Whats The Most Useless Bit Of Brewing Equipment You Ever Bought

[Enerjex]

lol i started with a wander starter kit would've been in the late 90's and ended up with 2 of them which i can't remember if the instructions were any better than the coopers ones, but i stumbled across the coopers video on youtube and geez what a shocker

 

[Murcluf]

Malt Shovel Home brew kit complete with leaking tap "it's not a fault it's a feature" which leaked wort all over kitchen bench. Can't complain they did replace it with a tooheys kit.

 

[Lukes]

Counter flow chiller = summer birds nest.

I will use it again this winter for a lager or 3.

BTW: I'm glad I did not get a Beer Gun/ Cp Filler thing in that bulk buy .

- Luke

 

[bonj]

It's starting to seem like snapping one of those buggers is a kind of "rite of passage" for AGers. I snapped one last week on my 3rd ever AG. Nearly everyone I've talked to since has snapped at least one of them. I got a SS paddle as a replacement and I agree about the life of these things. It makes a mess of the SS braid in the mashtun though... :lol:

i bought a plastic spoon thing that was kin d of like a pathetic mash paddle and thought it would be good to stit the mash.

WRONG.

snapped in the first 3 seconds and went in the bin

built a huge SS one instead

will be used by my grandchildren i recon.

cheers

 

[bonj]

5. Anything fitting that is not a quick-release fitting.

Totally agree with that one, Pat. I vow to avoid barbs as long as I can. End up wrecking your hands, and probably the line too on the first couple of tries. Stupid bloody arrangement.

 

[DJR]

I have broken 2 glass thermometers. Luckily i have a stainless glass-face one that is actually fairly well calibrated. $15 each :angry:

Also broken 3 hydrometers, $10 each :angry:

The most useless however was my first mashtun set up that used a hose barb and length of stainless braid on the inside - stopped working on the 2nd AG. Fixed it up and now done about 20 or 30 batches with no huge issues besides the occasional tighten of the nut holding the washers in to fix a stuck/slow sparge.

 

[therook]

My " First Wife "

rook

 

[warrenlw63]

My " First Wife "

rook

:lol: Now buried in the yard with the spent grain?

Warren -

 

[petesbrew]

Definitely that Brigalow hydrometer. Still have it as a pathetic backup, but mainly as a reminder to buy decent equipment.

 

[RobW]

Immersible brew heater - cos hotter's gotta be better right?
Filled up with water the first time I cleaned it when the plug fell in the bucket h34r: & never used again (did me a favour really)

Oh and one of those piss weak plastic mash paddles.

 

[Zizzle]

I like my Brigalow hydrometer. Good for monitoring the final days of a ferment. It's shorter so you don't need a very big sample, and the scale is easier to read (more spread out).

Most useless thing so far for me would be kits. Didn't drink very much of it, but kept trying. Still have a heap bottled I should toss.

 

[reVoxAHB]

30L standard plastic screw top fermenter.

Never was able to get a proper seal, even when wetting the rubber inlay with a bit of iodophor solution. The S airlock that came with it, is also shit.. if you look at the manufacturing, and how the 2 sides are pressed together, you'll see about a 2mm plastic strip or bump running all the way up both sides that inhibit a snug join with the small rubber bung in lid. To airlock properly, you'll want to sand it smooth or trim with razor blade or just buy a quality 3 piece airlock to begin with.

And let's not forget how hard those lids are to remove if over-tightened or how many posts I've seen here on AHB where users of said fermenters are asking why they have no action in airlock, 3 days after pitching, is my beer ok sort of threads.

Bloody useless.

Hey, but at least if you drop one of those bastards full of beer it'll only bounce and maybe get your pants a little wet whereas if you drop a full glass carboy... well, i won't go into that :unsure: :blink:

 

[Belgrave Brewer]

Hey, but at least if you drop one of those bastards full of beer it'll only bounce and maybe get your pants a little wet whereas if you drop a full glass carboy... well, i won't go into that :unsure: :blink:

Hey ReVox,
I bought 2 glass carboy handles at G&G and I must say, they are very "handy".
BB

 

[0M39A]

I've read a lot of people having problems with the 30L carboys, bad seals and things like that.

never had a problem with mine. just make sure that the o-rings are clean and seated properly, screw the lid on and shes apples.

also the airlock that came with the coopers kit was fine, no ridges on it or anything. fits in the grommet nice and snug.

 

[warrenlw63]

BB

I think Revox has the handles too. He put me onto the idea of getting some. I'm giving it serious consideration. I currently carry mine in milk crates. Which is OK but I gotta get them out of the crates and into the fermenatation fridge. Your hands tend to get stuck inside the crate while pulling the carboy out. :blink:

Warren -

 

[Belgrave Brewer]

BB

I think Revox has the handles too. He put me onto the idea of getting some. I'm giving it serious consideration. I currently carry mine in milk crates. Which is OK but I gotta get them out of the crates and into the fermenatation fridge. Your hands tend to get stuck inside the crate while pulling the carboy out. :blink:

Warren -

Yeah, ReVox had a big "accident" and he is the one who suggested them to me. They work great!!! I've had a few near slips but luckily have not done a humpty dumpty. I guess they should go on the "Best bits of Brewing Equipment" thread.

 

[Stuster]

30L standard plastic screw top fermenter.

Definitely agree with this one. Hate the one I bought. At least it now has a job as a bottling bucket.

It's interesting how some of the things people hate are things I use all the time (like S-shaped airlocks). Just shows that what works for us, might not work for everyone.

 

[Belgrave Brewer]

30L standard plastic screw top fermenter.

It makes a good bulk priming bucket

 

[winkle]

Yet another vote for the crappy plastic mash paddles, I think I'm on my 4/5th but will be modifing a Army catering stainless steel giant egg-flip this weekend - bullet proof!

 

[Adamt]

Hmm... my plastic spoon from my Coopers' kit has survived ~8 mashes so far without any sign of breaking. Go figure!