Vermatik 39W Pro Electric Insect Fly Killer Bug Zapper 100m2 Room Coverage, Home or Commercial Use Free Standing or Wall Hanging, Alternative to a Fly Swatter, Mosquito Pest Control Solution

We bought this to replace an identical one which was approx. 4-5 years old. As our house backs on to a field we get a lot of bugs coming in. The unit is turned on virtually all day and into the evenings during the spring/summer months.Over many years we have tried lots of different manufacturer's fly/bug killers. This one really does win hands down.

[2016 summer update] And still on same tubes! Now moved to even more rural location and now it has its work cut out. keeping the cottage clear of unwanted flying pests.[2015 summer update:] Still on the same tubes, not touched my spares currently on most of the day! This year it really is doing the business. I also recommend a compressed gas duster can to clean out the dead. Unplug, take outside and a few short blasts and it is clean as a whistle and feed the birds. Happy zappy.[2014 update]: original tubes still going strong, however replacement tubes that fit mine (ordered, delivered & I have tested) for when they fail: 30 watt Fly Zapper Fly killer UVA Tube Pack of 2 Bulbs.Note that my model as reviewed below is all light grey (no beige) , with grey plastic sides with rounded top corners when viewed from front, labelled on top front EG100338 with front facing switch at top left. I say this because stock and product picture seems to vary to older versions through the season.I live near farm land and leaving the kitchen door open in results in the inevitable flying beasts who refuse to leave by the way they came in or the open window just nanometers away. Killer sprays: the smell of them is enough to put me off using in a food area. They smell like they are extremely toxic to humans let alone flies. Im more physics than chemistry. However whacking with rolled up Magazine is more of an art and actually my kill per minute stats are not good.Electrons are more my style. Always wanted one of these electrocution devices and had only ever seen the small plastic cylinder or lantern type devices often on sale which on reading the customer reviews you learn they are not up to the task.Then there are these bigger hang-up rectangular "chip shop / takeaway" type exterminators. Yes. One of those please. Only problem I have with them is they look like something from the 1950s. However this one is a bit of an improvement on those, maybe 1980-1990s industrial design, but still not School of Johnny Ives. Could be better. Minus half a star.I took the plunge on this 30W unit (the power of the UV attraction tubes that lure the insects and not the kill power) and the actual consumption of power I measured was indeed at about 30.2W using a plugin usage monitor. That's just under 3/4 of a unit of electricity per 24hrs. You work your own tariff out but that's of the order of 10p a full day, give or take (2013 UK).I was worryingly excited when it arrived (Prime: ordered Friday pm came Saturday am) double boxed and in perfect order. The price point seemed perfect too. Put it in the kitchen, switched on. Zzzzt! first kill in under a minute. New home entertainment. You don't have to watch. Just the sound which can be heard from other rooms is enough to raise a cheer. Five stars of entertainment right there.The key to success is the insects being attracted by the UV tubes in the zapper vs anything else in the world that delivers UV. The sun will always win this power battle, indeed I find the unit works best when the sun is not directly shining into the room. So bear that in mind and plan your deployment and on off times.It is also making short work of the fungus gnats that have taken up residence in my windowsill herbs. Amazed these small black dots of flies also get caught by the high voltage bars too. Seems to have broken the life cycle without the need of chemistry.If you have mischievous children by the way put it somewhere out of reach.Fortunately mine have grown and I can use a handy window ledge in the utility zone away from the food and washing up part of the kitchen and there is a free socket close by. So it stands there without using the metal chain. Most flies and moths fall down on to an internal shallow removable tray (about 41x6cm) but caution: you will get a body scatter in and around the kill zone so don't hang it up over your food prep or draining board area or you will get an interesting salad dressing or decoration on your cutlery or clean laundry.Actually the tray on mine which is simply an injection moulded plastic tray is a bit warped: it is slightly curved upwards along the length as a result it does not sit flat. In practice its not a showstopper but an obvious visual manufacturing quality issue which could have been easily been addressed which is minus half a star. Also note if you have this installed with the on off switch on the front you will need at least 45cm of space to the left of the unit to pull out this tray.I can imagine some people will have issues having this out on display in their showhome dwelling because it is still a bit industrial and sinister looking but if you are bothered by flying insects the payback is worth it.So until Cupertino designs the polished glass iZap with an iOS App giving updates and twitter feed on the latest body count this is the one to go for. Your only task is to find a UV tube supplier as some report the ones shipping with the unit don't last, just like the seemingly part filled ink tanks in a new printer. Seems to be a few on Amazon. (see update2014)Zzzt! Love the sound. Satisfying. Entertaining. Sick I know. Can you buy more flies on Amazon?

We bought this product to control the flies and other insects that fly into our conservatory when the windows/doors are open in the summer. They then all get stuck by flying upwards into the glass roof and seem incapable of working out how to get out. Firstly, then, this product only works after the sun has gone down - we have tried it a few times during the day and (not unsurprisingly) the flies still head for the sun rather than the UV tubes. After dark, the vermatik is far more effective - lots of flies get zapped! However, be aware that not all flies and insects are killed first time - some just get up and fly off again (often back into the electric grid, admittedly) while others lie writhing in what looks like pain. Sometimes they are still writhing in the morning. So not all the bugs that fly in are killed outright. Also, not all fly in at all. I would say about 70% of the bugs get killed, the rest are still sitting in the conservatory come morning.I suspect the vermatk might be more effective if we could hang it up really high. However, we don't have anywhere to hang it. If you plan to do this, please note that the cable that comes with the unit is very short - less than 80cm long. So in reality an extension lead is necessary for just about anywhere you want to put the unit.So, overall, this product is pretty good at killing bugs, but it's not 100% effective by any means and if you think the kill is instant, think again.

RUBBISH ITEM AND EVEN WORSE AFTER SALES SUPPORT!! I bought this in August 2013. I've had it switched on over this time in total for about three weeks - only at night and only until the morning; so I will give it a generous 8 hours turned on, and only for a maximum time of three weeks: which is about 168 hours, but if you want to be generous call it 200 hours if you wish? 5 months after its 1 year warranty is up and BOTH the tubes have failed, first one went yellow and went out and the following night the other never came on at all. The information accompanying this product states that: the 'LAMP LIFE IS 8000 HOURS' - WHICH IS A CONTINUOUS 330 DAYS POWERED UP, NEARLY A FULL YEAR SWITCHED ON!!. I emailed DIRECT SALES, the company selling these 'Professional' fly killers, informing them that both the lights had failed and would they be prepared to help me in any way. And their answer is a pathetic: "Unfortunately this item is now out of warranty so we are unable to assist further in this matter." I have asked them where I can buy replacement light s and they cannot even be bothered to reply and assist me in finding any replacement tubes. I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY, OR THIS PRODUCT, IN ANY WAY AT ALL. It is a waste of your money - further exacerbated by the fact that Direct Sales' after sales care is uncaring and non-existent. It works well when it's working, but it doesn't work very long at all before the tubes need replacing - if indeed it is the tubes at fault, and these are very hard to find and VERY EXPENSIVE to boot. DON'T BUY THIS, DON'T USE THIS COMPANY - SAVE YOUR MONEY AND FIND A SIMILAR PRODUCT THAT IS BOTH RELIABLE AND WITH CHEAPER REPLACEMENT COMPONENTS, AND FROM A RETAILER THAT REALLY DOES HELP ITS CUSTOMERS.