Reiff vs. Other brand

"Long Engine Life Starts With Reiff"

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Reiff vs. The Other Brand

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is "What's the difference between your system and (the other brand)?". There are a number of differences, but this page describes the main ones.

Comparison of Design

Comparison of Prices

Comparison of Warranties

Comparison of Performance

Aviation Consumer Reviews

Comparison of Design

Our band-type cylinder heater does not conflict with your CHT sensors, so our multi-point systems heat ALL your cylinders. The other brand may leave a cylinder unheated if your engine has a single-cylinder CHT gauge installed. If you have an electronic engine monitor, or think you may want to add one in the future, the other preheater brand will cost you hundreds of dollars extra to convert to heating elements or CHT sensors that will not conflict with one another.

Our oil sump heater element is an aluminum strip heater. They use silicone pads. The aluminum unit is much more durable, and tolerates poor installations a lot better. For example, it won't burn out if you get an air bubble underneath it while bonding it to the oil sump.

A big advantage of our system is that it is non-invasive. All our parts are installed "on" the engine. Nothing is installed inside the engine, and you do not need to remove any OEM parts or replace any OEM parts with our parts. For example, the other brand replaces the OEM intake manifold bolts with their own heated bolts (if the CHT ports are tied up with CHT sensors). These are simply hollowed out bolts with heating elements epoxied into the hollowed out core. If that hollowed out bolt ever breaks, the intake manifold flange will be loose and extra air will be sucked in, which will cause the cylinder to run too lean. This may result in a partial power loss (rough engine) and possibly burn up the cylinder or valves. As a general design philosophy we feel it is safer not to replace parts that were installed by the engine manufacturer, especially structural parts like bolts.

Our main harness is installed on the COOL side of the engine. Theirs is installed on the HOT side. Long term exposure to high heat will degrade the harness. In flight, incoming cooling air flows over our harness, which is mounted on top of the crankcase. The other brand's harness is below the cylinders. The cooling air down there is hot, having just passed through the cylinder cooling fins. Also the exhaust pipes exit from the bottom of the cylinders. We both build our harness with high temp materials to live in a high temperature environment, but the best protection against long term heat degradation is to keep it cool.

Our innovative and unique modular design lets you tailor a preheat system to meet your needs and budget. Want the best? Choose one of our integrated multipoint systems using both cylinder and oil heaters. Already have an oil sump heater? Then just get the cylinder heat system - it will work with any oil heater. Live in a mild climate? Then perhaps our oil sump heater is all you need. We let you do it YOUR way, and we are the only preheater company that gives you a choice. Others sell only oil heaters, or only multi-point systems.

Our modular design allows any system to be easily upgraded to a higher system at any time.

We are the ONLY preheat system manufacturer who offers an Oil Cooler Heater Option .

Comparison of Prices *

	Reiff	Other Brand
PREHEAT SYSTEMS:
Lycoming & Continental 4 cylinder engines	$435 (300w)	5 systems, $400-$720 (250w) Average $504
Lycoming & Continental 6 cylinder engines	$595 (400w)	14 systems, $575-$1080 (400w) Average $866
		The other brand's systems cost an average of about 40% more than Reiff systems.
REPLACEMENT PARTS:
Cylinder element (50w)	$50	13 models, $65-$170 Average $130
Oil sump element	$110 (100w) Durable aluminum HotStrip	85 models, $95 - $745 (most 50w) Average $270 Less durable silicone pads
		The other brand's replacement heating elements cost an average of about 3 times more than Reiff.

* Source of competitor data is their web site as of 3/5/2010. Engine heater prices are per engine and include standard wattage cylinder and oil heaters. We compare their "Standard" and "Premium" systems to our Standard systems only, because their web site does not show any high wattage systems comparable to our Turbo and Turbo XP Systems. Note competitor's "Premium System" is the same wattage as their "Standard System". Their Standard System will not work with an engine analyzer because the cylinder heater elements screw into the threaded holes intended for the CHT sensors. The Premium system replaces each of those elements with a "bolt heater" that replaces one of the intake manifold bolts on each cylinder. Our system does not conflict with CHT sensors.

A big advantage of our system is that it is non-invasive. All our parts are installed "on" the engine. Nothing is installed inside the engine, and you do not need to remove any Lycoming or Continental OEM parts or replace any OEM parts with our parts. For example, our primary competitor's system replaces the OEM intake manifold bolts with their own heated bolts. These are simply hollowed out bolts with heating elements epoxied into the hollowed out core. As a general design philosophy we feel it is safer not to replace parts that were installed by the engine manufacturer, especially critical structural parts like bolts.

Comparison of Warranties

The best preheat system deserves the best warranty.

Our 5 year, No-Fault, No BS warranty crushes the other guys' 3 year "loaded with fine print" warranty.

Our Warranty

"Buy It & Try It" No-Risk Trial Period. Install it, try it, and if you are unsatisfied for any reason, send it back within 30 days of purchase.

Up to 5 years after purchase we will replace or repair any part that fails for any reason.

Applies to preheat systems purchased after 7/1/2010, other products are warranted by their manufacturer. Proof of purchase date required

Compare ours with the other brand's warranty:

OTHER BRAND'S WARRANTY

This heater system is guaranteed for three years [and it was originally only ONE year until we entered the market with our better warranty] from date of purchase, to perform without failure due to faulty parts or workmanship, and to do the job we specify it will do.

In the event the unit fails to perform properly, (the company) will honor its warranty in the following manner:

(1) If the unit is brought or mailed to our facility, prepaid, we will replace the parts and make the necessary repairs at our facility, or, if the unit cannot be satisfactorily repaired, replace the unit with a new unit; or

(2) If the unit is not brought or mailed to our facility, upon receipt of defective part or parts, (the company) will send replacements for the defective part or parts, but will not be responsible for the cost of repair or installation.

In order for this warranty to be valid, this unit must have been installed in a proper manner by an FAA licensed mechanic with an engine rating. [in other words, they apparently don't like selling to homebuilders and other do-it-yourselfers]

This warranty shall not apply to any heater system that has been altered, converted, modified, repaired, neglected, installed, or used in any way or operated in any manner not recommended by (the company). [in other words, if there is any way they can blame you for the failure, they can deny warranty coverage]

There are no warranties, express or implied, except as stated herein, and beyond the one year period stated above. (The company) , its owners, employees and agents, disclaim any and all obligation or liability for consequential damages arising out of the failure of the heater system or any part thereof to function properly. No person is authorized to give any other warranty or to assume an additional obligation on behalf of (the company), unless made in writing and signed by an officer of (the company).

To be valid, the warranty card must be brought to our office or mailed and postmarked no more than ten (10) days from the date of purchase, signed by purchaser and installing mechanic. [in other words, better get the system installed quickly, and don't forget to send the registration card in]

Which warranty is the most customer friendly?

Who do you think has the most confidence in their product?

Which do you think is the best choice for homebuilders and other do-it-yourselfers?

Comparison of Performance

Test Method

The tests were conducted on our Cherokee 235 with a Lycoming 0-540 engine, which is equipped with both our competitor's system and ours. In each test the aircraft was in our unheated hanger, the air inlets were plugged with foam rubber cowl plugs, the cowling was covered with a blanket which laid over the top and hung about halfway down the sides , and the sump had 9 qts of oil. The temperatures were obtained by a calibrated digital thermometer with a remote probe inserted between the top two fins on the center left cylinder, and a second probe dropped down the oil filler tube with the tip suspended at the 4.5 qt level. The other brand's system includes a 50 w probe on 5 of 6 cylinder heads (a CHT is on the other) and two 50 w elements on the oil sump. For the test of the competitor's system we measured one of the heated cylinders - not the unheated one. Ambient temperature was about 20^o F.

Test Results

^oF Rise Above Ambient Temperature after 12 hours
	Cylinders	Oil
Reiff Turbo XP System	119	128
Reiff Turbo System	86	110
Reiff Standard System	81	88
Competitor's standard system	81	57
Reiff HotBand cylinder heaters alone	60	46
Reiff HotStrip oil heater alone	37	80

A comment about the other brand's test results:

Our competitor has a graph which shows their system outperforming ours, however, their testing method gives a skewed result. They measured the temperature with a spark plug thermocouple only about one inch from their heating element in the CHT port, several inches away from our heating element. When we did our comparison tests we wanted them to be fair, credible, and able to withstand independent scrutiny, so we measured at the top end of the cylinder, about midway between our heating element and theirs.

Also note that their test was done without a cover, despite the fact their instructions are to "Always use an insulated cover". A cover holds the heat inside the cowling and helps make the temperatures in the engine compartment uniform regardless of the placement of the heat sources. Leaving the cover off makes the heating less uniform and the heat is more concentrated near the heat sources, so measuring the temp near their element and far from ours further skews the test result in their favor.

Finally, note that the only temperature they compare in their test is the cylinder head. They do not measure the oil.

Heating performance is a function of wattage. Period. Our watts are not better than anyone else's, nor are theirs better than ours.

We recognize that any product test performed by the product's producer (including ours) will be viewed with skepticism by the marketplace. From the perspective of the consumer, the most meaningful test is one performed by an unbiased third party such as Aviation Consumer. That's why we are providing the results of their tests here.

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Last updated 7/1/10