T500 vs spirit maker

[joel0395]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted some oppions and thoughts on the t500 vs the spirit maker! I may be wrong but to me it looks like the turbo 500 allows me to experiment a bit more, or is one of the main differences the water flow? I have good water pressure and this is not an issue, so if i was looking for a still that allows me to experiment with and become more advanced what is the best option? I do like the fact that the spirit maker has no plastic parts and it copper.

Thanks in advance

[Zak Griffin]

Forget them both and buy a MacBoka :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[joel0395]

Sorry, any chance of some more info?

[Woodsy71]

Hey mate,

I own and use the T500, and it's a good still for neutral. I know nothing about the spirit maker, but will hazard a guess and say it's not dissimilar to the T500.
I've read that a few of the guys here "detune" these stills in order to run them as pot stills. It seems to work well, so this could be something to consider.

However, i have to say that in this day and age you would be mad if you don't consider the modular still. If you catch the distilling bug and want to venture deeper into the hobby...modular is your answer :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Hope this helps :smile:

[hillzabilly]

The Macboka will outperform both,give a potentially higher Abv and cleaner spirit,will be more durable than copper and is a heavier gauge stainless than the T500 with no plastic,you did not mention what you are trying to produce and how quickly you want to produce it ,both these questions may also effect choice ,my opinion is they are both made to produce neatral spirit first and flavoured or pot stilled spirit second (reflux stills )where as a pot still is for flavour first and neatral second,the Macboka is more flexible ,you could easily add more height for purity or less for pot stillin.cheers hillzabilly

[Fishboy]

Hi Joel,
I've played with the T500 that my mate has.
I ran a half a dozen washes through it before deciding wether or not to buy my own kit.

I found the T500 to be an attractive package at first glance and it is capable of producing some good quality neutr (vodka)
This can then be treated in various ways to make different flavoured drinks.
To varying degrees of success but that's another story....
What I didn't like was having to watch the still like a hawk to ensure that the temperature doesn't leap out of its ideal range.

Flavoured washes are not really possible with the T500.

I ended up buying a "MacBoka" which is a 2" stainless Bokakob still.
You can find lots of plans on this site to build your own bola but you can buy apremade unit from 5star (the sponsor of this site)
This unit is capable of acting as a makeshift pot still, as well as producing a good neutral.

All for about the same price as a T500 kit.

[joel0395]

Could someone please post a link to one of these "macboka" stills? So ideally i want to be making bourbon and rum, which i know is not ideal from a reflux still, however i just feel like im getting in a bit over my head considering a t500 looks pretty simple.

[punchy21]

viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7541

Have a read of this :handgestures-thumbupleft:

viewtopic.php?f=56&t=8171

And here...

[joel0395]

Thanks punchy, im feeling overwhelmed with all this information now, however if i am correct in what i just read about these boka stills they seem to be pretty flexible! So therfore i can start of with some basic netruals from a tpw and work upwards from there! Cheers

[Zak Griffin]

The more you read, the more it will all make sense.

Side effect of that is realising that the T500 is a one-trick Pony, and a complete waste of money if you want flavoured spirits :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[punchy21]

Absolutely mate, excellent starters still :handgestures-thumbupleft:

You can detune it for pot stilling for your rum's and whiskey's or add two 90°'s and a condenser and you have a top notch pot still :handgestures-thumbupleft: