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GrippaTank Electric Reel Review?

NoName

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Okay so i'm looking for an excuse to buy a GrippaTank Electric Reel - for those who have it or at least used it what are the PROS and CONS?

Is the remote control fob worth having?

Remote working at distance ok?

Is quick to spool out / reel in?

What issues have you had?

What niggles?

What downsides? 

What would you change if you could?

You get the idea...

 
Okay so i'm looking for an excuse to buy a GrippaTank Electric Reel - for those who have it or at least used it what are the PROS and CONS?

Is the remote control fob worth having?

Remote working at distance ok?

Is quick to spool out / reel in?

What issues have you had?

What niggles?

What downsides? 

What would you change if you could?

You get the idea...
I have had mine since the start, and I am sure Oliver will admit there were several issues early on. These were addressed eventually on these phase one reels though, and upgrades included controllers that had to be changed and button designs that were addressed. 

Since the last time I had them seen to (earlier this year/free reel upgrade too) i haven't had any issue at all. They reel in fast and if they catch on anything the system bleeps to let you know, and it slows the reeling down.

Fobs I have too but to be honest I wouldn't bother with them if bought this again, because I like to reel in when at the van side so I'm able to layer the hose properly on the reel with one hand. However, they are handy as a back up should the hand controllers ever malfunction. 

The only thing I would change is the electrical connection from signal box to the actual reels side could do with being a bit more thoroughly thought through. Sometimes the wire going into the reels can need a push back in, to avoid a lack of signal to the reels from happening.

This is something that is rare though and has only needed pushed back in place a few times in over a year. 

 
Water works reel s are the best pure freedom absolute rubbish don’t waist your money , I had two both came faulty I got a full refund .

 
To be fair @Pjj you've never used them as they sent you the wrong reels and didn't supply what you bought. Their reels are the best manufactured reels out there, as long as they get the order right ?


Yes they sent the wrong reels but they wouldn’t work as one was wired the wrong way round, so the drum was going the wrong way and the other wouldn’t wind hose on the reel due to the fact that the anti snag was not set right and you cannot alter that yourself but they were both in the van , and had to be removed costing me a day s list work and having to pay staff , with not so much as any compensation from pure freedom , there design is also fundamentally flawed as the hose rubs on the control box on the reel unless you have it mounted quite some distance from the roller system you cannot have the hose exiting the van floor close to the reels as the angle is all wrong , the build quality of materials used is there only saving grace , I will never deal with them again . I also had to chase them to get my money back after they admitted liability , not good business practice  . 

4F0CB340-73D8-48B7-90EA-F31C986BBDB1.jpeg

 
Water works reel s are the best pure freedom absolute rubbish don’t waist your money , I had two both came faulty I got a full refund .
ok you had a bad experience with yours but mine works a treat...id say they are better than the waterworks reels(more robust and wider)with LED battery display and soft start....

 
ok you had a bad experience with yours but mine works a treat...id say they are better than the waterworks reels(more robust and wider)with LED battery display and soft start....




To send out one faulty real is bad to send out two is totally unacceptable, why do you want a wide reel ????? The water works reel is soft  start and works first time out of the box something pure freedom cannot achieve , I seam to remember you had problems with yours and had to drive over 300 miles to get it fixed , again totally unacceptable. I would not chose   to use there stuff again pity as there manual reels are quite nice .

 
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Waterworks hd reel is the dogs IMO had mine years still going like the clappers does everything you could ask for in a smaller footprint especially when you have two in the same van have seen the PF reelmaster looks good I’m not interested in changing unless it speeds my work up and makes life easier only time I would be interested in changing is when waterworks bring out the auto self spooling reel that is the only advantage I can see over the Hd reel.

 
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Waterworks hd reel is the dogs IMO had mine years still going like the clappers does everything you could ask for in a smaller footprint especially when you have two in the same van have seen the PF reelmaster looks good I’m not interested in changing unless it speeds my work up and makes life easier only time I would be interested in changing is when waterworks bring out the auto self spooling reel that is the only advantage I can see over the Hd reel.
It will be VERY expensive according to the rumour mills as it’s a complete re-design. I’ve also heard grippa are bringing out an add on the their reels that will enable auto spooling- I like the idea of the add in bits for the grippa reels although mine is still sitting in the garage waiting for the next van build!!

 
It will be VERY expensive according to the rumour mills as it’s a complete re-design. I’ve also heard grippa are bringing out an add on the their reels that will enable auto spooling- I like the idea of the add in bits for the grippa reels although mine is still sitting in the garage waiting for the next van build!!
Oliver mentioned there would be an auto spool add on when he fitted mine, that was a while ago now though and as far as I know it’s not been released yet.

 
Thanks for all the feedback - since the +response for the Grippareel was ahem...underwhelming - opted for a Black Friday 24% off powerup HD reel - comes tomorrow and will get fitted over the holiday's - I hope...looking forward to a smoother 2020.

As a by, has anyone converted the power HD Reel to a true remote - fob operated ? Keen to see if I it's possible/easy to convert to a fob operated control...anyone? 

 
Thanks for all the feedback - since the +response for the Grippareel was ahem...underwhelming - opted for a Black Friday 24% off powerup HD reel - comes tomorrow and will get fitted over the holiday's - I hope...looking forward to a smoother 2020.

As a by, has anyone converted the power HD Reel to a true remote - fob operated ? Keen to see if I it's possible/easy to convert to a fob operated control...anyone? 
I did think about a fob as another cleaner I know as the original waterwork remote add on Like the Idea but I also like to use a cloth when reeling in to keep hose clean, And because I’m tubless I believe cleaning the pole hose each time after use as helped prolong the life of my poles. 

 
I'm the same as @Den also using a fob remote the hose wouldn't spool onto the reel evenly, unless you had the reel adapted in some way, but I wouldn't do that until after 12 months in case you void the warranty, also be prepared for everything not been in the box like the self tapping bolts to fix it to the van floor, you may also need to mount it on a board as below, this was just after fitting and the board is now painted.

20190815_171638.jpg

 
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Cheers for the heads up Den & Iron - I also use a cloth with my manual reel (hate a dirty hose), so will no doubt continue - it's just going electric I imagined I'd site it further into the van or atop the tank...hence was thinking it would ideal not to have to reach into the van to press the button - no biggie but can imagine it would a good option. If I can't get a fob remote working next best would maybe to mount the control on the inside of the back door, so when it's open the control would be outside the van. Just might need to careful routing the cables...

Was just hoping some clever chap might have already developed a remote fob solution...?

 
Cheers for the heads up Den & Iron - I also use a cloth with my manual reel (hate a dirty hose), so will no doubt continue - it's just going electric I imagined I'd site it further into the van or atop the tank...hence was thinking it would ideal not to have to reach into the van to press the button - no biggie but can imagine it would a good option. If I can't get a fob remote working next best would maybe to mount the control on the inside of the back door, so when it's open the control would be outside the van. Just might need to careful routing the cables...

Was just hoping some clever chap might have already developed a remote fob solution...?
The cable supplied isn't all that long, so if you have another use for some armoured cable you can buy 10 metres from Screwfix, which is the smallest length they do.

 
? Armoured...good call - don't want that getting caught/nicked and back to manual winding ? perish the thought - my shoulder is already salivating 

 
Don’t worry @NoName I’ll have the remote info for you pretty soon. The method I used wouldn’t really be suitable unless you have a multimeter to test the input/output on the winch relay I used, I also had to remove (de-solder) the ‘out’ switch on the remote. Although it was the cheaper option (at around £45) I think the alternative would suit you better, I’ve figured out how the grippa reel remote works and what bits they use (although discontinued now apparently) so I should be able to find the bits you need and how to wire it. My only concern is if you want the wired push button AND the wireless remote as I struggled to ‘size’ and source a decent diode to stop the switch from burning out and the fuse popping. This may not be an issue if I can source the exact same bits as grippa use (hence the delay in getting back to you)

 
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Cheers Glass - it's arrived and I'm salivating - an ideal option would be control box and remote (in case I lose the remote/it fails) - but since the reel has back up handle it will have two options anyhow

 

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