# Vivexotic Reptihome Maxi XL Vivarium and Reptihome Maxi XL Cabinet Review



## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

Hey everyone,

Back in October, I was runner up in a competition run on this forum. As runner up, I recieved a 50% discount off the RRP of any Vivexotic vivarium. Upon contacting them, Aquapac also offered to boost the discount to 60% off.

And so the decision making process began. What viv to get, what colour, where would it go, how were we to secure the doors, what about cabinets and a million other questions which I fired at Stephen from Aquapac.

It is at this point that I would like to thank Stephen and his team for their patience and amazing customer service. I was a massive pain the rear end, and they bent over backwards for me. It's a shame they don't normally deal with the public, but maybe they see it as a godsend!

Eventually, we settled on this. I would purchase the Reptihome Maxi XL, and being in no rush, we would wait to get one of the first batch of the Reptihome Maxi XL Cabinets. We also got the Reptihome Maxi XL Glass with a hole for the Viva Lock. I'm not sure if this was a special batch for me or if they were doing it anyway, but I believe some are available on the vivexotic spares website (Vivexotic Spares | Original Vivexotic spare parts from Aquapac).

I didn't actually finalise the order until mid January (yes, we kept them hanging on THAT long, that is how patient they were), and the viv and cabinet arrived on Wednesday 26th feb, not bad considering they had to make the cabinet and glass.

Now, onto the review with pictures. First up, the cabinet. As far as I am aware, this is the first of the Reptihome Maxi XL Cabinets made, so probably the first review. Hopefully, my feedback will help with the final product, as you will see soon.



First up was opening the packaging and getting the instructions. And here was my first obstacle, there were no instructions. No problem, probably just an oversight. I'm a tecnically minded person, I'm sure I can work it out. Let's get everything out and see what we are working with.



Ok, so we only have one leg . . . Is this a mistake, or am I missing something? I figured, seeing as the other Reptihome vivs were designed to fit on the Viva cabinets, this one is probably the same. So, off I tootled to find some instructions online.

Thank . . . God! There should only be one leg, it goes in the centre to support the weight in the middle.



From here on, it was pretty self evident how it went together,



The sides attached on securely,



Then the front, which sits between the doors.



And finally the rear panel (more on this later).

Thats the cabinet finished for now. The viv has been reviewed before, but as it is instrumental to the final build of the cabinet, I will go over it now. Unfortunately, I got a little lax with the camera, for which I apologise.

So, we come to open the box, and guess what . . . We have instructions!



However, I hit another snag here. The instructions are different to the actual build. Different parts are included etc, which was a bit confusing. But, nevertheless, we must continue. There was enough instruction to cope, anyway.

I started building, and have to say, I am impressed with the build quality. Previous vivexotics suffered from too few connections, which left large gaps and bendy front plinths.

The new large brown screw thingys (very technically minded, me) are brilliant, and there are enough to prevent any gaps.





As I said, I got lax on photo taking.

There are loads of screws along the front plinth, which stops the annoying bowing that previous vivexotics were prone to. Everything is held together beautifully, and is the best vivexotic vivarium I have seen so far.

Part 2 of the cabinet build

The next step is to fit the vivarium on to the cabinet. Most of this was fairly easy, the front and 2 sides had the relevant connections, but I had nothing for he rear plinth. This seemed odd, and is one of the things I mentioned to Stephen at Aquapc. He is currently investigating what went wrong, and will hopefully rectify any issues before the cabinet goes on general sale.

It doesn't, however, affect the integrity of the product, which is extremely sturdy and appears reliable.



What I failed to photograph here was the shelf which fits nicely inside the cabinet. It stretches the length of the vivarium and is just under half the width. There are 4 transparent, plastic clips which hold the shelf in place perfectly fine. I wouldn't personally trust it to hold anything too weighty, but your calcium, minerals, hooks, tongs, etc etc should go fine on it.



This is the final picture I have at the moment, just before fitting he doors. The handles are plastic but could be exchanged easily enough for something nicer. They do their purpose though.

The hinges took some hammering to get in the doors. According to the instructions, here are some plastic inserts that fit in the screw holes, then the the hinges screw into these easily. However, these plastic inserts were already screwed into the hinge screws. Hence the need to hammer them in.

They hold very tightly though.

The hinges are your standard kitchen door hinges, with methods to line them up against the cabinets properly.

Overall, the products look great, and hold firm. I have sealed it too, which is advisable to increase the lifespan.

Yeah, I had some hiccups, which probably made the build take longer thn necessary, but I don't mind. I have a great vivarium, a beautiful (HUGE) cabinet and a satisfied feeling hat the occupant will be one lucky hedgehog.

A few more details,

The viv is 54" x 18" x 22". I haven't measured the height of the cabinet, but it is around 3ft ish tall.

I also love the Viva Glass and lock, so much better than those sliding locks which always fall off, and are nothing but a nuisance, in my opinion.

So, bar a few little issues (which I am sure Stephen will have sorted soon) I am over the moon and fully recommend this vivarium and cabinet setup.

I look forward to showing it off fully set up.

Thanks for reading

Tarron


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## Ste123 (Apr 30, 2011)

looks good, only moan i have is why oh why oh why is 18inch their standard depth. most people want 24inch depth for their lizards. 
I also have a worry that soon to save costs 14.5inch will become the normal size and 18inch will be classed as DEEP and increase the costs.

One reason so many lizards are kept in wrong conditions is vivexotic (main viv supplier) dont sell the right sizes

gr8 build thread though as you clearly are showing people what they need to expect when they buy a flat pack.


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

Thank you Ste. I will say, I don't think this is fully representative of what to expect, there were some minor issues which Aquapac will no doubt sort.
I take your point about the depth, but thats ultimately down to Hagens choice, weighing up the pros and cons. Also, vivexotic are not the only brand which suffer this issue.

I'd like to clarify that my estimate on the cabinet height was well out, it is a little over 25" tall.

Sorry for the mistake.


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## Ste123 (Apr 30, 2011)

are you happy with the colour?


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

Yeah, it's the standard Beech that most vivs come in.
I'll admit, we originally wanted a viv in Walnut, and if we had gone for a smaller viv, that's what we would have, but we compromised a little to have the extra space. I am glad I did to be honest.

This is the only colour the XL comes in. I guess it is to do with volume of sales or somethig. It is a shame though.


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## Ste123 (Apr 30, 2011)

Yep again the problem with lack of choice for off the shelf viv's. Just not enough demand for companies to produce. 

delivery costs make custom viv's high price


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

Ste123 said:


> Yep again the problem with lack of choice for off the shelf viv's. Just not enough demand for companies to produce.
> 
> delivery costs make custom viv's high price


If i'm honest, Ste, this thread was put up as an honest review of a product I recieved. I have noted the positive and negative points of this individual viv and cabinet. It was not intended to be a thread to slate flat pack vivariums in total.

Of course custom Vivs will be better. They are designed for a specific purpose, how you want it and built so that each piece matches the adjoining piece.
Mass manufaced vivs will be slightly less better, but my point is, these vivs are of a very high quality, very solid, better than previous vivexotics.

Thank you for your interest, but I dont think there is any more to be said on the issue of flat pack v custom in this thread.


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

Here's the finished product by the way. Looks lovely in my opinion.


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## Mollie100 (Dec 17, 2013)

Looks great! :2thumb:

Do you mind me asking - what have you got living in there? 

I've got the model down from this one with a Spiny Mouse in and I'm really pleased with it.


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

Mollie100 said:


> Looks great! :2thumb:
> 
> Do you mind me asking - what have you got living in there?
> 
> I've got the model down from this one with a Spiny Mouse in and I'm really pleased with it.


Thanks Mollie

we are getting an African Pygmy Hedgehog somtime at the end of May/start of June (in fact, it is being concieved right now)


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## Mollie100 (Dec 17, 2013)

Tarron said:


> Thanks Mollie
> 
> we are getting an African Pygmy Hedgehog somtime at the end of May/start of June (in fact, it is being concieved right now)


Awww! Lovely! Look forward to seeing pics of the new addition! :flrt:

Hedgies are a pet I'd like one day.


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## Hagen UK (Sep 28, 2012)

Hi Tarron, thank you for your review and apologies for the lack of instructions. The cabinet you were sent is a pre production sample built especially for you and unfortunately the instructions slipped through the net! I know you've been in contact with our manufacturing partner yourself and I believe everything is now fully resolved. I'm really glad you're happy with the set and if you have any further questions or issues please feel free to contact us - http://uk.hagen.com/contactus

All the best, 

Paul


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## Hagen UK (Sep 28, 2012)

Ste123 said:


> looks good, only moan i have is why oh why oh why is 18inch their standard depth. most people want 24inch depth for their lizards.
> I also have a worry that soon to save costs 14.5inch will become the normal size and 18inch will be classed as DEEP and increase the costs.
> 
> One reason so many lizards are kept in wrong conditions is vivexotic (main viv supplier) dont sell the right sizes
> ...


Hi Ste, the depth is approx 19" on the Repti Home Maxi vivs. This is slightly larger than most other flat packs and the vivs are taller than most - as this is our basic range we kept the depth at 19" to keep the price affordable for reptile keepers. The length, at around 54" (4.5') is the 'big' news on the XL viv, which allows for better control of thermal gradient and has been tested and approved by leading UK bearded dragon keepers. If you specifically need a 24" depth though I can recommend the Vivexotic Viva XL which has exactly that depth: https://uk.hagen.com/Reptile/Vivarium-Set/PT4009

Thanks for the feedback and if you have any further questions please feel free to contact us.


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

Hagen UK said:


> Hi Tarron, thank you for your review and apologies for the lack of instructions. The cabinet you were sent is a pre production sample built especially for you and unfortunately the instructions slipped through the net! I know you've been in contact with our manufacturing partner yourself and I believe everything is now fully resolved. I'm really glad you're happy with the set and if you have any further questions or issues please feel free to contact us - http://uk.hagen.com/contactus
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Paul


Hi Paul, thank you. The viv and cabinet are great. I am aware this was pre production which is why I understood when there were issues. 
The team at Aquapac got everything out to me on Wednesday and it has all be put together properly. It is a wonderful product, very sturdy and I am glad to own it.
thank you again

Tarron


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## Staticpulse (Apr 18, 2008)

Thanks for doing this review! I bought 4 of the Reptihome Maxi XL vivariums when they were first introduced and hit a few snags with them (incorrect fixings etc. but these were soon sorted) but have to say they are a lovely size, and with the length and width that they are, you will have the same floorspace as a 4x2x2 viv so I am not sure why people are complaining too much! 

I have been very interested in the cabinets and have been wondering how long it would be until they were released to the public.

In your honest opinion, do you feel the cabinets could withstand the weight of 2 vivariums? If not I will have to go with the stacking feet but again not sure how sturdy they will be with the weight of 2 of these on top haha.

Also, I like the idea of having viva glass with the vivariums! I only have one in use at the moment and have a sliding lock on it but it makes it so difficult to slide the doors open... the glass is covered in hand/finger prints from struggling with it haha! I will have to have a look in to doing this myself :2thumb:


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

Staticpulse said:


> Thanks for doing this review! I bought 4 of the Reptihome Maxi XL vivariums when they were first introduced and hit a few snags with them (incorrect fixings etc. but these were soon sorted) but have to say they are a lovely size, and with the length and width that they are, you will have the same floorspace as a 4x2x2 viv so I am not sure why people are complaining too much!
> 
> I have been very interested in the cabinets and have been wondering how long it would be until they were released to the public.
> 
> ...


I don't wish to speak for Hagen on the release date, I have heard June, but I am sure they will give official detail when they are ready.
The cabinet is brilliant though, the amount of space in there is immense. Keeps all the kids toys away, which is exactly what Hagen intended it for, I presume, lol.

I wouldn't like to guess whether it would hold 2 enclosures, but if you PM Paul at Hagen, I am sure they will have some technical specs on the weight it could hold. I suppose it also depends on what is in the enclosures. If you have an auboise substrate, with some cardboard box hides, it would be a lot lighter than soil substrates deep enough to bury, resin hides, rocks etc.

I was very grateful that Aquapac managed sort the doors out for me, I hate the sliding locks, they are an absolute pain, and I can't believe it has taken this long to source a better alternative.
I am sure if you, again, contact Hagen or aqua pac about the doors, they will be able to assist you.


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