Single Tier Brew Stand: Black or Stainless

I am starting my stand in the next week and curious the benefits of Stainless steel square tubing vs. Black Steel tubing. My supplier is recommending black because 60ft of 11 gauge 2in square tubing will run about $100, where as stainless will run 3-4 times that price. Since this tubing will only act as a structure and not be in contact with the product, why is stainless really worth the extra costs? Plus, this supplier mentioned that with the proper blueprints, they will build it perfectly for me in a few days time. Even with the added labor costs, he said it will come out to the same as the raw stainless, so black would be the better choice. I'm only doing this stand once, and i want to do it right. So I dont mind spending the extra cash if I believe it's the right choice. I'm an in-experienced welder, but want to learn. i dont know if learning on my brewstand is the smartest choice and the idea of a professional doing it for me quickly is appealing. Pros vs cons please:

 

You don't need stainless. They look ****ing bitchin but you don't need it. You're going to paint it right?

 

i can always paint it, but i'm wondering if it's worth it. From past threads, i see the wear and tear on paint jobs, even high temp paint. doesnt' seem to be worth the potential maintenance.

 

Yeah, it will never look as pretty as day one with paint but I'm not planing to repaint mine any time soon. I don't mind that it looks a little used. If you're really worried you could have it powder coated. A lot of guys do.

 

Have somebody who knows what they are doing build it. Also, make sure it is designed right. No one wants 15 gallons of boiling water crashing down on them! But I am sure you already have that one covered.

Stainless is nice, but as you say, it is just the structure. Spend the money on getting the rig welded well.

 

As far as the welding goes, I would let someone else do it. I got lucky as I have a friend that teaches the welding class at the local CC. He has his own shop at home and I was able to build the stand with him. He got the major structural welds done and got the thing nice and true before I got in there and finished off the less important welds. Wasn't difficult at all once I got it down but I had an instructor standing over my shoulder.

If you can, ask to help with the prep work. Cutting and grinding is a big part of it and maybe you could save some money by helping in that regard. Plus you might learn how to weld a bit at the same time.