Wife said OKay...........

To buying a brew sculpture............

Most certainly with the intent of vetoing said permission once realizes that I was in fact serious. But,

Damn those things are pricey. Especially after you factor in freight costs. For me, it estimates over $1000.00 and a road trip is definitely out of the question. Toledo, Ohio for a possible Sabco isn't to far for me, except that my wife is pregnant and due in 2 months. So, there won't be any in person pickups.

I have considered choosing the Business delivery option and then going to the shipping warehouse to collect the system and possibly save some shipping cost (they all charge extra for a truck having a liftgate).

So, I compared the 10 Gallon B3 Tippy system, fully digital, with cooling options to the Sabco BrewMagic + Chill Wizard and found the B3 to be nearly $1200.00 less expensive than the Sabco (most certainly because of the Chill Wizard).

I have seen a larger capacity tippy system in operation and frankly, I wasn;t impressed. B3 has made some improvements since tho'.

What would you go for if you could?

btw, I calculate the total for the Sabco BM+CW to be $7k+, and that does NOT include shipping.

Personally, I am just sick of building, cannot weld, don;t have any welder friends, and am looking to "automate" as much of the process as I can afford so that I may be able to brew more often.

Go ask your other wife and then play the two against each other.

7K is a long of change. If you've got it to spend, go for it. I'd lean toward just plugging along as is.

I am never gonna live that down am I?

Yes, I do agree $7k is a chunk even tho' I can afford it. Hell, $4k is a chunk.

But, my current system isn't worth adding controllers too and I have to constantly monitor it. Hence, the desire to have something more automated.

That's serious amount of cash....

This is just my humble opinion but... I too looked into the prefab sculptures but decided that I wanted some different features and could do a better job designing my own system. For the kind of cash it takes to get a B3 or Sabco, why would you not go to your local fab shop and ask them how much they would charge you to build your dream system. You could take care of the electrical and whatever you want; they can build the stand. I would guess this approach would be cheaper and you would have a one off stand. It's just an idea, but the automation on the B3 is not that in depth and could be done in a weekend. The Sabco is more complicated but not out of reach if you want to spend the time (they use MMI's and PLC's for control which are much more expensive and require some learning for the coding).

Just an idea, you don't need to get it from those two places, ask your local fab shop (I am sure there are several in your home town if you look). Then you could use the $1000 you are saving on shipping for some sweet upgrades. Also, not to mention, if you do it this way, you can source your parts for way cheaper using the dealers that are often mentioned on this site.

Cheers

GilaMinumBeer said:

I am never gonna live that down am I?

Click to expand...

Just remember...those that have time to razz you about it are usually here because their SWMBO isn't currently letting them brew

Boerderij Kabouter said:

That's serious amount of cash....

This is just my humble opinion but... I too looked into the prefab sculptures but decided that I wanted some different features and could do a better job designing my own system. For the kind of cash it takes to get a B3 or Sabco, why would you not go to your local fab shop and ask them how much they would charge you to build your dream system. You could take care of the electrical and whatever you want; they can build the stand. I would guess this approach would be cheaper and you would have a one off stand. It's just an idea, but the automation on the B3 is not that in depth and could be done in a weekend. The Sabco is more complicated but not out of reach if you want to spend the time (they use MMI's and PLC's for control which are much more expensive and require some learning for the coding).

Just an idea, you don't need to get it from those two places, ask your local fab shop (I am sure there are several in your home town if you look). Then you could use the $1000 you are saving on shipping for some sweet upgrades. Also, not to mention, if you do it this way, you can source your parts for way cheaper using the dealers that are often mentioned on this site.

Cheers

Click to expand...

The least expensive I have found yet is a trailer shop that wants $2k for the frame. I figure for that price I could buy a welder and the steel and learn welding on my own.

I do know what you mean tho'. I am sure I could save a chunk fabricating and wiring things myself but, the money spent for a pre-fab is almost worth it considering I have precious little time for anything as it is and time will only become more scarce (wife spent the weekend nesting, if you know what I mean) It would be sooo nice to be able to start up the frame in the morining and, aside from milling grain, only need to turn a few valves to move everything about.

BigKahuna said:

Just remember...those that have time to razz you about it are usually here because their SWMBO isn't currently letting them brew

Click to expand...

Present company included?



Color me guilty as well.

BigKahuna said:

Just remember...those that have time to razz you about it are usually here because their SWMBO isn't currently letting them brew

Click to expand...

What? Wifey is fine with brewing; time, however, is not. Working right now, cruising here for a minute or two during that time.

But it's your story so I'll let you tell it.