The Stasis - A glycol system designed for homebrewers - Pre-Order now for $599

[CodeSection]

Yep. Honestly, the communication has been too infrequent, too, which hasn’t helped. From comments I have seen on Kickstarter, folks are being remarkably patient. Shipping estimate was October 2019, or maybe even September when I prepaid, so at least 4 months delay.

I'm sorry for your frustration. Using your dates and knowing that it is probably still another month for the shipment to arrive at the port, be unloaded and then reshipped to their warehouse and then packaged and shipped to purchasers, it sounds like it may be five months.

I wonder what their refund policy is?

BTW, welcome to HBT!

 

[Craiginthecorn]

I'm sorry for your frustration. Using your dates and knowing that it is probably still another month for the shipment to arrive at the port, be unloaded and then reshipped to their warehouse and then packaged and shipped to purchasers, it sounds like it may be five months.

I wonder what their refund policy is?

BTW, welcome to HBT!

Well honestly, at this point, if it’s a few more months, it’s not the end of the world since I live near Chicago and my garage is more than cool enough to act as my chiller until late March.

I’m not sure about the refund policy. What could become interesting is if it goes to a point where the window to submit a credit card dispute is closing. I should check on that.

These folks make the Catalyst fermenter, which is well-regarded, so I’m trusting that this second product will be of similar quality. There are a bunch of new homebrew chillers on the market, including SS Brewtech and Grainfather, so they better get it out soon, before they’ve lost an opportunity to establish themselves as leaders in the lower-cost, small glycol chiller market.

 

[CodeSection]

Well honestly, at this point, if it’s a few more months, it’s not the end of the world since I live near Chicago and my garage is more than cool enough to act as my chiller until late March.

I’m not sure about the refund policy. What could become interesting is if it goes to a point where the window to submit a credit card dispute is closing. I should check on that.

These folks make the Catalyst fermenter, which is well-regarded, so I’m trusting that this second product will be of similar quality. There are a bunch of new homebrew chillers on the market, including SS Brewtech and Grainfather, so they better get it out soon, before they’ve lost an opportunity to establish themselves as leaders in the lower-cost, small glycol chiller market.

Good to hear you still have hope in getting it. I have no idea on their other products and quality of those products. Thanks for the information.

I'm not sure they can really claim "lower-cost" as a selling item anymore. Once they raised their pricing to $599, the price point is so close to larger and more powerful chillers that are similar in price when they go on sale. I paid $679.99 for the much more powerful Icemaster 100 when it was on sale at MB.

I agree with you and believe their greatest selling point is the small footprint the unit has. I'm guessing that would have appeal to a large group of homebrewers that have no plans to grow, have limited space and are only looking for a chiller to chill one five gallon (maybe stretching to a 10 gallon) batch at a time. The only limiting item that I read is in order to put less strain on the compressor, it was designed only to chill down to 36F. Personally, I typically chill to 32F.

Once you receive your unit and have used it a couple of times, please post your experiences.

 

[Nate R]

Good to hear you still have hope in getting it. I have no idea on their other products and quality of those products. Thanks for the information.

I'm not sure they can really claim "lower-cost" as a selling item anymore. Once they raised their pricing to $599, the price point is so close to larger and more powerful chillers that are similar in price when they go on sale. I paid $679.99 for the much more powerful Icemaster 100 when it was on sale at MB.

I agree with you and believe their greatest selling point is the small footprint the unit has. I'm guessing that would have appeal to a large group of homebrewers that have no plans to grow, have limited space and are only looking for a chiller to chill one five gallon (maybe stretching to a 10 gallon) batch at a time. The only limiting item that I read is in order to put less strain on the compressor, it was designed only to chill down to 36F. Personally, I typically chill to 32F.

Once you receive your unit and have used it a couple of times, please post your experiences.

"Raised their pricing to $599"...
If i understand their original post, the Pre Sale was $599. Actual cost may be more.

+1 to it being small/ compact. Huge selling point!! I hope it comea out soon!!

 

[CodeSection]

"Raised their pricing to $599"...
If i understand their original post, the Pre Sale was $599. Actual cost may be more.

+1 to it being small/ compact. Huge selling point!! I hope it comea out soon!!

Yep, when they first started the kick starter, it was selling for $539.....https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.co...wers-was-funded-on-kickstarter-in-five-hours/

 

[Nate R]

Yep, when they first started the kick starter, it was selling for $539.....https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.co...wers-was-funded-on-kickstarter-in-five-hours/

Wow. Above they say retail is $749. I think it does come with two pumps tho?

 

[Craiginthecorn]

Yes. It comes complete with pumps and temperature controllers for two fermenters. We’ll see if the price really goes up beyond $599, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if it stays at $599, but that’s just my uneducated hunch.

I received an update from Craft-A-Brew yesterday stating that the container is at the dock ready for shipping, a shipper qualified to transport coolant has been selected, and that it will be at sea 25+ days. Apparently available sailing dates are more sparse due to the requirement of using this particular shipper. I’m betting on a late-March delivery date.

 

[Craiginthecorn]

I'm not sure they can really claim "lower-cost" as a selling item anymore. Once they raised their pricing to $599, the price point is so close to larger and more powerful chillers that are similar in price when they go on sale. I paid $679.99 for the much more powerful Icemaster 100 when it was on sale at MB.

To compare apples to apples, you would want to include the cost of two BrewBuilt chiller pump kits in the price. Their MSRP is $99.99, so let’s say $85 on sale, or $170 for two.

In some ways, I would prefer using an external temperature controller, since that would give me the ability to change temperature settings remotely by using the Inkbird Wifi controller. It’s not a huge issue, but a nice feature if, for example, I’m on vacation and I want to raise the temperature for a diacetyl rest. I use a Tilt 2, so I already know when I’m approaching FG, even when away from home. That would’ve been a good selling feature and differentiator for the Stasis if they’d included Wifi connectivity.

 

[WesBrew]

Clicking on the Kickstarter link, it goes to their website, when you click on the "order now" button it says that its $659.00. The link in here, & posted above says $599

 

[CodeSection]

To compare apples to apples, you would want to include the cost of two BrewBuilt chiller pump kits in the price. Their MSRP is $99.99, so let’s say $85 on sale, or $170 for two.

In some ways, I would prefer using an external temperature controller, since that would give me the ability to change temperature settings remotely by using the Inkbird Wifi controller. It’s not a huge issue, but a nice feature if, for example, I’m on vacation and I want to raise the temperature for a diacetyl rest. I use a Tilt 2, so I already know when I’m approaching FG, even when away from home. That would’ve been a good selling feature and differentiator for the Stasis if they’d included Wifi connectivity.

I use the $40 pump from Spike Brewing. It works great! The first one was part of their cooling bundle and I bought a second one for my bright tank.

I bought a few Inkbird WiFi controllers when they were on sale. Gave one away as a gift. They work great and are so convenient since I do not need to plan my day to go home and change temps. I use a Tilt as well and have it integrated with Brewfather.

 

[CodeSection]

Clicking on the Kickstarter link, it goes to their website, when you click on the "order now" button it says that its $659.00. The link in here, & posted above says $599

Yes, you are correct. Very interesting. Perhaps they felt there was more value and more profit to be had since the demand was there. Nothing wrong with making a profit. But it does move the needle again that pricing is probably not the attraction anymore.

Perhaps they are using a common push back sales move that is used to keep people from requesting refunds since they are having months and months of delivery delays. People may read the price has gone up to $659 and then decide not to request a refund and keep their "deal" at $599 if they are ever considering about purchasing it later when they know it is eventually available and is working as described.

 

[CodeSection]

....I received an update from Craft-A-Brew yesterday stating that the container is at the dock ready for shipping, a shipper qualified to transport coolant has been selected, and that it will be at sea 25+ days. Apparently available sailing dates are more sparse due to the requirement of using this particular shipper. I’m betting on a late-March delivery date.

When I first read this, it didn't make sense to me.

Here is why and what is posted on their website "LOGISTICS: Our partners are highly experienced in getting goods from manufacturer to our warehouse. At Craft a Brew we have experience shipping items like The Stasis with multiple carriers and have the ability to scale our fulfillment team quickly to ensure there is a quick turn around between receiving the units to shipping them to you."

You can read this by scrolling to the bottom of this link and reading the "Risks and Challenges" section. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/craftabrew/the-stasis-craft-brewing-technology-for-homebrewers

EDIT: After rereading their statement, I believe they were referring to them shipping out the orders once they receive the product via multiple carriers and not using multiple "shippers" from China mainland.

 

[WesBrew]

Yes, you are correct. Very interesting. Perhaps they felt there was more value and more profit to be had since the demand was there. Nothing wrong with making a profit. But it does move the needle again that pricing is probably not the attraction anymore.

too bad, $599 is a big investment for an unknown product & numerous delays. the $599 banner ad on this site yesterday is now gone, and the website now says $659 where it was $599 yesterday.
The price keeps getting jacked up despite the delivery continuing to be pushed out by months. I liked the looks of this a lot, but probably have to start looking at some other options.

 

[Craiginthecorn]

When I first read this, it didn't make sense to me.

Here is why and what is posted on their website "LOGISTICS: Our partners are highly experienced in getting goods from manufacturer to our warehouse. At Craft a Brew we have experience shipping items like The Stasis with multiple carriers and have the ability to scale our fulfillment team quickly to ensure there is a quick turn around between receiving the units to shipping them to you."

You can read this by scrolling to the bottom of this link and reading the "Risks and Challenges" section. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/craftabrew/the-stasis-craft-brewing-technology-for-homebrewers

EDIT: After rereading their statement, I believe they were referring to them shipping out the orders once they receive the product via multiple carriers and not using multiple "shippers" from China mainland.

No, it’s the ocean-based, containerized shipping they’re referring to. Here’s the portion of their update email which talks about this issue:

“The shipping container with the chillers & accessories is at port and ready to ship to our FL warehouse. We were anticipating an earlier ship date, but the Chinese New Year combined with choosing the most reputable shipper have resulted in slight delays. Because the Stasis contains a refrigerant, we did have to use a more qualified & experienced shipper to ensure the container isn’t held up in red tape, this greatly limited the amount of routes and options for this container. Inexperienced shippers were more readily available, but they would have more hoops to jump through to approve loading and transporting these types of goods. By choosing the shipper we’ve decided to work with we were able to get approval for the refrigerant on board the container weeks before loading it, which will expedite the process in the long run, preventing hiccups & delays once the goods get to our port.”

 

[CodeSection]

No, it’s the ocean-based, containerized shipping they’re referring to. Here’s the portion of their update email which talks about this issue:

“The shipping container with the chillers & accessories is at port and ready to ship to our FL warehouse. We were anticipating an earlier ship date, but the Chinese New Year combined with choosing the most reputable shipper have resulted in slight delays. Because the Stasis contains a refrigerant, we did have to use a more qualified & experienced shipper to ensure the container isn’t held up in red tape, this greatly limited the amount of routes and options for this container. Inexperienced shippers were more readily available, but they would have more hoops to jump through to approve loading and transporting these types of goods. By choosing the shipper we’ve decided to work with we were able to get approval for the refrigerant on board the container weeks before loading it, which will expedite the process in the long run, preventing hiccups & delays once the goods get to our port.”

Interesting. Seems like a lot of conflicting messaging is taking place. I thought the Chinese New Year is January 25, 2020, not November 2019. I thought, based upon their website, they had already selected a shipper or shippers and had already figured the logistics.

 

[NewJersey]

A 1/5 hp glycol chiller that can't cold crash?

 

[Craiginthecorn]

A 1/5 hp glycol chiller that can't cold crash?

So your definition of "cold crash" what? Below freezing? Most professional references speak to "near freezing" temperatures. At the couple breweries I know, they crash to 36F. To be honest, I don't quite see the point for most homebrewers. I've only done it with lagers that I fermented in my garage in the wintertime and haven't noticed any advantage, plus you need to make an accommodation to avoid suckback issues. The Brülosophy folks did an exBeeriment which showed no noticeable benefit.

I'll be using the Stasis primarily for fermentation temperature control.

 

[Craiginthecorn]

Interesting. Seems like a lot of conflicting messaging is taking place. I thought the Chinese New Year is January 25, 2020, not November 2019. I thought, based upon their website, they had already selected a shipper or shippers and had already figured the logistics.

I don't quite know where you inferred anything about November 2019, unless you're confused about the dates of their communications. I'm not happy about the continual delays and relatively infrequent updates, but I don't think there's anything nefarious going on here.

 

[CodeSection]

I don't quite know where you inferred anything about November 2019, unless you're confused about the dates of their communications. I'm not happy about the continual delays and relatively infrequent updates, but I don't think there's anything nefarious going on here.

LOL, not confused at all. Quite simple, if they delivered in November 2019, they would not be writing all the excuses and providing misinformation. Remember, it was their timeline and their assurances they had on their website when trying to incite sales.

To quote under their Risks and challenges section, "We are working with a production and logistics team that is overseeing all stages of production of this product to ensure we have the highest quality control possible and to ensure there are no delays along the way."

Under their Manufacturing section they write "We are working with manufacturing partners that are very experienced to ensure there are no major issues along the way. They have a long track record of success in this market and we have been working with them for two years to fine tune the final production version of The Stasis." You can read the entire sales pitch starting with page 24.

Not surprisingly, they have removed all of this information from their website. I at least captured it before they did that.

....Here’s the portion of their update email which talks about this issue:

“The shipping container with the chillers & accessories is at port and ready to ship to our FL warehouse. We were anticipating an earlier ship date, but the Chinese New Year combined with choosing the most reputable shipper have resulted in slight delays. Because the Stasis contains a refrigerant, we did have to use a more qualified & experienced shipper to ensure the container isn’t held up in red tape, this greatly limited the amount of routes and options for this container. Inexperienced shippers were more readily available, but they would have more hoops to jump through to approve loading and transporting these types of goods. By choosing the shipper we’ve decided to work with we were able to get approval for the refrigerant on board the container weeks before loading it, which will expedite the process in the long run, preventing hiccups & delays once the goods get to our port.”

You wrote the above on January 23rd. So, do you see any conflicting information when comparing to what they had originally on their website? Can you explain their lack of communication, misinformation or information that conflicts with their other information? I believe in transparency and regular communication. I suspect there are individuals who bought that if they knew it would be this long would not have participated in the kickstarter. Here it is February 2020.....

My friend who asked me to look into their unit before making a decision to buy it, now says he is not interested. He says over promising and under delivering is something he does not want to be associated with. Maybe once they ever get the kinks out and learn from past mistakes along with having a steady manufacturing stream and inventory, they will be successful. It will take capital on their part. I wish them the best.

More importantly, I wish you along with all the others receive their units soon and are of the quality promised.

 

[505-Brewer]

Maybe they are being manufactured in Wuhan?

 

[Craiginthecorn]

LOL, not confused at all. Quite simple, if they delivered in November 2019, they would not be writing all the excuses and providing misinformation. Remember, it was their timeline and their assurances they had on their website when trying to incite sales.

To quote under their Risks and challenges section, "We are working with a production and logistics team that is overseeing all stages of production of this product to ensure we have the highest quality control possible and to ensure there are no delays along the way."

Under their Manufacturing section they write "We are working with manufacturing partners that are very experienced to ensure there are no major issues along the way. They have a long track record of success in this market and we have been working with them for two years to fine tune the final production version of The Stasis." You can read the entire sales pitch starting with page 24.

Not surprisingly, they have removed all of this information from their website. I at least captured it before they did that.



You wrote the above on January 23rd. So, do you see any conflicting information when comparing to what they had originally on their website? Can you explain their lack of communication, misinformation or information that conflicts with their other information? I believe in transparency and regular communication. I suspect there are individuals who bought that if they knew it would be this long would not have participated in the kickstarter. Here it is February 2020.....

My friend who asked me to look into their unit before making a decision to buy it, now says he is not interested. He says over promising and under delivering is something he does not want to be associated with. Maybe once they ever get the kinks out and learn from past mistakes along with having a steady manufacturing stream and inventory, they will be successful. It will take capital on their part. I wish them the best.

More importantly, I wish you along with all the others receive their units soon and are of the quality promised.

OK, I get that now. Simple, although not obvious. I cannot disagree with your conclusions.

 

[finished1]

I came here looking for an update on the delivery of the Stasis and it looks like everyone is getting the same thing, no updates. Last update was on Kickstarter on the 20th of January. For those of you who are worried about delivery the update stated 25+ days at sea. If this is the case, remember this was the time the whole 2019-nCoV was blowing up in China. Also at this time airlines were starting to no longer fly into those areas of the largest outbreaks. This would also concern ports for shipping. If they were unable to get out before a closure of a port of call then this thing could be delayed further. I am fine with that because it is not something that could be predicted. The only thing that bothers me is no communication at this point. I ordered the Stasis on the 21st of January because of the last update on the Kickstarter page. I am hoping an update is coming soon.

 

[CodeSection]

....I ordered the Stasis on the 21st of January because of the last update on the Kickstarter page. I am hoping an update is coming soon.

That says it all. Others have been waiting months (not days like you)...big, big difference!

Others ordered last Summer/Fall with a promised delivery date of November 2019. Had their orders been fulfilled by the promise date of November 2019, there would be no excuses.

 

[CodeSection]

For those that want some answers, you might try calling them at (407) 440-2905. Though when I called, after several rings it went to an answering messaging system where it said to leave a message and one of their brewmasters or customer service representatives will get back to you shortly. It's at least worth a try.

http://www.buzzfile.com/business/Craft-A-Brew-407-440-2905

 

[finished1]

Just received this update!



Your ticket is now solved! (no subject) [https://ci5] Craft a Brew Thu, 02/06/20 8:46 pm Hi,

The Stasis chillers & accessories are on the water on their way to our warehouse. It seems that there may have been a slight delay due to manadtory business closures (due to the virus), but it looks like we’re still on for February arrival, possibly mid-late month.

I don’t have an exact ETA, but we are expecting another update from our shipper early next week.

Please let us know if we can help with anything else!

Wed, 01/29/20 5:19 am Message: We still looking at a Early February ship date? Is the China situation causing any hold ups for shipping? Chat nowPowered by HelpDesk

[https://ci3]

 

[Craiginthecorn]

Thanks for sharing the update! It's frustrating that they don't do a better job of communicating with those who have ordered. They haven't shared that info with me. My last estimate of mid- to late-March is still looking solid, even with the now typical Craft-A-Brew over-promising and under-delivering.

 

[4TBBUCS]

Screw it, pulled the trigger on one minutes ago! Add me to the "now patiently awaiting" list. I have 2 7 Ga SSBT BME fermenters, this should do the job.

 

[finished1]

I have looked everywhere for the perfect size chiller and came back to the stasis several times. The price point is right and the size. Let's just hope it delivers, literally and figuratively.

Screw it, pulled the trigger on one minutes ago! Add me to the "now patiently awaiting" list. I have 2 7 Ga SSBT BME fermenters, this should do the job.

 

[finished1]

So an official update was posted on their Kickstarter page. The set date for the container ship to arrive at port is the 2/29/2020. It is set for for warehouse arrival a few days after and shipment will get started. Looks like an early March arrival for the Stasis.

 

[WesBrew]

was saving up for a glycol chiller. got onto their site today and the price has just been jacked up another $100 to $750. unbelievable. looks like I'm out- they made no mention of another price hike when I talked to them last week. maybe just add a cheap kegerator at this point.