Stout kettles

[allgrainpa]

Wanted to know how many brewers are using Stout Kettles (conical-fermentor.com). I love what ive seen online but unfortuantely i have never seen one in person. Blichmann can be found at most LHBS and ive had the opportunity to look it over. Plus many people have brewed on blichmann so there are many options on their products.

Stout Kettles appear to be just as good if not better then blichmann but again not as much input out there so i wanted to start this thread and gain as much insight as possible.

For instance, I have talked on another thread concerning the size of their coil in their 20 gallon HLT. The size has reduced the efficency of the heat exchange by slowing how much wort can be circulated. Not a deal breaker the individual says it just prolonges his brew day.

So again, all input from owners/users of Stout Kettles and their reviews on how well the equipment holds up and how well the HERMs system works is wanted/appreciated.

 

[SpikeBrewing]

Here's the most recent Stout thread; https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/stout-brew-kettles-275285/

Stout and Blichmann are apples and oranges. Blichmann uses 'standard' parts and a weldless design. Stout uses welded tri-clamp fittings. Personally I think the tri-clamps are a little cumbersome for a brew kettle.

 

[Roadie]

I like my kettles and the tri-clamp design. I have camlocks on my kettles so it's super easy to change hoses around and you don't need gloves to do it like some QD parts require. If I was ordering fresh I'd have Stout delete the HERMS coil and instead go with an aftermarket 1/2" SS one. With Stout you can customize the kettles any way you want them; with Blichmann it is what it is. To go electric you have to drill the Blichmanns, whereas with Stout it's no drilling required!

The downside to being able to customize is that it takes 3-4 months to get the kettles delivered.

I don't regret my decision to go with Stout so look closely before you put down your hard earned cash.