# New Swell Own Brand



## Swell Reptiles (Jun 20, 2011)

Hi folks

Just to let you know that we have launched our own brand of reptiles supplies.

I'm sure some of you know we launched Swell Premium Substrates a few months ago and these are proving very popular, but now we have our own brand of just about everything.

The new Swell brand includes: 


Terrariums
Basking lamps, ceramic lamps, mercury vapour bulbs, nightlights
Heat mats, heat caves, heat cables
T8 tubes and compact lamps
Multi purpose canopies and lighting canopies
Thermometers, hygrometers
Foggers and waterfalls
Food and water dishes and caves and decor
Our team have spent a long time developing these new products and we have more to add soon once we have finished testing them.

We only want to sell products that are as good quality (or better) as the bigger brands we sell and of course these products are cheaper. They may not come in quite so fancy boxes, but the products that we've tested so far and rolled out on the site are great quality.

Apologies if this sounds like a sales pitch, but we're really excited about this new brand. It looks great and we hope you'll enjoy it.

Here's a few examples:

Glass terrarium £30.99 
Swell Glass Terrarium 30cm x 30cm x 30cm

Waterfall with pump £19.99
Swell Reptile Waterfall with pump

Ceramic lamp holder £6.99
Swell Ceramic Lamp Holder

T8 tubes £8.99
Swell Daylight 2% UVB Lamps

Best wishes
Swell


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## ReptileObsession (Sep 20, 2006)

*Location location location.*

Hi Swell,

Could you please let us all know where you are sourcing your UV bulbs etc. from, as for good quality this seems VERY cheap RRP. I know that there are a few unreputable manufacturers in the world, mainly China, who have absolutely no care in the quality of their products and have been found to be VERY dangerous to reptiles; and for that matter humans. 

I'll be very interested in your answer, and look forward to hearing from you.


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## Swell Reptiles (Jun 20, 2011)

*Swell*

Hi

All of our bulbs (and other products) have been tested thoroughly and our team have personally visited the factory where they are made and observed the process and quality controls.

The products have been tested thoroughly and we are also having them tested by an independent source.

You will find that 99% of reptile supplies are produced in the Far East including those of the "big brands," often in the same factories.

As with any own brands, by cutting out the "middle man" and cutting back on fancy packaging we are able to deliver better prices. 

Our team have also tested and personally used a number of the new products over the last year (it has been a long project bringing this together) and we are absolutely satisfied with the quality. As we speak, our office chameleon is sitting on his Swell Jungle Vine and most of the rest of his terrarium contains Swell products.

Thanks and best wishes.

Swell Reptiles


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## Callum84 (Jul 9, 2011)

Will need to check it out, great idea btw. What I've been noticing is that when you add the word "reptile" to a product you can pretty much double the price.
Good to see items are being tested and QC monitored for reptile use.

On an unrelated matter, I placed a few orders with you recently and found your service outstanding, you've definately gained my future business.


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## Swell Reptiles (Jun 20, 2011)

*Thanks*

Thanks Callum, glad you enjoyed the service.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Some brands are now offering 12 month guarantees on UVB bulbs, will you be doing the same?

Any chance you'll be doing T5s as many of us have moved on from the old T8s now?


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## ReptileObsession (Sep 20, 2006)

Hi Swell,

An interesting reply, though I'd like to point out there is a difference between reputable and big brands. My issue is with the UV lighting, I'm not really interested in decor etc. I think you'll find that all the reputable brands source their UV lighting products from the EU, namely Arcadia and ZooMed. All the big brands source their UV lighting from as you put it the Far East, namely ExoTerra. 

You mention you have had all your products tested, I would be interested to see your UV ratings. Arcadia is by far and above the best brand for quality on the market. I'd like to see how you compare with regards to % over time. As Graham has mentioned Arcadia bulbs have the longest life, how long will yours last before they drop below the needed %?

As always, looking forward to your reply.


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

babey_shmoo said:


> Hi Swell,
> 
> An interesting reply, though I'd like to point out there is a difference between reputable and big brands. My issue is with the UV lighting, I'm not really interested in decor etc. I think you'll find that all the reputable brands source their UV lighting products from the EU, namely Arcadia and ZooMed. All the big brands source their UV lighting from as you put it the Far East, namely ExoTerra.
> 
> ...


Some good points. It's nice to see some cheap reptile products being made available so well done but i have some concerns regarding the UV. At that price i would assume they are from the far east. A few large supplies do indeed use UV produced (exo terra and we know how good their UV is) there but i would be concerned especially at that price and would need some evidence they are safe before i used them or recommended them. Mainly because recently there has been and insurgence of cheap UV from the far east as a few suppliers have tried to save a few pence and do something similar but the UVC and generally output has been unstable and in some instances dangerous. Not saying yours are but would love to see evidence to the contra.

I have the same concerns as the above poster in essence. 

Regarding the independent testing have they been tested by UVquide, as they are generaly seen as the most reliable testing for UV and their results are generally made publicly aware. I know all the large brands have been tested by them at one point or another. As these will identify if the UVC produced is safe along with other things. We all know UVC can be dangerous in high levels. 

I would love to see a spectra-graphs showing outputs. 

As above i would also be interested in seeing evidence 'independently' of lifespan as we know there are bulbs now guaranteeing lifespans of T8's for 9 months at the same UV percentage and 12 months for T5's for only a few quid more. Also what guantees do you offer with the bulb?

Sorry for all the questions but as you know we have a load of very good and reasonably cheap proven and good UV tubes now available and so something so cheap has to be questioned. Especially after seeing a recent search in some cheap bulbs from the far east that have failed some tests recently. 

I look forward to seeing your response regarding the UV tubes. I have no concerns with anything else and it looks like the other products are a bargain price. 

Jay


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## peterf (Jul 27, 2007)

Having looked at dozens of fluorescents and compacts and UV bulbs from many manufacturers in China and having had them all independently tested by Frances at UV guide I am yet to find any manufacturer that provide a bulb as good as the Arcadia bulbs.
Zoo Med bulbs are also good quality predictable bulbs.
I wish you well with you quest for quality UV bulbs but this is such an immotive issue as there are so many poor quality bulbs on the market now (rather like the heat mats from China) and consumers are using these bulbs thinking they are doing a good job.
I wouldnt use any bulbs other than Arcadia. They are high quality, proven and tested.


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## Swell Reptiles (Jun 20, 2011)

*Arcadia*

Hi

We will have these results published in a displayable form soon.

We will continue to sell all the brands you mentioned including Arcadia and Zoo Med, which are indeed excellent products.

So the choice is yours, as with all the own brand products, we are continuing to sell the existing brands but now these are an alternative, so it comes down to your own choice and budget.

Best wishes

Swell


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Would you say these are as good as the other brands you mention, or is it a case of getting what you pay for? Can you answer my earlier questions about warranties and T5 tubes as well please?


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## Swell Reptiles (Jun 20, 2011)

*Hi Graham*

Hi Graham

Yes, we do plan to add T5 tubes to our own brand range but that won't be for at least a few months.

All of our products carry at least a one year guarantee (subject to the usual terms, people using them correctly etc) and we recommend that our UV tubes are changed after six months. As I say, we also still sell the other brands including Arcadia so the choice is yours.

Regards the quality of our own brand products, we have sourced them so that they are as good quality as other leading brands.

This hasn't been a rushed operation. We have sourced manufacturers for our own brands from all over the world, and our project leaders have visited the factories and seen the quality control tests being performed and we have been rigorous with quality certification for all products especially the electrical ones. Some of the products we have helped to design, based on where we believe niches exist. We're sure there will be some products that will prove more popular than others, and some that we will add at a later date (such as T5 tubes).

All of our own brand manufactured products carry the CE mark, meaning they comply with European standards and as well as having the products independently tested by different experts, electricians and engineers we are also testing them ourselves. Every piece of kit is assembled in our office, photographed in our studio and we are producing instructions for the products as well as packing them the best way ourselves to ensure that they arrive safely. We wouldn't sell anything that we wouldn't use ourselves.

You will see some of our products and see they are very similar to those offered by other brands, whereas others are not comparable. In some cases we feel our own brands are actually superior.

For example the Swell Waterfall is just about the best we've seen - very sturdy, natural looking rock, decent reservoir, good pump included. This is not just a case of "you get what you pay for" this is probably the best waterfall we sell. Just it's cheaper because we save on packaging and so on and are selling it direct. See here: Swell Reptile Waterfall with pump

As another example we don't really have an equivalent product to our own brand resin reptile hide (Swell Reptile Hide). We also sell the Habba Hut (Habba huts), they look similar from a distance (if you squint) but they are made from totally different materials, so it's down to personal preference.

Something like the Swell Pro Terrarium Canopy (Swell Pro Terrarium Canopy) which controls light, heat and humidity with a timer (and sits on our office terrarium) is also unlike any other product we sell. It's a completely unique product so you couldn't say it was a cheap copy of something else. This is the only piece of kit we have that controls light, heat and humidity in one neat unit.

The Swell range is designed to give more choice. We don't expect everybody to stop buying our other brands entirely and just buy Swell's own. It's like Marks and Spencers offering their own brand of spaghetti hoops - some will prefer them to Heinz, others won't - but at least you have that choice.

We have also sent out 25 of our items free to some of our Facebook followers and asked them to honestly review them for us so hopefully that will further help us to refine our range.

I hope that answers your questions.


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## Swell Reptiles (Jun 20, 2011)

*Arcadia*

Hi again folks

Since a few of you have mentioned Arcadia and also T5 tubes, I thought it was worth drawing your attention to our T5 kits. They include an Arcadia T5 tube, Arcadia controller and Arcadia reflector. Available in 24", 36" and 48" versions for rainforest and desert.

Here's a link:
Arcadia Complete UV Light Kit: Desert T5 24w for 24" viv


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## king chameleon (Dec 7, 2011)

babey_shmoo said:


> Hi Swell,
> 
> . I know that there are a few unreputable manufacturers in the world, mainly China, who have absolutely no care in the quality of their products and have been found to be VERY dangerous to reptiles; and for that matter humans.
> .


yes i know one of these brands,their stupid cheap uvb tube almost killed my chameleon and the plants in the viv.people be aware :bash:


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## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

king chameleon said:


> yes i know one of these brands,their stupid cheap uvb tube almost killed my chameleon and the plants in the viv.people be aware :bash:


Dont think your talking about the right things, i just bought a tonne of swell heat mats and there top quality cant fault them


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## THELAWrence (Aug 11, 2011)

Hi just wanted to say i bought a couple of your new heat mats with built in thermostats and they are doing a great job for a couple of hatchlings. Great products at a good price


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Iv used Swell for years and never ever had a problem with them. Their customer service team are fantastic and are always willing to help.

I havent bought any of their electrical problems yet but i have had some of their own make substrate and im pretty impressed. Im very fussy on substrate for my inverts and iv now been converted to their own brand.


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## king chameleon (Dec 7, 2011)

herper147 said:


> Dont think your talking about the right things, i just bought a tonne of swell heat mats and there top quality cant fault them


i wasn't talkin about swell own brand i was talking about cheap chinese brands like the infamous repti zoo (which has nothing to do with zoo med and repti sun, or swell)

swell is fine, very good service :2thumb:


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## Alex Boswell (Apr 15, 2012)

king chameleon said:


> yes i know one of these brands,their stupid cheap uvb tube almost killed my chameleon and the plants in the viv.people be aware :bash:


Dont buy cheap crap then, you get what you pay for :crazy:


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

> I havent bought any of their electrical *problems* yet


And why would you?


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## king chameleon (Dec 7, 2011)

Alex Boswell said:


> Dont buy cheap crap then, you get what you pay for :crazy:


i learnt the hard way:bash:


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## maarup (Jan 17, 2013)

*Shipping?*

Hey,
I looked around your webshop and i really like some products (i LOVE your own brands waterfall ) but i was wondering about shipping. Do you send to the Netherlands?


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## Swell Reptiles (Jun 20, 2011)

*Netherland*

Yes we do ship to the Netherlands but with one exception which is glass terrariums. The chances of a glass terrarium arriving intact are quite slim!


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