Looking for suggestions for fermenters for primary/secondary as I need some new ones. Would prefer lightweight, easy to maneuver, and cost effective. I’ve done buckets in the past and then graduated to glass carboys. Based on another thread in the forum I sold my glass carboys and now need to replace them. For primary fermentation I’d prefer at least 6.5 gallons and for secondary I need at least 6 gallons.
Thanks in advance for the suggestions.
Knowing you, you want them cheap. 
If not, and you want something effective and trouble free, I can’t recommend Grainfather fermenter and glycol chiller highly enough.
One relatively inexpensive approach would be the Kegland products (All Rounder or Fermzilla or Kegmenter - in progressing order of cost)…
You could consider un-graduating back to buckets. I’ve had good luck with the 0-ring seals on the lids. With a 7.9 gallon ale pail I’ve never needed a blow-off. It fits the bill as far as “cost effective”.
For your batch sizes you’d have to split into two of them, but 5 gallon corny kegs with a floating dip tube and adjustable PRV/spunding valve are a great option.
I whittled down my keg supply to the point I wouldn’t want to ferment in them. At one time I had some 10 gallon kegs, but they were really too tall to work in any fridge, freezer, or kegorator I had.
I like Fermonsters. They come in various sizes, including 6 gal and 7 gal. You can get with or without a spigot. I especially like the Monster Mesh strainer bag for dry hops.
Time to reconsider cornies as fermenters. No need to deal with anything other than a stock 5-gallon keg. Just get some custom fermentation lids and go. I don’t bother with larger kegs, or floating dip tubes, or cutting the stock dip tubes. Ferment is a stock keg with a fermentation lid, run a trick of CO2 when swapping back to a regular lid, then use a jumper with a threaded end on it so you can transfer the trub to a mason jar, then thread on a ball lock and transfer to a serving keg. You can purchase quite a few ball-lock kegs for the price of fancy stainless conincals!
I love the Anvil bucket fermenter. 7.5 gallon stainless steel with a small racking arm. Easy to clean, and fits in a 4 cubic foot chest freezer. The top comes off and you can dry hop easily. It’s probably the best thing Anvil/Blichmann has made. I can’t say enough good things about it.
I used to have some PET carboys intended for wine in another country and i really loved the wide mouths that the fermonsters have. theyre basically the same as these.
i’m going to be replacing my glass carboys with PET fermonsters as of next purchase.
being able to reach in and clean them out is just a really nice touch
I second this! They’re fairly cost effective (esp. for stainless steel), very very durable, and clean-up is a breeze.
I have a couple of plastic fermenters with the name Brewcraft USA on the lid, but they look exactly like these https://www.homebrewfinds.com/ends-today-genesis-6-5-gallon-plastic-fermenter-14-99-save-70/ that say Genesis. I like having the handles a lot. They came with liners, but I found it difficult to get them inside and fully open. One drawback is the markings on the outside leave places on the inside that are harder to clean than flat surfaces. This is a mute point if you use the inserts.
If I wasn’t using 100% glass (still am), I might go back to good old plastic buckets. Or maybe thick schedule 6- or 8-inch PVC pipes, as high as necessary.
I use SS Brewbuckets.
One day, you’ll wake up and there won’t be anymore time to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t wait. Do it now.
I have three SS Brewtech fermenters… the classic bucket… chronical… and mini.
I love the mini! It has been a surprisingly satisfying piece of equipment. It’s just easy to transport, is the perfect size for experimental (or super high abv) batches, and the size means it’s a breeze to clean.
I LOVE my Speidels! They’re around $80 for the 30L (7.9 Gal). Very durable, light weight and extremely versatile. They are pressure capable, and lots of accessories available. They also come with the bung and an oversized airlock.
For 7-8 years now I have been using plastic buckets with a spigot. In the day it was called a bottling bucket and I have two of them from Williams Brewing. I know many people dislike plastic and also dislike the idea of a fermenter with a port on it but this has worked beautifully for me and it allows me to ferment (with CO2 from fermentation purging the keg) and then run the beer off into the keg in a closed loop and once that’s done I harvest the yeast. The fermenter is never opened once the yeast is pitched. I believe Williams still sells these. They’re cheaper than most other options and they’re easy to clean. It has worked so well that I wouldn’t do it any other way.
Although I do not user them a lot because I do not due “secondary fermentations” (A.K.A. brite vessels) very often and have conical fermenters here, I have several Better Bottle Carboys (PET plastic). You can get them for around $32 or so for a 6 gallon one and around $30 for a five gallon one from More Beer. They work fine and you can pressurize them a bit for transfers (I don’t go over 5# of CO2 for a transfer). They are much safer than glass and are durable. Just be careful when cleaning them not to use an abrasive brush which could scratch the plastic. I use hot water with a dairy cleaner in them and swirl it around to loosen any soil from the fermentation process. They come clean pretty easily for me. You might give this a thought.
I also have been using the same buckets I got from NB when I started this hobby. They work great and fit in my fermenter fridge. I have toyed with the idea of fermenting in a corny, and will eventually get to that, but for now those buckets work great.