Better Bottle Alternative

Found these PET bottles on line. Great price, and if your close to KS the shipping is probably pretty good too. I'm having a couple shipped to WA and still not a bad deal. Thought I'd pass it along in case anyone else wanted to check them out. I really haven't noticed them mentioned on the forum.

Storage Tanks and Water Bottles

The built in handle will be a nice bonus. Of course they will still flex when picked up, but my better bottles do that when I move them anyway so I always use the dry air lock if I need to move them.

The link provided doesn't take you to the product. I assume you are referring to the 5 gallon bottles. How much was shipping?

I got the set of two. They sell sets of more together, but I found the shipping jumped up to much to go to 4 bottles or more at a time. I think shipping was about $11 for the two bottles to WA state. You can check shipping by putting the items in your cart and filling out the shipping info without having to buy.

Sorry about the off link, when I click the link I just need to scroll down to see the 5 gallon bottles. If not a search of 5 gallon PET would bring them up.

So- with shipping that would be $26 for two, as opposed to about $18 + shipping for a Better Bottle. A good value, but I'll stick with the Better Bottles. If these things were consumables, I wouldn't hesitate, but I'm planning on having them last a very long time, so I'll spring for the proven product.

rico567 said:

So- with shipping that would be $26 for two, as opposed to about $18 + shipping for a Better Bottle. A good value, but I'll stick with the Better Bottles. If these things were consumables, I wouldn't hesitate, but I'm planning on having them last a very long time, so I'll spring for the proven product.

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Who has better bottles for $18?

My grocery store sell's these for $6 and they come with a white screw on cap.

EdWort said:

My grocery store sell's these for $6 and they come with a white screw on cap.

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which store Ed?

Nwcw2001 said:

which store Ed?

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HEB Grocery Store.

I use them for coffee water for camping and I keep one fill with RO water for Starsan. I still have this one half full and the Starsan is still good.

EdWort said:

HEB Grocery Store.

I still have this one half full and the Starsan is still good.

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Wow - Starsan still good and clear more than nine months later? What is "RO water?" Mine gets cloudy within a month using city water.

Buffman said:

Wow - Starsan still good and clear more than nine months later? What is "RO water?" Mine gets cloudy within a month using city water.

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That's the Reverse Osmosis water that is sold in the Glacier Water dispensers at the grocery. $1.75 for 5 gallons.

bashe said:

Who has better bottles for $18?

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My bad- they've gone up. MW has the 5 gal (where & what I bought) for $20:

5 Gallon Better Bottle :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

Most of the LHBS's in the Seattle area get $25-30 for the better bottles so the $26 shipped for 2 is a good deal for me. Obviously WA state is a good shipping distance from Kansas, so if you are closer you may get a better shipping rate. Shame there is no 6 gallon, but their target market is for the water, although they do mention they can be used for beer on their web page which does at least show market awareness.

I believe also Culligan has switched to all PET bottles if there is a supplier in your area to get their water.

Buffman: RO is reverse osmosis purified water as Ed answerred. You can also used distilled water with Starsan and get many months longevity from a single mix. In most tap water the Starsan is fighting all the base minerals and the tendency toward higher PH's which is counter productive to Starsans nature of acidic PH. If you can't find RO water, distilled can be found in most drug stores around $1 a gallon. I use distilled with Starsan with good results and longevity.

EdWort said:

HEB Grocery Store.

I use them for coffee water for camping and I keep one fill with RO water for Starsan. I still have this one half full and the Starsan is still good.

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That is nice, and you can't beat the price. Looks to be the same type bottle. Have not seen the PET bottles in grocery stores in the Seattle area, but I keep checking the recycle codes when I see them. I hear more and more in the news about the negatives of the recycle code 7 bottles. Whether it is justified or not, the barrage of stories will cause a shift in useage by the major players to the PET style I would think. It will become a competitive disdvantage to be using the polycarbonates soon.

Just an update. I received the bottles and just put a Blue Moon Clone in one of them to secondary. The bottles have a very similiar feel and quality to Better Bottles. They feel about as thick, and seem to flex about the same when you give them a squeeze in the center. They fit the same number 10 stopper, and also fit the orangle rubber cap that the better bottles do.

About the biggest difference is the raised ribs on the bottom of the bottle, and the indentation where the handle is molded in. These both I suppose could be areas to harbor residue or bacteria, but I don't think it would be a problem as long as they are not scratched and proper cleaning and sanitizing protocals are followed. I included some pics of the bottom, and handle area, and a side by side with a Better bottle.