Barley Crusher

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thdewitt

thdewitt

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Hey all,

I just ordered a new Barley Crusher with the 15 Pound hopper. I am having second thoughts about the 15# hopper. It looks large and difficult to store. The 7# hopper may be plenty. Anyone have any feedback on the two hoppers? Is one better than the other?

I probably have a few minutes to cancel and reorder if I get some good feedback.

Thanks,
Tom

barleycrushers.jpg
 
I've got hte 15 and it's really not bad at all. I actually thought I had mistakenly gotten the 7 lb one when I opened the box because it looked pretty small. I'd stick with your decision and keep the 15.
 
I am happy with the 7, yeah I guess it would be nice to not have to stop and refil the hopper, but it was not worth the extra money. I store mine in the box it came with and it hides away in the corner nicely.
 
I got the 7 pound hopper for the same reason above... it was not worth the cost to get the 15...
 
Go with the 7; it's quite easy to convert the hopper for larger capacity. With what, you ask? Why, a simple plastic wastepaper bin that you can get at any discount store for a $1 or two. Cut off the bottom and put the remaining piece into the stock hopper. You've easily just doubled the capacity.
 
Yeah, i run a 7 lb at home and a 15 lb at work. It's much nicer having the larger hopper but for the price they want for it i could DIY a bigger hopper easily if i really wanted to.

Make sure you have a drill to use. My cordless drill died after about 2 lbs on my first day with the BC and it took a good 20 minutes and a few rest stops to crank through it all by hand.
 
As mentioned, for the 25 or so bux extra it costs, it's easy enough to make your own extension for the hopper. I made mine out of some scrap plywood.
 
I just ordered the 7lb grinder. My plan is to simply build the additional capacity using an old piece square duct I have left from a home project. Since I do 10 gallon batches 15 may not be enough so I can make it as large as I like. I'll be mounting an electric motor so the plan is to fill the hopper and walk away until it's done.
 
I use the 15 for 5 gal batches and have to fill it twice for most beers. Storage is not a problem and I'm in a 970 sq. ft. apt.

I think the 7 would be a PITA for most of my beers. I say keep the 15 don't look back.

And a cordless drill will likely not have enough balls for this mill at a narrow setting once the o-ring has broken (which is normal). So if you don't have one, buy a 120V drill at Home depot for $30.
 
I got the 7. Next time your at sams or costco, buy one of those big a$$ boxes of cereal, cut out the top and bottom, stuff it an inch or so into the 7# hopper and wrap the seam with duct tape. It holds 20# and I only paid for the 7.

I know it's ugly as hell, but it works
 
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the quick feedback. I do have a 10 gallon AG system so I guess I will stay with the 15# hopper since I already placed the order through BeerSmith. I am glad I have a corded and cordless drill for when this baby arrives. The feed back is appreciated.
 

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