Final Costs:
Model: MP-15R / MP-15RM AUD$59.00 (USD$48.00 ea + USD$11.00 International postage)
Model: MP-20R / MP-20RM AUD$68.00 (USD$53.00 ea + USD$15.00 International postage)
Add $11.40 (3kg Australia Post post-pack) if postage within Australia is required (or pickup from me, MB meetings or some other way here in Melbourne)
Payment notes:
- As of right now the PayPal AUD$/US$ payment conversion is 99.81, so the AUD$ price is accurate to within 10c.
- The above amount assumes that you have a PayPal account and make a 'Personal Payment' from your PayPal balance or bank account.
- If you don't have PayPal account, don't make a 'Personal Payment' or pay by Credit Card, the cost will increase by the PayPal transaction fee: 2.4% + 30c
(MP-15R: $60.72, MP-15R + local postage: $72.39, MP-20R: $69.93, MP-20R + local postage: $81.60)
Once orders are confirmed and paid it cannot be changed.
Due to possible changes with the AUD$ exchange rate, and the vendor,
order confirmation/payment is due ASAP.
Since 2x MP-20 are included in the order, the vendor can't ship 12 pumps at the discounted shipping rate.
This means that the last two people on the list are going to miss out, and so there is essentially a 'waiting list', so if anyone on the list wants to change their mind, remove their order, and not participate in the Bulk Buy - for any reason - that is totally fine.
Conclusions
I am not a vendor, retailer, distributor, chemist, electrical engineer, materials engineer or similar professional, so there is an element of uncertainty in purchasing the product, each person should consider the information provided and decide for themselves.
(Don't blame me - or AHB - if it does not work or does not work as intended, or if you do blame me, know there is not anything I - or AHB - can do about it!).
After numerous emails and a telephone call with various pump vendors, manufacturers and distributors, my uneducated conclusions about the Bulk Buy Pumps are as follows:
- The pumps should be made from 'food grade' materials (primarily Polypropylene) and should remain 'food grade' at the temperatures they will likely be used at.
- The pumps should work continuously and without issue at 80 to 85degC and below.
- The pumps may not be expected to operate continuously at 100degC. The exact time and if/how they operate pumping boiling water/wort is uncertain, the vendor suggests 1 hour will be fine, other suppliers and manufacturers suggest shorter periods or would not sell similar pumps for with that purpose in mind.
- There are various suppliers, distributors, manufacturers and vendors selling pumps that look very similar (even have the same model number/details), they may or may not be the same, and they may or may not be made in the same factory.
- The only other similar pump I could find cheaper (by $4) was not food-grade (in the advertised specification) and is not available with 1/2 inch threaded fittings.
I very much hope the pumps will be suitable for home brewing, however there is no guarantee they are, what they are is 1/3 the price of more 'traditional' home-brewing pumps with the same pump specifications.
Edit: Glen W is going to give a gold star to whomever comes up with a catchy name for these pumps, since
Chinese 240v Food Grade Magnetic Drive Pump doesn't flow nicely off the tongue.
As I said in PM to the people who missed out on this order, if the pumps work well there are almost certain to be follow-up orders/bulk buys, but if they don't at least you were not one of the guinea-pigs who spent money on these ones.
