Nest Comparison: WaKooshi Mercury Nest vs Saturn Nest
In short
The WaKooshi Saturn nest beats the Mercury nest 3 points to 2, with a much bigger outworld, up to 7 test tubes in the larger model and two auxiliary ports. The Mercury is cheaper at £21.95 versus £34.95 and adds a red cover and liquid feeder, ideal for tighter budgets.
Mercury? Saturn? Which of these two very popular ant nests better suits my needs? Which should I buy for my ant colony? Let’s find out!
Today I’m going to compare two great ant nests made by the company WaKooshi: the Mercury nest and the Saturn nest! Let’s see what the differences are! But before we start with the comparison, let’s quickly describe the two products.
The Mercury Nest
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The first of the two nests that we’re going to compare today is called the Mercury nest. It is a very peculiar type of
This nest is easily recognizable by its unusual shape and the little
If you want to find out more about this cool nest, I strongly suggest you check out this other article! In this one, I provide a detailed review of this nest, listing the pros and cons of this type of setup!
The Saturn Nest
Discount!
Get this extremely cool ant nest on the WaKooshi online shop! Use the discount code BRUMA to get 10% off your entire order!
The other nest in this comparison is called the Saturn nest. Made by the same company, it shares the main nest structure of its smaller sibling. Like the Mercury nest, it uses the test tube setup as the main living area and also features a reasonably sized outworld.
As you can clearly see, the main difference between the Mercury and this nest is its larger size. Thanks to its bigger volume, it can hold a lot more than one test tube, as we have in the Mercury.
Due to its size, it also provides much more space to be used as the outworld section, creating an easier-to-manage feeding and drinking area.
Just like with the Mercury nest, I’ve also made a dedicated review for this nest! If you are interested, you can check it out here!
The Company
These are two of the most popular ant nests made by WaKooshi.
If you have never heard of them, WaKooshi is a UK-based company, very popular in the ant-keeping community for their cool 3D-printed nests. If you are interested in one of these nests and want to check out more, you can find their online shop at www.wakooshi.com.
The Comparison
To determine which of the two nests is better, I will assign a point to only one of the two products in 5 different categories: price, build quality, features, aesthetics, and expandability. At the end of the comparison, the nest with the most points will be the winner!
Let’s start with the first category!
Price
At the current date, the Saturn nest is quite a bit more expensive than the Mercury on the WaKooshi online shop. The price of the Mercury is currently £21.95, or €26.95 if you live in a country that uses the euro.
On the other hand, the price of the Saturn is £34.95, or €41.95. With a price difference of £13, the Mercury is definitely a lot cheaper compared to the larger Saturn.
For this reason, the Mercury easily wins the point in this category!
Build Quality
Both of these nests are built using 3D printing technology, a very modern technique used to create custom plastic parts. This technology uses an additive process that creates plastic components by depositing various layers of material one above the other.
I have to admit that the 3D printing quality on both of these nests is extremely good! There aren’t any signs of smudges or errors caused by the 3D printer, and the surfaces are very well-made!
If you, like me, really enjoy 3D-printed ant nests, I suggest you take a look at this other nest! This one is made by the same company and is perfect if you have a very small colony or just a newly mated queen ant!
The acrylic panels used in both nests are also made with very high-quality materials, and the cuts are extremely precise. The acrylic panels of the outworld and the red covers of the Mercury are very clear, facilitating the view of the ants inside the nest.
Given that both nests are made with the same 3D printer, this could be considered a tie! However, I really love the test tube holder section of the Saturn! The test tubes fit perfectly inside the special handles, and they also look amazing!
For this reason, I have to give the point to the Saturn!
Features
Now let’s talk about the features. Both nests offer many very useful features. They both have an outworld and both are based on the most trusted nest system: the test tube setup.
The main differences between the Mercury and the Saturn are the outworld size, the number of test tubes that can be added to the nest, the red cover, and the additional
The outworld of the Saturn nest is much bigger, and with its larger opening, it makes it a lot easier to access the inside and feed the ants.
The Saturn also has a lot more nesting space and can hold up to 7 test tubes in the larger model!
However, the Mercury has two features that the Saturn doesn’t have: the red cover for the test tube and the additional liquid feeder, which is very useful if you don’t have an external source of liquids.
Thanks to these additional features, the point for this category goes to the Mercury!
Aesthetics
Personally, I really love the design of the Saturn! It is very different from any other nest that you can find on the ant-keeping market, and it’s also extremely functional!
I really like the fact that the test tubes are placed inside the outworld, instead of outside, as we have in the Mercury. This clever design choice creates a better-looking nest that is much simpler in shape and cleaner in overall design.
So, for this category, I can safely give the point to the Saturn!
So far we have a tie! 2 points for the Mercury and 2 points for the Saturn! Let’s continue with the last category!
Expandability
When it comes to expandability, the Saturn easily wins. From what I’ve seen, the Mercury nest doesn’t have an option for expandability, and if there is, you probably have to buy a special connector separately.
On the other hand, with the Saturn, you have two dedicated auxiliary ports made especially for this reason.
Through these two little doors, you can connect a bigger outworld or a larger nest, giving the ants a lot more nesting space!
For this reason, the final point goes to the Saturn!
Comparison Table
Here’s a quick side-by-side summary of the two nests:
| Feature | Mercury Nest | Saturn Nest |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £21.95 (€26.95) | £34.95 (€41.95) |
| Build quality | Excellent 3D printing | Excellent, standout test tube holders |
| Nesting space | One test tube | Up to 7 test tubes (larger model) |
| Outworld | Small, mounted on top | Much bigger, wider opening |
| Extra features | Red cover, liquid feeder | — |
| Design | Test tube outside the outworld | Test tubes inside the outworld |
| Expandability | No dedicated port | Two auxiliary ports |
| Points won | 2 (price, features) | 3 (build quality, aesthetics, expandability) |
| Best for | Tighter budgets, saving shelf space | More nesting space, future expansion |
Conclusions
The verdict is in! The Saturn wins this competition with just one point more than the Mercury!
In the end, both are really good nests, perfect if you’re just starting out, or if you already have lots of experience with keeping ants! However, I think that the Saturn has something more, and for this reason, it deserves the victory!
I hope you have found this product comparison helpful!
If you like these types of product comparison guides, I suggest you check out this other one! In this one, I compare the Mercury with another great nest made by WaKooshi: the Venus nest!
FAQs
5The Mercury Nest features a unique acrylic design based on a test tube setup, an outworld, a red cover for the test tube, and an additional liquid feeder.
The Saturn Nest is larger, can hold more test tubes, has a bigger outworld, and offers better expandability options compared to the Mercury Nest.
The Mercury Nest is more affordable, priced at £21.95, while the Saturn Nest costs £34.95.
Both nests are made with high-quality 3D printing technology, offering precision and a modern design without defects.
Both nests are suitable for beginners, but the Mercury Nest may be more approachable due to its lower price.
Author
Bruma
