This point keeps getting lost. If your fermenter is not getting light it doesn’t matter. That being said, I have never been tempted to replace my plastic buckets. They are the most perfect pieces of brewing equipment I own.
Possibly a problem created by the LODO process?
If five minutes is all it takes for most beers then every beer that’s ever been fermented in a glass or plastic carboy should be terribly skunked because those beers see more than five minutes of light just in bottling time. Is it your position that this is the case?
I’m getting one of these Fermenter’s for christmas to replace my current 7.9gal Spiedel. And I personally can’t wait to start using it.
The Spiedel is an awesome Fermenter but I see so many advantages to the Catalyst. I currently Ferment in a Chest Freezer using a Ranco dual channel switch and am looking forward to applying my FermWrap to a perfectly round Fermenter (it’s a little awkward on the Spiedel). As one poster mentioned above, you can only Autosiphon off the top of the Spiedel and I can’t wait to drop the Trub + Yeast and be able to see exactly what is collecting in the Mason Jar at different parts of the process. I don’t see how light would be any issue if Fermenting in a garage (where door can be closed) inside of a Chest Freezer. Direct Light will never touch the beer.
Back to the OP, I prefer the Fast Ferment Conical to the catalyst. It is a little harder to clean because it doesn’t have than wide opening, but at $99 its not too shabby. FWIW the Brew Jacket Imm Pro fits it too, not that that is for everyone. I just think that is a cool piece of equipment too. Once I find a better price I will jump on one.
Has anyone had any issues with the “Bung” of the Catalyst? Brewed an Oatmeal Stout yesterday and when I inserted my blowoff and ran the tubing into a growler, the Bung started leaning sideways. Doesn’t seem like the best fit… not nearly as secure as the Bung supplied with my Spiedel.
I was able to secure the Bung with rubber bands to the four latches on the sides… but will be looking for a new Bung from my LHBS before the next brew…