BEST ANSWER:I bought two of these 6 months apart. I love them and they do a great job. The first stir bar is about 1.25" (with some noise) but the second stir bar is about 1" and I hear basically nothing. It is more than enough in my opinion and I usually stir about 1.6L at a time in a 2L Erlenmeyer flask. Hope this helps.
BEST ANSWER:I bought two of these 6 months apart. I love them and they do a great job. The first stir bar is about 1.25" (with some noise) but the second stir bar is about 1" and I hear basically nothing. It is more than enough in my opinion and I usually stir about 1.6L at a time in a 2L Erlenmeyer flask. Hope this helps.
It uses a capsule about 3/8" diameter by about an inch long that spins at the bottom the flask. Seems to work best at just short of creating a whirlpool effect
Works but kind of noisy, and fit and finish not so great.
Works as advertised. Functional stir plate for the $$ if you get to brew in your garage or similar where you don't have to listen to it all the time. Mine is on my work desk since I live in an apartment. Was tolerably noisy at first but got very loud after building starters on 2-3 weekends which sort annoys other people in the house. This morning the housing was removed to access the inside, pushed and adjusted some stuff for better balance and less vibration; also lubricated the motor shaft. Now it's back to baseline, maybe even a little improved. I may try to sell it and pay for a better machine if it keeps requiring as much maintenance.
I was skeptical about purchasing this as I feared it would be too small for the 5L flask and the bar wouldn’t stay in motion. Glad to say it works perfectly and after a year of use! It also works well with my 2L flask. I might get another in the near future.
Bought this looking for something to stir a 5L flask. Does the trick pretty well. Might need a larger stirbar but does pretty well with my smaller one. Great value, sturdy, powerful and compact.
Was having trouble with a different brand that wouldn't spin the stir bar without assistance. This one works great and the know adjuster for speed let's me choose exactly how much stirring I want. Nice and compact too.
The description says it will support up to 5l flask. However the plate is too small for it to safely sit on top. My 1l flask fits ok but is still wobbly. I would not recommend this. I will try to return.
Says 1000ml on the box. Works fine for my 5L flask
Just received it, and I'm giving it 5 stars. Even though package only says 1000ml, it stirs my 5L flask perfectly. Works all the way on high for a 1in stir bar, but it creates a vortex and stirs everything fine around 1/3 power. Great product and cheaper than most others on the market.
First time using the magnetic plate. It made making a yeast starter easier. Only problem, a very minor one is getting the magnetic stirrer out before pitching. I give it a 5 star and would recommend.
We are so sorry to hear about your bad experience with the stir plate. You are still within our return policy and warranty window for a damaged product. Please go to our website, scroll to the bottom of the page, and use the Return an Item form and we will set you up. Cheers!
May 11, 2021
Malcolm l
Rated 5 out of 5
Works great
I make starters for all of my beers and this sure does beat trying to remember to shake the flask. Once you find the "sweet spot" I baked it with a line. That spot gives optimum mixing without throwing the stir rod. I also use this with the Propper starter so no more messing with scalding liquid
Most plates I've found in the past required a larger commitment/investment of money. This is a nice entry point and may be all I'll ever need. (I don't do massive lagers or anything over 10gal) Perfect size for a 2L flask. I'm sure it can handle more, but I've never had to turn up the dial even 1/3-way yet. (only used it for 2 FFTs so far, my first full starter will be in a couple of weeks)
I needed an upgrade from the stir plate I purchased when I started brewing, 1L yeast starters. This plate is definitely strong enough to get my 5L starters in suspension, especially with the 2" long stir bar. Nice product. Great price.
The stir plate is a good value. I have a 5000L flash and it sits on it comfortably. My complaint is not with the stir plate, it is with the included 1" small magnet. The 1" magnet is too small. There is not that much difference in cost for a 2 inch magnet to be included instead of the 1 inch. The motor is strong enough to turn a 2" magnet very well, which is what I eventually needed to purchase.
Alright. Flat surface would be better for beer yeast starters
I typically use a 2000ml flask for starters. And with the smaller magnetic plate on this, and the fact that the exterior edge is raised, there is a little gap between bottom plate surface and flask, so I often have issues getting the magnet to stay centered or start centered. If it were flat and larger it would be perfect. Get the sense this is designed for smaller flasks or containers that fit down in the raised dish part of the plate.
Rugged build. I have only used this stir plate once, but it seems more than adequate for the job. The plate is a little small for my 2L Erlenmeyer flask and the stir bar was a little small, but both worked well.
I remember when the big online stores sold stir plates for $80. This little number is a great value and does everything you need it to. Nice range of speeds, and good build quality. You'd probably spend more money buying all the little electronic parts you need from amazon if making your own.
A major upgrade, especially for bigger starter batches
Love this stir plate, which can handle my big lager and strong ale starters up to 5000ml with no problem and doesn't "throw" the stir bar like my other unit. Very easy to start --no fumbling to get the stir bar aligned with the magnet. On//off switch is nice to have and the speed control knob is responsive. Very solidly built, and with a nice long cord. The metal platform that houses the magnets might look too small for a 500ml Erlenmeyer, but it works just fine for all of mine. Highly recommended and a big upgrade over the project box-based unit I'd been using until now.
I've used this stir plate twice now, with both the included 1" magnet and an optional 2" magnet.
With 3L liquid inside a 5L E. flask and the 1" magnet there was no problem adjusting the speed enough to create a nice whirlpool. When i tried the same 3L liquid inside a 5L E. flask and a 2" magnet, again had no problem creating the required whirlpool, BUT unless the speed is very slowly increased, the magnet would be thrown to the edge of the E. flask.
In general, as the speed dial is adjusted clockwise, the magnet speed increases, BUT between about 10 o-clock and 11 o-clock position there was little if any speed increase which suggests to me that the internal potentiometer is not 100%. I'll watch that this behavior does not worsen.
Very happy with the stirrer. Quiet, strong enough to easily put a vortex in a 1 or 2,liter starter. Can’t believe I screwed around with a diy cigar box now for just about the same $. Rob
So, I bought one to see if I like it... I liked it so well I bought another and then another...So, I am up to three (yes, I brew a lot) and I propagate yeast constantly and have a pretty good yeast farm going now... these pay for themselves within a short period of time... Would definitely recommend...
Works just fine for 2L starters. When I got to 4 or 5L, I needed to use a bigger stir bar to generate any sort of a vortex and the magnet on the plate just isn't strong enough to hold the bigger bar at reasonable speeds. The unit has also just stopped spinning (power still on) several times, presumably due to the use of the larger bar.
I finally chucked the homemade PC fan stir thing (it never deserved the word "plate") and got one of these. Wish I'd done so sooner! It's quiet, it holds onto a stir bar even in really big starters, and I don't worry about an electrical fire from my amateur wiring job.
