Both of mine failed in a short period of time. The one that lasted longest had an audible buzz that the other didn't. I moved that one to a tank in the garage before it failed, as it was noticeable from one room away in my living space.
I probably didn't help the situation, as I didn't contact customer service. Based on people like me, I bet if Aquarium Coop legit got a 5-8% or whatever fail rate, there were also a difficult to count group like me that didn't raise their hand and say, "me too!". So, the number is likely even higher.
Assuming Cory is as real as his videos, you really don't get people like him in business. I genuinely believe he cares about the products he produces and making existing products better. I love that he is taking on the "status quo" in the hobby and trying to tweak each product. The heater was ambitious. Anything with a heating element is going to be fickle. As much as a let down as it may be for some, I agree with him that his time is going to be better spent in other areas. I applaud him for taking the risk. Where there is risk there can be reward. You only learn from experiences and become stronger for the ones that didn't work out... as tough as that can be. Aquarium Coop will be stronger for it and we will reap the benefits when the next product is a homerun.