Switching to rectangular cooler mash tun, which one?

Wanting to move up to 10 gallon batches and my round cooler is not big enough. Anyone have any advice on a good rectangular cooler? Batch sparge only. Looks like everyone likes the 70qt coleman extreme? Any other cheaper options that insulate well?
Thanks!

If you can get them on sale, they're only like $30-40. I tried to buy a cooler out of season, and the selection was poor and what they had was way overpriced.

I got the smaller 52 qt version from Sears for $23, IIRC, that was early Spring. 52 qts is too small for 10 gallons really, but I only do those once in a while and not at HG.

You can get a 60qt Igloo Ice Cube for ~$30 at walmart. The most I've mashed in it was 30lb of grain (12 gal batch, 1.076 og) but I haven't pushed it to its absolute limits.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=144475
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Igloo-60-Quart-Ice-Cube-Roller-Cooler/23735487

thekraken said:

You can get a 60qt Igloo Ice Cube for ~$30 at walmart. The most I've mashed in it was 30lb of grain (12 gal batch, 1.076 og) but I haven't pushed it to its absolute limits.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=144475
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Igloo-60-Quart-Ice-Cube-Roller-Cooler/23735487

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Thanks for the info, i like that price. Does that cooler have a channel at the bottom? (I currently use a manifold, but thought i might try a braid if there was a channel).

Hows does that cooler hold temperature for you?

Just make sure its blue. Red ones are no good.

dirtyb15 said:

Thanks for the info, i like that price. Does that cooler have a channel at the bottom? (I currently use a manifold, but thought i might try a braid if there was a channel).

Hows does that cooler hold temperature for you?

Click to expand...

No channel at the bottom, if you look at the pictures in the thread I linked you'll see how it's configured.

As far as holding temps I'm not the right person to ask, I use a RIMS tube. That thread is full of people's experience with it's performance.

If its preheated it will hold temps pretty well. I actually have one of these at home. Haven't used it in a long time. But I remember it holding temp well like within in a degree ore two over the 60min mash. That was for mainly 5gallon grain bill so you will have more thermo mass than I did.

Check out my 62 qt Extreme Cooler build thread

I took advantage of my wife's employee discount and saved a few bucks... built a drain manifold for it too. Works well for 5 gal batches of any gravity. I've brewed a 10 gal batch of 1.056 beer with plenty of room left over so I don't exactly know it's limits for 10 gal batches yet...

Holds temps well during nice weather, when the season started getting colder I covered it up with a couple beach towels to insulate it some more. Holds temp to a degree during a 60 min mash.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=524508

here is my variant on the spigot set up -
used mine for about a years with 10gal batches; when its fairly full, I loose less than a degree over an hour; and that simple drainage system adopted from others here works remarkably well...

I have both the Extreme 52-quart and the Marine 70-quart. Both of them hold temps within 1 or 2 degrees F over a 60 minute mash and within 3 degree F over a 90 minute mash. I've used a SS Braid, a Kettle Screen and DIY manifolds using CPVC. The manifolds have worked the best and leave less in the cooler then the kettle screen and about the same as the braid. Only issue with the braid is it crushes easily and would be better if it is re-enforced with heavy gauge SS Wire (I've seen copper builds but not sure I want my mash sitting on copper for that long).