Picobrew Z

[Mike Howard]

The latest update said something about moving the updates to Mondays....hopefully they produce some information with actual substance. I couldn't care less about bio's....I know all I need to know in that deptartment.

 

[Lax coach]

The latest update said something about moving the updates to Mondays....hopefully they produce some information with actual substance. I couldn't care less about bio's....I know all I need to know in that deptartment.

I must have missed that one then. My last update "Putting all Z Pieces Together", Friday Oct 19, said this:

Have a great weekend, and we’ll be back in your inbox next Friday!

 

[Mike Howard]

They posted it on their Twitter account....

 

[Mike Howard]

By the way, their email marketing site is here

 

[Lax coach]

They posted it on their Twitter account....

Got it. I'm probably one of the few 25-year veterans of IT that doesn't do any social media, so I totally missed it.

 

[Trevor Mack]

I also haven't gotten email from them since October... Someone really screwed up their updates. I've mentioned this via Twitter to them... Though they never actually confirmed it.

Also have an email thread I've been complaining about a bunch of their marketing obviously not getting very far. I'm super close to just pulling the plug on this one and ask for money back though not sure how long they would take to fulfill.

That said still no update on their marketing site either.... Maybe they will come out saying they are moving updates back to friday

 

[Mike Howard]

Yea, it appears as though they can't even get the updates out on time, let alone the actual Z's. Gotta make you wonder. But heck, we already knew they over-promise and under-deliver and this has become the norm from them...no sense in waiting anxiously for the update...it'll eventually come out with some excuse about how busy they are....

I was kinda hoping they would update us on a few more internals, as I'm very interested in the wort distribution system.

 

[Gut Pile]

I think my banning was specific to complaining about the spam volume I used to get from them. I actually emailed support and said "Knock it the F off already". Now its silence on the Z. My guess is they are well into next year for the Z. For the poor moron who bought a Z4 thinking he could run a hipster nano pub with it? You aren't going to see that for a while. But hey its only money right?

 

[Thorrak]

I think my banning was specific to complaining about the spam volume I used to get from them. I actually emailed support and said "Knock it the F off already".

If I had to guess, if you actually said those words, that's probably why you got banned. If I was running a company and someone started cursing at my employees I'd probably react similarly.

My guess is they are well into next year for the Z. For the poor moron who bought a Z4 thinking he could run a hipster nano pub with it? You aren't going to see that for a while. But hey its only money right?

If you were seriously interested in trying to open a hipster nano pub, I honestly don't know why you'd go for the Z4. There are better, cheaper systems for brewing 10 gallons at a time - that can be purchased and delivered today. PicoBrew's niche is with the smaller batch sizes - which is why I've got a Z1 on preorder.

I was kinda hoping they would update us on a few more internals, as I'm very interested in the wort distribution system.

I actually brought this up with the PicoBrew reps at GABF. I was glad they had one of the current iterations of the Z step filters there to play with as cleaning/step filter cracking was why I was frustrated with my Zymatic, but was disappointed that they haven't sent emails with concrete details on exactly what they're doing to fix flaws with the original Zymatic design.

 

[Anyhowe]

If I had to guess, if you actually said those words, that's probably why you got banned. If I was running a company and someone started cursing at my employees I'd probably react similarly.



If you were seriously interested in trying to open a hipster nano pub, I honestly don't know why you'd go for the Z4. There are better, cheaper systems for brewing 10 gallons at a time - that can be purchased and delivered today. PicoBrew's niche is with the smaller batch sizes - which is why I've got a Z1 on preorder.



I actually brought this up with the PicoBrew reps at GABF. I was glad they had one of the current iterations of the Z step filters there to play with as cleaning/step filter cracking was why I was frustrated with my Zymatic, but was disappointed that they haven't sent emails with concrete details on exactly what they're doing to fix flaws with the original Zymatic design.

Haha, there are a few idiots on this thread that apparently you are responding to. I am just guessing because I have ignored their content as to why everything PICO is a national disaster and why they are maybe the worst kickstarter that ever existed; no matter what they do.. Simply said it is not worth it. Most credible folks (like those that are actually testing the new Z) have left this thread as a result.

I too would like more relative info. That said I am down with an upgrade of evolutionary improvements as I am with most every technical piece of equipment i own. Until then my Z is going strong. But what is that strange sound when the arm is moving...

FWIW I had a weird issue with one of my several year old KegSmarts. Between Kevin and Doug I had a new one on my doorstep in short order.

 

[Mike Howard]

Folks that ignore posts, report posts and block users are generally not fit for public conversation, since they can't handle others opinions...If you are blocking content, I don't know why you would hang around in this thread...that being said Picobrew generally does a very decent job at making a disaster of it themselves.

It's really very simple. Do what you say you are going to do. If you miss the mark, make up for it. Everyone on here just wants to know what's going on with their investment money and when can they expect a product? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to project out a timeline on when you might see a product reach the market. It happens every day in nearly every company. Product/Project forecasting is a daily occurrence, not sure why Pico can't handle it.

If you say you are going to give weekly updates, give weekly updates. If you say you are going to introduce product internals, do it. If you say you are going to produce a product better than the last, then show folks how you upgraded. I'm not sure why anyone would defend a company that fails to do what they say?

 

[Trevor Mack]

Update posted... https://us11.campaign-archive.com/?u=007d0e755e5300f5291fa2a6e&id=d31358ef5f

I'll let you judge if there is any weight behind this post given the extra week to get it out.

 

[Brewfreedom]

Update posted... https://us11.campaign-archive.com/?u=007d0e755e5300f5291fa2a6e&id=d31358ef5f

I'll let you judge if there is any weight behind this post given the extra week to get it out.

Good for them if they are finally delivering.

 

[Trevor Mack]

Sounds like a few more beta units have been produced and out for delivery, probably the 7 or so in a previous "production assembly line" photo shared. Nothing to say that these aren't similar beta units to PBN individuals that got reached out to explicitly for testing early stage versions of the Z1 line. Hope their experiences help to make ours better.

 

[Anyhowe]

Sounds like a few more beta units have been produced and out for delivery, probably the 7 or so in a previous "production assembly line" photo shared. Nothing to say that these aren't similar beta units to PBN individuals that got reached out to explicitly for testing early stage versions of the Z1 line. Hope their experiences help to make ours better.

I would expect so. It would be nice to hear the incremental changes, but it’s not a deal breaker for me.

 

[Mike Howard]

Deal breakers usually don't occur for employees....

 

[passedpawn]

Buttheads also tend to Report a lot of posts....

You are becoming a nuisance. Check yourself, or be checked, your choice.

 

[passedpawn]

Haha, there are a few idiots on this thread

Cut that out. I have a short fuse for that kind of talk. That goes for everyone on this thread. I don't care who did what before.

 

[Lax coach]

Another week, another missed update (and not much of an update 2 weeks ago). Just cancelled my Z2 order, waiting for confirmation. My order was relatively early, think I qualified for all the freebies except the custom keg koozie.

I'm 90% likely going with a Brew Boss 15 gallon COFI, but am also considering the Grounded Brewtech BIABasket, or custom Spike kettles and a controller.

I'm going to keep following the thread, because I am still curious to see what the final product looks like, and what folks think of it. I just don't want to wager my own money on it anymore

 

[Conodor]

The lack of updates is the part i'm concerned most with. I understand parts are delayed, design changes and high expectations. But when you can't give an update, that gives the customer the impression there is no progress.

From the point, the "1st one shipped" there has been almost no information. That makes me feel something really went wrong.

 

[gamerc]

To whom did you send your cancellation notification/request?

 

[Brewfreedom]

Another week, another missed update (and not much of an update 2 weeks ago). Just cancelled my Z2 order, waiting for confirmation. My order was relatively early, think I qualified for all the freebies except the custom keg koozie.

I'm 90% likely going with a Brew Boss 15 gallon COFI, but am also considering the Grounded Brewtech BIABasket, or custom Spike kettles and a controller.

I'm going to keep following the thread, because I am still curious to see what the final product looks like, and what folks think of it. I just don't want to wager my own money on it anymore

For $2800 you can get yourself the full blown spike+ 20 gallon As a custome kettle order (and triclamps/valves plumbing in that price) minus the controller and pumps. Use hose head or grounded brewing’s controller for $500-$1000 and throw in 2 $100 pumps for a full blown eherms. That’s more automated than a z4 and z2. Good luck cleaning all those step filters!

 

[Lax coach]

To whom did you send your cancellation notification/request?

I opened a case under "question about an existing order". No response yet, but historically they typically take a day or so.

For $2800 you can get yourself the full blown spike+ 20 gallon As a custome kettle order (and triclamps/valves plumbing in that price) minus the controller and pumps. Use hose head or grounded brewing’s controller for $500-$1000 and throw in 2 $100 pumps for a full blown eherms. That’s more automated than a z4 and z2. Good luck cleaning all those step filters!

I'm pretty sure I don't want a 3-vessel, and I'm definitely not looking to spend four grand. A fully kitted-out Brew Boss will run about $2k, Grounded BIAB would be a few hundred cheaper. Alternatively I'd look at doing a 2-vessel RIMS or K-RIMS setup, possibly with an Auber Cube2.

 

[Brewfreedom]

I opened a case under "question about an existing order". No response yet, but historically they typically take a day or so.



I'm pretty sure I don't want a 3-vessel, and I'm definitely not looking to spend four grand. A fully kitted-out Brew Boss will run about $2k, Grounded BIAB would be a few hundred cheaper. Alternatively I'd look at doing a 2-vessel RIMS or K-RIMS setup, possibly with an Auber Cube2.

Just a comparison of how utterly out of whack the pricing is on the larger z’s. Can go full retard cheaper than the preorder on the bigger z. Either way you are saving cash and getting a better system.

 

[Conodor]

I'd like to hear how the refund goes. Please post any updates. If no new updates come from pico on the Z, I will probably cancel my Z2 and Still order. It's been long enough.

 

[jcaiola]

I received a prompt refund - despite them offering me some things to sweeten the pot and my saying okay, let me think about it. So, I am now refunded.

 

[Lax coach]

I received a prompt refund - despite them offering me some things to sweeten the pot and my saying okay, let me think about it. So, I am now refunded.

Can you share what route you took to request the refund, and how long it took? I chose my timing because the 5-10 day estimate I've heard would have my money back in my pocket before a potential BF sale at Brew Boss, and I want to make sure I don't miss that target.

 

[Mike Howard]

Just email [email protected] and reference your sales order number, which you can find on the Picobrew web site once you log in. Just look in the upper right corner for your username, select the arrow to expand the drop down and select Orders.

 

[Gut Pile]

I wonder why they decided to go dark on the updates?

 

[Lax coach]

I wonder why they decided to go dark on the updates?

I don't know, but that's what's gotten to me, and ultimately led me to cancel my order (twice now, we'll see if the web ticket or the email to sales@ gets responded to first).

To digress for a minute, I ordered a skateboard with brakes for my son in its design phase, and it was delivered well over a year after initially promised. But they sent regular updates about where they were with tooling, how the initial pre-production units generated too much heat and could wear out the bearings prematurely, so they had to redesign the brakes and go back to manufacturing, etc. Throughout the extended process I felt I had a decent idea of what was going on and why they weren't hitting their dates. So informed, I chose to be ok with that. The final product was really cool, even if my son is still too scared of falling off to actually use it

The difference here is that we have a defined schedule for updates that Pico has committed to and is not delivering. That's very different than not hitting the release date for a complex mechanical product. Sending an email costs nothing, and the production lead time is very short. Worse, most of the updates are fluff. I'm ok with the units being late--I'm sure there are good reasons--but talk to me. What problems have you run into, and how are you solving them? How many early production units are in the wild, and what's the feedback? Good and bad. What things still need tweaking? When does the next batch of pilot units go out? How many iterations do you expect the pilot period to be? If the pilot goes well, what is the earliest potential shipping date? If it doesn't, how much will that extend the timeline? How fast will production ramp up once everything is squared away?

If they choose not to share any of these things--and it's admittedly unreasonable to expect them to share them all--the logical conclusion is that they either don't have any idea, or are afraid of what the reaction will be when they make that information public. Neither of those possibilities gives me the warm and fuzzies.

As it stands, the last update that contained any substance whatsoever was October 12th, when they talked a little bit about their testing process. That was over a month ago, and they've only had two "employee profile" emails since then, one of which also mentioned sous vide. That's great. I can do sous vide in my current Pico. Or my instant pot. Or in a home depot bucket with a $100-150 accessory. I spent $2600 on this thing because I want to brew beer. Tell me how that's going.