Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Equipment
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Equipment
The stir plate works great for this price. It will kick the stir bar if you pour in too much powder, but I've never used a stir plate that didn't. I used to work in several chemistry and biological science laboratories, so I've used some rather expensive ones. If you're doing large cultures, like more than 1L, I'd recommend getting a bigger stir plate. Up to 1L it will pull a vortex all the way down to the included 1-inch bar with just water in there, so it's fine for smaller stuff. If you plan to let this run overnight, bear in mind that there are no vent holes in the case, so the motor will likely overheat and fail. Go with something more professional-grade for that type of use, or you could modify this one. As is, this is for short runs only. I personally use it to mix drink mixes like protein shakes and Gatorade powder and it works great for that. With the Gatorade I start out with 1 quart, let it stir for a half hour, then dilute into the final 2 quart container. It tastes just like store-bought that way. I used to have to wait overnight for the powder to dissolve all the way and take out the bitter flavor that comes from an incomplete dissolution. For protein shakes, I also can't stand the flavor of grainy undissolved powder, and this solves the problem as well. I mix one scoop in a pint glass full of water and let sit for 20 minutes, occasionally squishing powdery chunks with a teaspoon. The shakes all still taste horrible with the sucralose they all have in my opinion, but this makes them more palatable to me. Cleanup is easier than a blender too, and you make fewer dishes this way, since you're dropping a tiny stir bar into the container you drink out of. That's all you have to clean other than the glass you're mixing in. I plan to order a few more stir bars so I don't have to hand wash them every time.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
If I'd been brewing smarter, I would have gotten one of these sooner! Stirplate and a 2L flask is making all the difference for me with yeast starters. There is much more activity than the old "shake when you go by" method. I had it whirring away last time, and it kept about a three inch foam for the whole two days. Definitely need a flat-bottomed 2L to make the most use of this product. A 1L makes it work too hard to spin and can be noisy. And though I didn't try, I've read pickle/mason jars are out because of the curved bottoms making a contact point for the stir bar difficult.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This item arrived and I used it the very next day to make a starter for the beer I was going to brew. The unit worked great and I really like that it has variable speed. It kept a nice whirlpool action and allowed the yeast to stay in suspension the whole time it was on the stir plate. I only gave it 4 stars because it could be slightly bigger so the flask sits on it better.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
So I am constantly reusing yeast in my brewing (partially because I'm cheap). I had an old stir plate that I built that wasn't spinning quite right on the magnet. Got this and it works perfect. As noted in the picture and the depth of the vortex I would say in a 2000ml starter that was about as far as I got it to spin down too. The yeast was totally viable and took off almost instantly. Add to that I couldn't find another stir plate at a cheaper price and you can't go wrong.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I used this for the first time last weekend to make a yeast starter and it worked great. The only caveat is that I wish the stir bar was bigger, but the one that was provided was able to agitate 1L of liquid in a 2L Erlenmeyer flask.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New