Built-in Reliability, Broad Programming Options, Modularity Make Hunter’s New Pro-C a Fast Favorite

People ask themselves these sorts of questions all the time. Depending upon your generation, the question might be something like one of the following:

How did we ever get along without the internet? Without a microwave? Without television? Without electricity???

A short time from now, there may be people who ask this question: How did we ever get along without the Hunter Pro-C controller?

OK, so maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. But there is no debating the fact that this recently introduced product is already a winner with contractors and is on pace to be one of Hunter’s greatest new product success stories.

From Quality Bloodlines

A few years back, Hunter introduced an institutional series controller, the ICC, that became an overnight hit and helped Hunter establish a reputation for building quality, high end controllers. The ICC showcased the innovative concept of modular design, where the base unit of a controller features a set number of stations to which modules that contain additional stations can be added to customize the controller to the project size.

Hunter borrowed that concept of modularity and brought it to a controller designed for the professional market of residential and light commercial projects. The result is the new Pro-C, which is well on its way to becoming the leading product in its category.

Before the Pro-C hit the market and became available to the average contractor, the controller underwent repetitive testing and design scrutiny within Hunter’s engineering and product testing departments. After months of fine tuning the controller, Hunter delivered additional test controllers to a collection of contractors at various sites across the country. The reason: to have these contractors, representative of the market as a whole, test the controller under real world conditions and then give us their feedback for a final round of fine tuning before the Pro-C became available to the general public.

When the results came in, Hunter was able to say that the new Pro-C was actually a hit even before it went on sale.

Easy to Stock, Easy to Use

"I will definitely use this product," said Joe Guttieri of King Landscaping in Fort Myers, Florida. "All you need to do is stock one controller for all of your landscapes that require three to twelve zones and simply keep enough modules on hand. And even stocking modules is easy, there’s just one size."

Maintaining inventory is a breeze for contractors with the modular Pro-C. In all, there are only three different units to stock: indoor cabinets, outdoor cabinets and station modules. Starting with a base model of 3 stations, the Pro-C can expand up to 12 stations simply by adding additional 3-station plug-in modules. So, there’s no need to bring along the typical variety of 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-station units in both indoor and outdoor models to see which one is best for a job.

"With this controller’s ability to be customized to the particular size of the project your working on, the Pro-C will always be the right choice," said Tony Neumann of Sprinkler Solutions in Scottsdale, Arizona. "Not everyone wants or needs six stations on their controller; it’s great to have an alternative."

Program Flexibility to the Max

While the Pro-C's modular design has already captured the fancy of most who tested the controller for Hunter, there is much more that this new product has that will appeal to contractors.

"The programming features are extremely intuitive and user-friendly," said Tim Lomprey of Down to Earth Landscape in Logandale, Nevada. "Hunter has really hit a home run with this one."

This product’s bases are so loaded with features, that Lomprey’s home run analogy might be better served if it were labeled a grand slam. Just look at all of the programming options:

• 3 independent programs (A, B, C) each with up to 4 start times to handle multiple daily waterings
• long station run times for deep soaking needs and drip systems
• interval watering, true odd/even or day of the week scheduling to accommodate virtually any irrigation restrictions your area might have
• an "event day off" feature designates one specified day of the week for non-watering (perfect for regular maintenance or special events)

"As far as I can tell, no controller can claim to be more flexible," added Lomprey.

As if all these features didn’t demonstrate the unit’s superior flexibility, the Pro-C also goes so far as to put the power of desktop programming right in your hands with the convenience of a removable front panel.

"Talk about options," said Gary Davis of Davis Landscape Maintenance in Yuma, Arizona. "I can program the controller from my office before taking it out to a job site. And, when I am at the site I can roam around the yard as I make adjustments to the program."

Durability and Reliability, Too

While the majority of contractors in the test group raved about the versatility of the Pro-C, a number of them noted that it was the product’s durability and reliability that captured their attention.

"I give Hunter an A-plus for the Pro-C's non-volatile memory," said Laura O’Connor of O’Connor Landscape in Tucson, Arizona. "There’s no need to install a backup battery for any reason, since the memory retains both the program and the time for outages of up to four weeks."

Another hedge against losing program data is the Pro-C's superior surge protection that shields the controller’s microcircuits against electrical spikes and lightning. The controller also boasts a self-diagnostic short circuit detection system that skips shorted stations and continues watering the rest of the system. There are no fuses to blow or replace.

Rounding out the numerous features of the Pro-C are a heavy-duty locking plastic cabinet, Hunter’s "one touch" manual start and rapid advance and the unit’s compatibility with all models of Mini-Clik weather sensors and Hunter SRR and ICR remote controls.

Perhaps the feeling of Hunter’s test group was summed up best by a contractor on Hawaii’s valley isle of Maui. "It’s a really smart looking unit," said David Duey of Duey Irrigation in Wailuku. "The Pro-C is well made, easy to program and has a lot of good features."