chaos- the handle supports the weight of over 10 gallons of beer without breaking?
Yes, no problem.
My company does some work in water treatment, and we actually purchase acid in similar (acid grade not food grade) barrels.
15 gallons of sulfuric acid is heavier than 15 gallons of water. The acid barrels weigh in at 220lbs.
The most if have had fermenting was 12-12.5 and have had no concern with the handle stability.
I don't go throwing them around, torquing them, or otherwise abusing them. Its always a slow controlled fluid movement. The only time I use the handle is when lifting in and out of my fermentation chamber, ottherwise I use a dolly. When I clean the I fill with hot water and oxylclean and siphon off at least 50% before moving them.
I use a #13 drilled stopper in the bung hole for my airlock.
1 of my fermenters has a #11.5 stopper in the bottom, bc I pushed it through the first time I used it. I have just fermented right on top of the cake so I haven't tried to get it out yet.
I have a lefthand milk stout clone in that barrel that is getting kegged this weekend.
Another advantage, no blow-off! I have a trippel that I used 6 lbs of jaggery on and it had probably 2-3 gallons of krausen and I stillhad a few inches of head space.
My barrels are opaque like the one above, so you can see thru them slightly (better with a mag light).
The biggest issue I have encountered is racking the into my kegs, my auto siphon doesn't reach real well, I had to fashion a holder for it so that I can hold the bottom portion when I am getting down to 2-3 gallons.