Australia's Best Incubator — Rcom vs Brinsea Compared

“Which incubator should I buy?”  It’s the question we get asked more than almost any other — and it’s usually followed by, “Rcom or Brinsea?”

We’re in a pretty unique position to answer that one honestly: we’re one of only three official Rcom stockists in Australia, and we’ve been selling Brinsea — Australia’s most trusted incubator brand — since 2015. That means we are the only Australian retailer that sells both brands properly, rather than being locked into one. We don’t need to talk either of them up. Both are excellent. The right one for you depends on what you’re hatching, how many, and how hands-on you want to be.

This guide walks through both ranges properly — what each model actually does, what they cost, and where they genuinely differ — so you can make the call yourself.
 

Why We Trust Brinsea - Our Story

Before Aussie Chook Supplies existed, we were just a Husband and wife who had three chickens and, shortly after, a Brinsea incubator. Our first one was a 20-egg model, bought within three weeks of getting our first birds — and we filled twice before the hatching addiction kicked in. Hubby decided that upgrading to a Brinsea 380 egg cabinet was a great idea, despite only living on a 500 sqm suburban block in Melbourne. That’s not a typo. Looking back now, definitely not something I would recommend... lol
Over 9 years and hundreds of birds hatched, our hatch rates in that machine were never less than 95%.

That Brinsea 380 was an absolute workhorse — a gift that kept giving poultry goodness.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, mind you. Hubby was hosing the whole unit out to clean the dander and hatching gunk without me knowing. The control panel fogged up with condensation but it still kicked on for years after that. It was only when the bottom began to rust that the concern really kicked in. I thought the incubator was finished — turns out control panels are a replaceable part, not a write-off. If your Brinsea ever plays up, don’t assume it’s dead. Most of the time, it’s fixable.

We didn’t start stocking Brinsea because a sales rep called. We stocked it because we were customers first, and we trusted it enough to build a business partly around it.
 

Meet Rcom

Rcom is a South Korean brand, and everything about the range reflects that — dense, high-precision engineering aimed at taking as much guesswork out of incubation as possible. Serious breeders kept asking us for it, so we went directly to the source and became one of only three official Rcom stockists in Australia.

Across the manuals for the models we stock, a few things stand out consistently:

• Fully automatic temperature and humidity control as standard, even on the smaller Pro units — not an optional extra.

• Automatic egg turning, with adjustable turning intervals and, on the larger units, high-torque turning motors built to handle bigger loads without strain.

• Integrated candling, built into the incubator itself on the DO and Maru ranges — press and hold a button and the candling light switches on, no separate handheld candler required.

• Expandable capacity on the Maru D range — the 240 model can be upgraded to 720 via an expansion kit, so you can scale up as your breeding program grows without starting again.

• Dedicated hatcher/brooder units (the Maru Deluxe H&B and Kingsuro Max Brooder) purpose-built for the last stage of hatching and early brooding, including automatic humidity via Rcom’s APS (Automatic Pumping System).

The range runs from the compact Rcom Pro 10 (10 eggs) right through to the Maru Deluxe Max 1000, which handles 840 eggs. Every Rcom incubator from the 10-egg through to the 50-egg models ships free anywhere in Australia — a genuine cost saving no one else in the market is offering on this brand.
 

Meet Brinsea

Brinsea is UK-engineered and has been refining incubation technology for over 50 years. If Rcom’s strength is dense automation out of the box, Brinsea’s is precision — its own literature points to computer-modelled temperature mapping as the reason no other brand comes close on temperature consistency, and having run one for the better part of a decade, we don’t disagree.

The range is built in clear tiers, which makes choosing simpler than it looks:

• Advance — the entry tier. Manual humidity control, automatic turning. Great for beginners who want to learn the process hands-on.

• EX — fully automatic. Adds automatic humidity control via a peristaltic pump, so temperature, humidity and turning are all handled for you.

• EX Connect — everything the EX has, plus Wi-Fi app control through the Brinsea Connect app, so you can check and adjust settings from your phone.

The Maxi 24 EX Connect is one of our genuine bestsellers, and it’s easy to see why — set-and-forget automation with the reassurance of checking in remotely. The Ovation range (56 eggs) adds Brinsea’s Induced Dual Airflow system, designed to even out temperature across a larger chamber. At the top end, the OvaEasy cabinet range (100 to 580+ eggs) is built for continuous, multi-stage hatching — trays go in and out weekly rather than the whole batch hatching at once, which suits serious and small commercial breeders. A note on availability: several OvaEasy models are between shipments as we go to press, so check current stock before you commit to that range.

 

Hatch Rate vs Fertility Rate — Know the Difference

This trips up almost every first-time hatcher, so it’s worth spelling out plainly. Say you set 20 eggs. If only 10 of them actually develop, that’s a 50% fertility rate — a reflection of the eggs themselves, not your incubator. If 9 of those 10 developing eggs go on to hatch, that’s a 90% hatch rate — a reflection of your incubation conditions. They’re two different numbers measuring two different things, and a good incubator can only influence the second one. No incubator, however good, will hatch an infertile egg.
 

What Our Customers Say

Sinead, of Sinead’s Poultry Paradise, has been running Rcom for over seven years:

“I’ve been using Rcom incubators for over 7 years now and have been consistently impressed with their reliability and performance. I started with the smaller Rcom 50 units and, as my breeding program grew, upgraded to the larger Rcom 380 and Rcom 720 models. One of the things I love most about Rcom incubators is how easy they are to use. They really are a ‘set and forget’ system, with excellent automatic temperature and humidity control that takes the guesswork out of incubation. The units are reliable, well-built, and require very little intervention once they’re set up correctly. Over the years, I’ve achieved fantastic hatch rates, consistently above 90% when using quality fertile eggs. The larger units have been just as dependable as the smaller models, providing the same stable incubation environment on a much bigger scale. After 7 years of use across multiple Rcom models, I can confidently say they are among the best incubators available. If you’re looking for a reliable, user-friendly incubator that delivers excellent hatch results, I highly recommend Rcom.”

On the Brinsea side, it’s hard to top our own experience — 9 years, hundreds of birds, never below 95% in the Brinsea 380.

So, Which One Should You Buy?

Honestly? There isn’t a single right answer, and we’d rather give you the information to decide than tell you what to do.

If you’re just starting out and want to understand the process hands-on, the Brinsea Advance tier is a gentle, well-supported entry point — manual humidity teaches you what the machine is actually doing. If you want that same small-batch experience but fully automated from day one, the Rcom Pro 10 gives you auto temperature and humidity control plus a built-in candler at a similar price point.

If you’re hatching regularly and want to set it and forget it, both the Brinsea Maxi 24 EX Connect and the Rcom Pro 20 DO are strong, fully automatic choices — the Connect app is the deciding factor if you want remote monitoring; the integrated candler is the deciding factor if you don’t want to buy a separate candling tool.

If you’re scaling up toward a serious breeding program or small commercial operation, this is where Rcom’s Maru D and Maru Deluxe Max range genuinely stands apart — expandable capacity, high-torque turning, and integrated candling right up to 840 eggs, all with free Australia-wide shipping up to the 50-egg models. Brinsea’s OvaEasy cabinet range covers similar ground for continuous, multi-stage hatching, though check current stock before planning around it.

Whichever way you land, we can help you choose — get in touch and we’ll talk through your flock size and goals rather than just pointing you at the most expensive unit.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Rcom and Brinsea?

Rcom (South Korean) tends to bundle full automation — temperature, humidity, turning and candling — into more of its range as standard, including entry-level models. Brinsea (UK) is tiered, letting you choose how much automation you want (Advance, EX, EX Connect), and is known for exceptional temperature precision and spare parts support. Both are premium brands with loyal long-term users.

Which incubator is easiest for a beginner?

The Rcom Pro 10 or Brinsea Mini II Advance are both good starting points for 7–10 eggs. If you want full automation from the outset, go Rcom Pro 10 or step up to a Brinsea EX model.

Do Rcom incubators come with free shipping in Australia?

Yes — every Rcom incubator from the 10-egg through to the 50-egg models ships free anywhere in Australia when purchased from us.

Can I upgrade an Rcom incubator as my breeding program grows?

Yes, on the Maru D range — the 240 model can be expanded to 720 via an expansion kit, so you’re not starting from scratch as your numbers grow.

Are Brinsea incubators worth the extra investment on some models?

Many long-term breeders think so — the temperature mapping technology and 50 years of refinement show up in consistency over thousands of hatches, and spare parts (like control panels) are generally repairable rather than requiring full replacement.