Looking to purchase equipment

[wahmbush]

I have brewed a few times with a buddy of mine. I am looking to purchase equipment of my own. I feel like this add has what I want, but seems like the price is a bit high. What would be a good offer?

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/art/2450481057.html

Thank you,
Mark

 

[MalFet]

You could get all that new for less than $225. I wouldn't pay more than $75.

 

[PIGMAN]

You could get all that new for less than $225. I wouldn't pay more than $75.

+1 especially since you don't know whether the plastic buckets are scratched up. It looks like he stores stuff in them.

 

[ArcLight]

$225?!??!?!

MidWestsuplies.com has a groupon where by they are selling something similar for $62 + $12 shipping
AND
it comes with an extract kit/recipe (you can choose one of several)
AND
it comes with a $25 coupon for your next order

And you can purchase anything extra you wnat on the side

 

[unionrdr]

I'd rather buy new than some used junk somebody tossed in storage when they got bored of trying to learn making their own beer. Or just got too lazy & would rather spend the time drunk...

 

[JohnTheBrewist]

I wouldn't even pay $75 based on the description. And for about $200, you could do so much better than that.

Most importantly, since you've brewed with a buddy, you know a little about what you need. So first you should think about how you intend to brew, and buy your equipment based on that. For example, why buy his 5 gallon pot, if you may eventually want to do full boils? Maybe brewing in the kitchen won't work for you and you should look for a turkey fryer kit?

The buckets, siphons, etc. are the easy equipment, but the pot is probably the most critical item that gets overlooked.

 

[msa8967]

I recommend looking at Midwest Brewing, Northern Brewer or Austin HomeBrew Supply. These are the dealers I used when I started buying equipment. I would recommend getting the largest pot (at least 8 gallons) if you can. Even if you are doing extract brewing (which I did for a full year prior to all grain brewing) having the ability to do a full volume boil can really make a difference.

Start with new plastic items so you can take care of them from the start and not worry about how the previous may have treated them. I think for $250 you can get a very nice starting kit, good quality aluminum brewing pot and maybe a propane burner (like the Bayou Classic SQ14) if you want to move your brewing outdoors.

 

[Wakadaka]

I recommend looking at Midwest Brewing, Northern Brewer or Austin HomeBrew Supply. These are the dealers I used when I started buying equipment. I would recommend getting the largest pot (at least 8 gallons) if you can. Even if you are doing extract brewing (which I did for a full year prior to all grain brewing) having the ability to do a full volume boil can really make a difference.

Start with new plastic items so you can take care of them from the start and not worry about how the previous may have treated them. I think for $250 you can get a very nice starting kit, good quality aluminum brewing pot and maybe a propane burner (like the Bayou Classic SQ14) if you want to move your brewing outdoors.

+1, except if your looking for a pot don't look at homebrew shops. Go on amazon and get a big aluminum one for much much cheaper.

And I agree that you shouldn't buy anything plastic used. If your buddy who brews as anything he wants to get rid of/ upgrade, you might try to grab it off him

 

[Fennis]

As others have said, go to website like Northern Brewer or Austin HomeBrew. There is absolutely nothing special about anything he has listed, the two most expensive pieces being the glass carboy and the chiller. I would never buy used plastic buckets or tubing...you don't know how they were cleaned or stored, and one scratch or gouge in the plastic could mean an infected batch. If you are just starting, I'd recommend looking at the starter kits most places have for between $60 and $100. They include everything you need to get started and usually come with a kit.

Most stuff he has listed is usually included in most starter kits...he is basically asking new prices for used equipment.

 

[msa8967]

If possible in your budget think about getting a wort chiller.

 

[eastoak]

yeah, you won't regret a nice wort chiller. i bought a 25ft 3/8 inch chiller at first ($50) and boy was i glad when the 50ft 1/2 ($90)incher came in the mail. i could have saved $50 buying the 50 footer first.

 

[choffon]

yeah most homebrew supply stores sell all of that in a kit for cheaper and i paid that price for about 3 times as much stuff....