I tend to be a little verbose, so I'll do my best to be succinct. (now that I've written my post, I can see I failed to be succinct)
I am looking to purchase a rig. I've been using a pony keg boiler, 2" copper column and Leibig condenser I built for 5 or 6 years now. I've also come into possession of a 3 - 4 ish gal pot still a friend's wife bought him as a gift, but he's not got the patience for this hobby. I've gotten pretty proficient at running both of those stills. I've run lots of sugar washes, all grain mashes, hybrids, etc. I upped my production volumes in my mashing / washing by using a 55 gal, food grade drum. Even built a steam cooker to mash and ferment in the same vessel. But running all this through a pony keg or in 3 gal batches is getting tiresome, so I'm looking to upgrade. I've reached a point where I'd really rather just buy something, I just am not interested in or have the time to invest in building the next level of equipment. I'd rather spend time tweaking recipes, ingredients, experimenting with different yeast and ferment temps, etc.
I like brown liquids, wife likes clear
So I expect to produce both vodka and whiskey, gin, etc, so I'm looking for a versatile still with a decent sized boiler. I don't mind some DIY in areas like building a controller for electric heat, but I'm not interested in forming, shaping, hammering, welding, or brazing copper or stainless.Thinks I think I want or make sense to me:
* Larger boiler capacity - I think somewhere in the 50l+ range is what I want.
* Electric heat - I've been using propane and I'm tired of messing with it. I'll install one or two 220v outlets in my garage and move to electric.
* Flexibility / Modular - I like the columns with 4+ plates, where each plated section is removable (as opposed to the single large column where you have to kind of dissassemble the whole thing to add or remove plates). I figure this gives me the flexibility to run it with plates, add height, pack the column, or remove everything and run in potstill mode, etc., add a gin basket ..
* I'd like to keep my spend as close to $2k all in as I can. I read AB-Rad's awesome thread where he bought a $2k still from China and by the time it was all done, he was into it for $4k+ I need to avoid that scenario
I have looked at AliExpress and Alibaba, and searched the forum. The two from China that I seem to like are Hooloo and Yohoyama. Here's what I'm looking at from Hooloo:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568046 ... 4itemAdapt
I need to add a gin basket, and I'm not sure about the jacketed boiler. I don't have any experience with that. And I'm a little unclear from the description what the situation is with heat (is the element included, is there any rudimentary controller included?). The power is less important because I think I'm going to build my own based around the Auber DSPR400.
Hooloo has also recommended the RST65 (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568057 ... 4itemAdapt) but I'm not super thrilled with the integrated heating element. I know Bearded did a review of one they sent him, but just not sure about that. PLus by the time you add the item and the shipping you're up to $1400. The first Hooloo option seems like it will take me further in my distilling journey than the RST65. But I can be convinced I'm wrong.
The other company I've looked at is Yohoyama. I was going to pair this boiler: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568053 ... pt=glo2usa with this column: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568027 ... pt=glo2usa and add a gin basket. By the time I add all that together, I'm at about $1900 all in (or as all in as I can figure at the moment)
I've also read a lot of people steering folks like me to Oak Stills, which I haven't yet fully investigated yet. I guess I need to do that.
I'm very open to others experiences with these sellers, with buying a still from China, or buying one locally. I'm open to arguments about whether my approach is sound or needs tweaking. I'm also not in a hurry .. I can take my time and really consider all my options / needs.
I'm not looking to open a distillery. I want to be somewhere in the middle of being a professional and a hobbyist.
What say you?
Chris