Petsmart Top Fin Heaters on Sale

Went to Petsmart today for dog supplies and feeder snail food and walked by the heaters and they were on sale/ marked down. Got the last two Top Fin 150 watt heaters for $14 each. Not sure I would use them in main tanks but I've lost a heater or two and was using better heaters in my two mixing vessels (why I bought them).

Either way they are also good backups or what not. If they had more I probably would've picked up at least one more. Next size up was a 300w and I didn't want one that big.

It also worked out well because I needed suction cups...And those are like $2. I don't use suction cups my mix vessels so it was like getting the heaters for less.

They are glass but they have awesome soft rubber at both ends.

Anyway...Hope it helps.

 

Congrats! Always nice to have an extra heater or two

carol

 

They have some odd pricing on the sale. I got a 200w for $16.07. The higher wattage heaters were less than the 100w, No 150s left. The 100w is $19.77, 150w $14.07, 200w $16.07, 300w $17.57, 50w $14.77.

Almost got a second 200w, but hesitated and someone else snatched it up.

I got mine as a backup. I have not opened it, but is the warranty lifetime? Only info on the back says to return it if not satisfied with it (not exact wording as mine is not with me right now).

 

^
Haha, never hesitate on a good deal, just put it in your cart and then make the decision to buy it or put it back.

Petsmrt is like any other big box store and have a loose return policy. I think they would rather absorb that cost to keep you coming back and keep their name positive. Back during the Stealth heater problems they sent me a letter to bring mine in for a replacement. I didn't take mine in and just stuck it in a mix vessel instead. Like a year later the heater just quit and I took it in with the letter and receipt and with no hesitation they gave me credit for whatever heater I wanted so I got an Aqueon Pro.

I'll just keep the receipt like I always do just in case. I have a shoebox with all fish releted reciepts. Also helps me keep track of when I bought things including fish to know how old they are. I will never add up the totals of those reciepts because I don't want to know how much I've spent. Lol

 

90 day return policy at PetSmart. Even if its unopened and with a receipt.. If I scan that receipt code the computer won't let me continue with the return if its over 90 days old (at least not without a managers key)

I mean if it was still unopened after 90 days wed totally do the return but if you had barely come to the conclusion that it didn't work properly and had already used it we would not accept the return..

Btw Top Fin is the "cheapest" brand at PetSmart. That.. And Great Choice. Not good brands for anything fish related, honestly. I always steer customers clear from our "proprietary brands" because well.. They are cheap and pretty worthless for aquarium use. The other pet items from those brands are alright though. But with fish stuff.. You get what you pay for. Seriously.

 

I contacted petsmart today about the warranty on the heaters. Below is the reply I received:

"Dear Nick,

Thank you for your email concerning your Top Fin product.

Top Fin is a PetSmart exclusive brand and carries a lifetime guarantee. You may simply return the product to any PetSmart store for replacement of the entire item.

Thank you for choosing PetSmart for the lifetime needs of you and your pets!

Sincerely,

Emily
PetSmart Customer Care
Phone: 1-888-839-9638"

 

I looked at the paperwork that came with the heaters and it says "12 months". Nothing is printed directly on the outside packaging about the warranty.

I would not use them in any of my tanks unless it was as a back up emergency. But I have no problem at all using them in my mix vessels.

I think I might send an email and see if I get the same "lifetime" response and print it off for the future if needed.

 

I bought 2 of the top fin heater. And both malfunctioned within 2 months of having them. I would use them as an emergency and nothing more. They both heated my tanks to almost 90 degrees. Luckily I didnt lose any fish.

 

Actually I found it quite interesting. I bought several of the TopFin heaters last weekend during the sale.

A parting remark by the cashier saying "BTW, did you know these have a lifetime garantee from Petsmart, because TopFin is a Petsmart brand? Any problems, any time, just bring it back and we will honor it."

When I got home and took one of the heaters out of the packaging, the instructions sheet still stated a 12 month warranty, although the distributor is Pacific Coast Distributing - nothing refering to Petsmart.

I called the Petsmart and spoke with one of the managers, and he clarified that TopFin is a Petsmart brand and they standy by it totally. It would be best to hang on to the receipt for proof of purchase, but in most cases regardless it is TopFin and he said they will honor replacement (not refund if past the refund period).

As case he mentioned was just last week he replaced a TopFin filter for a customer who brought it in, was purchased a couple years ago. Just gave them a new unit.

So sounds good to me...

Fingers crossed - no fish soup, I'd be pretty bummed!

 

Stopped back yesterday and they had the 150w heater in Stock. However, the in store sale price was $20.97.

 

I read the reviews for the topfin heaters on petsmart's website and said no way. and when I was at petsmart today looking for a heater and saw that I could get a 150watt for cheaper than a 50watt I still said no way. I ended up getting a fluval 50watt for a little more money. it is just to much of a hassle to gamble on a product that has that much negative feedback. imho

 

Those fluval heaters are also gorgeous, if any heater can be called that! Love that mirror finish!

 

I would avoid all Top Fin products. Being PetSmart's own brand, they are cheap. I don't even like feeding my fish Top Fin food (the only one I have is the freeze dried bloodworms) compared to a better brand.

And their heaters have very poor reviews.

Personally, just because people are talking about preferred heaters, I like the Cobalt NeoTherms. Plastic so they don't break, thin and unobtrusive, easy to set with one button, a built-in temperature display, and computer-controlled, with a max .5 degree temperature variance.

 

Update on the 200w top fin heater.

I exchanged mine today as I thought it had an unacceptable amount of moisture inside. I know some heaters do have a bit of moisture from manufacturing, my aqueon and marina heaters both had some at first but the moisture no longer shows up.

Will keep an eye on the replacement. Temperature on the original was steady and was very close the the setting of 75°F. Thermometer read 75.8°F for the most part, with the temperature correction on my thermometer, 74.3°F.

 

I'm only using 2 topfin items, a filter and a digital thermometer. From their reviews, I just don't have any faith in their heaters and I wouldnt risk it, no matter how cheap they can be purchased for.

I have one of the aqueon pro's and I love it. nice and simple to use, great casing. Pretty expensive in stores compared to online is its only downfall. But its no fault of their own.

 

That's too much moisture for sure.

Just to reiterate, I bought these heaters for my mix vessels with the second purpose as possible emergency backups. I would not recommend as full time, primary heaters in fish tanks.

 

I am using this one to help out a 100w heater in a 20 gallon located in a 54°F basement right now. It has been as low as 40°F this winter down there.

I do not have long term plans for it.

 

Thanks for this thread! I got a top fin 300 watt. Light comes on but no heat. Temp in my cichlid tank dropped to 74! Even though I bought this one at a yard sale it looks brand new. I'm gonna try to take it back with out a receit! Will see what happens.

 

I have a top fin 100w that I got from exchanging a broken top fin old model(no receipt too )

They do get lots of moisture inside, but mine still heats(unlike both tetra ones)

 

Update on my 200w topfin heater.

Was exchanged on 2-15-14 due to water inside. The replacement ran from that day until sometime in the last 2 days. Was working on Wednesday, today when I went to do a water change the water was cool. The heater was not on and has rust colored condensation inside. Lasted 5 months. Going to see if I can exchange it today.

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