Manufacturer - Better Bottle, Div. High-Q Inc.
Price Payed: $30.00
Recommended? Yes
Pros: Unbreakable, lightweight, cost only slightly more than glass
Cons: they melt, they can scratch
Better-Bottle fermentation carboys are:
1) Unbreakable and tough,
2) Taste- and Odor-free,
3) Virtually impermeable to oxygen,
4) Clear and colorless,
5) Incredibly lightweight, and more . . .
They are made from special, scientifically tested, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) copolymer plastic that is non-absorbing, non-porous, and non-wetting (hydrophobic), so it does not carry over flavors from one batch of wine or beer to the next and it is easy to clean and sanitize. Optional, racking adapters and valves make oxygen-free racking and dispensing simple and convenient " no siphoning is necessary. Optional closures that use O-rings to make tighter seals are more easily cleaned and sanitized that conventional stoppers.
I love my Better Bottles, specifically for the unbreakableness. I'll never have to worry about accidentally bumping a glass carboy into the side of the tub while pouring what out, and ending up with a pile of glass shards.
I use them for both beers and meads, and will eventually use them for wines. I was a little worried originally about aging something for a long time in plastic, but after 4 months, I notice no off flavors.
The only problem is that you cannot use a carboy brush to clean them as it can scratch the plastic. This put me in a bad position when I ended up with some dried on hop residue that wouldn't come off with just water. I eventually got it off by fashioning my own carboy brush out of an old t-shirt (so it left no scratches), but not before I had attempted to loosen the residue with some very hot (just off boiling) water.
That was a bad idea, and now I have a 6 gallon BB with a sunken in side, although it still works fine.