Bayou Classic: 62 qt vs 82 qt

I've not found very much on this specific topic, so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I'm in the process of building an all-electric rig, and in the process of determining what I want to order, the great kettle debate always comes up. I've considered keggles, but after sizing them up in the space I'll be working in (basement, not the highest of ceilings) they just seem a bit tall for what I have in mind once you factor in the hood, etc. I've looked at a few options for kettles but for the moment something ideal like a Boilermaker is out of my price range.

I've heard some good reviews on the Bayou Classic kettles with regards to going electric, and after considering the various options I think it may be my best bet, but I wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts on the 62 qt versus the 82 qt with regards to boil overs, etc. I've been leaning towards 82 qt to ensure there's plenty of room, especially since I hear the mouth on these are pretty wide, increasing the boil off rate. Just curious if it seems like way too much overkill or not, as I plan on using 5500W heating elements in my BK and HLT, so I expect a pretty vigorous boil. I know the typical math is to go with a boil kettle of closer to 2x your final size, so that's where I'm considering this but just curious of anyone's personal experiences, feedback, etc.

Any other suggestions are welcome too, but I think for the price point I'm aiming at and with a desire to go stainless (nothing against aluminum, I use it now for my 10 gallon but would like to go stainless) one of these seems to be the better choice for me. Thanks!

EDIT: Also, another reason I'm considering this today is they are on sale on Amazon (all Bayou Classics on the page it seems) here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VXD94A/ref=twister_dp_update?ie=UTF8&psc=1 so for the price, the 82 qt isn't too bad of an investment either

Looks like a good deal to me. I'm a bigger is better kinda guy, that being said for less that $100 (if your buying 3 pots) can go from a 10 gallon to a 15 gallon system I'm buying the larger pots. It just depends on how much and how often you like to brew.

Yeah, that's been my line of thinking. I actually have been planning my new setup around these kettles but it hit me that I might wanna get some feedback at least and see if there's any particular reason they would be bad for 10 gallon batches. I don't see myself doing 5 gallon batches once I go this route, but I can see where that might be tricky with a heating element in there, only real issue I can think of. I have hope for going 15 gallon down the road, another reason I figured it made sense to just go 20 gallon for both BK and HLT from the start, then I can switch the BK into the MLT if I upgrade, get a new BK. I'll probably go this route, especially since they are on sale (just wish I knew for how long) but I don't know if you have any thoughts on the potential down sides with these. Can't seem to find many people who went the 82 qt route, so there's very little pictures or other feedback from what I can find :-/

Have you considered these?

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12936&osCsid=4a6db610ea13b7c73525f5501619db60

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12935

cyberbackpacker said:

Have you considered these?

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12936&osCsid=4a6db610ea13b7c73525f5501619db60

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12935

Click to expand...

Yeah, I actually emailed them out of curiosity regarding the thickness and he said with an electric element, sight glass, valve, etc that I described wanting to add he wasn't too sure it'd be ideal quality over time, so I've been shying away from them, but they are a pretty good deal too.