Is the brew magic magical?

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Hi guys, this is my first posting here but I have been a long time reader and fan of the site. I have been brewing at home for quite awhile and would like to step it up. I am looking to purchase a used brew magic system that is in good shape. Does anyone have one for sale? Also, I have not used one but I have studied them quite a bit. Are they as good as they seem to be? :rockin:
 
They are nice but they don't do it all for you. that is, they aren't near as automated as many of the DIY rigs here and they are just as big a PITA to clean as anything else lest you go caustic.

What's more, like anything, they have theoir own quirks and gremilins that each user has to figure out for themselves.

That said, I am thrilled with mine but it does not cure the upgrade bug. there is ALWAYS something.

As for magical, well, it did magically reduce my bank account by several thousands of dollars.
 
I know someone on here built one that looks completely identical, and did so for something like $1,000. Granted, you'd need to know how to weld, but it's really not that difficult (I'd never held a welder before in my life a year ago, but three months later I'd finished welding a stainless stand - granted I was lucky enough to find someone with a welder and the willingness to teach me, put up with me, and drink beer with me) and from there it's just paying attention and assembling the parts.

I'd recommend to ANYONE that they build their own stand. It gave me a great feeling of accomplishment when it was done, I learned a few new skills, and more importantly, I had a much better idea of how the brewing process worked, as well as how the system worked - allowing me to understand how to fix, alter, or upgrade things as time goes on.

Edit: Here's davebl's thread on building his Brew Magic clone: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-rims-job-86934/
 
thanks a lot for the excellent information gentlemen. I have had minimal welding experience, haven't done it since shop class in high school. I wish I could weld because I think I could build something similar.
 
That was actually my original plan, to build a wooden rig (mine was going to be single tier, since I'm short and didn't want to deal with the taller structure, haha). But the little voice in my head kept saying "Wood, 165,000 btu burner. Extremely flammable material built to house an extremely powerful heat source. Fire, fuel." and that stopped me from getting started on it. The potential for shennanigan was always in the back of my mind.

Granted, a few folks on here have built wooden stands (search for "Scuba Steve's Stand" and you'll see the best example of it) but it wasn't for me.

You at least have welding experience, which is more than I had when I built mine. I just showed up one day, spent a half hour running some practice beads on a piece of scrap, and then got to work. 30% welding, 70% grinding. They're still not pretty, but they do the job.

If you don't wanna weld, check out http://www.brewersequipment.com/New Brew Stands.html. Those prices are shipped to your door. If I hadn't lucked into meeting someone on here that took me under their wing, this would absolutely have been the direction I'd have gone, plus they're HBT supporters, and I think plenty of folks have said really positive things about their stands. (Bear in mind these are bare bones, you still have to add the pumps et al). But when I built mine, the cost of the stainless square tubing alone was $200, plus another $75-$100 in grinding and polishing wheels, plus other supplies. Then the cost of labour, it was at least 40 hours of work in the shop over a six week period. (But to me it was worth it to have the satisfaction of seeing it and knowing "Wow, I built that!") So can't argue with the prices of these.
 
thank you very much ubermick. the information you have provided me has been incredibly helpful. One day in this forum and I have already learned so much. You are right about the wood, it is a little bit risky. Now that I have a wife and a daughter I think about those things a little more. I will check that link out right now.
 
Anytime, Scott. Good luck with whatever you decide to put together (or buy) and if you do choose to build your own, make sure you take photos and start your own build thread on here. I wish I'd done that, since it's fun to look back and revisit the work that goes into putting them together. (Plus it gives other folks tons of ideas!)
 

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