Coleman vs. Igloo

Im deciding between these two coolers, which one would be best for 5 gal batches.

http://www.sears.com/coleman-48-quart-cooler/p-00681001000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

or

http://www.igloo-store.com/detail/IGL+ICE+CUBE

I'd go for the Coleman, mostly because it's cheaper and already has a drain hole to adapt to a spigot.

The Coleman is cheaper and looks easier to work with.

That was my original thought but now, I keep reading about the depth of the grain bed. Seems like the square igloo cooler would give me better depth

Shop around, I picked up one of the Igloo cubes in the 60qt at Walmart for $25. Might be a little bigger than you need but thats rarely a problem.

I use a cube, just need to build a manifold correctly and I have maybe a cup of water left.

I built mine using the Igloo Ice Cube linked in the OP, but mine was purchased on sale at Target for something like $18. Not sure why it costs over twice as much now.

The additional costs for the Igloo have already been stated; most of them do not have a drain hole/plug built-in, which means you need to drill one out. There is already a convenient spot on the bulkhead with an appropriate dip on the bottom to help drain to it. It's like they designed it to have the hole & plug, but decided not to add it at the last minute. Anyway, you need to buy parts from your hardware store or some place like bargainfittings to do the cooler bulkhead valve. I think the 60 qt ice cube DOES already have the drain hole/plug in there, though.

The Coleman doesn't insulate quite as well as the Igloo, but it's sufficient for most people's needs and you can adapt it to an MLT a bit more easily than the ice cube. I have brewed using one a couple times over the last few weeks and it worked great. Maintained temps great.Granted, this is in SoCal so the lowest temps on brew day were probably high 50's. I did have to stick something under the back to tilt it a bit so it would drain better when sparging.



The thing that I like about my Ice Cube, though, is that after the mash I clean it out, take it inside and stick the fermenter in there, and fill it up with water so I can control fermentation temps with it. I don't think I could fit a fermenter in the coleman.

Clearly I spent far too much on my Igloo 40qt. industrial water cooler; including the ball valve and false bottom, I must have spent $140. OTOH, it does work very well, replacing the fittings was simple, and it insulates like a charm. I had had a Rubbermaid 22qt model before that, and aside from the inadequate capacity, it didn't insulate as well; I now use it for, well, keeping water cool.

I like the Coleman, too. I have a Coleman w/ wheels, which is actually a pain - the spout is at a 45° angle and I can't use the wheels due to the length of the ball valve & barb.

The Ice Cube appears to not have a drain (per Amazon reviews) -- this is a show stopper.

I have a 60qt ice cube, and it does have a drain although its elevated and at an angle so your manifold requires a little more thinking to make it work. I can post pics of it

malweth said:

The Ice Cube appears to not have a drain (per Amazon reviews) -- this is a show stopper.

Click to expand...

It's only a show stopper if you don't know how to use a drill. There is already a ready-made spot on the cooler for a drain hole. Why they didn't put one there I don't know, but they clearly intended for a drain hole to be there at some point. It took me all of 1 minute to put a hole there and then another 5 or so to assemble it into a fully-functioning 48 quart MLT. Most of that time was spent wrapping pipe fittings with teflon tape.

I have a 48qt Ice Cube, and it DID come with a drain - but my brother has the same one, and his didn't. As mentioned already, it has a thin/flat spot where the drain should go, so it's very simple to drill it out and add a drain.

MotorcycleMatt said:

I have a 60qt ice cube, and it does have a drain although its elevated and at an angle so your manifold requires a little more thinking to make it work. I can post pics of it

Click to expand...

That would great if you could...:rockin:

I have that sears cooler. Ill send pics when i get home of how i made it my mass tun. I dont use a valve either. Its gravity siphon.

The lid on the Cube coolers aren't insulated. Had to drill holes in the lid and put spray foam in it. Google "igloo cube mash tun" and you'll find some guy's documented build that included insulated the lid.

That said, I used mine for the 1st time this past Saturday and it worked swimmingly. Only 1.25 cups of dead space after puting a 90 elbow between the nipple and elbow to account for the lip on the inside.

mrbump said:

The lid on the Cube coolers aren't insulated. Had to drill holes in the lid and put spray foam in it. Google "igloo cube mash tun" and you'll find some guy's documented build that included insulated the lid.

Click to expand...

They don't have foam insulation, but the trapped air is a pretty good insulator to begin with. The Great Stuff foam works fine, but it's totally unnecessary.

mrbump said:

The lid on the Cube coolers aren't insulated. Had to drill holes in the lid and put spray foam in it. Google "igloo cube mash tun" and you'll find some guy's documented build that included insulated the lid.

That said, I used mine for the 1st time this past Saturday and it worked swimmingly. Only 1.25 cups of dead space after puting a 90 elbow between the nipple and elbow to account for the lip on the inside.

Click to expand...

That foam will probably conduct more heat than the trapped air space that was there. Foam just.....traps air. That is the whole idea behind double walled containers for insulation like thermoses. Either way, it will work, but dont do more work than you need to that wont really benefit you.

Why not go with a round Bev cooler? Easier to stir (ever seen a square pot?) and can use a false bottom which IMO works best compared to a manifold and you can just buy a false bottom. And a false bottom is easiest to clean. I got mine at Home Depot for about $40 and the ball valve at LHBS. Already had a hole in it. I've mashed when its it's the 30s outside and it holds the temp great for the whole time.

These are a couple of pics. Super easy build and a lot cheaper than using a false bottom. Temp stays constant

Alright, I have a ball valve for this cooler but thanks to furloughs i dont have money to continue. I'm going to be looking for a second job and with night classes, i won't have time to brew.

Anyway. This setup works and does not leak. I'm sure you have all seen think before.