Looking for opinions on burners (Darkstar, Darkstar 2.0, SQ14)

[JRBeer]

I recently bought a large lot of brewing equipment off craigslist to replace the junk I had. It came with a brand new original darkstar burner. I had planned on buying a darkstar 2.0 or Bayou Classic SQ14 before this purchase. The original darkstar doesn't have a banjo burner. Is it worth it to get something different that has a banjo burner?

Would you sell the original darstar burner and get the darkstar 2.0 or the SQ14?

Also, if if matters I have a 10 gallon megapot and I brew 3 or 5 gallon batches depending on what I'm making.

Thanks everyone!

 

[oujens]

I got the KAB4 on Amazon prime for $90. It is awesome. I think it would work great with your megapot and you would be very happy with it.

Edit: it's worth mentioning some paint will burn off the frame the first few batches but afterwards it's fine. Heats up very quickly.

 

[mongoose33]

I have a burner that is supposed to produce 54K BTUs. It's enough to boil a 5-gallon batch (starting with about 6.75 gallons), but it's not as fast as I'd like.

I'm in the market for a higher BTU burner. A banjo burner will double or triple the output, which I'm quite interested in doing.

Look at BTUs.

 

[divrguy]

I have the 14" banjo and I love it. The one thing I had to do is change the regulator as the original one would not allow a fine adjustment for the flame.

 

[flanken]

I got the KAB4 on Amazon prime for $90. It is awesome. I think it would work great with your megapot and you would be very happy with it.

Edit: it's worth mentioning some paint will burn off the frame the first few batches but afterwards it's fine. Heats up very quickly.

How does the KAB4 compare to the Blichmann floor standing burner?

I've been looking at that but if I can save $50 and get something comparable that would be nice...

 

[oujens]

How does the KAB4 compare to the Blichmann floor standing burner?

I've been looking at that but if I can save $50 and get something comparable that would be nice...

Never used a blichmann, but uses the same burned. Blichmann offers a stainless steel gram and leg extensions, but I don't know if there is another difference. Seems to be the same burner. The KAB4 looks like it might have been redesigned in the past few years to close the gap between the frame and wind screen. At least that is what it appears in my research. This might make it a better burner today. Brulosopher had a nice article on these burners plus converting them to natural gas. I haven't used propane yet but on natural gas they are awesome, and I'm sure the same is true on propane. I don't think anyone would be disappointed outside the paint burning off the first few batches.

 

[flanken]

Never used a blichmann, but uses the same burned. Blichmann offers a stainless steel gram and leg extensions, but I don't know if there is another difference. Seems to be the same burner. The KAB4 looks like it might have been redesigned in the past few years to close the gap between the frame and wind screen. At least that is what it appears in my research. This might make it a better burner today. Brulosopher had a nice article on these burners plus converting them to natural gas. I haven't used propane yet but on natural gas they are awesome, and I'm sure the same is true on propane. I don't think anyone would be disappointed outside the paint burning off the first few batches.

The distance from burner to frame was the first thing I noticed... My current burner is embarrassing and sounds like a jet engine, it's crooked and my kettle doesn't sit as flush as i would like it to. Plus I need a windscreen.

I need to upgrade soon

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

I have the darkstar 2.0, I had a burner that was the same style as the original dark star. I don't have experience with the other burners you have listed.

Comparing the 2.0 with its banjo burner vs. whatever those little junky burners are called on the original dark star. The 2.0 with the banjo burner is fantastic, its easily much much faster. The only thing I need to do is add better/more wind screening so it burns hotter in windy conditions. The frame is really nice and sturdy and doesn't flex/move around with heavy weight on it.

So I cannot comment on the other two you mentioned, but I can say that selling your old one to get one of the 3 upgrades you mentioned is a really good idea (simply for fuel efficiency and brew day time efficiency). My purchase was an impulse purchase, went to northern brewer with the intent to buy 40-50 dollars of ingredients, SWMBO saw the 2.0 was on sale and suggested I get a new burner (best SWMBO ever).

 

[eadavis80]

My original Darkstar has successfully worked for 40+ 6 pre-boil gallon batches. I'm happy with it and have no plans to "upgrade" my burner any time soon. It takes me about 25 minutes to get 6 gallons to a boil. It's a little loud, but I don't care. I got it on a NB promo.

 

[JRBeer]

I have the darkstar 2.0, I had a burner that was the same style as the original dark star. I don't have experience with the other burners you have listed.

Comparing the 2.0 with its banjo burner vs. whatever those little junky burners are called on the original dark star. The 2.0 with the banjo burner is fantastic, its easily much much faster. The only thing I need to do is add better/more wind screening so it burns hotter in windy conditions. The frame is really nice and sturdy and doesn't flex/move around with heavy weight on it.

So I cannot comment on the other two you mentioned, but I can say that selling your old one to get one of the 3 upgrades you mentioned is a really good idea (simply for fuel efficiency and brew day time efficiency). My purchase was an impulse purchase, went to northern brewer with the intent to buy 40-50 dollars of ingredients, SWMBO saw the 2.0 was on sale and suggested I get a new burner (best SWMBO ever).

This is really good input. Thanks! I'm glad your SWMBO is on the same page as mine!

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

There's really only about 4 different propane burners out there, and then the regulators, stands, shields, and branding that go with them.

The KAB4 and the blichman are the same burner, just different stands and shields. The biggest and the best and the most expensive.

I have the SQ14, which is a smaller 'banjo' burner, which is the same burner on the Darkstar 2.0. I like it, and takes 15-20 minutes to heat my strike water.

The original darkstar and the SP10 are a different kind of burner. Jet style might be the term? They are louder and they get the job done. My first burner was that style. I got a new one because my kettle didn't fit on my old one, and I like to listen to music while I brew without blowing out my ears.

I've also seen jet-style burners like you see in chinese restaurants. Single big flame, very loud, and very impressive looking. Not sure how well these do in brewing.

Hope that helps.

 

[JRBeer]

There's really only about 4 different propane burners out there, and then the regulators, stands, shields, and branding that go with them.

The KAB4 and the blichman are the same burner, just different stands and shields. The biggest and the best and the most expensive.

I have the SQ14, which is a smaller 'banjo' burner, which is the same burner on the Darkstar 2.0. I like it, and takes 15-20 minutes to heat my strike water.

The original darkstar and the SP10 are a different kind of burner. Jet style might be the term? They are louder and they get the job done. My first burner was that style. I got a new one because my kettle didn't fit on my old one, and I like to listen to music while I brew without blowing out my ears.

I've also seen jet-style burners like you see in chinese restaurants. Single big flame, very loud, and very impressive looking. Not sure how well these do in brewing.

Hope that helps.

I work an odd shift and sometimes start brewing as early as 5:30am so I think I am going to go with the Darkstar 2.0 as to not annoy my upstairs neighbor. I can just sell my original Darkstar on craigslist.

 

[Sadu]

I got a 4-ring LPG banjo burner, rated at 95,000 BTUs.

I was pretty disappointed at how long it took to reach boiling with a 40 litre batch. It took a LOT longer than heating a 23 litre batch on the stove. Should be great for a 23 litre batch though.

That said this was my first go with it and there were some yellow flames which aren't ideal, I'm sure it can be fine tuned and adjusted for better performance / efficiency.

 

[ChemErik]

I own a Darkstar 2.0. I brew mostly 5 gallon batches, but occasionally do 3 gallon batches of bigger beers. This burner has just enough turn down to control the boil on the smaller batches. It seems ideal on the 5 gallon batches. I'd even use it for a 10 gallon batch, but it wouldn't be fast for that volume. It is very efficient and the stand is sturdy. A big upgrade from a jet style burner and if you're looking to upgrade a good value. Only reason I could see for getting anything more pricey is if I brewed 10 gallon batches on a regular basis.

 

[JRBeer]

I own a Darkstar 2.0. I brew mostly 5 gallon batches, but occasionally do 3 gallon batches of bigger beers. This burner has just enough turn down to control the boil on the smaller batches. It seems ideal on the 5 gallon batches. I'd even use it for a 10 gallon batch, but it wouldn't be fast for that volume. It is very efficient and the stand is sturdy. A big upgrade from a jet style burner and if you're looking to upgrade a good value. Only reason I could see for getting anything more pricey is if I brewed 10 gallon batches on a regular basis.

I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to making 3 gallon batches of bigger beers. It is sounding more and more like the darkstar 2.0 is the right choice. Thanks for your input!!

 

[beerlover77]

I just bought this burner but haven't had the chance to brew with it yet:
http://www.anvilbrewing.com/High-Performance-Burner-p/anv-burner.htm

 

[BrewerBrad82]

I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to making 3 gallon batches of bigger beers. It is sounding more and more like the darkstar 2.0 is the right choice. Thanks for your input!!

Looks like now is the time to get a Darkstar 2.0, I got an email that Northern Brewer is offering 20% off a single item. That puts the burner at ~$45.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/promotional-categories/take-20-off-a-single-item

 

[JRBeer]

Looks like now is the time to get a Darkstar 2.0, I got an email that Northern Brewer is offering 20% off a single item. That puts the burner at ~$45.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/promotional-categories/take-20-off-a-single-item

I actually ordered one from Midwest supplies with some other stuff I needed and got a free big mouth bubbler, so it worked out well anyway!

 

[DuckBrown]

I had a terrible experience with a DarkStar - no matter how I adjusted it, it always left lots of black char on my kettle. This was a huge pain to clean up.

I upgraded to the Bru Burner, which initially gave me problems with the flame going back into the Venturi tube. I've mostly fixed this by replacing the cheap propane tube and with a braided steel one.

 

[day_trippr]

I had a terrible experience with a DarkStar - no matter how I adjusted it, it always left lots of black char on my kettle. This was a huge pain to clean up.[...]

The company eventually conceded the 1.0 version was fitted with the wrong burner.
If you still have it you might be able to get it upgraded...

Cheers!