My first trip to my LHBS, I had a brief conversation with the guy behind the counter about their conical fermenters. I'd heard of them of course, but never seen one in action and asked if he'd had any feedback about their use.
He replied that he had one he liked to do his stout in, and that the best part about it was that the conical shape captured the yeast in the bottom, and then he could pull off samples from the side port. He went on to explain that sometimes his samples got a bit larger as he let the stout continue aging in primary, as he didn't mind it uncarbed, and there was nothing quite so satisfying as walking in the door and pulling a pint of his creation right off the primary.
Second hand information, but you're not the only one
