# Alibaba Cheap stelvin screw capper



## Zoe (Mar 23, 2016)

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has bought one of the seemingly 'too good to be true' stelvin cappers from China, via Alibaba? 

http://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...60383627364.html?spm=a2700.7724838.0.0.We9w6J

I own and operate a small scale fruit winery in Queensland, Australia and currently use Novatwists to seal my bottles. I'm looking to upgrade to Stelvin closures, but can't justify the $10k machines. This Alibaba alternative seems perfect, but I can't quite believe that it'll do the job. 

Has anyone had experience with this kind of machine?

Thanks in advance
Zoe


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## grapeman (Mar 23, 2016)

Might I point out that the supplier sells one set minimums of 420 so at 300 apiece it would cost $126,000. I would rather spend 10000 for one, unless of course you have over 400 close friends who all want to purchase one.


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## ibglowin (Mar 23, 2016)

I am not seeing that, looks like minimum order is one set or one unit? Or ~$400 FOB means shipping is not included in the price.


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## GreginND (Mar 23, 2016)

It looks like 1 set is the minimum and 1 set is 420 units.


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## ibglowin (Mar 23, 2016)

I see that as the price is dependent on how many units (sets) you purchase (which is typical) and the price varies between $300 and 420 depending on the number of sets purchased.

Guess we need to purchase one to see!


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## grapeman (Mar 23, 2016)

That might indeed be the case here. It is always hard to tell when there is a bit of translation involved. I figured it was for a shipping container full holding 420 units but that may be the price like you say. Greg you want the be the guinea pig?


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## GreginND (Mar 23, 2016)

Nope, not me.


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## Runningwolf (Mar 23, 2016)

For 300 I wouldn't mind one at home. I would jump on it in a heartbeat but I'm sure the shipping would kill me. Plus I would like to see a you tube video of it working. It seams like there might be something missing on the head. Is that extra? I have seriously looked into these for commercial use and was quoted about 6500 for a single bottle machine hand fed.


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## Zoe (Mar 24, 2016)

I'm glad I'm not the only one intrigued/dubious about this product!

They've sent me a video of it working on a glass bottle, but it was an olive oil bottle, not a wine bottle with a stelvin/ROPP closure, so I've asked to see a video of that too. 

I automatically assumed that "a set" was just one unit, so I'll need to clarify that too. I'm still not sure if I'm brave enough to be the guinea pig....


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## grapeman (Mar 24, 2016)

One thing I will say about it that it looks like the head would be a real bear to adjust. I assume all those bolt things are to crimp threads as it spins and if you look at them they all have set screw adjustments.


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## Runningwolf (Mar 27, 2016)

I left a message on Alibaba and this guy won't leave me alone now. Emails everyday. Maybe that's good customer service or....? This is his last message:
Hi Daniel,
My dear brother, how are you ?
This is Bill Smith, did you check my last email ?
Regarding this screw capper, CIF New York Port is USD 1,200
We will ship the screw capper to New York Port for you and then you go to New York Port to pick up the machine.
Is everything is clear to you ?
Will you need this screw capper very urgently ?
Please advise ! 
Waiting for your reply. 
Thank you. 
Warmest regards. 
Bill Smith


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## ibglowin (Mar 27, 2016)

They are trying to reel you in! So the shipping cost more than the capper?


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## Runningwolf (Mar 28, 2016)

Yup and I got another "My dear Brother" again this morning. I am not surprised on the shipping fee from over seas. That's why they always want you to buy an entire container load when possible. That's what I do when purchasing Australian juice.


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## ibglowin (Mar 28, 2016)

I think PI should buy a container full and pass on the savings..... LOL 

Who knew you had a brother in Beijing!


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## grapeman (Mar 28, 2016)

I love how all the Chinese, Indians, Pakistani's, etc have all American names. Really, Bill Smith......... At least he isn't Peggy.........

I like that idea Dan, PI can buy a container full and pass along the savings. We can all afford to buy one then.


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## Runningwolf (Mar 28, 2016)

At the $300 price I would love one for at home.Nobody wants left over screw cap bottles, so they should be easy to collect. I would switch over in a heartbeat.


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## ibglowin (Mar 28, 2016)

OK so you get a Capper, Rich gets a capper, I get a capper, we all get a capper!


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## Runningwolf (Mar 28, 2016)

Great, now you got everyone saying "we're all full of cap"


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## grapeman (Mar 28, 2016)

Maybe we can get Oprah to do a capper giveaway for all the hardworking moderators at WineMakingTalk.com

With my luck she would give us all a.......Porta-Crapper


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## Runningwolf (Mar 28, 2016)

I unsubscribed to Alibaba. I started getting a bunch of emails from them also. Next email from my Dear Brother and I'll be blocking him.


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## downunder (May 11, 2016)

I am located in South Australia and actually bought 2 stelvin cappers from China.
Do they work.Yes they do. Are there any strings attached.Yes there are.
Only buy from an Aliexpress dealer. At least you have a guarantee you will receive a working model. Never ever let the Chinese seller talk you into paying them for CIF transport. If you do when you go to pick the item up you will find an extra transport charge of a few $100. As the docks only allow you 2 days to pick the item up before they start charging you $100 a day storage fee you just have to pay up and try (without success to get a refund on shipping). Use an Australian shipping agent like Smith Chandler to handle all the details.
The manual supplied is in Chinalese so can be a bit of a struggle to work out. But when set up correctly for the bottle it gives a bottle that looks a lot more professional than Nova Twist and at a cheaper price 
Once suggestion I would make is to buy a complete spare head (only cost about an extra $50) then if you get breakdowns in the middle of a big bottling run you have a spare head you can pop on right away.
If you need any more info just PM me


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## Zoe (Mar 6, 2017)

For anyone playing along at home, I ended up purchasing an "Easy Capper" machine, made in Italy and imported into Australia by Constante Imports. (http://www.costanteimports.com.au/w...s-and-screw-capping-machines/easy-capper.html). 

We've used it for three bottling runs, all up about 1200 bottles and it seems to work just fine. Easy to operate and a bit quicker than hand applying Novatwists. 

I'm not sure if its user error or the fact its on a slightly wobbly table but I think around one in 30 caps go a little awry when screwing on. But it's easy to tell when it's not right, snip off the stelvin and re-do it with no harm done.


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## codeman (Mar 24, 2017)

Zoe how much did the machine cost, did that price include shipping?


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## glennat (Aug 6, 2022)

But I think the point is really that there are quite a few way cheaper cappers out there (not just Alibaba and maybe twice that price), and do any of them work for Stelvin caps? There is just no information on how they work or which parts do what. One of them does state that it is NOT compatible with Stelvin caps. No explanation for why, but it looks much the same as many of the others. Amazon has some for $600, free shipping in 2-3 days. This could solve a lot of problems for lots of people, but no one seems to know if they work!


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