Concerned about the longevity of the Server.

[ahard]

Hello. I’ve been researching the Kscape Strato C and the Terra Prime 8 TB movie server and I see that there’s a 5 year warranty on each.

While browsing this forum in search of a used Strato S 6 TB with some warranty remaining, I came across a few threads were some folks with Strato S were out of warranty and they were having an issue.

That got me to thinking about how much I really value a warranty, especially for a product that has a HDD. Does anyone have a sense of the reliability of the Terra Primes, even the Strato S?

I’m really interested in the products, but I’m trying to wrap my head around paying a decent amount of money for a HDD based product that only has a 5 year warranty. If it had a 7 or 10 year I’d be less concerned.

I really love what Kscape offers and as a person who enjoys watching movies every weekend I feel that it’s a product that I’d love. But I really want to be able to use it for years to come.


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[Rooster]

i think you have valid concerns, given the expense. I would look to sell/rebuy when you are close to the end of the warranty period

 

[Kaycee2000]

Totally understand how you feel, given the price of this product. For me, I bought one about 4 months ago, and if I was at the point where warranty was almost over, I would get ready to sell.

 

[ahard]

Totally understand how you feel, given the price of this product. For me, I bought one about 4 months ago, and if I was at the point where warranty was almost over, I would get ready to sell.

I get selling if you're close to the end of the warranty. But then you end up in a situation where you're purchasing a new Terra server every 3 or 4 years. That maybe sustainable for some, but I don't think that it is for me. That's why I wanted to get some opinions on what folks have seen in terms of reliability. I know that the answers would be a small sample size, but any little bit of reliability info helps.

 

[Kaycee2000]

I get selling if you're close to the end of the warranty. But then you end up in a situation where you're purchasing a new Terra server every 3 or 4 years. That maybe sustainable for some, but I don't think that it is for me. That's why I wanted to get some opinions on what folks have seen in terms of reliability. I know that the answers would be a small sample size, but any little bit of reliability info helps.

I understand you and that's valid.. I would be interested in knowing the general lifespan of those devices.

 

[ahard]

I understand you and that's valid.. I would be interested in knowing the general lifespan of those devices.

Thank you. Like I said i really love what I've seen from Kscape and the reviews that I've read. I just wonder if I'll have a paper weight at year 6 or year 10. Year 10.....I'm ok with....year 6 not so much and year 2 or 3 if I found something used definitely not. Oh well I think that I have some more contemplating to do.

 

[mariyoshikong]

When making decision regarding hard drive purchases I usually consult the backblaze stats.

Most of the Kaleidescape drives I have seen have been Western Digital. No guarantee that is what is in the terra prime but you could still get an idea on general failure rates for hard drives by looking at the back blaze stats.

Backblaze Drive Stats for Q3 2023

 

[C17aggie]

I did have a warranty claim and it was handled quickly. I was sent a new Terra and installed my drives into the new unit. It would be nice if a extended warranty would be offered.

 

[Ksalno]

I've had a Strato S since 2019 with no problems and I have a Premiere 4-disk server which is at least 10 years-old and had 1 drive fail. I was able to replace that myself but had to buy the drive from Kscape. But, if you're worried about an HDD failure, get a multi-drive Terra. If a drive fails, your dealer can swap it out for a new drive and the Terra will auto-recover. Also, I think even a Strato S can have a hard drive replaced and it will recover IF you have another Strato or Terra in your network. You can find more info on this here https://support.kaleidescape.com/ar...-a-hard-disk-drive-failure-in-a-Strato-system

 

[Substance]

They offer you %50 off on your replacement purchase when you trade in your out of warranty malfunctioning unit.

Just a little over 2 years ago, the largest Terra they offered was 40TB. Imagine you paid $22k for a 40TB a few years ago, now the largest unit they have is 88TB at around $25k. You trade in your broken 40TB and get a 88TB unit at $12.5k (50% off). Think of it like you are getting additional 48TB for $12.5K and the first 40TB (direct swap to your broken Terra) thrown in for free. This is not a bad deal if you like the extra storage. Maybe less than an ideal deal if you were already set with the 40TB and didn’t need more. I think this 50% off after warranty period deal makes the Compact Terra less ideal because the single HDD size gain is a lot slower over time compared to 4 HDDs in the full size Terra. I am pretty sure we will see 200TB Terra’s in 5 years which will make trading in a broken 88TB for half off a great bargain.

 

[Transepoch]

I get selling if you're close to the end of the warranty. But then you end up in a situation where you're purchasing a new Terra server every 3 or 4 years. That maybe sustainable for some, but I don't think that it is for me. That's why I wanted to get some opinions on what folks have seen in terms of reliability. I know that the answers would be a small sample size, but any little bit of reliability info helps.

Considering the Primes came out a few months ago, the sample size is non-existent. All we can do at this point is look at their history (a lot of longevity with a few engineering misses) and how the company is willing to work with us (folks like you with this exact concern is why the warranties are now 5 years rather than still 3) or go with the larger units that allow field replacement.

 

[cinelife]

I'm sure he appreciates the answers....he joined the club yesterday!


Jim

 

[ahard]

I'm sure he appreciates the answers....he joined the club yesterday!


Jim

Hey everyone! Jim is correct in that I do appreciate the replies that everyone has provided to this thread. These comments have been helpful and they were a part of the reason why I decided to join the club as Jim mentioned.


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[David23]

@ahard, you'll be happy to know that the warranty was actually only 3 years not very long ago and was recently extended to 5 years. I totally agree on the longevity concern of K products. I've been stuck with a Strato 6TB door stop before after warranty expired and it's not a fun experience with the cost of this equipment. It shouldn't be a big deal to replace a failed hard drive outside of warranty. I would love to see something like 5 year full warranty as is now, plus another 5 year limited warranty, where you could pay at cost for repair or HDD replacement. I do not see the current 50% off as very satisfactory, in that you're still pay a large amount of money for a old device.

 

[Mossback]

I would like to see a service agreement similar to Dell and other companies. I would be willing to pay an annual fee to ensure coverage for drive repair or replacement past the five-year mark, at least, or a generous trade-in model.

 

[alexbeans]

I would like to see a service agreement similar to Dell and other companies. I would be willing to pay an annual fee to ensure coverage for drive repair or replacement past the five-year mark, at least, or a generous trade-in model.

Since the unit is so expensive, what do you envision the yearly annual fee to be for extended warranty? $499 a year? Is that a price point people are comfortable in paying? I would rather there be a repair cost instead. If one drive was to fail, what would be the cost to send it for repair and have Kaleidescape replace the drive?

 

[Mossback]

Since the unit is so expensive, what do you envision the yearly annual fee to be for extended warranty? $499 a year? Is that a price point people are comfortable in paying? I would rather there be a repair cost instead. If one drive was to fail, what would be the cost to send it for repair and have Kaleidescape replace the drive?

Indeed, a comprehensive warranty like that would cover everything from minor repairs to major issues. It's challenging to base it solely on usage, considering these drives operate 24/7. I ensure mine is always connected to a battery backup, similar to how servers are set up, providing stability and protection against power fluctuations.