SkeeterVac

Pros: plenty of blackflies stuck on the side and in the trap. Runs quiet too
Cons: $$$ to run

I purchased my 1.2 acre Skeeter Vac and minutes after I fired it up, it had about 30 Blackflies in the trap. I live in Northern Ontario Canada, and for those who don't know, this is Blackfly country. I am very impressed with my Skeeter Vac and the Trap has to be dumped about every two days. It does cost a bit for the Octanol and Propane but it is WORTH IT!!!

I haven't hit Mosquito season yet but I'm sure I'll be pleased. So far the SkeeterVac works great for Blackflies and I recommend it to anyone.

Pros: When it works it is very, very effective at catching mosquitoes.
Cons: Poor durability/reliability

The SV-15 worked FANTASTICALLY for the first season, catching thousands of mosquitoes and really making a difference to our bug problem. It was stored as recommended over the winter but would not start/ignite when we tried to use it this year. We are just over the 1 year warranty limit, as seems to be usual for failure of this unit. I guess it's a case of, if you're lucky enough to get a reliable one you'll be over the moon with it, but sadly, many people seem not to be that lucky. I've heard exactly the same complaints about the Mosquito Magnet products, so not sure what to try next! **Update** Took it apart and cleaned everything out thoroughly (air blaster) including some bits that were obviously not designed to be dismantled and it's now working again! Still wouldn't recommend it as we're just lucky that my husband is engineering minded.

Pros: Cordless, Catches mosquitos for two days before burning up.
Cons: Quit working after two days. Very slow getting parts for it.

I bought the skeetervac one month ago. It worked for two days, Then the fan quit working. I have spent hours on the phone trying to get a replacement or repair on this product. Sixteen days ago they said they would send a replacement part. I called again today and they said they have so many that need parts, It will be another week before it will be shipped. They wouldn't respond to my asking for my money back. I wish I had never purchased it
Buy a Mosquito Magnet. They work great.

Pros: SkeeterVac is less expensive and works better.
Cons: SkeeterVac sticky paper and fine tune attractant are not cheep, no CO2 to fool with.

I bought 2 Mosquito Magnets, the pro which I paid $1000 for worked for 4 months and died, they repaired it under warranty and it worked for another four months. The second time it died, they wanted $495 to repair it. Why bother when the SkeeterVac cost less to buy new than the repair for the Mosquito Magnet. The SkeeterVac works better then the Mosquito Magnet ever did. The SkeeterVac catches the bugs via a sticky paper on the outside and a screen trap on the inside. I empty the screen trap every three days. The sticky paper is not cheap, but it gets the job done. There is something satisfying about seeing all those bugs stuck in place and not able to bite us.

Pros: Great when it works, if the motor operates it catches thousands of mosquitos.
Cons: Motors are defective.

Bought the SV 1000 Summer 2003 worked great. Wiped out thousands of mosquitos. After 6 weeks motor stopped working. We got a replacement motor. Next summer results not as good and unit stopped working. We had an extended warranty through our retailer. They sent us a 3rd motor summer 2004. That didn't last. July 2005 as our warranty was almost up we needed a 4th motor. Same reason, would not stay lit. This summer, started the motor from last July and sure enough it won't stay lit. Contacted Blue Rhino and they said they stand behind their products and to call. They will ship us a new motor if WE BUY IT! We live in New England and the unit is used 2 months of the year. I would not buy another item from Blue Rhino and am ready to contact the BBB.

Pros: Truly cordless. Not as finicky as high priced "magnets"
Cons: 15 day propane, but 60 day octenol makes up for that.

Bought a mosquito magnet years ago.....when it works, it works well....just doesn't work all that often. Thinking about buying one?...call their customer service and create a problem....you'll buy a skeetervac. Worried about birds, frogs and meteors getting caught in the sticky trap? Don't use the sticky trap. Still far superior than the competitors. I caught a lady bug the other day....guess I should call lowes....please. Works awesome! Disconnect the tank while running it...still goes. Do that with a mosquito magnet. More frequent tank changes....yeah that's right, but I'm not pulling out my co2 cartriges, adaptors and 21 day octenol either. Thing's a tank and works awesome. Best monet I ever spent and where you get your prices, have no idea. My SV35 was 249.00 compared to 600.00 from Mosquito Magnet for a truly cordless unit.

Pros: Easy to set up.
Cons: Not helping with mosquito population.

We purchased the SkeeterVac at Canadian Tire. We have had it running non-stop in our yard. It claims to have 1+ acre coverage. Today I couldn't even go out in the yard in 25+ degree weather, whereas before we had this thing running, I had no problem. For the money, I expected a lot greater results.

Pros: Did it's job well (when it ran)
Cons: Replacement pieces are expensive, my units only lasted one season each.

This is our third season with the SkeeterVac, the first year it worked great, when I pulled it out for the second season it wouldn't start up. I called support and they ended up sending me a new engine under warranty. The unit ran fine all summer although it was very dry around here so it's usefulness was minimal. I got it out this year again, and once again it wouldn't start up. The unit is no longer under warranty, so it's going to cost me $70 to have them fix the unit or $140 for a new unit. I don't have experience with other brands, but I think I will fairly soon.

Pros: Did reduce number of mosquitoes when working properly.
Cons: DANGEROUS FIRE HAZARD. Have read at least one other post here about unit catching fire.

Our SkeeterVac exploded and caught fire causing extensive fire damage to property at beginning off second season of use. Have contacted Blue Rhino Risk Mgmt Dept. Will update as to their customer service regarding this incident. Be careful!!! If children had been in yard at time it could have been fatal.

Pros: Easy to assemble, works out of the box, very nice customer service reps.
Cons: Unreliable, very expensive consumables which cannot be purchased locally.

I purchased my SV-2000 at Sam's club in late 2005 to control mosquitoes in my back yard. The unit was easy to assemble and came with sticky tape and a chemical lure. Beginning in September, I ran the unit nearly continuously until May 2006. Despite having cleaned the unit rigorously, replacing the battery, filling with fresh propane, the engine will not stay lit and, now, will not light at all. While I was impressed with the number of nasty bugs this unit caught in the first months of operation, I don't believe it is worth the high price tag. Also, Blue Rhino's prices for SkeeterVac's replacements are excessive - they take the Gillette razor business model to an crazy level. Alternatives, like spraying malathion or other pyrethrin insecticide around your yard every couple of weeks, can also be considered.

Pros: Easy to set up and use (when it works)
Cons: Terrible customer service Poor machine life

I also live in SE Wisconsin and this would have been the third year I have had the SV1000. The product worked okay when I first started using it. Although I went all out and did the lawn spray and an occasional fog. I am most upset with the fact that this year I went to pull it out and it won't start. I called customer service and described my problem, they said I need a new $70 motor. I told them I would rather throw the whole thing out. I would expect that if I paid that much for a machine, it should work for more than 2 summers. On that basis alone, I would never buy another one of these machines. The Terro lawn spray worked really well and only cost about $10 for a bottle to cover my lawn. It is a little more labor intensive, but you don't have to pay for propane, nets, and bait.

Pros: Does a great job at catching mosquitoes
Cons: Reliability questionable, only worked for one season before breaking down.

When this item worked it did a wonderful job of catching thousands and thousands of mosquitoes. The replacement lures are expensive. My unit wouldn't light properly the second year I used it. Contacted company to find out how and where I could get it repaired and was told that currently they didn't have any repair facilities. Who ever heard of selling $400 units that can't be repaired. Beware of purchasing this product.

Pros: It costs less to buy than most that operate on the same principle.
Cons: It doesn't work for long and customer service abandons you after warranty.

I bought an SV-2000 in June,2004 because mosquitoes are bad here in Houston and the price was right. Out of the box, it wasn't catching much of anything. Found out that since we have Asian Tigers, I needed to use Lurex as bait. That worked great, but by December of 2004 it got to where it would not start. Customer service was very helpful and sent me a new engine. I fired that up about March 2005. About August 2005 - warranty expired - it started acting up again. They would not even answer my e-mails asking for help. Now, I can't get it to start. I'll take the thing apart and see what I can find, but I'm pretty fed up. Even when it's working, it's expensive and takes a lot of TLC

Pros: Does its job very quickly from the start. Good instructions and easy to put together.
Cons: Fan easily obstructed, Instructions & manual not cover detailed enough, fuel Igniter plugs.

First, this is the greatest machine for reducing the mosquito population, including yellow flies here in North Florida. My problem started with a small green tree frog getting into the fan, keeping the mosquitoes from being trapped. I let it sit for a while outside (during the winter) not knowing that was the problem. When summer bugs started gathering I could not get it to work. There isn't any detail manual available with the machine or on line. I searched for a couple of months. I finally figured out how to take the top off to get to the fan and remove the frogs. When I put it back together it would "pop" but not ignite. I called the 800 number and the support was superb. They sent a new engine out and I am mosquito free...well mostly. I don't think you can ever get them all.

Recommend Buying: YES (mostly because of support)

Pros: Reduces mosquito population, quiet
Cons: Expensive to run (1 propane tank every 2 weeks). Runs 24/7.

I paid $282 for my Skeeter Vac at Sam's Club (the price dropped a week later to $250 for the end of season sale). It is great at getting rid of mosquitoes, but doesn't really affect the deer fly population in my yard (bummer because those are the worst). I was disappointed that the instruction manual wasn't more specific, and does not offer much maintenance advice. After two weeks, I changed the first propane tank, and within a day I noticed that the outside was getting really hot and the plastic on top was starting to melt. When I called their help line, I was told to remove the top, and spray the fan and everything inside with Windex and then wipe it down (disgusting job). Apparently, the fan was gummed up with bugs. I wish the manual would have mentioned this in a "routine maintenance" section. Overall, I am pleased with it so far. I heard the Mosquito Magnet is unreliable after the first year, more expensive and gives poor customer service, so that is why I went with this model.