Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat starter equipment kit
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2014
The good:
- The DVD was great for a good overview and understanding of the wine-making process
- Hydrometer is good.
- The glass carboy is the best!
- Bottle brush: pretty good. standard brush, does the job. It'd be cool if there was one that didn't spray chemicals all over me when I took it out of the bottle, though...
- Bottle filler: It drips a little bit more than I want to, and the tip is sensitive, so I splashed a good amount coming out of the bottle. It also doesn't fill the bottle as high as I would like...not sure how to fix that.
- Corks are...not that great, but hey, extra corks! Wine Kits usually come with them anyway.
- Corker: Leaves an indent in the cork, and is a little tough, but I think its supposed to be one of the better ones out there
Not as good:
- Starter packets of sterilizer are not enough for a full batch.
- Airlock and bung aren't that great. It's the plastic 1 chamber floaty kind.
- Primary fermentation bucket isn't that sturdy, I've already dented it and made marks from maneuvering it, and the cap fits only loosely.
- Thermometer is not that great...it's a sticker for your bucket. Had to invest in a floating one.
- Siphoning tubes: Kind of short? Or maybe my counter is just tall.
- Mixing tool -- I've read bad reviews about it heating up when using a drill to operate. It's just a bent up plastic stick, in my opinion, with a little cup to fill with water to "prevent over heating"
Things I invested in due to it's poor quality or absence in the kit:
- Floating thermometer
- Additional cleaner/sanitizer --> Instructions are not very clear on the C-Brite, I would get 1-Step or Star San when you get full-sized.
- Better airlock
- Wine Thief (to get samples and get the temperature/hydrometer readings)
- Stirring tool with 3 legs (the kit comes with a plastic spoon)
