I know this question comes up quite a bit on here. I used to do all grain most of the time. Since starting to brew again the 1st of the year I have brewed 16 batches of beer and did my 1st all grain 11 gal batch yesterday. Here's my comparison of the two.
I really like brewing the PM because I can brew in the house on top of the stove. My partial mash set up is not as efficent as my false bottom keg. That is because I'm only using a grain sparge bag in a bucket set up verses a split sloted copper plates on a false bottom in the keg. I'm getting .0312 pts/lb per gallon with the false bottom but only .0230 pts/lb per gallon with the sparge bag. I'm going to make a mash tun out of a cooler with a syphon tube and screen to up the efficency of my mashes for when doing them in the house.
The all grain set up requires a lot more equipment and a lot more work. I rounded up my kegs, propane burners, hot liquor tank, wort chiller and false bottom Sat before brewing on Sunday. Cleaned everything up and boiled some water in the kegs to clean them up good. It was nice brewing on the deck I just built two years ago for the 1st time as everything in the house was close by. My SWMBPO (She Whom Must Be Pissed Off because I seem to do it quite often to her) likes it better that I brew outside because most of the mess and smell is outside. The justification that comes from the all grain set up is that I can brew an 11 gal batch in about 8 hours which includes clean up. It takes me about 5 to 5 1/2 hours to brew the partial mash in the house but that is becuase my stove top is slower than my propane cookers for bringing the water up to temp.
Advantages of the PM system is I can brew during the week after work in the house, PM allows me to brew more often. It's a lot less work than firing up the keg system. New brewers that want to all grain can PM as a way to keep equipment costs down and still be able to brew in the house. My recomendation is to definately build a mash tun with a gott style cooler with a false bottom. The sparge bag set up just is not as efficent as the false bottom design. Also by doing partial boils of 3 1/2 to 4 gal in a 5 gal pot you don't need a wort chiller.
A disadvantge might be (my guess) that my Helles beer is not as good as when I made it all grain. It was missing that grainy german malt flavor that I used to get with all grain. My 1st helles was only 3.5 lbs of German grain and 4.5 lbs of DME. That might be the reason so I brewed a Helles that used 7.5 lbs of grain, .5 lb more munich verses the pils and 2.5 lbs of DME verses the last PM. I will have to brew an 11 gal all grain helles like I used to make and then compare that to my PM that used more munich and grain.
Oh well this is a long and drawn out comparison I hope it's helpful to anyone interested in PM or all grain brewing.
Warrior
I really like brewing the PM because I can brew in the house on top of the stove. My partial mash set up is not as efficent as my false bottom keg. That is because I'm only using a grain sparge bag in a bucket set up verses a split sloted copper plates on a false bottom in the keg. I'm getting .0312 pts/lb per gallon with the false bottom but only .0230 pts/lb per gallon with the sparge bag. I'm going to make a mash tun out of a cooler with a syphon tube and screen to up the efficency of my mashes for when doing them in the house.
The all grain set up requires a lot more equipment and a lot more work. I rounded up my kegs, propane burners, hot liquor tank, wort chiller and false bottom Sat before brewing on Sunday. Cleaned everything up and boiled some water in the kegs to clean them up good. It was nice brewing on the deck I just built two years ago for the 1st time as everything in the house was close by. My SWMBPO (She Whom Must Be Pissed Off because I seem to do it quite often to her) likes it better that I brew outside because most of the mess and smell is outside. The justification that comes from the all grain set up is that I can brew an 11 gal batch in about 8 hours which includes clean up. It takes me about 5 to 5 1/2 hours to brew the partial mash in the house but that is becuase my stove top is slower than my propane cookers for bringing the water up to temp.
Advantages of the PM system is I can brew during the week after work in the house, PM allows me to brew more often. It's a lot less work than firing up the keg system. New brewers that want to all grain can PM as a way to keep equipment costs down and still be able to brew in the house. My recomendation is to definately build a mash tun with a gott style cooler with a false bottom. The sparge bag set up just is not as efficent as the false bottom design. Also by doing partial boils of 3 1/2 to 4 gal in a 5 gal pot you don't need a wort chiller.
A disadvantge might be (my guess) that my Helles beer is not as good as when I made it all grain. It was missing that grainy german malt flavor that I used to get with all grain. My 1st helles was only 3.5 lbs of German grain and 4.5 lbs of DME. That might be the reason so I brewed a Helles that used 7.5 lbs of grain, .5 lb more munich verses the pils and 2.5 lbs of DME verses the last PM. I will have to brew an 11 gal all grain helles like I used to make and then compare that to my PM that used more munich and grain.
Oh well this is a long and drawn out comparison I hope it's helpful to anyone interested in PM or all grain brewing.
Warrior
She does hate the mess though. 
Charlie
