Review on 🐠 Efficient Tetra Whisper Air Pump for Aquariums (Non-UL) - Simplify Your Aquatic Aeration! by Jill Weingartner

As a mechanical engineer working with liquid pumps, I can easily see the strengths and weaknesses of materials or designs. Material and fit are mostly good. My device started jumping and falling 2.5 months after purchase. It's too late for Revain support and taking too long to get Tetra back under warranty. Looking into this, I found that the arms were not symmetrical, which in turn led to some variance in the output and work. Not a big issue, I found the reed valves were sturdy, felt like silicone but obviously didn't work smoothly. I removed the retainers, rinsed the seats with eye drops, and then very lightly applied 100% silicone grease to the valve disc and body O-rings. Using latches requires some dexterity, leaving them too loose is no good, and pressing too hard is no good. You push until the end of the metal rod is flush with the end of the holder. It's easy to miss. I had to bend the wings and reshape them to the right angle. I found that they are too soft or bend easily in the process. You can bend them by simply disassembling the device to install a repair kit. No pump should have this weakness. In general, I've seen worse, but it's not ideal as some people think. Overall the build is good but I can understand why so many gave it one star. Perhaps they encountered an inconsistency in the operation of the rotary lever and petal valve and didn't know how to fix it. Tetra could fix this easily and at no significant cost. I'm not angry but I'm not happy. Disappointed as it could have been better for so little.