Correct! Don't own one. Enjoy the discussion in this thread though so I follow along. And I do try to chime in with relevant bits of info here and there not relating to what purchases people make
And yes, my opinion is there are cheaper, better options out there. But if you want to buy a GF, that's A OK. I just think some folks, myself included, can get sucked into a little group think when it appears everyone else owns one or it's the only logical option. It surely doesn't help when an article gets published to the main HBT page of the website that indicates there are only two options, one relativity expensive and the other relatively cheap.
I feel the same way about cell phones. I own a Google Nexus phone instead of the more popular brand. My opinion, it's a much better phone but it gets overlooked oftentimes. And I tend to be a plainclothes salesmen for them.
Tex, you've added valid points to this thread and I couldn't agree more on the article you noted. I wonder if newbies reading articles here might find them as their brewing dogma, I guess that's on them, it is just an internet forum. Some contain real head scratcher views.
While I do own a GF, I'm not attempting to expand the "family" rather to offer experiences, as many others here have as well. If I were to be the only one to own one, I'd be perfectly fine with that as well.
Your point on buying and building a like for less, I think doesn't fairly compare the "like" component fully. My points:
Sparge- No additional equipment required to support grain basket - e.g. pulley or hook above the boiler
- Ease of sparge, if alternative choice is a bag, it is more difficult to rinse than over a basket
Chiller- Included w/GF. Many users, myself included, find the GF's CFC to be an excellent addition
Controller- Arguably not a strong point w/GF, however it does offer what I'd consider the necessary functions, if you wish to step mash changing the temp manually at each point in time is reasonable. Given that, I may still upgrade an STC 1000 controller, after GF warranty expires, to allow for this- simple diy here on HBT (STC 1000+ by alphaomega, I already did this for my ferm chamber). A PID controller for mash is unnecessary.
Appearance- Yes, you can build one, but there is value in the all-in-one clean look of the GF, so for "like" comparison, the diy should have similar finish. Value of that is in eye of the purchaser.
As for GF downsides, I would agree with the built in heater as the primary one. If that goes some day out of warranty, you're screwed if you're not a strong diy person (myself, I'd attempt to "open her up" and see what results
). The other issue is the longer time to get up to mash temp- though I compensate with using this as prep time (water additions / grain measuring and milling). The mash to boil time is a non-issue, just set to boil while sparging and you're near 200 by end of sparge. One could also argue the pump is undersized. I've moved 5.5gal of hot wort into my fermenter at pitching temps in 15 min, so I'm a-ok with that result! Finally, at full boil you won't be able to make much over 6-7g of wort, but the buyer has to realize this upfront, right? If you can come up with a build that answers all of the above for <$800 (yes, it can be purchased for that, or lower!) than great, share it! Others who read this thread and haven't decided yet should be interested in their options, which is why you and I are here!
Cheers, and brew on my friend!
