I am biased so please try to balance my comments:-

Both Brinsea and RCOM have upgraded their incubators this year, both are supposed to be improvements :-

Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance, the new octagon 20 incubator. This has been rebuilt with a new heating system and therefore easier to see inside the incubator, also with a new digital readout with push button control. So is it an advance on the old model? Well maybe, it is easier to use but I still find the fan so close to the eggs a real pain at hatching time and filling up the humidity groves are still fiddley. I gave the old Brinsea 5-10 and would rate this 5.5/10 maybe more if the fan was further away from the eggs at hatching time. Price from £199.99 to £224.95

There is another model in this range Octagon 20 Advance EX this is as above with humidity control, this does indeed help with filling those annoying humidity groves but still does not take away from fan location. Price from £275.00 to £299.95.

RCOM 20 Standard this has also been upgraded it now has a complete rebuild on the humidity system, it now works on a a small heater unit in the water resivoir which raises the water temp to aid evaporation which is moved round by a gentle fan. It has full digital temp control as before and full autoturning. Price from £209.99 to £249.99 (As it has full humidity control it rally jumps past the Octagon 20 Advance to the EX model but at £70-£90 cheaper is is a must choice.)

RCOM 20 Pro, this also has had an overhaul and also has the new heated humidity system but the whole menu function on this model has been fully upgraded to a new easy to use lcd screen. Within the menu you can choose various egg types and press a button and the incubator will do the rest for you. It knows what temps, how long to turn the eggs and then when to stop. It also knows when to raise humidity. A stunning incubator. The USB model comes with computer software which allows you to keep accurate egg records on screen. Prices from £299.99 to £369.99.

I highly recommend the RCOM above the Octagon models as in my view you get so much more for your money! Humidity controlled RCOM incubators from £209.99 or full AUTOMATIC ‘SMART BRAIN’ RCOM incubators from £299.99 leaves the others standing.

There is one more plus, the heating in the R-COM incubators is not directly in the egg section but gently wafter in through gentle vents ensuring hatching is much easier for the birds, yet powerful enough to keep very even temps.

If you have the budget go for the RCOM 20 Pro, if not the RCOM 20 standard will be a super incubator for you. 

To be honest it is what I would consider a very important part of incubating eggs, if you own an incubator then you should really have an egg candler. The reasons for this is one of enjoyment so you can actually watch the little chick developing inside the egg and I must be honest with you, this experience is not one easily forgotten. I am afraid the other reason is a serious one and that is to remove infertile eggs from the incubator, if you do not remove non-fertile eggs then the risk of bacteria growth in your incubator is very high and if this is able to get in fertile eggs through the pores then it may make the chicks too unwell to hatch or even kill them during incubation.

Ideally candling at 10 days for a novice should tell if eggs are fertile or not.

It is also very important to get the correct candler, our own Standard candler and is perfect for white, cream or light brown eggs.

If you wish to do Duck Eggs, Goose eggs or very dark chicken eggs then I must recommend the High Intensity Candler as this will allow you to see inside the eggs where as this Standard Candler would not allow that on thicker or very dark eggs.

Using a candler is very easy, you place the ‘fat’ end of the egg to the light end of the unit, press the button and hey presto you can see inside the egg and what is happening.

Please remember Standard Candler for light egg colours and High Intensity Canlderfor Thick Shelled or Dark coloured eggs. If you have exotic eggs to candle this candler is not recommended and you should consider the Brinsea Cool Lume Candler.