# Real Deal Reptiles - A New Product range



## cabrio95 (Sep 9, 2009)

*Dragonara/Real Deal Reptiles*
Hi All,
Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Mark, I have been on the Exotics scene for more than 20 years, since the days when there were great shows like Walsall. I have kept and bred many reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. I currently concentrate on colour morph beardies, which have become a passion, I also keep chameleons which I hope to be breeding soon.

I started to trade as *Dragonara* in 2009 after being "advised" by the local authorities that I needed a Pet Shop License to continue keeping, breeding and supplying large quantities of beardies to Pet Shops and the general public.

We have researched a new range of products, which have been tried and tested for the past 12months by myself, along with some other selected breeders and a few Pet Shops and they have proved to be excellent. They are being released under the name *"Real Deal Reptiles"* and will be appearing in Pet Shops near you soon if not already. Alternatively the products are for sale on *'Internet Reptile'* ebay shop. The products are being produced in the same factory as some of the other big named brands which you are no doubt using already! The feedback that we have had so far from the pet trade has been great. Our product range currently consist of:
Neodymium Basking Bulbs, Infra Red Heat Bulbs, Purple (moon glow) light Bulbs, Ceramic Bulbs, Compact UV Spiral Bulbs 5% & 10%, Ultra Sun uv Heat Bulbs, UV Striplights 5% & 10%, Heat Mats (carbon), Universal Electronic UV Starter Unit, 500W Digital Thermostat and Thermometers.
More products are being added to our range with every shipment. For "Trade Only" we have a range of resins, which are beautifully finished, along with a livestock list. We have concentrated on packaging the bulbs properly, in polystyrene, to avoid disappointment through damage. The bulbs are quality coloured glass unlike some of the cheap painted alternatives that lose their coating after a while. The outer packaging is attractive and colour co-ordinated for easy recognition. We have taken our experiences and listened to other reptile keepers in the developement of the products and are sure that you will like the results.
I hope you will give these products a try and I welcome any feedback.


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## cabrio95 (Sep 9, 2009)

Bump up


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## cabrio95 (Sep 9, 2009)

Bump Up


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## moonstruck (Aug 10, 2008)

what exactly do you mean by "Universal Electronic UV Starter Unit"


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## PowerPie5000 (Apr 13, 2010)

cabrio95 said:


> Neodymium Basking Bulbs


If these bulbs are the "Real Deal Reptiles" branded one's then they are not very good. I bought one and it blew within 10 minutes! Another i tried didn't work at all... A friend also bought one and it almost lasted a day :roll: (these were only 60W bulbs).

On the box it says it gives out UVA and UVB rays but does not specify an amount/level... seems a bit iffy to me and could be potentially harmful to some species without any UVA/UVB info specified!


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## cabrio95 (Sep 9, 2009)

moonstruck said:


> what exactly do you mean by "Universal Electronic UV Starter Unit"


I am not doing these products now, they are available directly from Appleton Exotics in Wigan. Universal means that it works with any size/length uv tube'


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## cabrio95 (Sep 9, 2009)

PowerPie5000 said:


> If these bulbs are the "Real Deal Reptiles" branded one's then they are not very good. I bought one and it blew within 10 minutes! Another i tried didn't work at all... A friend also bought one and it almost lasted a day :roll: (these were only 60W bulbs).
> 
> On the box it says it gives out UVA and UVB rays but does not specify an amount/level... seems a bit iffy to me and could be potentially harmful to some species without any UVA/UVB info specified!


Well you must have had VERY bad luck with them. I have nothing to do with these products now as Appleton Exotics are dealing direct to pet shops only. I have used the bulbs for over two years now and most neodymium bulbs have lasted 9-12 months and ALL infra reds I have used have lasted at least 6 months. The neodymiums have approx 2% uv, all have the CE kitemark and have been tested by EXPERTS. Harmful? I think not, I wouldn't put my reptiles under them if they were!! Are you sure that you are not confusing these bulbs with Exo Terra, sounds more like their current reputation?


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## PowerPie5000 (Apr 13, 2010)

cabrio95 said:


> Universal Electronic UV Starter Unit


I bought one of these from 'Real Deal Reptiles' on ebay (Appleton Exotics in Wigan)... My one unfortunately arrived with a loose piece of metal rattling around inside (the seller told me to test it AFTER i had already mentioned this!! :naughty. Anyway i find it hard to believe they are universal as on the side of the box it clearly states '*Suitable for all common flourescent lamps (T8, 026MM) in accordance with the wattage indicated on the packaging*'... There's no indication of wattage on the packaging or the unit itself, infact there's no indication of any input or output values (i'm sure it's a legal requirement to have this info on the item or packaging).

How do you guys know what the maximum output is on these? I personally think it looks and feels very cheaply made (probably imported from China or one of the surrounding area's)... They even have a CE Kitemark on the box which anyone could have stuck there without approval. They are extremely light which indicates a lack of heatsinks on the VRM's and probably uses a cheap, low powered, lightweight transformer and few components... Again i would like to know where you get your info from regarding the output (can it be used SAFELY upto 50+ watts??).


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## LFBP-NEIL (Apr 23, 2005)

cant comment on the specific one you bought, but i bought a universal light controller off of ebay (different seller) as i wanted to know how they could sell one for under a tenner and the thing i was sent was potentially dangerous, there was no ventilation on the box, it got very hot but worst of all the back came off exposing 240v live cables. The CE mark was applied to the cardboard box and i doubt that it would pass any british safety tests. If you can post a picture up of your one so we can see what it looks like as these are mass produced in china and imported for a few dollars each, i know this because i looked at importing them until i held one in my hands and saw how dangerous it was. Please post a picture so everyone can see if its the same as the one i bought,


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## PowerPie5000 (Apr 13, 2010)

Ok i've added some pics of the "universal starter" i bought... I noticed on one end you can see an exposed live copper wire almost poking through the vent!!! I also managed to get the broken bits from the inside (the base of the unit is very flimsy and has a gap... So the bits fell out).

The one thing that really bugs me is the fact that the seller asked me to try it out AFTER i had already told him/her about the loose metal bit inside... These people clearly have no consideration for people's safety and have no knowledge of electricals in my opinion. I even asked them who manufactures the circuit boards and they told me they don't give out that information (they are clearly hiding something). They even said these starters are the best on the market and they use them in all 80 of their vivs! they seem to be real blaggers if you ask me! I'm actually going to give 'Appleton Exotics' a visit sometime as it's not far from me and see if they really do use them.


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## LFBP-NEIL (Apr 23, 2005)

slightly different case design to the one i got from a different seller, but it looks like the problem may be the same, the back plate has two holes or lugs that look like they are designed for screwing the unit to a wooden surface, except there is nothing holding the back plate to the main unit other than some small plastic lugs so if the cables get slightly tugged, like a small child pulling on one or you move the viv and one of the cables gets caught, the slightest bit of pressure pulls the casing apart exposing 240v, have a look on the back and see if there are any screws securing the backplate to the mainbox and then hold the back plate and give a slight tug on the cables to see if it falls apart. Mine did and then just clipped back together again really dodgy, but i must stress the one i bought was not a "real deal reptiles" one, it looks very similar though.


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## PowerPie5000 (Apr 13, 2010)

This one does have 4 screws holding the back plate on, although the back plate is very flimsy and there is a gap around it. I still think this unit could easily snap if the cable was tugged whilst screwed to a wooden viv (possibly exposing the loose circuit board inside). What is the stated output on your starter? Could you possibly take a photo of the circuit board inside?


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## PowerPie5000 (Apr 13, 2010)

Real Deal Reptiles (Appleton Exotics in Wigan) are absolute bloody liars and are not trustworthy at all!! I returned the faulty starter unit and they said all they could find were 2 bits of plastic from the shell and not the metal piece!! I took pictures inside and out the unit and there werre no missing bits from the shell... These parts were infact from a damaged coil choke on the circuit board and there is a loose metal piece there!

I can't stand these blaggers and hope they get what they deserve when i take this matter further as these units are not CE approved and i'm also in contact with the Chinese company that manufactures the PCB (Lzcelectronics)... The circuit boards used are low wattage and NOT UNIVERSAL! It uses cheap-no name components and the build quality of these starters is shocking! Highly dangerous units in my expert opinion.


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## LFBP-NEIL (Apr 23, 2005)

Heres my cheap one, different make but very dangerous in my opinion...

YouTube - Cheap Vivarium Lighting Controllers from ebay


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## PowerPie5000 (Apr 13, 2010)

LFBP-NEIL said:


> Heres my cheap one, different make but very dangerous in my opinion...
> 
> YouTube - Cheap Vivarium Lighting Controllers from ebay


That certainly looks dodgy and i bet it's not been approved for sale in the UK either! Anyway i've just passed on the details regarding my starter to the UK BSI group... I've included everything from the PCB manufacturer details, Appleton Exotic details, Real Deal Reptile branding and even incuded various photo's of the unit. I bet the tell me it's not been CE approved.

Here's a photo of the PCB used in the 'Real Deal Reptile' starters... It's lacking in components (and quality) for something that can supposedly operate 50W+ lamps for long periods of time (a load of rubbish if you ask me!):











I've circled a few bits:

***The transformer label has been removed (obviously trying to hide something here).

***Tantalum caps are touching the hot VRM's (which don't have heatsinks... not good for something that supposedly operates 50W+ tubes).

***The broken bits of plastic and metal infact came from a damaged coil choke which is extremely weak and brittle!

Then there's the bottom of the shell that can be snapped off easily despite it being screwed on (very thin, weak plastic with a big gap where it's bowed!)... I don't have a photo of the base. Also the PCB itself is not held in place by anything! It's just loose inside the shell!


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