Does kettle diameter matter?

[BWE]

I just recently bought a 40qt/10gal pot from Amazon, and there are no issues with it. It has the tri layer bottom and all. I've done two brews so far in it. I was thinking about modifying it with a thermometer and ball valve and the works like you see on the Blichmanns and Megapot. I did notice though, those pots/kettles are taller and slimmer, where mine is shorter and wider. Volume is the same, they just go about it different. What is the reasoning behind this and does it really matter for beer?

 

[AnOldUR]

Taller means less surface area, so less boil-off.
Taller takes less wattage when using an electric burner.
Wider will be more efficient with a gas burner.

But in the end, if your heat source works with your pot, you're good.

 

[nicklepickles]

ive got a wider, shorter 10 gal. The only slight problem i have with it is my boiloff rate can be pretty big, due to the wider diameter. With a vigourous boil, I can lose about 1.5 gal over an hour. something to think about

 

[BWE]

ive got a wider, shorter 10 gal. The only slight problem i have with it is my boiloff rate can be pretty big, due to the wider diameter. With a vigourous boil, I can lose about 1.5 gal over an hour. something to think about

Yea, that's actually about the rate of mine. Has anyone here used the Megapot setup that Northern Brewer has? It's about 100 bucks cheeper, and has all the same features. The water level is done a different way, but other than that it seems very similar.