Review of the new...Fleck 5800 valve

[Tom Sawyer]

In the coming days, weeks I will be reviewing the new Fleck 5800 Valve.

Stay tuned

[Tom Sawyer]

So I got a chance to open up the box this morning and take a look at the valve. At first glance it looks a lot like the Clack WS1 but it is physically somewhat smaller and has only three buttons on the display. The valve is a plastic bodied unit which is pretty much standard for most valves these days and appears to be well moulded and of good quality. I will probably have the students mount it up next week and begin running some tests on it.

[Gary Slusser]

So I got a chance to open up the box this morning and take a look at the valve. At first glance it looks a lot like the Clack WS1 but it is physically somewhat smaller and has only three buttons on the display. The valve is a plastic bodied unit which is pretty much standard for most valves these days and appears to be well moulded and of good quality. I will probably have the students mount it up next week and begin running some tests on it.

There are a few missing parts there in the second picture. And I see that it looks like you have the cheapest timer on that one, so be sure to "review" the other two more expensive timers too. Or didn't you know there are three timers for it?

It is still pushing/pulling the piston in/out that causes side way force to wear on the piston stem o-ring. Clack screws their piston in/out horizontally so there is no side forces. Clack weighs less and although I haven't had one of each side by side, I think the Clack is smaller height wise but a bit wider.

Clack has no brass parts or threaded connections on the body and none other than the optional drain line connector that uses a compression nut and the by pass to valve body connections. The 5800 is using the same old brine valve system of the 5600 with a cam that pushes down on the end of the brine valve stem.

It looks to me that they cobbled together parts of the 5600 and 5000 and offer three different timers. You do know that the original 5000 was one of the largest flops Fleck ever came out with right?

All that in another attempt to have something other than the too low flow rate 6700 or the overkill 7000 to compete with the Clack WS1. And that's without getting into the other improvements and advantages of the Clack WS1 but I will wait to get into them until your "review" so we can compare more completely.

[Tom Sawyer]

Yes I know there are a couple things missing. That box should be here in a day or so.

Yes there are three versions, the LXT, SXT and the XTR.

I have what I have. If Fleck wants to send me all three versions for review I would be more than happy to do that.

I think the Clack is a little shorter and wider too. As for weight, they both weigh so little as to not be much concern.

As of now, I do not have enough information to make a fair assessment and while there is little doubt that Fleck came out with this version in an attempt to better match the performance of the Clack WS1 valve, I see competition as a good thing that improves everybodys product and drives them to further innovation, don't you?

Do not misunderstand me here. I sell a lot of Clack product, as much and maybe more than Fleck but I keep my mind and options open to better serve my customers. We know your dislike for Fleck and more specifically the 7000SXT and to some degree I agree with you in that in many cases it is overkill and I'm not thrilled with the size of it and the hang over issue out the back either but I am not willing to shelve it because of the very few and mostly minor issues with it.