[redrocker652002]

Thanks guys, for all the input.  Yea, I think the Jaded one is probably the best, but at almost 200 bucks it is a bit over right now for me.  2 Kids in College and a wife who is a teacher and they have to buy a lot of their own supplies.  Like I said, when I get into the hobby more and brew more often with better results, then I start getting into the fancy stuff.  LOL.  Right now, I am cooling 3 gallons or so in my sink with a ice bath, and while it is effective, I think I could do better. The Gas One Kettle my wife brought me has the ball valve and the Temp gauge in it, so no putting that into cold water to chill.  And it will be more than 5 gallons of post boil wort, so that is gonna take longer.  I have a plan for the setup that I will post later on another thread.  . 

So, I think I am going to give the Amazon one a go, what the heck.  I am sure it will do what I want it to.  Maybe not as fast, but that gives me a few more minutes to have a beer or two  while I wait.  LOL. 

Keep those comments coming.  I appreciate them all.  RR

[denny]

The Lowe's near me lists 50 ft of 3/8 copper tubing at $78.98 ... before you add in cost of fittings (and a tube bender if you don't already have one).  $100 all in sounds like a competitive price to me.

(Or save the $100 and go no-chill.)

EDIT: You can also find aluminum tubing online for cheaper than copper. That could be a budget option, too, and preserve the DIY element.

I don't think you want to use AL for a chiller.  pH is likely to low for AL.

[denny]

Thanks guys, for all the input.  Yea, I think the Jaded one is probably the best, but at almost 200 bucks it is a bit over right now for me.  2 Kids in College and a wife who is a teacher and they have to buy a lot of their own supplies.  Like I said, when I get into the hobby more and brew more often with better results, then I start getting into the fancy stuff.  LOL.  Right now, I am cooling 3 gallons or so in my sink with a ice bath, and while it is effective, I think I could do better. The Gas One Kettle my wife brought me has the ball valve and the Temp gauge in it, so no putting that into cold water to chill.  And it will be more than 5 gallons of post boil wort, so that is gonna take longer.  I have a plan for the setup that I will post later on another thread.  . 

So, I think I am going to give the Amazon one a go, what the heck.  I am sure it will do what I want it to.  Maybe not as fast, but that gives me a few more minutes to have a beer or two  while I wait.  LOL. 

Keep those comments coming.  I appreciate them all.  RR

Definitely swirl your chiller around once in a while. Helps to equilibriate temp.

[Bel Air Brewing]

The Jaded really is the best immersion chiller I have encountered.  If you go with the one on Amazon, try swirling it in the kettle as it chills to get a better chilling effect.  Then when you can afford the Jaded product, you can use this first one as a "pre-chiller" to sit in a bucket of ice water.  At that point you will be chilling 5 gallons to pitch temp in almost no time.

Cheers.

This is exactly our procedure. The original copper coil goes into a 6 gallon bucket of ice water, with the line out feeding the Hydra in the boil kettle. The water temp is right at 34 degrees!
While Jaded is a little more expensive, it is money well spent in the long run.
But...we brewed for decades without it, so you can make other methods work for you.

[redrocker652002]

The Jaded really is the best immersion chiller I have encountered.  If you go with the one on Amazon, try swirling it in the kettle as it chills to get a better chilling effect.  Then when you can afford the Jaded product, you can use this first one as a "pre-chiller" to sit in a bucket of ice water.  At that point you will be chilling 5 gallons to pitch temp in almost no time.

Cheers.

This is exactly our procedure. The original copper coil goes into a 6 gallon bucket of ice water, with the line out feeding the Hydra in the boil kettle. The water temp is right at 34 degrees!
While Jaded is a little more expensive, it is money well spent in the long run.
But...we brewed for decades without it, so you can make other methods work for you.

I agree that the Jaded setup is one of the best, but for now, I am going to try and make due with something a bit less expensive.  One day, I will be good enough to get a really cool setup with all the bells and whistles, but for now, we make it with a bit less.  RR