New Flipper Cleaner Does It All

I was just about to say that. Almost exactly the same. Perhaps a patent challenge is on the way?

 

Actually, they designed the mag-flip and have since parted ways. This is their new model.

 

Oh, so they own the rights to the mag-flip? I still don't see, even if it is their's, how this improves on the mag-flip design? And why does it sink? What if it sinks and falls into a cave of LR of onto a coral? And won't it sinking cause it to pick up sand and scratch the glass?

 

Flipper

Some things I know about the Flipper. The stainless blades are made from the most corrosion resistant stainless available. The blade lasts a long time submerged. The concept is from the original licensed patent that protected the Mag-Flip. The new product is made by a different manufacturer and is much, much more aggressive. The higher magnetic material volume makes it more powerful yet the design if very compact. It is rated up to 1/2" glass. The video that is shown was made at a LFS being used on the 1/2" back wall of the main show tank, impressive.

 

Pretty cool.

The first negative reviews will be about how the flow in the tank makes it sink out of reach of the magnetic pull and you have to get wet or get your grabbers to retrieve it.

But still neat and the price is good.

 

Agreed, I thought the same thing.

 

I still want one. I was at an LFS where they were using the mag-flip some time back... I wasn't impressed. Yeah, it scraped coralline, but you could still clearly see it. Don't think the blade was tight enough to the glass. Seemed to just scrape coralline smooth. This 'more aggressive' model though might fix that!

Coralline, if you're reading this, you're already smooth!

 

I helped with development and testing. Flipper is not a knock off of the Mag-Flip. The concept for a better tank cleaner evolved a few years back and after design was patented. The product was licensed and then introduced as the Mag-Flip. The potential function of the product was never fully realized and the patent license was not renewed. Flipper retains the function of two cleaning tools, a scrubber and a scraper but now with substantial improvements. Power of the magnets has been greatly increased, yet the profile has been kept low. There are now replaceable stainless blades for glass tanks and a new serrated plastic blade for Acrylic tanks. The serrated blade is close to par with the metal blade. Both are held tightly to the surface. The metal blade is 316 stainless which boasts the highest degree of corrosion resistance of all stainless. The scrubber is nearly neutral buoyant and if disconnected will hang in place allowing for easy retrieval. Should the unit sink it does so slowly and lands upright. The low profile of the handle and scrubber/scraper allows rocks and coral to be placed much closer to the tank walls and better access outside the tank.

 

As i understand it, Mag Float holds the patent on magnet cleaners that float. This would explain why no other cleaners do.

 

Flipper

You are correct. The Flipper was designed around a different concept and that is to keep it as absolutely thin as possible allowing placement of rocks and things closer to the glass. The need to make something float adds considerable bulk. The other direction was chosen and that is to make the unit as neutral buoyant as possible but with a slight nudge towards sinking. In that way it does not shoot to the surface nor quickly sink to the bottom. It is fairly easy to retrieve. Actually, having a cleaner get away does not happen that often.