Figures this thread would take off AFTER I purchase my own conical. Well, I'll throw my squirt of fuel on this little fire in hopes that more discussion on the matter occurs for future purchasers.
First, let me say that I am still working my new fermenter into my system and I am sure that there will be more complications that arise as I do such. That said, I'll run down the reasons for my purchase and why I am satisfied or otherwise.
I am not sure if the OP made a decision yet, but as the previous seven pages point out, THERE ARE A LOT OF CHOICES. Money talks, and is a factor for many homebrewers. I work a middleclass job, have three kids to feed, and a wife who would murder me if I bought what I really wanted. So, like most of the rest of you, I did a price vs. quality comparison. In my mind, that basically brought it down to one of two choices: SSbrewtech or BruGear.
Like many others, I did not like the "large" percentage of negative publicity BruGear has accumulated... But what needs to be considered is the relatively small amount of reviews out there. Negative reviews are to be expected as butt-hurt individuals have a hurt in their butt... This happens. Now, by comparison, SSbrewtech has GREAT reviews and an amazing FAQ section supporting their product. Where BruGear stumbles in public relations, SSbrewtech excels! But, let us address the elephant in the room: NO ONE WANTS TO SPEND THIS MUCH AND HAVE WELDLESS FITTINGS. The very thought of bulkhead fittings brings back memories of building my first mashtun out of an igloo cooler, and I was not having that. I was willing to pay more to avoid that silly hole. As the BruGear unit is very similar, this is what ultimately led me to my decision.
I placed my order for a Bru-Gear 14 gallon Profermenter and had it one week later, shipped to my shop, with the TC ball valve upgrade for approximately $585. Now, unfortunately, BruGear forgot one of the five promised 1.5" clamps. I made them aware of their mistake by way of their website and waited 24 hours without response. Not to panic yet, I dug through my digital receipt and found a direct email address. I received an apology from them exactly 1 hour after emailing them, they got the clamp in the mail the next day with expedited shipping. 2 days later, it was in my possession. Unfortunate? Yes. Bad customer service? Hell-no!
So I've had the conical in my possession for a couple weeks now, I finally found some time to give it a thorough cleaning yesterday and contemplate what fittings, sight-glass, CIP ball, etc I would like to put on it. I've made a short list of things that I will have to change, these make my "cons" list. So here's my pros and cons as compared to the SSbrewtech option of the same price-point:
PROS
- sanitary tri-clamp thermowell and a nice bi-metal thermometer (chronical has a weldless fitting a digital thermometer)
- 3" TC opening on lid (chronical has 1.5")
- 1" ball valve for racking and 1.5" butterfly valve for dumping (chronical has 1/2" and 3/4" respectively)
- Racking arm is a fully welded assembly (chronical has on o-ring fit dealy that pushes into the valve port)
- Includes a 1.5" TC to 1/2" 90* barb for blow-off (chronical includes a rubber stopper for an airlock)
CONS
- No leg extensions, feet welded on in a fashion that will require cutting the legs off to build a feasible extension (chronical has threaded leg extensions, a convenient accessory if you are over 4' tall)
- Racking tube, as built, will leave behind 3 quarts of liquid. Seems like a lot of waste, considering the ability to dump trub/yeast out of the bottom valve. (The SSBT FAQ states that the chronical leaves behind less than 1 quart.)
- Shipping. There's no way around it, you have to get it shipped from Bru-Gear themselves... I know, we all hate paying shipping. I saved a few coins shipping it to my shop, which is a commercial address. (chronicals are available from several retailers who offer free or cheap shipping, and are currently being offered with free shipping direct from the manufacturer)
Over-all, I am happy with my purchase and would do it again. Do I think that SSbrewtech has a great product? Yes, but I think that for the same price, that the Bru-Gear unit is a better deal. But I am frustrated that I will have to physically modify this brand new unit to get (what I consider) common sense results.
I'll upload photos from my phone in the next post. I hope that this helps someone else's decision making process.