Reptile Basics or Boaphile?

These two rack systems are in my budget if I buy piece by piece. Any opinions on one over the other? The Boaphile racks claim to have self-extinguishing materials and I like the thought of reduced fire risk.

I don't use racks, so I can't speak for those products, but I have dealt with both companies, and based on customer service, I have to say Reptile Basics...

Sent from my Motorola ATRIX using Tapatalk 2.

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

I don't use racks, so I can't speak for those products, but I have dealt with both companies, and based on customer service, I have to say Reptile Basics...

Sent from my Motorola ATRIX using Tapatalk 2.

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I agree 100%.

RBI, 100%! Rich is awesome to deal with & his customer service is top-notch. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Boaphile.

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

I agree 100%.

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Well my answers seem to be unanimous so far lol. Customer service is definitely important to me. If I'm having problems I want to be able to call and know that I'll get help with my purchase. I guess I was leaning toward Boaphile for the self-extinguishing issue. I really liked the way that sounded. There must be thermostats with auto shut offs and such to protect my snakes and my house from fire risk? I know nothing is a sure thing but if I'm going to spend the money, I want to do it right rather than regret it later.

Ya tstats like Herpstat and VE will shut off when they reach a certain temp thats too high.

RBI all the way. Rich is the man.

Rhino raxxs all the way if you call Jeff he will always answer boaphile wrote the book when it comes to caging people

I'm a RBI man myself.

RBI all the way. Rich is awesome.

My first rack was from Boaphile and while the rack is nice, I will never buy from them again. Service was beyond bad.

I can't speak for either of their racks, as we built ours, but I have dealt with Rich at RBI for many other things. He is your way to go.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

I've got some RBI racks and can highly recommend Reptile Basics as well. If you are concerned about safety, I'd buy two thermostats. One being proportional and one an off/on. I use VE-100's as my backup and VE-200's as primary. When a proportional thermostat fails, they tend to fail wide open. When an on/off thermostat fails, it tends to fail in the off position. At least, that is what I've read. I feel much safer with a back up thermostat on all of my racks.

This is a really good question. I have been looking at different racks and cages too. It sucks not being able to see/compare them in person.

Most say RBI. But just by reading about them I was leaning toward the Rhino Raxx.

Those that are picking RBI, is this just a loyalty from awesome customer service on RBI's part? Have you actually used both companies and found bad customer service using Boaphile?

Going just by product quality and taking customer service out of it would you say one is better than the other, or they are equal?

I understand customer loyalty. I Just don't want to NOT select a product I feel will fit my needs better because yall favor the one without having actually used the other. I tried to select my words carefully there. I am not trying to step on toes and say your vote for RBI is wrong. I see it like riding a certain brand motorcycle, its hard to change a persons mind about which is best. I just want to make sure i select the best product for me.

If Boaphile is lacking in customer service, can you tell me how?

I have never used a rack or custom cage so I'm a blank slate trying to be well informed to make a good decision.

Or you can just get a herpstat with a built in fail safe ;-). RBI has great racks and their turn around time is unmatched. I ordered 3 racks on a Tuesday late night, and received them on Saturday morning following. Boaphile (Rhinoraxx) have a decent to long wait time on producing / shipping their rack systems. Something to keep in mind. If you are going for the CB70 rack, just stick with RBI, rich will make sure you're good to go. I have a stack 3 high, ran on a herpstat 1 using dimmer mode, and my heat tape stays at about 34% to keep the heat tape at a reading of 106, and the tubs at a reading of 91-92 varying on tub to tub. Make sure you get an IR temp gun to go with your new rack. It will be your best friend with your thermostat.

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Originally Posted by prettyballsy

These two rack systems are in my budget if I buy piece by piece. Any opinions on one over the other? The Boaphile racks claim to have self-extinguishing materials and I like the thought of reduced fire risk.

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RBI makes their racks out of the same material - as does AP and others. PVC is self extinguishing, der Boaphile has taken this generic property of PVC and has turned it into a selling point while the others haven't. Hence many people mistakenly think only his special and magical racks are self-extinguishing.

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Originally Posted by sflanick

Rhino raxxs all the way if you call Jeff he will always answer boaphile wrote the book when it comes to caging people

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The Boaphile is widely known for not returning calls and e-mails. In fact, I've lost count of the number of threads discussing his crappy and indifferent customer service.

His racks and cages sag overtime. In most of my sweaterbox racks that I've owned from him, the bottom drawer becomes useless - even when placed on a flat, level and non-carpeted floor.

Both AP and RBI make very nice products that are also self-extinguishing and the great thing about Rich from RBI and Ali from AP is that they actually return calls, answer e-mails and, in general, act like they appreciate your business.

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Originally Posted by KMG

This is a really good question. I have been looking at different racks and cages too. It sucks not being able to see/compare them in person.

Most say RBI. But just by reading about them I was leaning toward the Rhino Raxx.

Those that are picking RBI, is this just a loyalty from awesome customer service on RBI's part? Have you actually used both companies and found bad customer service using Boaphile?

Going just by product quality and taking customer service out of it would you say one is better than the other, or they are equal?

I understand customer loyalty. I Just don't want to NOT select a product I feel will fit my needs better because yall favor the one without having actually used the other. I tried to select my words carefully there. I am not trying to step on toes and say your vote for RBI is wrong. I see it like riding a certain brand motorcycle, its hard to change a persons mind about which is best. I just want to make sure i select the best product for me.

If Boaphile is lacking in customer service, can you tell me how?

I have never used a rack or custom cage so I'm a blank slate trying to be well informed to make a good decision.

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http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=264395

http://www.reptileinsider.com/showthread.php?t=5955

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=115727

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...phile-Outcome*

http://www.faunaclassified.com/forum...ad.php?t=89594

http://www.reptileboards.com/threads...oaphile.21655/

http://moreliaviridis.yuku.com/topic/9247

Are you seeing the trend here?

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Originally Posted by KMG

This is a really good question. I have been looking at different racks and cages too. It sucks not being able to see/compare them in person.

Most say RBI. But just by reading about them I was leaning toward the Rhino Raxx.

Those that are picking RBI, is this just a loyalty from awesome customer service on RBI's part? Have you actually used both companies and found bad customer service using Boaphile?

Going just by product quality and taking customer service out of it would you say one is better than the other, or they are equal?

I understand customer loyalty. I Just don't want to NOT select a product I feel will fit my needs better because yall favor the one without having actually used the other. I tried to select my words carefully there. I am not trying to step on toes and say your vote for RBI is wrong. I see it like riding a certain brand motorcycle, its hard to change a persons mind about which is best. I just want to make sure i select the best product for me.

If Boaphile is lacking in customer service, can you tell me how?

I have never used a rack or custom cage so I'm a blank slate trying to be well informed to make a good decision.

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I say RBI bc Rich has the best customer service on the planet and makes products just as good, if not better, as boaphile. The longest ive had to wait for an item to get to me is 3 days. The only reason it took 3 days instead of 2 was bc there was a holiday lmao. Ive heard a TON of stories about how people order from boaphile and dont hear back from Jeff in 2 months then all of the sudden a rack shows up at their door. So ya if youre ok with that then order from him. When im buying a $300+ item from someone i generally like to at least get a receipt or conformation email. If i dont id probably wanna be able to call/email and talk to someone to make sure i know where my money went. From what ive heard you dont really get any of this from Boaphile.

Its your money and completely your choice though, im not telling you what to do, just sharing my experience. I have never ordered anything from Jeff personally, these are all just from stories ive heard.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

The Boaphile is widely known for not returning calls and e-mails. In fact, I've lost count of the number of threads discussing his crappy and indifferent customer service.

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You just reminded me that I sent an email to Boaphile and never got a response. It was so long ago i forgot about it. I guess I could have answered my own question.

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I feel pretty silly having been a Boaphile victim and not realizing it. Thank you for the info and making the choice easier.

I have a Rhinoraxx from Boaphile and like it a lot. That being said, I would go with RBI if I had to choose between those two)(like everyone else has said, poor customer service at boaphile). Have you checked out Animal Plastics? Great racks and great customer service. Good luck!

Another option you might want to consider is animal plastics http://www.animalplastics.com/ they also have great racks, prices and customer service.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

RBI makes their racks out of the same material - as does AP and others. PVC is self extinguishing, der Boaphile has taken this generic property of PVC and has turned it into a selling point while the others haven't. Hence many people mistakenly think only his special and magical racks are self-extinguishing.


His racks and cages sag overtime. In most of my sweaterbox racks that I've owned from him, the bottom drawer becomes useless - even when placed on a flat, level and non-carpeted floor.

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I was just going to mention your first point, and agree with it completely, they all use the same materials. However I can't agree with your second point. It's unfair to point out that the Boaphiles racks and cages sag over time and not mention this about the others since they all use the same materials

I've got some boaphile racks that are around 15 years old and they are just as usable today as they were when I bought them. No sagging, and even the heat is still good.

I've actually dwelt with both Rich and Jeff a good bit. As far as customer service goes, Rich hands down has the best of any reptile supply dealer I've ever met. He's always available to answer any questions, and if ant if his equipment fails it malfunctions, he'll have a replacement shipped out the same day.

Jeff on the other hand seems to slack on his customer service in both phone calls and email aspects. That to me puts him a little behind the curve because no matter how quality your products are, they will fail at some point, and if you're not there to answer three phone/email, then you'll end up having an angry customer. Then you start sacrificing points off of your reputation and trustworthiness.

If Rich had the selection that Jeff has, it would be absolutely no competition, Rich would be the leader hands down.

If you want a better selection, and are willing to wait 5-7 days for a response, go with Boaphile. If you want a lower selection, same quality, and 24/7 customer service, go with Rich.

Just my $0.02

Trey

Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by MarkS

I was just going to mention your first point, and agree with it completely, they all use the same materials. However I can't agree with your second point. It's unfair to point out that the Boaphiles racks and cages sag over time and not mention this about the others since they all use the same materials

I've got some boaphile racks that are around 15 years old and they are just as usable today as they were when I bought them. No sagging, and even the heat is still good.

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My AP cages have not sagged to the same degree nor split under the apparently "excessive" weight of pro-products RHPs like the Boaphile 421s have. Nor have my old HerpEnclosure Cages or my AP cages.

Regardless of the fact that they use the same materials, they are not built with the same thickness of material nor the same construction. The AP racks use thicker panels. Compare them side to side.

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Originally Posted by reptileexperts

Make sure you get an IR temp gun to go with your new rack. It will be your best friend with your thermostat.

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Its going on my list. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

RBI makes their racks out of the same material - as does AP and others.

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This was very helpful. Thank you. The self-extinguishing selling point was pretty huge for me and I have to admit it seems strange to me that the other companies wouldn't add that to their product descriptions--just from a business point of view. There are probably a lot of uninformed people out there (like me lol) who don't know that about PVC.

Due to the overwhelming response supporting RBI, thats probably who I'm going to go with. Since I am such a newbie, there's a significant chance I'll need the kind of customer service minded company that will be willing to hold my hand a little (or a lot lol).

I really appreciate everyone's input :)

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=264395

http://www.reptileinsider.com/showthread.php?t=5955

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=115727

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...phile-Outcome*

http://www.faunaclassified.com/forum...ad.php?t=89594

http://www.reptileboards.com/threads...oaphile.21655/

http://moreliaviridis.yuku.com/topic/9247

Are you seeing the trend here?

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I started to look at some of these. This is the only forum I joined so I don't really understand some of the terminology. I keep reading about a BOI. What is that? I assume its a bad thing?
I'm just curious ;)

I have Boaphile cages/racks and they are great. I didn't have to get them shipped because I purchased them at a Reptile Show, so I can't really speak on the customer service aspect with Boaphile. But I have brought items from RBI and his customer service is incredible, hands down the best in the business IMO. I think you will get great service from both companies, but if i was purchasing the same rack at the same price I would go with RBI because I know Rich has excellent customer service.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

My AP cages have not sagged to the same degree nor split under the apparently "excessive" weight of pro-products RHPs like the Boaphile 421s have. Nor have my old HerpEnclosure Cages or my AP cages.

Regardless of the fact that they use the same materials, they are not built with the same thickness of material nor the same construction. The AP racks use thicker panels. Compare them side to side.

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Well I don't have any cages, only racks so I can't speak to that. I do have 8 boaphile racks that are around 15 years old, they are the original racks he first started producing. There is no noticeable sag, every drawer is still usable. I also have three of the ball room racks which were made from a different thicker plastic and none of them are sagging, I think I've had them for about 8 or 9 years. I have 3 of the AP racks which are still thicker plastic (BTW thicker also means heavier) The oldest being around 5 years and none of them are sagging either. The only rack that I have with a great deal of sagging was one built by www.monster-cages.com which was made with corrugated plastic sheets laminated together Also my Vision racks were sagging and binding a lot when I had them fitted with CB70 tubs, but I took them apart and re-outfitted them with hatchling tubs and they seem to be fine now. I did have some problems with my original boaphile racks with the top drawer binding when I was using the top for the storage of stacks of extra tubs, but I removed those and they're fine now.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

Well I don't have any cages, only racks so I can't speak to that. I do have 8 boaphile racks that are around 15 years old, they are the original racks he first started producing. There is no noticeable sag, every drawer is still usable. I also have three of the ball room racks which were made from a different thicker plastic and none of them are sagging, I think I've had them for about 8 or 9 years. I have 3 of the AP racks which are still thicker plastic (BTW thicker also means heavier) The oldest being around 5 years and none of them are sagging either. The only rack that I have with a great deal of sagging was one built by www.monster-cages.com which was made with corrugated plastic sheets laminated together Also my Vision racks were sagging and binding a lot when I had them fitted with CB70 tubs, but I took them apart and re-outfitted them with hatchling tubs and they seem to be fine now. I did have some problems with my original boaphile racks with the top drawer binding when I was using the top for the storage of stacks of extra tubs, but I removed those and they're fine now.

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Mark, I had (still have one left) some of the old 6 drawer sweaterbox racks in white. They are in the range of 8 years old. On every one, despite being on a level tile floor, the bottom drawer eventually stuck quite a bit.

I never had any sagging issues with the 41 qt racks - just the cages and the sweaterbox racks.

My 4x2x2 AP cage is starting to sag a little at the top from the weight of a pair of side-by-side cages on top. In the long run, any of these products will suffer from the unrelenting power of time.

I've had my boaphile "ball room" rack for a couple years and still love it. It fit the bill for what I wanted (double strips of flexwatt, 4 tiers, and the price point I wanted with shipping included). I'm likely going to pick up two more sometime soon. I've had excellent customer service over the phone, and no reply to emails.

Next time I'm looking at picking up cages, I'll be heavily considering Constrictors NW. I've seen a few of their cages firsthand and they come highly recommended from a few people I've bought snakes from.

Constrictors NW's cage gallery also shows a pic with a rack, though no racks are available for purchase on their website. They might reply to an inquiry about making racks.

I have had good experinces with RB and as far as affordable racks go check out animal plastics. The only bad thing about them is if you choose an item not on the quick ship list it will take about a month for you to get it, its built for order

As customer service goes Rich is one of the best.... As for the racks boaphile is second to none!

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Originally Posted by prettyballsy

I started to look at some of these. This is the only forum I joined so I don't really understand some of the terminology. I keep reading about a BOI. What is that? I assume its a bad thing?
I'm just curious ;)

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BOI = Board of Inquiry

I think the most popular one is on Fauna Classifieds. It is a section on their forum where you can do a search for the business or person that you are considering doing business with and it will pull up all of the threads, both good and bad, that people have posted there.

There is also one on BP.net, here:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/forum...iries-Feedback

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Originally Posted by sflanick

Rhino raxxs all the way if you call Jeff he will always answer boaphile wrote the book when it comes to caging people

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Sorry, have to disagree 100%. This is my experience with Boaphile. He will NOT call back, he does NOT answer the phone. I'll never play those games again.

On the other hand, Rich at Reptile Basics is excellent and I found his product was equally high quality. Absolutely no complaints. :gj:

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Originally Posted by sflanick

Rhino raxxs all the way if you call Jeff he will always answer boaphile wrote the book when it comes to caging people

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Yeah. No one kept snakes in cages until the Boaphile came along. Cough cough cough Neodesha cough cough cough Sandemar cough cough cough cough cough.

I've got some old Sandemar racks that are God knows how old that have outlasted anything the Boaphile has built.

Since he won't answer the phone for many of us, but will apparently do so for you, please ask him to explain this next time you speak to him:

http://www.kingsnake.com/chat/jeff_ronne.html

RonB- IBD, your thoughts?
TheBoaphile - I don't believe in it. Long story.
TheBoaphile - Too long to explain here. I need to write something up on it...
TheBoaphile - The IBD wackos are moving away from their once long held, bordering on religeous, belief about it now...

Please ask him if IBD is still something he does not believe in. Ask him since he is the BOAphile and is the self proclaimed king of all things boa, if he has donated to Dr. Jacobson's research. Tell him that there are many people in this hobby, who have always wondered about that quote from that interview.

I admit I bought a lot of his product and for the most part, I got my money's worth out of it - regardless of the lack of customer service. However, I will pour habanero pepper extract on my thumb and jam said thumb up my rectum before I spend one more dollar on someone who thinks that people who think that IBD exists are wackos.