Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone checked out the new vision cb70 rack yet? I'm wondering what people think about it. I'm thinking about buying one for my dwarf boas or ball pythons. The thing I'm concerned about it the alumunim construction and the plastic ceiling. Doesn't aluminum rust? And I'm wondering if the ceiling will warp with time. What attracts me to the rack is its vertical.

Frank

n/p

Hey Frank, long time no chat. Drop me an e-mail sometime.

A week or two ago I e-mailed Vision and asked about what they were using for the area the heat cable routes through. Honestly I was just curious as I did not even need a CB-70 rack. To make a long story short we exchanged some e-mails and I found out they were working on a prototype for the CB-80 box I use to quarantine my Gonyosoma spp.

So I decided to get it.

I had been researching using the commercial version of these aluminum tubing connectors to build such a rack, especially after seeing a few of them behind the scenes at zoos.

I don't have a lot of time to write at the moment so I'll get to your questions.

I'm wondering what people think about it.

I only have the basic frame assembled right now. I'm working on renovating the garage and don't anticipate getting imports anytime soon so I have not used it yet.

Yet, I'm VERY impressed.

The thing I'm concerned about it the alumunim construction and the plastic ceiling. Doesn't aluminum rust?

No, aluminum does not rust. That's why it's so popular for mountain bikes where a non-rusting, rigid, strong-yet-lightweight frames are necessary.

And I'm wondering if the ceiling will warp with time.

This was the real eye-opener to me. Instead of using the commercial versions of the connectors Vision has their own connectors and extrusions run. The four-way connectors have an offset of sorts built into one side. It's hard to explain but this allows the track where the plastic slides into to be supported all the way around the four sides AND corners.

I put one level together and tried to shove it out by basically doing a pushup on it. It stayed put.

When my fiance got home from work I placed a bunch of 1/2 concrete blocks on the bottom plastic top and lifted the rack off the ground to show her how strong it was. I'll do this again and take a picture.

BTW, both of those were done even before adding the connecting pins that hold the levels together. This thing will be a beast with the pins added.

Regarding sagging, if it did happen, it would not be as big of a deal as with other racks for two reasons.

First, due to the custom extrusions the plastic insert does not actually come very near the edges of the boxes. So if the top did sag it would not interfere with the boxes sliding open.

Second, it would be very easy to take the rack apart and re-install the inserts camber side up, just like you can do with some shelving products. I don't think this is a design feature per se as I don't see the plastic sagging, but it is nice to know.

You know me pretty well Frank and know I tend to research things to the n'th degree. I imagine you're probably a bit surprised I actually purchased a commercial caging product - my first ever.

I strongly considered builing my own rack with aluminum and connectors. I even have samples.

But what I figured out was that I can't build a better rack than the Vision unless I run my own extrusions. I can't afford that.

Also, since I'd have to fabricate my own tracks I probably could not build the rack any cheaper. I'm pretty sure about this but have not added up the numbers yet. I can insure you I would not have saved much money.

So there was really no reason for me to build my own and I decided to get it.

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Current snakes:

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

Chris,
God, you should consider a side job with consumer reports..lol
Thanks for the info. I'm going to buy one of the vision racks. Scott told me if I didn't like it I could return it. For the price, I think its a good deal too. I was surpised when you said you bought one already. However, I'm glad to did as your review was great.

Thanks Chris.

CYA,
Frank

>>God, you should consider a side job with consumer reports..lol

Are they hiring :=)

>>I was surpised when you said you bought one already.

Not as surprised as I was. It just sort of happened, LOL. I just got done building a 9'x17' snake room in my garage and now finally can run a separate quarantine room. It made sense for me to get a rack that could be easily moved around, cleaned, etc.

Look foward to playing with the heating system.
-----
Current snakes:

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

.

Went with the heat cable. I'm not a big fan of flexwatt and I thought the idea of being able to run as little or as much cable under each tub was pretty slick. It's something I have suggested here for months. Now I finally get to play around with it.
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Current snakes:

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.3 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

3.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black & Tan)

After reading the thread below about Vision and AP it just sounds like it is a smarter idea to go with AP in the long run.
AP sounds like it has a much better product, and I only hear excellent things about AP products and their customer service.

Chris