When works, works. SV 2000 from Sam's Club
Written: Jun 15 '04 (Updated Sep 04 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cordless, propane powered, 3 attractants+ 2 catchers, inexpensive compared to similar brands.
Cons: Impossible to keep running. Refills are very expensive.
The Bottom Line: If you are willing to buy a new one yearly, this product will probably work for you. If you are easily frustrated, stick with bug spray.
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| l8rgator's Full Review: SkeeterVac |
We live in Southern Wisconsin, on a 7 acre hobby farm with 2 horses, surrounded by a marsh next to a lake. Our mosquitoes were so bad we literately couldn't go outside and our horses were completely miserable with fly sheets, layers of spray, and masks.
We purchased the top model (SV 2000) of skeeter vac from Sam's club because it was comparably cheap for the features. It's cordless, it has 3 attractants, it's fairly portable, and it has a wide range of over an acre (many others were only 1/2 an acre). For under $300, this seemed like a much better deal than the $700 - $1150 models Consumer Reports recommended (and many of those were not cordless!). It was also cheaper than the smaller Walmart model (by far).
The results at first (when it will actually run):
We expected to wait 6 weeks to see results, but our mosquito population by the magnet has been noticeably less (within 50 feet or so). We'd only had the magnet 1 weeks, and we are already catching 1/2 a basket full per day. It's a small basket, but there are probably 100 mosquitoes dumped out daily, and the sticky tape was full after 3 days.
It was easy to put together, although the instructions were incomplete. You are not supposed to look directly at the machine when it's running (and it runs funny colored flashing lights like a space ship which makes it harder) so I'm a little worried about the horse's and dog's eyes - but so far no one is blind.
Placement really is key, as it clearly is buggy right around the magnet, and then a circle outside of the magnet's range. The catcher net actually doesn't kill mosquitoes, so some do fly out every time you open it - this could use improvement. And it's clearly a rather small net for our needs, but it does the job if emptied frequently (and we can't resist checking the mosquito count daily at this point).
This model is much differently shaped then the other models, so I'm not sure if the vaccuum is not near the attractants like the other reviewers complained about. It may just be a problem that is model specific, or it may not - I can't tell where the vaccuum is. This model is compact, and short (see www.skeetervac.com or http://www.bluerhino.com/Skeetervac/EffectiveEasyAffordable/ProductForEveryNeed/index.html) so our bugs are finding their way in just fine. It's fairly quiet, with a nice rain shield and steady (probably-won't-be-knocked-over-by-the-horses design).
When it will NOT run:
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I started this review many years ago. Since then, we've been through about 4-5 skeeter vacs and one mosquito magnet. When they work, they make a significant impact on the mosquito population.
Unfortunately, these machines have a serious issue with "working". 2-3 of them didn't work right out of the box and had to be returned/replaced immediately.
We've really struggled to get and keep the others running. And you really don't know what a 'struggle' is until you are standing for hours trying to get a mosquito attracting machine to ignite outside in the area where there is already a mosquito problem!
Sometimes the machines stop running after a week. Sometimes it's a month. Once they stop like this, they just refuse to stay lit, no matter how much patience, handymen helping, maintenance gadgets, or sets of directions you have (including being on the phone with tech support, who basically says buy new ones because they are too expensive to ship in for repairs).
You can take it all apart (which voids the any warranty, and is highly NOT recommended by the company) and blow air through some of the tiny little tubes and connectors on the lower side. This sometimes will clear out a blockage (caterpillars are fond of these machines it seems), and the machine will work again for a short period of time. But that takes a long time, and only works 40% of the time, and sometimes for only a very short period of time.
Still, here I am sitting again (for the 5th time this summer), taking all 3 of my remaining machines apart to see if I can get get just one to start again. It's a lifesaver when it works!
As compared to the Mosquito Magnet Defender, the Defender has less of a problem starting (it's automatic). However, that makes it harder to even fix when it doesn't lite because there are no buttons to prime or anything.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
l8rgator
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
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