Good rectangular coolers for 2024

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atzemis13

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I'm looking for a decent rectangular cooler to build another mash tun. I've used a basic 48qt Coleman for years with very good results and would just buy another one, except it seems that Coleman has stopped putting the drainage hole in it. I had a bad experience in the past trying to drill out a drainage hole and cracking the plastic, resulting in a cooler that just leaked like crazy... so would prefer not to mess with that again.

Saw this one on the forums which looks great with the recessed drain, but I think it's been discontinued.

Anyone got any recommendations for something decent in the 25-50qt range? Planning to use this one exclusively for ~2.5 gallon batches so it doesn't need to be big, although I'd also be fine with a larger one.
 
Does it have to be rectangular? I use a round beverage cooler. You might try watching local classifieds for a discontinued one in good condition.
 
Saw this one on the forums which looks great with the recessed drain, but I think it's been discontinued.
That's my tun! Still going strong. ;)

I did some searches, sadly those models seem to have been discontinued. It looks like most modern day coolers don't have a drain anymore, either. :(

I had a bad experience in the past trying to drill out a drainage hole and cracking the plastic, resulting in a cooler that just leaked like crazy... so would prefer not to mess with that again.
You need to be careful when drilling through the thin plastic inner and outer shells and remove just enough foam to create a passage. To provide rigidness, you'd probably need to cement a piece of (plastic) pipe into the hole, and glue/seal it all together with expandable foam or such. Some silicone maybe needed to seal, preventing wort seeping into the foam insulation.
 
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