Coopers Beer kit

[lob]

Jokes? How 'bout the positive review given for the Coopers Beer Kit on this site. [Easily the worst beer kit I've ever owned. Luckily I was able to take it back to Big W and get a full refund.]

The review on this site is paid advertising right?

http://homebrewandbeer.com/productreviews.html

[Chris]

The review on this site is paid advertising right?

Ummm... no.

Easily the worst beer kit I've ever owned.

How so? What was wrong with it? (besides that stupid video)

[lob]

Mostly the quality of the fermenter. (Although I don't particularly care for the plastic bottles, or carbon drops either.) The Hydrometer was broken when first purchased. Took that back immediately and Big W replaced it (grabbing one from another kit.) The quality of the fermenter only became apparent after I put together my first brew using the kit. As I inserted the air lock it actually pushed the small rubber seal INTO the brew itself! The only explanation I can find for this is that (i) the seal was a tad wet because I had removed and sterilised/cleaned every individual part and (ii) the lid is made from fairly THIN and poor quality plastic such that it flexed a lot as I put pressure down on it. I decided to remove the lid, sterilize my arm and remove the seal from the brew. Removing the lid proved to be very difficult, and I ended up using a hammer and LIGHTLY banging the (stupid) plastic ridges which extend at short intervals all the way around the lid. The plastic is so cheap that light bangs with the hammer actually smashed two of these ridges off, though I did finally get the fricken lid off. Anyways, I then found myself fishing with my arm for the seal at the bottom of the fermentor and thinking to myself 'F... this, don't remember any of these problems when I was last into brewing (late 90s.)' I Tipped the brew out and took the entire kit back to Big W and got a full refund. - Ummm I may have failed to mention the hammer part. I went and bought a Brewcraft kit a few days later and didn't encounter any of the above problems. I just put it down to the fermenter [the most expensive part of the kit to manufacture) being made as cheaply as possible to provide a reasonable margin ($) when it's flogged off to novice home brewers at Big W, K Mart, etc. Always been surprised by the glowing review of the Coopers Kit on this site.

[ryan]

Have you considered stamp collecting at all?

[lob]

Yeah, reading my account, it does sound like an episode of Mr Bean...

[Kevnlis]

You sterilized your arm? That must have hurt!

[bensfarm]

You sterilized your arm? That must have hurt!

how did you sterilize something that is constantly excreeting stuff out of its pores?
hope you didn't boil it.
i have a cooper kit no probs at all

[Liz E]

...i have a cooper kit no probs at all

You haven't taken a hammer to it yet.

[Chris]

You haven't taken a hammer to it yet.

[Brendo1]

Actually my hydrometer was cracked when I bought my coopers home brew kit, and I had no desire for the plastic bottles really either, except for maybe if I do a ginger beer or alco lemonade or something. And the airlock had these plastic wings things hanging off it that would have been better if it was actually round where it is meant to go into the gromit. The fermentor and lid seem ok, Tap's ok too i guess, though I've seen better/easier to use designs than the twist tap. Overall though, it was F*kn cheap at 85bucks for the lot, including the stuff to make a lager And I haven't seen a better option for a startup kit. Very happy with it, when I expand my fermentor collection I'll be looking at other options though.

[bensfarm]

taking a hammer to a fermenter is a a bit like belting a pregnant woman.all those little baby bottles inside