Chinese snugger heater

jjoerger

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Army
I recently found these on a search and thought $995 was a little bit too high. For 5-6 hundred more you can get the real deal Espar with proven reliability and warranty. I've seen people saying there Espars are 7 years old and still going strong.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
I recently found these on a search and thought $995 was a little bit too high. For 5-6 hundred more you can get the real deal Espar with proven reliability and warranty. I've seen people saying there Espars are 7 years old and still going strong.

I would hope so for what they charge..LOL 7 yrs? yeah if ya used all year...closer to 3yrs useage wouldn't ya say?
 

bubblehead

Veteran Expediter
I would stay with the brand names Espar or Webasto. "Compatible with" dosen't give me much comfort and I would have a hard time sleeping with that thing on. I wish Espar and Webasto could be STC'D for aviation because the old Janitrols (JanAero) are too finiky and the repetitive inspection gets extremely expensive. We installed the Webasto and the comfort in our sleeper, 96" AA is great...dial is set at about the 11 O'clock position and seems to burn 1 gal about every 20 hrs.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Do you think that espar and wabesto both use German made parts or all their units are made in Germany?
 

Colorado_Al

Active Expediter
Long time lurker, first time poster. Just wanted to save you from a bad decision when you could get a name brand for the same money. I wouldn't be so concerned with the product itself, but what happens when it fails? Where are you gonna go to get it fixed? Especially when you're on the road. ThermoKing certainly won't have parts.
Buy a Webasto Air Top for $900.
BunkHeaters.com ? Dealers of the Webasto Air Top 2000 ST Bunk Truck Heater
That's where I got mine and it came with everything I needed to install it.
Don't buy some Chinese equivalent, especially when you can get the brand name for less money. Now, if the Chinese one was half the money, then I'd consider it.
 
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idtrans

Expert Expediter
was the webasto easy to install? I just may order. see the idea with snugger is $1000 installed at sapp bros and get square trade extended warranty. $75 and any issues sapps has a 1 yr warranty on item and 3 yr square trade warranty. I will end up winning since if I get 2 winter's with no idling and if no parts square trade refunds purchase price to me.
 

Colorado_Al

Active Expediter
If Sapp Bros will install it and stand behind it, and you're in NE a lot, $1000 is not bad (if that is the installed price). Everywhere I've seen the AirSnugger it's been $950+ for the unit before install. I like Sapp Bros.

Regarding the Webasto, it took me the better part of a day to do the install. Not too hard, but if Sapp will do it for you and you'll be out the door, installed, for a grand, that sounds pretty good to me.

Is the Sapp Bros deal an in store special, or is it company wide?
Thanks!
 
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idtrans

Expert Expediter
I saw the special at Denver and ottawa Illinois sapps. I run us2 mainly in nd mt nothing up there. but when I go home to Illinois sapps is close I thought the same $1k installed with 1 year in house warranty honestly if it dies after 2 winters I am still money ahead. my engine is huge and she loves diesel .

If Sapp Bros will install it and stand behind it, and you're in NE a lot, $1000 is not bad (if that is the installed price). Everywhere I've seen the AirSnugger it's been $950+ for the unit before install. I like Sapp Bros.

Regarding the Webasto, it took me the better part of a day to do the install. Not too hard, but if Sapp will do it for you and you'll be out the door, installed, for a grand, that sounds pretty good to me.

Is the Sapp Bros deal an in store special, or is it company wide?
Thanks!
 

Lawrence

Founder
Staff member
For me - there would be the safety concerns with a chinese knock-off. Specifically ventilation. Just my two-cents.
 

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
What you are seeing is the same thing that we seen with Generator/inverters...Honda was 1st and after yrs of dominating the market place, others followed with the same technology...

I can't say I'd buy one at anywhere near $900...even installed..my Big Buddy will heat me out of my van and $900 buys ALOT of propane....

If I was really in the market, the "original purchase price back" insurance is how id go...use it till it breaks, get the money back...if it out last the warranty and insurance, then chances are you are ahead...

As far as the safety issue, LOL, I carry (2) 20 lb. propane tanks and at any given time, 6 gallons of gasoline...and i have (2) really big 6 volt batteries sitting right next to the refrigerator in my in Van..LOL, i believe it was our "Shelled" friend that asked if the Frig Compressor puts out any "sparks"....:D :rolleyes:
 
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greg334

Veteran Expediter
For me - there would be the safety concerns with a chinese knock-off. Specifically ventilation. Just my two-cents.

You know Lawrence the design has been around for a long time (my southwind was made in 1936), the "knockoff" has been produced in a lot of countries and the only real issue is repair parts.

As for price, one importer in Canada has them for 900 installed but I bet you can find them for about 600 if you look hard. If they last two or three seasons than for 600, that's better than idling or filling up propane.

AND again, chinese parts are used in Espar and Wabesto heaters.
 

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
Now for $600 installed for the knockoff, I might consider it.....but it would have to be the gas model...and if I could get it for $500 and install it myself, yea, maybe...
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
I found two types, one is a direct knockoff of the new espar/webasto and the other is a knockoff of the old style espar/webasto heaters. I also found a crap load of parts made for espar/webasto but I'm not pursuing that stuff.

I emailed all of the suppliers to get quotes on single units and lots of 10 to see what the pricing is. So far with the older style ones, emails I got so far seem to be talking about 300 to 400 for single units without shipping (that's under 100).

I also ran across one of the makers of the propex heater if you know what that is - it is a propane heater a lot like the espar/webasto. It runs on 1.3 to 2 amps and heats pretty well. I email them to ask what their pricing is to see what if any difference there is because a few out here do the propane thing.
 

idtrans

Expert Expediter
Sapps is nuts the raised the price to $1300 now for the snugger heater screw that noise. They said it's because it's the "NEW MODEL" LOL They can keep it for that price.
 

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
Greg, isn't that Propex heater what use to be found in VW bus campers?? If it is and i remember right, they didn't make a bunch of heat....but with the technology now, maybe they are better...
 

The Enemy

Veteran Expediter
Well if anyone is looking for a D2 Espar, a buddy of mine is selling one that was used for 3 months. Only reason it was removed was because they bought a new APU. PM me for more info. The price is well below a brand new one and is cheaper than this $1300 knock off.
 
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