Better Bottles/Plastic Fermenter vs Glass Carboys

Hey im thinking of getting another fermenter since i only have the one-the one that came with the kit is plastic- i was thinking of getting another one for my secondary fermenter, or just as another primary. I just wanted to see what people thought about the better bottles, or plastic fermenters, and the glass carboys

Plastic... And yes I voted

I'll never use a glass carboy again
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/broken-glass-carboy-horror-stories-compendium-376523/

I voted plastic and will EVERY time.

Glass is too heavy for me and also too dangerous to risk. IMO

PackerfaninSanDiego said:

I'll never use a glass carboy again
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/broken-glass-carboy-horror-stories-compendium-376523/

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hey im from ramona san diego too, out here on black canyon but thanks for the advise just seeing all those broken glass made me weiry about glass carboy but ill see how the rest of the post goes

Plastic for me. Nothing wrong with glass as long as you follow some common sense guide lines though.

Plastic buckets are great for 5G batches. Easy to clean, cheap and safe. I agree, the horror stories thread keeps me from wanting a glass carboy. Granted, many people swear by them and don't have horror stories. The key differences are whether you want to watch fermentation which you can't do in a bucket, but can do in a glass carboy or better bottle or long term bulk aging which is where glass carboys really shine due to the impermeability.

LuNchBoX1371 said:

hey im from ramona san diego too, out here on black canyon but thanks for the advise just seeing all those broken glass made me weiry about glass carboy but ill see how the rest of the post goes

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I have a 6 gallon glass carboy for sale

i'm a one gallon brewer... i use glass carboys for everything.

that said, if i were doing 5 gallon batches i would be using plastic every time

Plastic isn't just plastic. There is hdpe and then there is pete (which Better Bottles are made from). Hydrophobic and an 02 transmission rate 53x lower than "buckets".

It really depends on what I'm brewing.... Anything that is going to be aged for months or years goes into a glass carboy. everything else just goes into buckets.

I have both but use glass mostly. I think plastic buckets are easier for dry hopping becuase getting the hops in and then cleaned out is a hassle. If you get a glass carboy get an orange handle for the neck but put it below the bulge at the base of the neck. These handles make carrying much easier.

Don't understand the fear i have never had one break and i have bumped them pretty hard on my cement garage floor.

I have 2 glass and 7 plastic carboys. The glass are ALWAYS in a plastic bottle crate, full or empty, for ease and safety. I prefer the plastic and only use the glass to vacuum degas wine.

I vote Better bottle. But I do use both.

Roger

A brewing buddy has $2500.00 worth of stitches in his hand which occurred while using a bottle brush to clean the carboy

It's buckets for me

Rick

harry_the_face said:

I have both but use glass mostly. I think plastic buckets are easier for dry hopping becuase getting the hops in and then cleaned out is a hassle. If you get a glass carboy get an orange handle for the neck but put it below the bulge at the base of the neck. These handles make carrying much easier.

Don't understand the fear i have never had one break and i have bumped them pretty hard on my cement garage floor.

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Never carry a carboy by the handle around the neck, that is just asking for trouble. Those handles are meant to just make it easier to get your hand under the carboy so as to carry it from the bottom.

PackerfaninSanDiego said:

I have a 6 gallon glass carboy for sale

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How much?

And thank you for all the input on this subject i think i might go with the better bottle but if i can get a carboy for cheap the more the marrier, right? lol

harry_the_face said:

I have both but use glass mostly. I think plastic buckets are easier for dry hopping becuase getting the hops in and then cleaned out is a hassle. If you get a glass carboy get an orange handle for the neck but put it below the bulge at the base of the neck. These handles make carrying much easier.

Don't understand the fear i have never had one break and i have bumped them pretty hard on my cement garage floor.]]

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You will when you spent the day in the IR waiting go get stitched up!!

I have heard of people waiting while bleeding while they clear things out for the next victim.

I can't say enough good things about my better bottle. It's lighter than glass, sturdier than glass, and much easier to clean than glass. I have a 6.5 gallon glass carboy that I only use when all of my other fermenters are full. I'm a big fan of PET.