Yeast Stir Plate - Redesigned to be Smart and Powerful

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Ewalk02

Ewalk02

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2008
Messages
248
Reaction score
4
Location
Kansas City
We are excited to share our Kickstarter project with the forum. We have redesigned the stir plate to be smart, powerful, and hassle free. With Stir Bar Retrieval Technology you will never have a botched starter again. The stir plate monitors the stir bar and if it senses a thrown bar it automatically stops the internal rotor, recaptures the bar and starts up again, no intervention necessary.

Check us out on Kickstarter: http://bit.ly/1Yf1tyE

We would love to hear any feedback you may have, good or bad.
 
Good luck gents! I've backed this for the early bird as I love the idea of one that actually monitors the spin speed.
 
I love gadgets but this seems like another solution to a problem that doesn't really exist.

My $15 DIY stir plate is pretty set and forget, I think I've thrown a bar maybe once in all my brews.

If the final price was under $40 I'd probably buy one, just because i'm a nerd and it's a pretty cool concept and looks pretty kick ass. But at $45 for the early adopter price I think the market for this would be pretty small.

Not to say all home brewers are cheap, but a lot of us try to maximize savings and / or enjoy the DIY aspects of the hobby. Would have to be compelling AND aggressively priced to persuade me to not roll my own and purchase a complete product.
 
Neat concept....However once you pass the $50 mark I think you're probably better off buying a used lab quality stir plate. I have a Fisher Thermix 610T and couldn't throw a bar in a 100ml to 6L flask if I wanted to.
 
beskone said:
Not to say all home brewers are cheap, but a lot of us try to maximize savings and / or enjoy the DIY aspects of the hobby. Would have to be compelling AND aggressively priced to persuade me to not roll my own and purchase a complete product.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback, and we totally agree the homebrew crowd loves their DIY...we are the exact same way. We recognize the market may be small but for some people wanting larger starters or robust techy gadgets we may find a niche.
 
Out of curiosity, what is going to be the approximate MSRP for this? I should note I picked up my Maelstrom during a 20% off sale, so it was something like $105
 
BrewerBrad82 said:
Out of curiosity, what is going to be the approximate MSRP for this? I should note I picked up my Maelstrom during a 20% off sale, so it was something like $105
Click to expand...

Depending on sale volumes and what kind of bulk rates we can secure the MSRP will likely be $75 - $80. Absolutely under $100. Keep the questions coming, these are great.
 
Early bird went fast! Good luck. I have never thrown a bar but all I need is a dimple in the water not a vortex.
 
I like the target price point but do you have any road map for larger flasks? I never use smaller than 5L and I read the disclaimer about overhang.
(Fwiw, I've yet to throw a bar on my DIY stir plate once it's going! )
 
Nagorg said:
I like the target price point but do you have any road map for larger flasks? I never use smaller than 5L and I read the disclaimer about overhang.
(Fwiw, I've yet to throw a bar on my DIY stir plate once it's going! )
Click to expand...

Agree, every starter I make ends up in a 5L+ flask in the last step up.
 
Cool technology to sense the bar being thrown. In truth I agree that it's a solution that may not have a problem... I built mine using super magnets from HD for cheap and dislodging the bar has proven impossible.

That said, I wish you the best. There is a market, but it's a price sensitive one, and it looks like you will be able to compete at that $75 range.

Now, if you want to make a product people will buy, for generation 2, make a complete starter maker. SP spins for 24 hours (programmable), then it cold crashes the starter to settle out the yeast. A small insulated chamber, a little thermoelectric cell, some fans... Oila!
 
You should probably comment on your own thread to 1. bring it to the top and 2. so more HBT members see your idea and hopefully you hit your pledge goal.
 
Kind of a neat idea, but like others, I think this my be fixing a problem that doesn't really exist. I'm on batch 40, all with yeast starters, I've used both a Stirstarter and a Maelstrom, and I've never thrown a bar once.

At the $45 early bird price point you were competing head-to-head with the Stirstarter. At $55 you were slightly higher, but your unit has an LCD display and son on, so I could see paying the extra $10. At $75 I think the unit is mispriced. You're $30 more than the Stirstarter, without a lot to justify that, and you're only $30 under the Maelstrom which has no problem holding a 5L flask and can whirlpool 5 gallons plus.
 
We will be getting a video of a 5L flask tonight, more to come with that...

I can say that for me this idea was born out of frustration with a stir plate I bought online for $45. I won't name brands but you can probably read between the lines. I don't know if I got a bad stir plate or not but I COULD NOT leave the thing overnight without waking up to a thrown stir bar.
 
Ewalk02 said:
We are excited to share our Kickstarter project with the forum. We have redesigned the stir plate to be smart, powerful, and hassle free. With Stir Bar Retrieval Technology you will never have a botched starter again. The stir plate monitors the stir bar and if it senses a thrown bar it automatically stops the internal rotor, recaptures the bar and starts up again, no intervention necessary.

Check us out on Kickstarter: http://bit.ly/1Yf1tyE

We would love to hear any feedback you may have, good or bad.
Click to expand...

A solution to a problem that doesn't exist in my mind.

My stupid simple stirplate works like a champ. Great magnets are the key.

attachment.php
 
Ewalk02 said:
I don't know if I got a bad stir plate or not but I COULD NOT leave the thing overnight without waking up to a thrown stir bar.
Click to expand...

I had this problem for a while as well. I had built my own stir plate and it kept throwing the bar, so I got the Maelstrom (with a new stir bar) figuring it was my design that was the problem. Nope. Turns out the stir bar I initially got was total crap. It would throw on any stir plate. The new one would hold tight on my home made plate as well.
 
Ewalk02 said:
We will be getting a video of a 5L flask tonight, more to come with that...

I can say that for me this idea was born out of frustration with a stir plate I bought online for $45. I won't name brands but you can probably read between the lines. I don't know if I got a bad stir plate or not but I COULD NOT leave the thing overnight without waking up to a thrown stir bar.
Click to expand...

I just finished watching your video. I bought the exact same stir plate and I have nothing but problems getting the bar to catch and start stirring!
I'm in! Good luck and get me that stir plate quick!!!
 
noefite said:
I just finished watching your video. I bought the exact same stir plate and I have nothing but problems getting the bar to catch and start stirring!
I'm in! Good luck and get me that stir plate quick!!!
Click to expand...

Great, thanks for the support! One way or another we will get you a stir plate.
 

Similar threads

7
Pennsylvania Entire Brewery: Grainfather, Kegging Setup, Fermenters, Yeast Handling, etc..
Replies
8
Views
2K
717brewer
7
M
  • Article
DIY Stir Plate Build
Replies
21
Views
2K
ericbw
ericbw
mysobry
SmartPID - smart temperature controller
Replies
34
Views
16K
mysobry
mysobry
B
DIY Stir Plate - With parts list/some stuff I learned.
Replies
2
Views
3K
bosster01
B
TriggerHappy
Stir Plate Woes
Replies
18
Views
3K
fun4stuff
F
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top