Bummer about this. I really loved my Brew Bucket and it held me over faithfully until I got my jacketed conical. Zero issues with it too.
Except this isn't like buying something from eBay or Alibaba....this is a near-premium priced product purchased from a US vendor regardless of where it is made. They should unpack and inspect every one of them. Just because the factory is '10,000 miles away' doesn't mean the product isn't ever in their custody to check quality and accuracy. These are not drop-shipped from China direct to your door. Where it is made is not an excuse in this case.
Do hope SS Brewtech paid for return shipping.
I've heard some shady practices about Brewtech from Alpha Brewing here in Lincoln, NE. Things happen, that's ok, just as long as they fix it and are genuinely interested in the problem. However I feel Brewtech customer support makes it difficult to get in contact with people.
Just because the product is "in their custody," doesn't mean that their QC will necessarily adhere to the specifications of the company contracting the fabrication. Unless the company that hired them demands 100% inspection (all units), and has that written into their contract language, the contractor will only spot check a small percentage before sending them out the door. Lots of goods go through somebody's "custody," yet many times they arrive as non-conforming goods. That is true, whether the distance is 10,000 or 10 miles. I agree, every unit should be inspected. And modern QC methods employ checks along the entire mfg process, not just a final inspection. Crappy welds, bad parts, damage, etc., should be caught in-process before it's shipped to the company. Then, the company should perform its own inspection of each unit that arrives into their inventory, before shipping it to the customer.
My point is not about "where it's made." This isn't a U.S. vs. China dichotomy. It's about the level of control a company has over the processes employed by the contract manufacturer. There are methods of monitoring contract mfrs, like ISO-9000 standards, audits, etc., but those may be out of the reach of most smaller companies. Total Quality Management requires trained eyes to watch throughout the entire process.
Just because the product is "in their custody," doesn't mean that their QC will necessarily adhere to the specifications of the company contracting the fabrication. Unless the company that hired them demands 100% inspection (all units), and has that written into their contract language, the contractor will only spot check a small percentage before sending them out the door. Lots of goods go through somebody's "custody," yet many times they arrive as non-conforming goods. That is true, whether the distance is 10,000 or 10 miles. I agree, every unit should be inspected. And modern QC methods employ checks along the entire mfg process, not just a final inspection. Crappy welds, bad parts, damage, etc., should be caught in-process before it's shipped to the company. Then, the company should perform its own inspection of each unit that arrives into their inventory, before shipping it to the customer.
My point is not about "where it's made." This isn't a U.S. vs. China dichotomy. It's about the level of control a company has over the processes employed by the contract manufacturer. There are methods of monitoring contract mfrs, like ISO-9000 standards, audits, etc., but those may be out of the reach of most smaller companies. Total Quality Management requires trained eyes to watch throughout the entire process.
IMO, this is a difference between SS Brew Tech and Spike. The rep from Spike either asked me how I wanted to proceed, or informed me before something was sent out (as replacement). The largest item that needed addressing (on my CF10 order) was the chill coils. They wanted them back, and sent me a return ship label for use. Anything else was communicated clearly and addressed quickly and easily. It's why I'm on the cusp of ordering another (this would be #3) CF10 for use here.Update on this.
Ss brewtech replied to my customer support request. This was sent a promotions box and missed by me.
I wasn't asked for more details or asked how I would like to proceed. A replacement was sent and I was asked to send the damaged one back.
Now I will have 2 fermenters to send back. Thought about just sticking with what I ordered but I don't trust the quality.
Struggling to get a decent reply. I have sent a few emails but each reply hardly responds to what I said.
As it looks now I am waiting for my replacement (that I never asked for) while I try to get the customer service to reply to me and either refund me or acknowledge what I have said.
Don't mistake my position. I'm very satisfied with the features and performance of my SS Brewtech gear. The individual items do what they're supposed to do.Just helped a dear friend cook her 1st 1 BBL batch, she has an ss fermentor and it does not have any of this problems, its just pure beauty.
Just because the product is "in their custody," doesn't mean that their QC will necessarily adhere to the specifications of the company contracting the fabrication. Unless the company that hired them demands 100% inspection (all units), and has that written into their contract language, the contractor will only spot check a small percentage before sending them out the door. Lots of goods go through somebody's "custody," yet many times they arrive as non-conforming goods. That is true, whether the distance is 10,000 or 10 miles. I agree, every unit should be inspected. And modern QC methods employ checks along the entire mfg process, not just a final inspection. Crappy welds, bad parts, damage, etc., should be caught in-process before it's shipped to the company. Then, the company should perform its own inspection of each unit that arrives into their inventory, before shipping it to the customer.
My point is not about "where it's made." This isn't a U.S. vs. China dichotomy. It's about the level of control a company has over the processes employed by the contract manufacturer. There are methods of monitoring contract mfrs, like ISO-9000 standards, audits, etc., but those may be out of the reach of most smaller companies. Total Quality Management requires trained eyes to watch throughout the entire process.
You're going to have to ask them leading questions. Something that requires "yes" or "no" answers. It sucks having to do that but sometimes people need to be prodded to give the necessary answers. You shouldn't have to do ping pong with customer support.
My LHBS is a spike dealer so I stopped by to look at the spike fermenters. Worth the hour drive to the store and back. Thinking I will just place an order with them so we all win.
We'd love to hear back on how our fermenter stacks up against the competition!
Years ago I worked for a major Oil Company.
We only used IBM computer equipment.
I got a Tape Backup that was bad. I had to send it back to be fixed. When I got it back, I tried to insert a tape cassette. The spindle was "UP" in side the machine. There was a lever on the front that controlled the spindle. I move the lever and the spindle went "Down" but now the lever blocked the entrance.
We were also having about a 30% bad out of the box issues with PS2 computers. They switched to Dell and IBM lost a major customer (1000s of PCs about every 2 years).
A bad reputation and poor product control can kill a business.
Just helped a dear friend cook her 1st 1 BBL batch, she has an ss fermentor and it does not have any of this problems, its just pure beauty.
I’m not pissed enough to send it back (I finally got a UPS driver that was willing to deliver to my neighborhood after two tries. UPS drivers are allowed to decide that they don't want to deliver to your neighborhood because it's too dangerous) but I am pissed enough to pour some gas on this fire.
This is the recirculation manifold for the infusion mash tun. Nice dent we have there. There’s also a cracked weld on the bottom and all kinds of nasty tool marks on the bottom. The packaging was in pristine condition upon arrival, so this isn’t shipping damage. They shipped this trash and charged me 54 bucks for it. That said, none of that should affect the performance of the device. I’ll try it out this weekend. Still, come on! You charge a premium price, you need to deliver a premium product.
I think I’m done with SSbrewtech.View attachment 740133
Okay I need some honest advice. Second one arrived today. It's marginally better. At least the chilling coil arrived attached so no damage.
But am I being overly sensitive to the quality of welds and final finish? I will save the long story and me with awful grammar trying to explain it all once more. If I am being too picky let me know, it's hard to not become so emotionally invested in something so expensive.
I think the fermenters sit outside at one point or another before final packing. This thing is filthy and it arrived with some bird poop free of charge.
I added a picture of the blow off cane. I had the old fermenter mocked up and out in the living room. Every day I would see how crooked it was welded and driving myself mad I had to share.
This was my issue, and also my solution. The first purchase was an Ss Brew Bucket. No problems with fit/finish, etc. Followed 6-8 months later with a Chronical. Good but not great fit/finish, nothing but cosmetic 'gripes' that were taken care of with BKF and elbow grease. A year later, the Unitank (delivered late summer before Covid) had an "iffy" weld of one of the legs, the transfer port wasn't centered between the legs, the neoprene jacket didn't fit evenly over the ports or support legs, the logo wasn't centered on the front of the unit but didn't matter since it's covered by the jacket. All those issues are related to a crappy job attaching the legs to the tank itself. That reflects on the fabricator in China, but ultimately rests with the marketer SsBT.I see some crappy but probably sufficient welds outside but I'm not seeing anything inside in your pictures. If this is the vessel you want would probably accept it and move on. Scrub the hell out of it with BKF paste and a soft cloth, rinse, passivate, sanitize, brew. If you have buyer's remorse return it but I wouldn't argue to much if they say return shipping on this one is on your dime.
Addendum:This was my issue, and also my solution. The first purchase was an Ss Brew Bucket. No problems with fit/finish, etc. Followed 6-8 months later with a Chronical. Good but not great fit/finish, nothing but cosmetic 'gripes' that were taken care of with BKF and elbow grease. A year later, the Unitank (delivered late summer before Covid) had an "iffy" weld of one of the legs, the transfer port wasn't centered between the legs, the neoprene jacket didn't fit evenly over the ports or support legs, the logo wasn't centered on the front of the unit but didn't matter since it's covered by the jacket. All those issues are related to a crappy job attaching the legs to the tank itself. That reflects on the fabricator in China, but ultimately rests with the marketer SsBT.
With all that said, is it a functional unit? Absolutely. Am I happy with my purchase? Yes and no. On the one hand it does everything I want it to do in exactly the way I want it to perform. The design of the unit is superior, and I have no issues with any of the sub components (valves, fittings, etc).
My complaints are with the offshore fabricator and the domestic QC. For the most part these concerns are either cosmetic of were correctable. The disappointment is that they existed in the first place.
I have a glycol chiller as well, which I got second hand, and mine looked and performed great.Addendum:
I added an SsBT glycol chiller to the mix of toys over a year ago and it looks and has performed flawlessly. Different supply chain I'd presume than their tanks.
My thoughts exactly. I hate to admit it, but bling is a large part of the purchase decision, and SsBT is pretty high in the Bling Quotient. I like their design and engineering as well, but their fabrication and production could use some work. They are responsive to questions and concerns which is a strong positive, so there's that.I've had a few issues with SSBrewtech stuff, but they have always been very accommodating and helpful when I reached out. I hate not being able to talk on the phone with anyone, but it is what it is, and I've had pleasant experiences emailing back and forth.
They usually have very high quality equipment, but it's over priced for what it is. But I like shiny glowing things so I've stuck with SSBrewtech. I have 3 7 gallon brewmaster brew buckets, 1/5 HP glycol chiller and their 15 gallon kettle. Looking at the keg washer soon. That being said, if I was starting from scratch today, I would probably go with a different company...
You'll still be able to use most if not all of your SsBT accessories on a Spike tank, certainly all the TC fittings except for 2" ports on the lower dump of the Spike tanks IIRC. I think in the end you'd like the SS Unitank (I really like mine). But I totally get the concerns with QC at Ss.Well this thread pushed me over the edge. I've been wanting a Unitank for long time now and the logical path was to upgrade one of my SSBT Chronicals to a Unitank since most of the accessories would transfer over. These types of threads on SSBT gear have become all-too common. Just not worth the hassle so I'm moving to Spike.
Got the same email. Supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressure I suppose. No real surprise. It's not just components and offshore fabricators. I've been waiting for a Stainless Steel JaDaHydra chiller since their stainless supplier hasn't been able to meet demand.9And now, September 16, 2021, just to rub "salt in the wound"
"Due to the ever-increasing cost of raw materials and a dramatic increase in shipping rates, we will be adjusting the price of specific product lines listed in the link above, as well as some accessories, on October 1st.
We appreciate you all and your support of the brewing industry as a whole during the trying past year. As such, we wanted to give you some notice prior to the price adjustment, so all orders placed by midnight September 30th will be honored at current (lower) pricing.
Cheers and Happy Brewing
The Ss Brewtech Team"
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