How good are Deltecs?

[aquashelle]

I have a friend who just tore down his tank, and is wanting to sell me a deltec 525.
He said it was a great skimmer, and really expensive when new.
How much do these things run for used?

 

[nemo22]

the info. that i have seen, they are pretty good skimmers. don't have any personal exp. with them.

 

[wangotango]

One of the better brands out there. Their designs aren't really different from anyone else, but the construction quality usually is.
-Justin

 

[scsinet]

I've got an 851 and it's an awesome skimmer, the best I've ever owned. I'm not sure if I'd buy it again given the price, as the price-to-performance ratio is a bit hard to swallow.
The 525 is no longer manufactured if I'm not mistaken. You can call Doug at Deltec USA (877-DELTEC1) and ask him what the MSRP was for it new, and he can probably help you.
A few things to know about Deltecs...
Their customer service is awesome. These skimmers are very top shelf so needless to say Deltec doesn't sell very many... it's like buying a Ferrari, you get red carpet treatment for life as just part of the package. They don't care if you bought it new or used, you can always call them.
Their performance is unreal.
They use usually one of two kinds of pumps... Aquabee or Eheim. Aquabee pumps are practically never seen in the US and finding replacement parts for them is nearly impossible. Eheims are more common, but Deltec heavily modifies them, making many of the parts very expensive... which takes me to my next point...
Spare parts are insanely expensive.. Mine is powered by a Eheim 1260, which is normally a $160 pump. I needed a new needlwheel impeller for it, and it cost me $250 for JUST THE IMPELLER.
So I guess my point is they are an awesome skimmer, but I'm not sure they are so awesome that the price is justified... at least for a new one. These skimmers are in high demand in the used market, so if you find the MSRP, consider anything under 75% of new a very good deal.

 

[stanlalee]

there are more cutting edge, better performing and better built skimmers for the money IMO (for example build materials arent as good as a BK or much anything else in its price range for that matter, several pumps now outperform the aquabees and there are no cone deltecs not that I believe in cones but they are considered "cutting edge") but they are still very good and better than any "common" skimmer. they generally perform better and typically more trouble free than what you'll get from a low or midrange skimmer but in the $700-2500+ range they arent tops in the playing field these days. I think build quality (much like ALL tunze products) is a negative attribute not a positive one. nothing wrong with the build unless you compare them to other mega buck skimmers that just plain seem to use better materials and details for your mega bucks.