Bru Gear

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Hey guys I did start a new thread about this but I though I would toss it in here just in case you needed something and/or missed the thread I stared.

I know a lot of you are having troubles getting stuff made for your Bru Gear kettles. In chatting with a bunch of you here on HBT and via Email we decided to go ahead and add the Compression tubes for the Tri Clover attachment so you have a way to get threaded fittings IN your kettles.

Check em out and let me know what else we can come up with for you.

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Tri-Clover-Compression-Tube-1.5-Inch-x-1.5-Inch.html

Cheers
Jay
 
Nice work Jay! We just talked about that last week and you already have one up!


Bru-Gear update:
Talked to Phil a couple days after the busy Black Friday (they have had some sales going). They got their shipments in and he sent an invoice and shipped my gear a few days later. Looks like I'll be getting it Friday.

Ended up ordering:
3 QTY ProBoiler 10 Gallon Electric Kettle with upgraded Tri-Clover ball-valve
1 QTY 10 gallon HERMS kit
1 QTY 10 Gallon False Bottom
3 QTY ProBoiler Dip Tube

Should get it Friday.

Gonna get Jay's whirlpool after finances
 
frodus17 said:
Nice work Jay! We just talked about that last week and you already have one up!
Click to expand...

Yeah it was time. We had built several just custom ones for a few guys and after you and I chatted I was like OK, time to get that bad boy on the site and see who else needs em. I sold 4-5 the first day we put it up on the site.
We added the customizing so you guys can have em built any size ya need.


Cheers
Jay
 
Update again:

Everything looks great. I looked everything over and the welds are all clean. The fittings are a little different from a photo I was sent, but this works out just fine for me anyway.

The HERMS is really nice and sits just above the element. The welds on the TC fittings for the HERMS look laser welded. Super nice.

The false bottom is a tad different than pictures, but looks of high quality and fits perfectly.

The kettles are all nice. Just a few scratches on one handle but otherwise came in good shape. Packed well in bags with extra cardboard on the outside of the box. The Induction ready bottom is sealed well and looks solid.

Missing one fitting, but emailed Phil to resolve. Shipping was quick. Overall I'm impressed with the system. The thermowell is a bit long, but I'm replacing that anyway with an RTD sensor. I think the value is great for what you get for a full 10-gallon HERMS system with all TC welded fittings and hardware included.

Pics below.

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different weld configureation.jpg


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20151220_120017.jpg


20151220_115742.jpg
 
Anyone heard from these guys lately? I have an order in for a 20 gallon kettle and some accessories in since mid December and my order still shows as new in their system and cannot get ahold of anyone via email or phone.

I ordered one up front to check out as I wanted to order 2 more of them when it arrived, but I can't wait another month.
 
djphantax said:
Anyone heard from these guys lately? I have an order in for a 20 gallon kettle and some accessories in since mid December and my order still shows as new in their system and cannot get ahold of anyone via email or phone.
Click to expand...

I received a 14 gall fermenter last month, it took a few weeks from the initial order as they were waiting for a component. I'd suggest sending an email asking for an update.

All the best.
 
So far have called, left messages, emailed, and responded to an email they sent about not completing my order.

It's like they don't want my money!
 
Communication is a big issue for them for some reason. It's been like that from the beginning.
 
Called everyday for past week and a half. No one answers the phones on any extensions. Emails are not returned.

I'm starting to think they've gone out of business and no one has announced it yet.
 
KRASHED said:
Called everyday for past week and a half. No one answers the phones on any extensions. Emails are not returned.

I'm starting to think they've gone out of business and no one has announced it yet.
Click to expand...

Par for the course. It took a long time for them to answer me even after I had made my purchase.
 
KRASHED said:
That's where I would go but the brugear stuff is on sale and the American dollar is kicking the snot out of the Canadian dollar.
Click to expand...

Very fair point. My biggest complaint with my Bru Gear is the TC port being at 12 o'clock back middle. Makes the depth required deeper for the kettle on the table if you go electric. Also can't stand the side TC ports at 9 and 3 makes it hard to keep them close together in a HERMS arrangement
 
KRASHED said:
That's where I would go but the brugear stuff is on sale and the American dollar is kicking the snot out of the Canadian dollar.
Click to expand...

A sale item is only of value when it is something you are looking for and can get it in a timely manner.

After several Bru Gear purchases and months of no-response I have given up on Bru Gear for my future needs and have been looking at the custom product from Spike Brewing, at a minimum I receive timely responses regarding custom options, pricing and lead-time.

Any product is only as good as the support behind it. When it's this poor before a sale what would you expect after you've spent the money?
 
martianpc said:
I think I will use spike if I need something in the future
Click to expand...

Ihop2many said:
A sale item is only of value when it is something you are looking for and can get it in a timely manner.

After several Bru Gear purchases and months of no-response I have given up on Bru Gear for my future needs and have been looking at the custom product from Spike Brewing, at a minimum I receive timely responses regarding custom options, pricing and lead-time.

Any product is only as good as the support behind it. When it's this poor before a sale what would you expect after you've spent the money?
Click to expand...

Exactly. If I did it over again, I'd have Spike or SS kettles.
 
Gus_13 said:
Exactly. If I did it over again, I'd have Spike or SS kettles.
Click to expand...

That's what I did... my BruGear 20G mashtun is now my HLT, and now I have Spike for my mashtun and Boil Kettles. If you want quality and customer service (or at least a company that replies back) Spike is Amazing!
 
I'll toss in Brewers Hardware as a company that delivers. They have a full time welder that does all modifications and whips up all kinds of custom stuff for customers. I've been very pleased with every thing they've done. I just recently had them make me a custom tippy dump that mounts to their kettle and the back of my rig. Real happy with the outcome.
 
We've been trying for months to receive our equipment and app for our control panel. They have put our business behind by months. Terrible customer service, highly NOT RECOMMENDED.
 
I have up and bought an Ontario sourced Mash King and I love it. From purchase to my door was 3 days.

Wish I didn't waste so much time trying to contact them.

I cannot comprehend why they would have such non existent customer service. I don't even know what their service is like because I've never gotten ahold of anyone.

Left a nasty review for others to take warning.
 
Just curious what kind of questions you guys ask that don't get answered? I emailed and had an answer in about 12 hours. Or what address are you using?
 
davidgaines said:
Just curious what kind of questions you guys ask that don't get answered? I emailed and had an answer in about 12 hours. Or what address are you using?
Click to expand...

Does it really matter what the question was? If it was for something outside their "product or service offering" a simple "we don't provide that" or "check out blah, blah, blah" would suffice. The responses in this thread illustrate a pattern of behavior that is just unacceptable when conducting business today and if you choose to ignore it, too bad, you got what you asked for. In my particular situation questions were about their capability to complete a design, which Phil initially had stated they could do using a local welder, the cost of the custom design and the lead time required.

Communication was by email (2 addresses) + phone + text + comments on website Facebook page.

I'm happy that you got your response in a timely manner, a pity that you were the exception and not the rule.

Bru-Gear had great potential and offered something unique at inception: robust kettle, induction capability and TC fittings, to the market for a reasonable cost. It's a real shame that an essential ingredient: communication, fell by the wayside. It is well documented that timely & frequent communication conquers most missteps.

Overall I'm better off due to the delays caused by the lack of service at Bru-Gear as I discovered that Spike Brewing could match the design criteria for my kettles, and they were answering queries within 12 hours, fancy that!
After a few days of finalizing design options & placement considerations I ordered 2 custom V3 kettles from Spike Brewing last Monday, received a payment confirmation, shipping estimate of 1 week :)tank:) and tracking number on Wednesday. Yes a tracking number, so I don't need to bug them about "did it ship?". I would call this forward thinking, I can check as many times as I wish to see if the shipment has left the building without disturbing their productivity.

Our brewing life cycle is too short to be waiting for equipment to arrive and questions to be answered, there are alternatives, go forth and find em.

All the best,
:mug:
 
I never got a chance to ask questions because I never got an answer to my initial question.

Apparently answering "how much is shipping to Ontario?" Was too difficult for them to comprehend.
 
Their customer service is horrible, I asked them for pictures of their rims tube kit, they said they would send them to me but never did.
When I bought a kettle from them a while back they sent me another one for free since the welds were crap, when I got the new one the welds were the same, when I complained again they offered to give me a ball valve, thermowell, and thermometer to make up for it, I agreed since I was tired of dealing with them.

I took the kettle to a local welder and he confirmed that the welds were indeed of very poor quality.

I'm over this company, buyer beware.
 
Well...reading this thread has me thinking twice but I'm in the market to upgrade my 10G BK to a 15 so I can use the 10 as my HLT. I plan on using the Therm port as a whirlpool port as I really don't need to see the temp until the very end.

As long as it gets to me, I can't really go wrong at this price for what I get right?!?

http://www.bru-gear.com/ProBoilertm-15-Gallon-Kettle-Gen-2-with-optional-customization_p_87.html

$125 for a 15G 304SS with tri-clad induction capable kettle with ball valve

If they don't ship it, I contest the charge.

Can anybody think of a good reason not to if my other option at this point would be purchasing something really crappy like this?

http://www.homebrewit.com/brewers-best-basic-16-gallon-brewing-kettle-with-ports/
 
Hannabrew said:
Well...reading this thread has me thinking twice but I'm in the market to upgrade my 10G BK to a 15 so I can use the 10 as my HLT. I plan on using the Therm port as a whirlpool port as I really don't need to see the temp until the very end.

As long as it gets to me, I can't really go wrong at this price for what I get right?!?

http://www.bru-gear.com/ProBoilertm-15-Gallon-Kettle-Gen-2-with-optional-customization_p_87.html

$125 for a 15G 304SS with tri-clad induction capable kettle with ball valve

If they don't ship it, I contest the charge.

Can anybody think of a good reason not to if my other option at this point would be purchasing something really crappy like this?

http://www.homebrewit.com/brewers-best-basic-16-gallon-brewing-kettle-with-ports/
Click to expand...

I purchased this same kettle recently (added an additional triclover ferrule for a heating element). Received a confirmation email, but no info on lead time. Over the next week, I sent 2 emails, called probably a dozen times (nobody ever answered), and left a few voicemails.

I finally received an email from them saying the welding typically takes 2 weeks from the date of order, which is today. I'm trying to decide at what point I resume the phone calls and emails to get a status update.

So, the "good reason" you were asking about would simply be the peace of mind in knowing that you will actually receive what you order. I'm frustrated by this process, but I was aware of the risk by purchasing from a less-reputable company like this.
 
Yeah I'm thinking if I do order it I will take the stock order!

I emailed them asking about shipping times for their stock 15 gallon kettle and they got back to me within 12 hours saying the following

"Yes it's all in Stock, normally fedex is 3 -4 days on their normal shipping schedules"
 
Hannabrew said:
Yeah I'm thinking if I do order it I will take the stock order!

I emailed them asking about shipping times for their stock 15 gallon kettle and they got back to me within 12 hours saying the following

"Yes it's all in Stock, normally fedex is 3 -4 days on their normal shipping schedules"
Click to expand...


Nice, I'm kinda regretting the additional ferrule. Plus, it was $90. The TC fittings just looked too sexy.

Good luck on your order, feel free to post back with your results.
 
This is my HLT that has only had water in it. This was pasteurize as instructed by bru gear. I would NOT buy anything from them even if this was the only kettle left on earth!!!! Good luck trying to get customer service to answer any questions because they don't even answer their phones!!!! Never buy anything from this company.
 
Damn...sorry to hear that 90minman. Nothing worse than not even getting that 5 minutes of glory with a new toy.

Yeah I think I'm going in another direction. Honestly the biggest detractor for me is the TC fittings. While they are technically superior, i have to buy all new stuff to get it set up the way I want vs NTP or weldless which I have plenty of spare parts to save some money.

Also they want $60 shipping...there goes the great pricing
 
Quick update on my Bru-Gear purchase (15 gallon kettle w/ 1 additional custom TC fitting).

My order was placed Feb 16, but I didn't receive any notice of when it would ship.
Finally got an email from their customer support saying custom builds usually ship after 2 weeks.
2 weeks pass, I send an email and was told that the item would definitely go out last week.
Item has not yet shipped, still haven't received a follow up as to the status.

I have called them probably 2 dozen times, left a couple voicemails, and never actually spoken to anyone. I don't think they use the phone. I have received no assurance that they are actually following up on my email requests, as it's going on 4 weeks after my order with no documented progress. Mind you, this was for 1 additional welded fitting on a vessel.

It would take an absolutely phenomenal product for me to consider recommending this company to someone else. Hopefully I'll eventually receive my item so I can post an update on how that goes.
 
morbster said:
It would take an absolutely phenomenal product for me to consider recommending this company to someone else. Hopefully I'll eventually receive my item so I can post an update on how that goes.
Click to expand...

I would call and cancel the order. Dispute it with your CC company if you have to. It baffles me why people are so willing to place orders with them when they can't deliver, or when they do, it is sub-par.
 
After being promised that my item would ship last week, I sent an email every other day this past week requesting an update. I didn't receive a response to any of them, so I have sent my official request for order cancellation. It's been over 4 weeks since I've placed my order, and I've decided spending $100 more on a different kettle is well worth avoiding any additional anxiety in the process.

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't respond to this email request, so I plan to initiate the charge back process with my credit card company on Monday.

JonW said:
I would call and cancel the order. Dispute it with your CC company if you have to.
Click to expand...

If only calling and canceling were so simple. I have probably called them 40+ times this past month (including the customer service #, technical support #, and accounts payable #) and never once had someone answer.

At least it's just a kettle and has absolutely no bearing on my happiness in life. Time for another brew :mug:
 

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