinese made product, and have been doing nothing but raving about them for a few years now.


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## kid creole (Dec 25, 2008)

ingg said:


> And that, friends and neighbors, is a quality control or machine tolerance standard. It is a set of specifications that control tolerances on production lines.
> 
> I find it amazing, and rather scary, that anyone has worked in "countless" production environments and has never heard of one.


Specifications don't control tolerances on production lines. In the generic example posted, the issue is process capability versus design limits.

When you say 'quality control,' it is too vague. What does quality control mean?

My point was that processes are processes, and you can set them up anywhere, and you can do them well, or you can do them poorly. In my experience, success or failure with foreign made products has been dependent on training the suppliers to maintain processes, not just read drawings.


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

Not to belabor the issue...but I also thought it's important to say that there are other reasons that people (including myself) don't want to buy products from China, besides their typically inferior manufacturing practices. Human Rights Violations. Let's not forget about the plight of the Tibetans who suffer at the hands of the Chinese. It's disappointing at best that so many are willing to brush such grievances under the rug in order to save a few dollars worth of manufacturing costs while likely compromising quality at the same time. :icon_redf


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## jmhart (Mar 14, 2008)

Careful there, you're straying into politics, a sure fire way to get this thread closed.


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## ColeMan (Mar 9, 2008)

Very good point. They might as well just lock it up now.  I definitely wasn't trying to start a fire...the issue popped into my head after reading an article in the newspaper today which in which the Dhali Llama said Tibetans were living in "hell on earth." How quickly one forgets....


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## bibbels (Sep 29, 2008)

ColeMan said:


> I offer the following apology to my Eheim*:
> 
> Eheim, although we may have our misunderstandings from time to time, you know I still do - and always will - love you. Despite hard times, we will always work it out....You just call....out my name...and you know wherever I am...I'll come running...oh yea, Eheim, to see you again....


 
That was hilarious.:thumbsup:


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## Choco (Dec 8, 2007)

joy613 said:


> There is a way of telling country of origin by looking at the bar codes here is a list look at the first numbers on the code
> 00 ~ 13 USA & CANADA
> 30 ~ 37 FRANCE
> 40 ~ 44 GERMANY
> ...


this is not the first time I hear the same thing...I have no idea where that myth came from, i can tell you it is not true.


Just got a 2213 from BigAls today (Canada), bottom of box said make in PRC too (China)...kinda disappointed (that's why i did a search and this thread came up). They are pricey here in Canada too ($120 CAD)

Is it true that they were being manufactured in China since 1999?
I have another used 2213 and it has been running great for years. If this one is just like my last one...i wouldn't mind where it is manufactured.


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## ZID ZULANDER (Apr 15, 2008)

I guess it really doesnt matter where they are being made as long as they keep the quality up. Danner has started to source items from China but we also have someone from our company there to make sure its being done the way we want it done. I just looked at the new ( but old ) 2211 that I just got last week and it says made in Germany on it. But like I said if it was made in China I wouldnt care if it holds up like they do.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Global Economy = Which way did did he go George? The lines of trade are so tangled if you focus on origin for a product you'll never buy ANYTHING. My wife dearly loves her Dodge Charger w/ the 5.7 (has for 3yrs.) and wants the Challenger. (she'll get it :0) But if you look deep enough I'm sure you'll find something from Pakistan on the damn car.
Eheim 2215, 2028, 2078 all good filters.


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## infopimp (Dec 21, 2008)

I agree wkndracer: My Honda had more US parts/manufacturing than some domestic cars!


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