I was lazy and stupid. I know better. But I still cracked it.
Now I’m down one 6 gallon fermenter.
I will replace this with a better bottle.
I think I’m done with glass as much as possible. It just doesn’t seem like it’s worth the potential risk, especially with small people around.
Why not get a bucket? Easier to store and clean than a carboy shaped fermenter.
+1. I have been using glass less in the process. At my wifes urging I got some of the bigger plastic buckets, and those are easy to clean.
As I get older, I am more scared respectful and cautious of glass.
YES!
Dunno about buckets. Only used one once. I’ve been using carboys since the early 90s.
Old habits…
The ease of filling, transferring, cleaning, inspecting, and storing buckets made me switch from better bottles long ago. The only thing I lost was the ability to watch the active fermentation through the side of the fermentor, but, even that becomes a plus, since there’s no way for skunking to occur.
Pull airlock. Put eye close to hole. There’s no step three!
Remove eye from proximity to hole. Replace airlock. (Can’t fool me Sean Terrill!)
Well, I generally just drink directly from the buckets.
I KNEW IT!! ;D
At least once a week I read something on the Forum that makes me literally laugh out loud. I’m working today and feeling a wee tired, so this was perfect for restoring my mojo.
I went from buckets to Better Bottles but am planning to go back to buckets. Unless I decide to move into our garage I will continue to miss most of the fermentation excitement–about the only reason I can think to use a carboy. I am considering adapting 5-gallon food-safe buckets as fermenters for my 3-gallon batches–take up less space, have less head space. 5 Gallon FDA Bucket
But what about us sour beer brewers?? I use Better Bottles for my sours cause they have about the same oxygen permeability as carboys. And I can see those beautiful pellicles. 
I had one slip out of my hands and break on the driveway. Scared the crap out of me and I haven’t used one since.
I use brew haulers for my carboys. Besides being easier to carry, they also mean that I can hold the carboy away from my body and lower to the ground. If it does break, it is not as close to my vital organs.
I’ve thought about these, but I just use milk crates instead.
In this case, I was being lazy pouring out the carboy into a floor drain. I knew I was being stupid as I did it, and cracked the neck. No major eruption of glass, but my three year-old was near by which made me really worried.
Just curious Joe, were you using a carboy handle? Wondering what you attribute the failure to. I’m very cautious with our glass and I get really nervous when my girlfriend is working with. But alas, old habits.
Yes. I was using the handle.
I typically rest the carboy on the floor while I pour it out and I have rubber matting on the cement floor as a precaution.
I was hurrying and being lazy and tipped the carboy too far. The neck rested on the edge of the floor drain and all the weight went on to the shoulder of the carboy. It cracked, popped out a big piece of glass and water went everywhere. Stoopid.
It was one of those things where you go “this is bad idea” as you’re doing it.
The kids love to be around when I’m brewing, so I just think I ought to do away with glass and any possible risk therefrom.