dancerhas

Product Tested: Lee's Ultimate Gravel Vac

Price: $29.00 Plus Tax

Obtained From: Wal-Mart

Rating: 4 out of 5

Overview/Specifications

Lee's Ultimate Gravel Vac is basically a Python knock-off. It proclaims the same ease of use, and convenient water changes that a Python does. It comes with 25 feet of flexible hose, a faucet vacuum pump, a plastic faucet adapter, an emergency shutoff valve, a gravel vac attachment, and a mesh claw to keep fish from being sucked up.

Ease Of Use

The Ultimate Gravel Vac is very easy to use. The instructions on the box are clear and straightforward. I had no problems figuring it out, and no accidents while using it.

Quality

Lee's Ultimate Gravel Vac is a budget product. This is reflected in the materials used. The hose is noticeably less flexible than a Python hose. This isn't necessarily a flaw, just a fact, our python hose gets kinked easier because the material is softer. It does not say that the materials used are FDA approved.

The plastic faucet adapter seems unnecessarily cheap. I use a metal adapter that I got at Lowes for 3 dollars. They could easily provide a metal one without raising the price much.



The heart of any Python-type product is the faucet pump. I purchased a Python Brand faucet pump for comparison, and also in case the Lee's one did not work. I read several reviews stating that the faucet pump included with the Ultimate Gravel Vac would not siphon. The one I purchased did siphon, and did it quite well. The flow of water is not quite as fast as a gravity powered vacuum, but that just gives me more time to clean the gravel. Again, the lower quality plastic used comes in to play. If tightened too far, the Lee's faucet pump will pop off the faucet adapter. This can, and should be avoided as it quickly causes wear on the threads.

The design of Lee's faucet pump is virtually identical to the Python.





All the functional parts are the same.The biggest difference is the threads that attach it to the faucet adapter continue for 3-5 revolutions on the python, and only for 2 on the ultimate gravel vac. This may play some part in why the pump pops off the faucet adapter if tightened too far.



All the fittings marry together very well, and I had no leaks when draining or filling the tank. They all have rubber o-rings to help them seal; ours even came with a spare. The emergency shutoff valve does its job without problems.

Other Thoughts

The "Fish Saver Claw" is a neat design, but doesn't seem very practical to me. The low flow speed of the Ultimate Gravel Vac leads me to believe that there is very little risk of sucking up a fish. Still, this little attachment that just slides right on the end of the gravel vac is a thoughtful addition to the package.



When it really comes down to it the Ultimate Gravel Vac does its job. It saves you from having to carry buckets of water, and makes the water changing process mess-free. If you need a Python type product and are on a strict budget, look no further. Yes, the parts are cheap, yes they're not FDA approved, but do we really need all that? I give this product a 4 out of 5 because it's such a great value.

mjordan

isnt the python with 25 foot hose 25 dollars on drfoster and smith.
this is a rip...
u could get a better 1 for 5 dollors more after shipping

plus the python is better quality

KyWildFish

Ive always wondered how these work with using a de-chlorinator. I assume you put it in the tank or what?

dancerhas

It is currently $27.99 on DFS originally priced at $31.99. Standard shipping is $9.99. It was not on sale when I researched it for my review. So normally it's about a ten dollar difference. Also, the review was based largely on what was available for purchase in local stores. The 25ft Python is priced at $43.99 in my local petsmart.You really can't compare retail store prices and online prices. They're practically different worlds.

The review isn't supposed to tell you what to buy. The review is supposed to tell you my experience with the product. I had trouble finding a good review on the product in my research, so I just made a gamble on it. Hey, it was from Wal-Mart, I could always have taken it back if it didn't work. But since it did work, and was quite usable, I figured it would behoove me to share my experience with the community.

CHoffman

Great Review. Thanks

mjordan

sorry i forgot to mention drfoster and smiths cuopons

they always have a 5 dollar cupon out there for anybody on a tite budget...
if you get there magazines they have the coupon codes or if you go to google and type dfostersmith cuopns it will come up with bout 10 different ones only prob is that only 1 works...
the way i look at it is 5 doolars off for bout 2 min of work

dancerhas

That coupled with the sale is a great deal then!

navyscuba

I have one just like it but it don't have the fish guard that goes at the end. The only bad thing is the white part the goes on the faucet. It strips in no time but you can get a metal one on your local hardware store and is perfect. I use it to change my water and gravel cleaning. Never had any issues with fish getting sucked in.

valen

So how do you use a dechlorinator like Prime with one of these things ?

hkirchen

This was included in the description of the python which tells you to pour the conditioner in the stream of water as you refill the tank.

Hope that helps!

agabr123

great review! thanks

Red1313

I'll keep this in mind when I get a tap that a python could work on.

redkulat

I actually had this very same problem...and I found a really simple solution. The brass adapter the python comes with has the threading on the outside...and my tap had a threading on the outside.

So I went to Home Depot (Canadian Tire should have it as well) and purchased a garden hose faucet adapter with the threading in the inside to go on the threading on the outside of the faucet. Low and behold it works perfectly and it was less than $5. So you don't really need a new faucet :P.

dancerhas

Excellent point Red, we did the same thing for our kitchen sink. We had to buy two adaptors, 1 to change the size, and then 1 to change it from the new size to a garden hose. They didn't have an adaptor straight from our faucet to the garden hose.