Stir Plate's to get/avoid?

[andy6026]

I did a job for a friend of mine, and he wants to send me a 'thank you' gift in the $100 range. He's asking me what I could use.

I've been thinking of making my own stir plate, but this is an opportunity to have something ready made and not worry about it.

Are there any stir plates that anyone recommends getting, or just as importantly, are there any that you recommend avoiding? I'll also have to get a flask and stir bar, of course. I was thinking of both a 1000 and 2000 ml flask.
Are there any non-intuitive peculiarities I ought to know to make me a better shopper and more satisfied with what I get?

Alternatively I could still just build my own. If you've built your own and think I may be wasting this $100 gesture unnecessarily, then by all means speak up.

Thanks very much!

 

[Airplanedoc]

I really like my stirstarter

http://www.homebrewing.org/The-Stirstarter-Yeast-Stir-Plate-_p_1306.html

 

[Raven1469]

+1 on the Stirstarter! Lifetime warranty as well.

 

[hunter_le five]

+1 on the StirStarter. I bought mine directly from Dan (the builder) last February via his website, but it looks like he's only selling through distributors now.

I haven't exactly been gentle with mine, and it's held up really well for over a year now. For the price, it's really hard to beat.

 

[beergolf]

Another vote for Stirstarter. Mine has seen a lot of use and works great.

I got both the 1000 and 2000 ml flasks. I must say I rarely use the 1000. I use it occasionally if I am growing up some yeast from bottle dregs. Otherwise I normally use the 2000.

 

[beernbourbon]

Yup, Stirstarter..... never had an issue with mine, makes GREAT starters.
Only thing....unfortunately, no, it's not a lifetime warranty, only a year, but most electronics, that's what you have.

 

[Dan]

Another plug for Stirstarter. I bought mine a year or so ago off Dan when he sold on Ebay. Lifetime warranty at the time now only looks like a year.

 

[hunter_le five]

Yup, Stirstarter..... never had an issue with mine, makes GREAT starters.
Only thing....unfortunately, no, it's not a lifetime warranty, only a year, but most electronics, that's what you have.

Straight from the horse's, er, I mean Dan's mouth:

This product comes with a lifetime repair or replacement warranty. Simply put, if The StirStarter fails to perform for ANY reason, return it to me and I will repair or replace it at no charge. Customer satisfaction and great beer are my goals!

 

[illinoisbrassman]

Another vote for stir starter, I also got mine direct, but have no problem buying from adventures in homebrew

 

[audiophool]

I made my own, but if I had bought all the parts instead of using what I had in my electronics stash it would have cost almost as much as a Stirstarter. That looks like a good deal if people are happy with it.

I have a 1000 ml Erlenmeyer and would never use if it I had a 2000 ml one.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I DIY'd mine and I'm happy with it, had everything but the PWM controller around the house. The only thing I'm not too fond of with the stir starter is how small it is, a 2L flask sits over the edge quite a bit. That's why I made mine out of a cigar box, lots of room.

 

[illinoisbrassman]

I have a 2000ml flask, its a great size, have your friend spend the extra money for the upgrade

 

[dk21]

I have both the Stir Starter and it's big brother, the Stir Starter 5l. Both work great.

 

[andy6026]

Thanks to everyone that chipped in. I heard today that my friend has decided to opt for a different gift entirely - something rather unmentionable.

So I decided to go to town shopping today for components to build my own. I'm $19 into the process... I have a box, a fan, a power supply, and the magnets. I'm going to have to settle for one that is either on or off, as I could not locate any suitable component to regulate the fan speed. I've started to assemble it and should finish tomorrow.

I'm excited to see if I notice a difference in the final results when I start using it. I'm thinking I likely won't, but it's fun to build things in this hobby anyways.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

The problem with no speed adjustment is that if it spins too fast it will throw the bar and be useless. Order a 12v LED dimmer off amazon and be done with it. You won't even need tape or wire nuts...

 

[andy6026]

The AC adapter I got is 12v 200mA, for $5, and when I put the magnet on it doesn't appear to spin too fast (although I won't really know until I try it properly with a stir bar in a filled vessel. If it turns out to be too fast I can always add a speed regulator in the future. It's not the sexiest looking unit either, but I'll get it functional before I worry about that. If I fail miserably I'll order the one everyone is suggesting, as it's cheaper than I expected to shell out anyways.

Thanks again everyone! You've all given me a very definitive plan B.

 

[hunter_le five]

I would highly recommend adding the dimmer. It's important to get the speed of the stir bar spin just right. Too fast, and you throw the bar. Too slow, and you won't get a good vortex, and you won't get enough oxygen into your starter... Better than no spin, but it won't be optimal.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[kh54s10]

Thanks to everyone that chipped in. I heard today that my friend has decided to opt for a different gift entirely - something rather unmentionable.

So I decided to go to town shopping today for components to build my own. I'm $19 into the process... I have a box, a fan, a power supply, and the magnets. I'm going to have to settle for one that is either on or off, as I could not locate any suitable component to regulate the fan speed. I've started to assemble it and should finish tomorrow.

I'm excited to see if I notice a difference in the final results when I start using it. I'm thinking I likely won't, but it's fun to build things in this hobby anyways.

You can get a potentiometer at Radio Shack for a couple $$ to control the speed. There is info in one of the threads on this site. I used it to build mine. $7.40 total.

 

[andy6026]

yeah, I went to the radio shack at the top of my road and they didn't have one. Went to a big electrical supply store downtown and they didn't have one either. I'll order one if it doesn't work properly as is.