Hi everyone!I am new to the forum this is my first post, apologies for the length. If you felt someone lurking, that was me, I've been reading everything I can here for a while now. Today I registered because I finally have something to contribute.
Not all Enermax 80mm Enlobal fans are the same.
I bought a Enermax Enlobal UC-8EB 80mm from Directron seeking a quiet fan for the front of my case. Also purchased was a PanaFlo FBA08A12L for comparison to the Enlobal & other fans I own. Long one short, the UC-8EB was quieter, had less motor buzz & a smoother sound, and moved almost as much air as the PanaFlo, plenty to use an an "innie" so in it went replacing a TopMotor DF1208SL.
I pulled the Enlobal's blades, cleaned the factory lube from the fan, & lubed the shaft with MolyLube (one part Hi-temp wheel bearing grease & three parts Mobil-1). I also removed the flash from the cage where it is seamed during molding. The fan dropped a dB in sound, measured with a dB meter, more on that later.
I decided to swap the two other TopMotors (these are undervolted @ 5V) in the side panel (one innie & one outie) with Enlobal's, & order an Enermax Enlobal UC-12EB 120mm for testing in an Antec P182.
Directron to the rescue again for the four fans I ordered (three 80mm & one 120mm).
HOWEVER, the 80mm Enlobals are not the same as the first I ordered. The first one has a light but sturdy cage with rounded edges in the diameter of the cage. The flanges are tab, but the tabs are solid. The pillars for the coil windings are green. The blade design is straight-edged with a steep rake & semi-flat blades, something similar to a SUNON KS1208PTS3. The Enlobal has a QC Inspected sticker.
The three I newly received have a lighter, more flexible cage with flat angles in the diameter instead of rounded. The flanges are still tab, but the outside of the tab is not solid, it has milled hollows to reduce plastic in the molding process. The pillars for the motor windings are black & not as ridged as the green. The blade design is less aggressive, less rake & rounded with tails, similar to a NMB-MAT 3110KL-04W-B10. These fans produce a motor buzz that is audible even at 3ft. to the ear, & produce 2dB more noise than the first Enlobal. Cleaning the lube & replacing with MolyLube & flashing the cage made no difference. One of the three runs too slowly to be a good sample, it has a binding shaft. One makes more noise than the PanaFlo both in buzz & turbulence. The third was OK (less motor buzz, less turbulence) but still overall 2dB louder than the original Enlobal.
On a lark, I replaced the aggressive fan blade in the first sample with one lesser aggressive from the later samples. A 1dB drop was achieved by loss of turbulence. a very slight reduction in airflow was noted.
Testing was crude but effective. The goal was to measure difference, not overall actual sound levels.
*Radio Shack Analog SPL placed on rubber foam.
Room dB was not noted, the SPL only goes to down to 60dB.
*Fans on seperate but same foam 1" away at 90 degree angle from the SPL.
*Early A.M., no other anything in the room running.
*A 12v power converter was used to power the fans.
*Airflow was done by folded paper. The paper was taped together at the folded end to keep fold consistant & placed where it would topple by the most powerful fan. Distance was kept the same from fan to fan.
*Testing was performed on a solid wood desk.
Hey, I'm not a lab, okay?
The "MolyLube" is safe for fans, lasts much longer than oil alone, can add to the quietening effect due to the thickness of the grease. Use an AGLI (something like that) approved product, the higher the quality the better. Mobil-1 is, well, Mobil-1. Need I say more?
Overall, I prefer the first Enlobal with the aggressive blade & green winding pillars. Though there is more turbulence, it is inaudable at 3ft. & moves slightly more air.
The Enlobal's with the flimsy cage & black winding pillars have a loud motor buzz that is absent from the first sample. Though there is less turbulence, overall noise was 2dB higher.
Now I'm buying a few Nexus/Bisonic - SP802512L-03 to compare to the first Enlobal. I'd like to see if the Nexus moves enough air to satisify me, & I don't think I'll have the build quility issues of the three "black pillar" Enlobals.
Do you you have measured specs for the Enlobals, & what version you tested?
Have you bought Enlobals that are different than those described here?
EDIT: Which is more quiet the Nexus/Bisonic - SP802512L-03 or Enermax Enlobal UC-8EB, & which one moves more air?
I would really groove on some feedback here. Any feedback greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
I received a return call from Enermax a day ago. The Tech I spoke with stated he was unaware of any revision in the Enermax Marathon 80mm Enlobal, & would pass this info along to R&D. I own an Enermax PSU & have good memories of them answering a bunch of questions prior to purchase, so I believe he was sincere.