Skill Builder, Abacus Bathrooms advertorial video.

[epsilonGreedy]

Skill Builder released a 1 hour video 4 days ago which is a deep dive on fitting out a whole bathroom exclusively with Abacus products. I got a lot of value watching the video even if I never buy any Abacus stuff. During the video Roger Bisby constantly eulogizes the wonderfulness of an Abacus system bathroom and the plumbing synergy derived from the integrated system.

 

Is a best of British Abacus bathroom really streets ahead of misfit continental stuff as Roger claims over and over in the video?

 

https://youtu.be/vNYNigge1C0

 

Edited May 24, 2018 by epsilonGreedy

[PeterW]

Overpriced and not the best quality....

 

They have essentially copied (like everyone) the classic Geberit systems that have been around for decades on the continent. If you shop around you can get the Geberit systems cheaper than Abacus and spares are readily available - I think Abacus spares are only available from certain suppliers. 

 

I looked at their manifold plumbing system and I’m pretty sure it’s rebadged Emmeti which is a very good Italian manufacturer but can be had for 50% of the price. 

[Nickfromwales]

I don't have a hour to lose on marketing drivvle, but good that the vid covered some basics for you. 

I've been fitting 'continental' stuff for decades and no complaints yet. Purchasing through the likes of Megabad sees lots of nice Hans Grohe / Grohe / Duravit / Geberit stuff in your bathroom for not much money.

Ebay can turn up some bargains too, so up to you what you want to achieve TBH. 

[epsilonGreedy]

11 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Overpriced and not the best quality....

 

They have essentially copied (like everyone) the classic Geberit systems that have been around for decades on the continent..

 

 

You have confirmed my suspicions. I still think Roger B is one of life's good guys even if economic necessity means he occasionally lowers his standards and sups with the likes of Abacus.

[PeterW]

I’m sure in the back of my mind Geberit warned Abacus over infringement a while back as even the shade of blue paint on the frames was the same... 

 

Manifold radial systems are worth investing in though for plumbing as it makes life much easier !

[epsilonGreedy]

12 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

I don't have a hour to lose on marketing drivel, but good that the vid covered some basics for you.

 

 

I have been watching a lot of Skill Builder material recently and feel they pitch at my level. In the bathroom video I "discovered" that a wall-hung bathroom was assembled from the outer wall inwards whereas previously I imagined the reverse where the finishing step was to plasterboard the far side of the wide partition wall.

 

There were little info gems for me such as the importance of rubber feet on the wallhung toilet frame to reduce noise transmission.

 

20 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

I don't have a hour to lose on marketing drivvle, but good that the vid covered some basics for you. 

I've been fitting 'continental' stuff for decades and no complaints yet. Purchasing through the likes of Megabad sees lots of nice Hans Grohe / Grohe / Duravit / Geberit stuff in your bathroom for not much money.

 

 

One convincing message from the video is that a diyer like me will have fewer head-scratching delays or trips to a BM for the reverse angled thing-a-ma-jig because of the benefit of integration. If true this would justify a price premium for someone in my situation though deep down I suspect this is just a staged demo illusion.

[PeterW]

10 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

There were little info gems for me such as the importance of rubber feet on the wallhung toilet frame to reduce noise transmission.

 

Errr no ..!!!

 

Rubber will compress over time and your lovely wall hung pan will crack the plasterboard or tiles it’s hung on ..!! 

 

Noise from a WC is the transient noise as the flush hits the pipework - insulate that, not the frame...!

[Nickfromwales]

10 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

There were little info gems for me such as the importance of rubber feet on the wallhung toilet frame to reduce noise transmission.

 

Another little gem for you. I'd never fit the frame on rubber as it may promote movement. The frame needs to be in rock solid, so I would say that was a bum steer afaic. 

Acoustic insulation, lots of it, in the ceiling void below will deal with 'noise', but TBH the better made stuff is pretty quiet, and I've fitted scores of them. Some frames com with an acoustic gasket that goes between the pan and the tiled wall, but I bin them as they do very little for noise and stop you getting the pan bonded back to the tiles. 

If you don't routinely climb a step ladder and pee into the middle of the water then noise relative to the toilet is not a cause of concern, just use the acoustic insulation all round / below and you'll be fine. 

[Nickfromwales]

Crossed with Peter. 

[Dreadnaught]

@epsilonGreedy these videos are pitched at my level too. Will be watching them for my much needed education, with my marketing sensor tuned to high gain. Thanks for posting.