Jump to content

Looking for reliable large still manufacturer


Modernist

Recommended Posts

ASD is made in china, just ask them. Designed in Canada, or USA. A lot of places are selling stuff made in China. It is only smart for the people from China to try to come here direct and sell there stuff when they see how much it is being marked up.

We pride our selves making equipment in the USA.

Our equipment isnt marked up as much as you think, Yes there are some knock offs being sold at a significant discount, in fact they're charging below our cost. that tells me that for one material quality and thickness are not up to our standards, number two, their workmanship is not at the same standards as ours, and number three, they have zero development costs as they just copy (quite poorly) other peoples designs.

And Yes, Artisan Still Design will now be made in the USA. we are in progress of setting up out production Facility, Showroom and Distillery in our New property in Mobile Alabama.

our complete line is being redesigned and improved, and on top of all this, our Prices will not be going up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Artisan Still Design is reliable and hard working to make sure you're setup. They have a strong network of pro contractors and a tremendous amount of experience. We own an ASD and put them through the ringer and it was well worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

We have several continuous stills under our belt. We are looking to be the Continuous still KINGS..... MADE IN THE USA.

We computer model every one of our units for optimum efficiency and output.

We will be designing a one step process continuous still by the end of the year.

We will be starting a new project very soon making a unit that will have 17 gpm input feed rate, with a 43.5 hp boiler (1500 lbs steam), 29' tall.  But we can make any size for any of your needs.

Upgrading your distillery? Don't buy a bigger pot, buy a continuous still. Save production time, and money.

515-559-4879

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2016 at 7:00 AM, Silk City Distillers said:

From poking around Alibaba a few times, it looks like EVERYONE's stills are copied by Chinese factories, which may or may not be the same factories producing the equipment for those manufacturers.

Not to speak for ASD, but I remember a few years back the topic came up here a number of times, where very similar systems were being posted on Alibaba. I would assume the same for everyone else. Seems like the minute a new product is online, there is a factory in China making a copy of it. It might look great, but if their plate design is awful, the whole rig is going to be junk. Don't look at the shiny copper, that's the meaningless exterior. How does it function? The Alibaba advertisement probably doesn't touch on that. These places might never have even run a still before making a copy. How do you know the picture on the website is even a still they made? They even steal pictures to re-use on their websites and Alibaba. Ever wonder why Stilldragon photos have watermarks all over them? Because all their photos are stolen and re-used by other manufacturers.

As to equipment made in China, some is terrible, some is great. As to equipment made in America, some is terrible, some is great. What I would imagine you get by buying though someone here is peace of mind. I don't know about you, but wiring tens of thousands of dollars to a party in China? Sight unseen? From the consumer side, I'd much rather prefer a party here in the good old USA who can very easily be sued in the American courts system should something go wrong. Likewise, they have the relationships, they've likely taken the hard knocks so we don't need to. Everyone dealing with China takes the knocks, I'm sure they did, even if they aren't going to publicly talk about them.

The still is such a tiny part of the startup budget, why is that even a factor? To save a couple thousand bucks trying to go direct? C'mon, the potential negatives of dealing direct SIGNIFICANTLY outweigh the cost savings. Think of couple of dollars price difference as paying insurance.

And I don't even sell these things for a living.

I read this and had a thought about a friend and colleague in this industry that fell for this Alibaba thing.  As SCD and Steve Cage mentions, they purchased what they believed was the same design. Shiny copper and a big price difference pushed them to buy direct from what they thought was a reputable builder in China.  In reality they purchased a disappointing imitation with zero recourse on addressing the many shortcomings post-sale.  An expensive lesson learned and I hated when this happened.  These guys are friends as well as colleagues and didn't deserve to be done dirty like this.

For those of you looking to get into this industry and save some startup equipment money; I would strongly suggest you deal with a supplier that can tell you who their customers are, and let those customers give you honest and earnest feedback.  We love the gear our supplier, ASD sold us in 2011.  We felt so strongly about they way they supported us from the jump that we've gone back to them three times for each iteration of our growth.  We believe in their product enough to help sell it.  I think that's a pretty good endorsement.

If you're new to this game and are reading this thread to help make some equipment-buying decisions, a few more words of free advice: Go with an outfit that has sold a number of units in the size range you're seeking.  They need to have a good track record in the technology they're selling.  Multiple iterations of model designs over years is what I'm alluding to.  Go with a supplier that can meet your support expectations.  If you're new to this game, you're going to need a good amount of handholding/training unless you've hired a consultant to get you up and moving.  If you're starting up as a part-timer, expect this handholding need to double.  If you think your sales dude in China will be walking you though how to deal with some garbage he sold you, you're setting yourself up for a major disappointment.

Another mention of what's been floated here earlier, as the distilling technology (at our scale) advances, and more options are available, continuous columns are a seriously viable option.  We're planning our 4th expansion now and that's part of our upfit program (we're excited about adding an ASD continuous column to the operation). It ultimately boils down to price, continuity of manufacture and throughput. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...