Fire Angel Smoke/Heat Alarms

[JohnW2]

Perhaps - but a quick look at the Fire angel products reveals that they are neither better or cheaper in any significant way.

Maybe, but since you wrote that less than 12 hours after you had written ...

I know nothing of their products.

.... I imagine that you can't be too confident about what you have now discovered by your 'quick look'.

Having said that, now that I have looked and thought a bit more, I think you are right about price - provided one 'compares like-with-like', the FireAngel and Aico prices are pretty close.

In particular, as I wrote yesterday, the FireAngel SM-SN-1 appears to have an identical spec to the Aico Ei3016, both being mains-powered with sealed lithium (presumably rechargeable) batteries, and those two products have virtually identical prices - and the same for the corresponding SH-SN-1 and Ei3014 heat detectors.

The Aico Ei146e (mains-powered with non-rechargeable alkaline battery) (which you would not use) is a bit more expensive than the equivalent FireAngel SW1-R (and the same for Ei144 vs HW1-R), but Aico don't seem to offer an equivalent to the FireAngel SW10-R (or HW10-R) which is mains powered with a non-replaceable lithium (metal) battery (which, again, you do not like).

However, that's all about price. As for whether, when compared like-for-like, the Aico products are any better (or worse') than the FireAngel ones, I still have no idea, and I presume that the same is true of you, given that you "knew nothing" of Fireangel producs some 12 hours ago?

 

[pcaouolte]

So what do people thing about that source? If they were selling through eBay, many would probably advise keeping away from them- but, given that they are not selling through eBay, should one 'trust" them, or should one keep away from them on the basis of the price they're offering, and the fact that they are not a 'household name'? In other words, is the question of whether or not they sell through eBay necessarily all that relevant?

I would risk it for a small amount of money that I could afford to lose or which would likely be recoverable from a credit card company.

They are a small, family run business with premises in Batley. They seem to have been trading for a couple of years. I have never used them. They get mixed reviews.

 

[aveatry]

"flameport said:
The vast majority of properties with alarms already in place in this area are Aico. .... New ones fit onto the same backplate that's they have been using for the last 25 years, which makes replacements a 10 second job."

Yes a very valid consideration too, I totally agree.

Yep last year I needed to replace a 10 year old Aico, and was amazed that the new unit just needed to be slid onto the old base - brilliant. For that alone I would always fit Aico if I was fitting from scratch. It was the Ei3016

​

 

[JohnW2]

I would risk it for a small amount of money that I could afford to lose or which would likely be recoverable from a credit card company.

I'd be inclined to agree - but the problem with the sort of products we are talking about is that one probably would not be able to tell whether what one has bought is "stolen, fake or broken" in the manner that flameport fears of eBay sellers (although, I suppose, 'stolen' would not be a worry, other than morally!) - and that has to be a cause for potential concern with a safety-critical product.

They are a small, family run business with premises in Batley. They seem to have been trading for a couple of years. I have never used them. They get mixed reviews.

Indeed. The haven't got much more than £100kk in the bank, and their turnover is probably in a similar ballpark. However, I merely used them as an illustration of the fact that the 'uncertainties' existed in relation to any business offering 'unusually low prices', whether they were selling through eBay etc. or not.

Mind you, if (as is probable) they are 'legitimate', then they are presumably paying at least as much as the big boys for the products, and presumably are not 'selling at a loss' - so this gives some insight into the size of the mark-up/profit being made by those big boys!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Yep last year I needed to replace a 10 year old Aico, and was amazed that the new unit just needed to be slid onto the old base - brilliant. For that alone I

Indeed - as I said, once one has stepped on the ladder, one is probably 'locked in'!

I would always fit Aico if I was fitting from scratch. It was the Ei3016

Fair enough - but, as above, that would tend to commit you to sticking with that brand for evermore - probably, but not inevitably, a reasonable course to take!

 

[aveatry]

Indeed - as I said, once one has stepped on the ladder, one is probably 'locked in'!

Fair enough - but, as above, that would tend to commit you to sticking with that brand for evermore - probably, but not inevitably, a reasonable course to take!

I dont get your issue - do you work for fire angel or something.
Do fireangle have the same base that can be reused 10 years later.

 

[JohnW2]

It seems that I was definitely right when I wrote ...

I'm asking, because I was asked. However, the primary question was about the difference (if any, other than the type of battery) between the two products I mentioned - a question which no-one yet seems to have attempted to answer. I raised the more general question (as well as my specific one) because I knew jolly well (as you rapidly confirmed) that someone would jump in with vague 'anti-FireAngel' comments

... and, despite over 50 posts, I'm not really any closer to knowing the answer to my primary question.

I presume that, for whatever reason, the person who asked me the question had already decided to use FireAngel products and merely wanted to know about any difference between the two products I mentioned, other than the type of (replaceable) battery supplied with them.

It seems that the point was that If, as seems quite likely, there is no difference between the products other than th battery supplied with them (for the user to install), then it would probably make sense to buy the much cheaper one (which came with a replaceable alkaline battery)and also buy a lithium (metal) replaceable battery, since the total price would then almost certainly be less than that of the product that was shipped with a lithium battery.

However, as well as not yet knowing the answer to the question, I'm also getting rather confused by this whole issue of fire alarm batteries, so I'm going to start a new thread, which hopefully will remain reasonably focussed on that issue!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

I dont get your issue - do you work for fire angel or something.

See what I've just written. It's nothing to do with me - I was asked a question about the difference between two FireAngel products and have been attempting to find an answer - and have no real interest in the (I suppose inevitable, here!) discussion the merit or otherwise of that brand of product.

As I've said, I have personally never used anything other than Aico, and that may well remain the case for ever, but one has to accept that, for others, FireAngel is a significant player in the field.

Do fireangle have the same base that can be reused 10 years later.

As I've said, we can't yet know the answer to that, since FireAngel products have only been available for 6 or 7 years. However,unless they are pretty daft, they will make sure that future products will fit on the current bases, since that will make it more likely that people will (eventually) replace FireAngel products with FireAngel products (just as you, and others, are replacing Aico products with Aico products, for the same reason).