Which fire alarm brand do you like the best?

Which fire alarm brand do you like the best?

  • Wheelock
  • Simplex
  • System Sensor
  • Sensormatic
  • Edwards
  • Siemens
  • Gentex
  • Faraday
  • Other
0 voters

Which fire alarm brand do you like the best?

Whoops. Sensormatic is not a fire alarm brand. Put that in by mistake.

I would have to say National Time, simply for the fact that the brand is iconic throughout much of Michigan. Plus, almost every school I’ve attended uses a National Time system in some form.

I would have to go with Simplex because I grew up with a Simplex system in the three schools I attended and I am really attached to them. So I would have to say it would be Simplex that would be my favorite. I also like the way their horns sound.

I’d say either Edwards or System Sensor just because their product lines are so simple and crisp and they are all pretty reliable products.

Voted for System Sensor though it should be Honeywell as a whole. Common and “boring” as it might be, it’s a no-nonsense company that makes good products.

Any brand name if it is a hardwired system. Hardwire systems just work. For addressable systems I will take Mircom all day long.

I put in my vote for Siemens. Not much to say I guess, I like their product line, everything has a very clean and polished look to it. Plus, you have the legacy Faraday/Cerberus Pyrotronics history that is still living on within the corporation.

But didn’t they have to discontinue their product line because of the Wheelock lawsuit? I’m still a bit bitter about that as I liked the U-HNH. At least U-MMTs can still be used as new-old stock but I hope when 2018 comes around they start making fire alarm devices again.

You are correct, but the lawsuit only covered notification appliances. They still have their own panels, initiating devices, and accessories.

Yeah, I voted for Siemens too.

Will they be able to make their own notification appliances in 2018 again when the lawsuit finally expires?

They will, but it’s not likely considering the financial hit they’ve taken since then. Just not real practical anymore.

It all depends on the cost analysis of making the switch back to their own products, which depends heavily on how much Wheelock is charging them for the use of their devices. Should Siemens determine that continuing to use Wheelock products would be cost-effective going forward, things will likely remain the same.

On the other hand, if Siemens determines that investing the capital into re-starting manufacturing and design operations will result in a more profitable business, and therefore an eventual return on that investment, it’s very possible that we may see Siemens signals once more.

Well that is a shame. I liked their alarms and I was really happy that the same mechanism in the 4903-9219 horn was living on in the U-HNH. Its just sad that they had this happen to them. I know that the U-HNH wouldn’t come back but still.

Mine is the Apollo Discovery series: http://www.apollo-fire.co.uk/products/range/discovery

Faraday technically is Siemens now, since they got bought by them awhile back, and since it’s much cheaper to make electronic horns instead of electromechanical, it’s likely that the era is long gone. Currently the only thing they’re really used for is for explosive proof or general signaling applications; probably more expensive to produce considering the price of metals used to make the mechanism and the machinery required is probably more expensive than usung electronic components which are relatively cheap and can be assembled much more quickly and easily.

I know that but it would be nice if electronic horns at least had a way to change their pitches. I know the Gentex SHG, Edwards 792 and Edwards 892 can have their pitches change. I think the Space Age Electronics VA4 is also another one.

I put down Gentex, at least for their signals. They’re bulletproof, but because of the nice materials they’re made from (zinc frame, high-quality plastic) they’re usually too expensive for most installations.

Unimode by firelight