My Experience with SS Brewtech

[Broken Crow]

If I remember my metallurgy course from eons ago, I think that a bad weld on ss can bring iron to the surface. Once it's there, it's there to stay, as @SpikeBrewing pointed out upthread. Removing the oxidation just means there's still exposed iron to rust again and again.

Yup... I can't remember the exact temperature, but Stainless steel ceases to be stainless when you weld it and must be passivated. That's why the only real cure is to grind it all out and passivate. That nice shiny finish we see is simply polished oxidized chromium with a very stable molecular bond that will not allow futher penetration of O2. The off-angle TC bung is yet another bit of major welding incompetence.

 

[ninkwood]

Yup... I can't remember the exact temperature, but Stainless steel ceases to be stainless when you weld it and must be passivated. That's why the only real cure is to grind it all out and passivate. That nice shiny finish we see is simply polished oxidized chromium with a very stable molecular bond that will not allow futher penetration of O2. The off-angle TC bung is yet another bit of major welding incompetence.

I'll just leave this here as well...

I might have unrealistic expectations, and I might be highly tuned to details... But that's also why I spend $1200 on a couple pots

 

[Bassman2003]

 

[sibelman]

The most disturbing thing in all this is the duck-and-cover, blame-the-shipper/customer(!?) responses from the manufacturer. How a company responds when things go wrong tells me the most about them.

 

[ninkwood]

The most disturbing thing in all this is the duck-and-cover, blame-the-shipper/customer(!?) responses from the manufacturer. How a company responds when things go wrong tells me the most about them.

To be fair, they haven't really done that in this case. Or atleast not outright... They did suggest that I installed the ball valve incorrectly (which is obviously false) and suggest the bottom may have been damaged in shipping. So they are definitely deflecting, but they still also stand behind their products. OBK has been especially helpful. They reply to my emails within the hr assuming it's business hrs and they've made it clear that I can receive an exchange and if the problem persists a refund after that, all at their expense. That alone gives me a ton of confidence to order blind online from them again in the future

 

[Broothru]

The sentiment seems pretty clear that 1) SSBT makes quality gear and 2) what I recieved from them in this case is the exception not the rule, and should be replaced.

I really appreciate all this feedback. It's made deciding to give SSBT another shot the clear choice. The fact remains that I love the features of these products, and they'd probably still work great for me in their current condition. However, it would cost money and many hours to correct some of these issues that can be corrected, and I'd still have some others. That just ain't right to me considering the price I paid.

My thanks to all of you!

I agree that the features and fixtures offered by SSBT are among the most innovative, but often the kettles themselves are fabricated off-shore (China, perhaps?) and sometimes get shipped to U.S. as “good enough”. The other innovator is Spike. I’ve got a number of their products and they’re top notch, though I don’t have one of their kettles and can’t speak to their quality.

 

[sibelman]

OBK has been especially helpful.

Yes, the reseller comes off quite well in this story. Given the overall picture, an almost immediate offer of replacement would have been appropriate. It sounds like you're gonna be okay.

 

[sibelman]

btw, Spike welds beautifully.

 

[ninkwood]

btw, Spike welds beautifully.

I've learned through this process that they're the no nonsense option.

I'm a sucker for features and I love 4 things about the SSBT units I bought.

1) tangential whirlpool port
2) domed bottom on the kettle
3) insulated stainless steel mash tun
4) centre drainage on the mash tun

I also liked that the SSBT stuff came without the things I don't want like a thermometer on the kettle.

If round two goes south I'll consider Spike. But I'd have to go without all of the above.

 

[sibelman]

I've learned through this process that they're the no nonsense option.

I'm a sucker for features and I love 4 things about the SSBT units I bought.

1) tangential whirlpool port
2) domed bottom on the kettle
3) insulated stainless steel mash tun
4) centre drainage on the mash tun

I also liked that the SSBT stuff came without the things I don't want like a thermometer on the kettle.

If round two goes south I'll consider Spike. But I'd have to go without all of the above.

I'm not trying to sell you on Spike; I was just admiring their work while cleaning my fermenter.

You could use the InfuSsion tun and any desirable kettle: no rule against mix and match. Probably no need though. Chances are good that you'll get fine replacements and brew happily with them for many years.

 

[bike2brew]

The most disturbing thing in all this is the duck-and-cover, blame-the-shipper/customer(!?) responses from the manufacturer. How a company responds when things go wrong tells me the most about them.

Everything I have purchased from SSBT has been direct from them. Just to be on safe side given the expense.

 

[ninkwood]

I thought I'd update this thread and report the resolution I received from OBK related to these kettles. I ended up deciding that I'd rather take a refund and start over with another manufacturer. OBK then decided to offer me a discount to keep the flawed products I'd originally received. I've decided that their offer was more than fair given the circumstances, and agreed to take it.

I'll have a bit of tinkering to do on these to fix some of the damage, and I'll be living with a few misaligned ports. But all in all, I think it worked out as well as it could have given the circumstances.