Imposter plastic braids

[wilserbrewer]

I came across a picture of what I believe is a plastic "look a like" stainless braid. I have a suspicion that some or most of the reported problems are a result of these inferior plastic braids. See photos below:



Stainless (note the fine strands)

Plastic (note the pair of much coarser strands)

OK, Anyone out there honest enough to admit they've been fooled?

 

[masonsjax]

I had one in hand ready to purchase when I looked closer at the tag which said polymer something. I thought it felt funny. I returned it to it's shelf and since that's all that particular store had, I went elsewhere. All of the big chain stores that I checked sell mostly the imposter braids, but I found authentic SS braids at the mom & pop hardware store.

 

[ChrisKennedy]

I was lucky enough to read Denny's warning against the impostor braids shortly before buying, so I was on the lookout and did manage to find a length in the Home Depot.

I still have like 24 inches I have no use for.

 

[Rick500]

I know mine's metal. One of those strands poked into my fingertip a pretty good depth.

 

[Revvy]

one way to check is to boil some water and while it's boiling drop your braid into it...if it contracts or gets soft and "mushy" it is plastic..If it appears to deform in any way...then it ain't stainless.

if not then it is the stainless variety.

I have a couple...they stand up to the heat of our mash tons...

Mine is formned into a circle in my ton...and no matter the amount of grain and the heat of the water it doesn't "fold." That and getting your finger cut by the strands is a good indication.

 

[bradjoiner]

i just went and looked. mine is plastic looks just like the one in the picture. i get good efficency though. been using it for about six months

 

[HomebrewJeff]

One other way is to check the label. Regardless of how it looks, the label should say Braided Stainless Steel.

I believe I got the above from Lowes.

 

[Duckfoot]

I admit it... I was fooled... Only took one batch...

<-- hangs head in shame...

 

[the_bird]

One other way is to check the label. Regardless of how it looks, the label should say Braided Stainless Steel.

I believe I got the above from Lowes.

LOL; yup!

If you can't find them in the big box stores, look in two spots; they'll be with the regular plumbing parts (near the toilet replacement parts), but also the hot water heaters (these ones are bigger).

But yeah, don't overcomplicate things, don't buy something THEN put it in boiling water... READ THE FLIPPIN' LABEL!

 

[Whiskey]

The plastic ones do not "feel" right either, they feel, well, like plastic.

 

[samc]

When I made mine I remembered I had two old washer hoses from when I put on the anti leak valve hoses. Jumped for joy until I picked them up and it was pretty obvious in my case that something was amiss. Bought a stainless one but quite frankly if you are mashing in a plastic cooler, using a plastic braid does not seem like a big deal depending on what they are made out of.

 

[wilserbrewer]

...quite frankly if you are mashing in a plastic cooler, using a plastic braid does not seem like a big deal depending on what they are made out of.

It's not plastic we are afraid of, it's a stuck sparge. The preformance of a plastic braid is IMHO not too good!

 

[cellardoor]

In terms of the the big box stores:

Home Depot: The regular faucet and toilet braids WILL be plastic. They do have stainless ones available but they are the leak-guard ones which cost about double of the regular ones.

Lowes: Almost all of the supply hoses, even their basic cheapest ones are made of stainless braids. So I would recommend shopping here for the least expensive braid.

I am unsure of other places like Menards so one would have to investigate it for oneself.

 

[Whiskey]

Menards has tons of SS braided hoses, in sizes from 8" up to 36ish".

 

[mattybrews]

I have a question about the braided hoses themselves. my understanding is that they are useful as a straining device because of the close mesh of the braided steel. yet every example ive seen has an interior plastic tube that would make such a mesh irrelevant for mashing. what am i missing here?

 

[the_bird]

Well, you need to remove the interior plastic tube, which itself can be a little tricky (you gotta push instead of pull, it's stuck on there like a pair of Chinese fingercuffs).

 

[MikeG]

I have a question about the braided hoses themselves. my understanding is that they are useful as a straining device because of the close mesh of the braided steel. yet every example ive seen has an interior plastic tube that would make such a mesh irrelevant for mashing. what am i missing here?

They will collapse under the weight of the grains + water causing a stuck sparge.

I read the warning from Beerrific before I built mine warning that Home Depot carried the synthetic and Lowe's the SS braid which I carefully paid attention to. Lucky me .


EDIT: Missed the point of this post. The inner tube has to be removed. Once removed the SS braid works great as a filter. The post related to adding a tube to the inside are notched to allow wort to flow through easily. Some think they will add support to the braid and the original by FlyGuy is to help clamp the braid on the ends only. Sorry about the confusion.

 

[the_bird]

They will collapse under the weight of the grains + water causing a stuck sparge.

I read the warning from Beerrific before I built mine warning that Hope Depot carried the synthetic and Lowe's the SS braid which I carefully paid attention to. Lucky me .

Not the ones that are made out of actual stainless steel. I've never had a problem with the braid collapsing under the weight of the mash, even with big mashes, with nothing else inside supporting it.

Unless your Depot has significantly different inventory that the two that I go to, you can get a REAL SS braid there; most of them are the synthetic material, but there's absolutely a handful of real SS braids available.

 

[MikeG]

Not the ones that are made out of actual stainless steel. I've never had a problem with the braid collapsing under the weight of the mash, even with big mashes, with nothing else inside supporting it.

Unless your Depot has significantly different inventory that the two that I go to, you can get a REAL SS braid there; most of them are the synthetic material, but there's absolutely a handful of real SS braids available.

Yep, my bad. I updated my post to (hopefully) properly answer the question.