I've been brewing since the early nineties. Initially I used a plastic bucket for my primary then racked to a glass carboy for clearing. One time I decided to do a single stage fermentation all in my glass carboy. I thought I did the cold break okay, adding chilled water first then my cooled wort, but when I picked up the carboy it split in half literally slashing my wrist (Fifteen years later I still have a visible scar). After telling this story a few times, I've found that I'm not the only person this has happened to. Needless to say, I went back to my old way: bucket then glass. I was in my homebrew store yesterday and noticed plastic carboys for sale. I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on using them. Specifically, are they okay for primary fermentation or only to be used in the secondary phase? I like the idea of a clear fermenter so I can visibly monitor the fermentation process, but am concerned that a plastic carboy might impart flavors or not tolerate warm/hot wort.