Carboy Purchase Recommendations

[Raptor99]

It seems that the majority of carboy purchases are local /used. I have had good success with this - but there are times when carboys are needed and used ones are not available. Also - I don't have a wine making shop close by so I have to purchase over the web...

That being said - I recently tried to purchase 5 gallon and 6 gallon new Italian carboys. Results are not good:
- One cracked on the side - returned for a refund.
- One sold as new - but clearly used (debris inside).
- Two cracked on bottom - replacements in process...
I can't prove this - but I don't believe any of the cracked glass is from shipping damage - I think the vendors are sending out returns (maybe by mistake)... These are repudiable websites...

One advantage of buying locally, when possible, is that you can carefully inspect the carboys before purchasing. When buying used ones I am especially careful. If you run your fingernail across the visible line, you can tell whether it is a crack or not. More than once, I have purchased only some of the carboys available, or none at all. Some imperfections in the glass are normal, but if there is an actual crack, then I tell them "No thank you."

Reputable vendors should be willing to accept returns and pay the return postage if there are any cracks.

 

[mainshipfred]

It is nice to see and inspect prior to buying. What I have rough time with is determining whether it is a crack or just a scratch.

 

[Raptor99]

It is nice to see and inspect prior to buying. What I have rough time with is determining whether it is a crack or just a scratch.

Me too. When in doubt, I usually pass up on the purchase. It may partially depend on where the crack/scratch is located.

 

[wineview]

This is a good time to bring back this video from a couple of years ago.

This is a good video and it scares me at the same time. When I started to purchase carboys I didn’t know that Italian glass was better. The good news is that all my carboys have manufacturer stamps on the bottom. Some Italian some Mexican and others are American made by Owens Glass company. These American carboys have dates ranging from 1965 to 1970. I would think they have passed the test of time. Although I have no special equipment to view the glass, the Mexican carboys seem to be as sturdy as the Italian ones. In fact they almost look identical.

 

[Jbu60]

Local distributor ordered a truck load of mexican carboys when the Italian ones were on back order and they had so many complaints of the bottoms dropping out that they sent the entire shipment back. I've only had one carboy break on me, tapped the bottom slightly and the whole bottom fell out, and it was full of great wine. It was a mexican carboy. I threw out all the other remaining mexican carboys and will only use Italian made.

 

[Raptor99]

If there is more than one factory making carboys in each country, then it is likely that some are better than others. So it is overly simplistic to say "Mexican carboys are bad and Italian carboys are good." Just looking at the country of origin is not enough. There might be bad carboys from Italy and good ones from Mexico.

I have a a number of carboys that I purchased used. Some are Italian and some are made in Mexico, a few do not have the country of origin printed on the bottom. I have not had problems with any of them. I inspect used carboys very carefully before purchase, handle them carefully, and try to avoid picking them up when full.

I passed up on the purchase of some used Italian carboys because there appeared to be a crack in the bottom of them. Of course, for used carboys it also depends on how they were handled.

 

[mainshipfred]

Great observation! I've not been making wine as long as others but I do have 7 years under my belt. Except for the time my wine spends in barrels it is always in glass carboys. In addition to 8 empty I currently have 28 full carboys ranging from 3 to 7 gallons of all of which were purchased used. This is my breakage history.

Early on I would clean carboys using hot water. I had the bottom of a 6 gallon drop out while cleaning but I'm blaming that on thermal shock. That was all I needed to stop using hot water.

The next was a drop because I didn't completely remove the soap while rinsing and it slipped out of my hands.

The last I just recently disposed of when I saw what I thought was a crack but it was really hard to tell. Until I saw a chip on the shoulder which is where the crack appeared to start so I'm blaming that on my careless storage of the carboy.

All 3 were a result of misuse or mishandling rather than poor quality. I'm pretty sure most of them are Mexican.

 

[wineview]

I always carry my carboys in these wooden crates I built. This Great Bear five gallon is a Crisa made in Mexico. There is no date on the bottom but would assume it’s old. When was the last time you saw a glass carboy on a water cooler. Construction looks very similar to the Italian made carboys.

 

[sluff]

Has anyone purchased new carboys lately? I recently purchased 2 new 5 gallon and 2 new 6 gallon Italian glass carboys from two different well known web vendors. Please take a look at the photos. Every one of the new carboys has what looks to be a crack on the bottom. I was told by one of the vendors (whom I have a lot of respect for) "That line is on all glass carboys and is from the manufacturer and is not a crack. I have verified this with all of the ones we have in stock and my own personal carboys at home. I suggest filling it up with water to verify"

I currently have 22 glass carboys that I have purchased new or used over the years. I never noticed a "crack" or a line like this on the bottom. Most of them are filled with wine right now so I cant' take a close look at the bottom. Would you please look at your carboys - especially newer ones and let me know what you find. Or - provide any helpful thoughts you might have. Right now I am afraid to put wine in any of these...

 

[Ohio Bob]

Those look too crooked to be cracks. Looks like a weld line or a meld line. Terms used in the injection molding industry. They happen when the glass is molded and intersecting mold flows contact each other.

 

[wineview]

Is there a date or manufacturer stamped on the bottom?

 

[sluff]

Is there a date or manufacturer stamped on the bottom?

No date or manufacturer can be made out on the bottom. Just “made in Italy” and the capacity of the carboy

 

[Rocky]

@sluff, Sorry, all my 5 and 6 gallon Italians are in bulk aging so I can't see the bottom. I do have 3 each 3 gallon Italians (two shown in attachments) and they look fine. Both clearly show "Made in Italy" (visible on lower part of attachments). FYI, they weigh 8 lbs. 14.8 oz. and 8 lbs. 14.4 oz. You may want to weigh yours for comparison. The detail on the bottom of mine appears to be sharper than yours and the "pattern" is somewhat different. I am suggesting you may have knock-offs of Italian carboys.

I did check another of my 5 gallon carboys, not sure where it is made, probably US or maybe Mexico. It has an "I" on the bottom and smooth sides. It weighed 11 lbs. 1.4 oz. and has a single weld line running approximately across the bottom diameter from the side parting lines. If you are not familiar with how these are made, they are blow molded inside a "clam shell" mold so you can see the two parting lines which run from the top down the sides, and divide the carboy in two equal halves from top to bottom.

 

[wineview]

@sluff, Sorry, all my 5 and 6 gallon Italians are in bulk aging so I can't see the bottom. I do have 3 each 3 gallon Italians (two shown in attachments) and they look fine. Both clearly show "Made in Italy" (visible on lower part of attachments). FYI, they weigh 8 lbs. 14.8 oz. and 8 lbs. 14.4 oz. You may want to weigh yours for comparison. The detail on the bottom of mine appears to be sharper than yours and the "pattern" is somewhat different. I am suggesting you may have knock-offs of Italian carboys.

I did check another of my 5 gallon carboys, not sure where it is made, probably US or maybe Mexico. It has an "I" on the bottom and smooth sides. It weighed 11 lbs. 1.4 oz. and has a single weld line running approximately across the bottom diameter from the side parting lines. If you are not familiar with how these are made, they are blow molded inside a "clam shell" mold so you can see the two parting lines which run from the top down the sides, and divide the carboy in two equal halves from top to bottom.

View attachment 110209View attachment 110210

The carboy you mention with an “I” stamped on the bottom was manufactured by the Owen’s Illinois Glass company. These are quality carboys. Look closely and you may see a date as well. I have some from ‘65 and ‘70.

 

[Rocky]

The carboy you mention with an “I” stamped on the bottom was manufactured by the Owen’s Illinois Glass company. These are quality carboys. Look closely and you may see a date as well. I have some from ‘65 and ‘70.

Thanks for the info. It is an old carboy and seems in very good condition, well made.

 

[Ohio Bob]

I looked over some of my carboys, made in Mexico by two different companies. Both had weld lines.

My oldest carboy, stamped 1943, the letter “I” in the middle, has numerous weld lines.

 

[Garagista]

@sluff, Sorry, all my 5 and 6 gallon Italians are in bulk aging so I can't see the bottom. I do have 3 each 3 gallon Italians (two shown in attachments) and they look fine. Both clearly show "Made in Italy" (visible on lower part of attachments). FYI, they weigh 8 lbs. 14.8 oz. and 8 lbs. 14.4 oz. You may want to weigh yours for comparison. The detail on the bottom of mine appears to be sharper than yours and the "pattern" is somewhat different. I am suggesting you may have knock-offs of Italian carboys.

I did check another of my 5 gallon carboys, not sure where it is made, probably US or maybe Mexico. It has an "I" on the bottom and smooth sides. It weighed 11 lbs. 1.4 oz. and has a single weld line running approximately across the bottom diameter from the side parting lines. If you are not familiar with how these are made, they are blow molded inside a "clam shell" mold so you can see the two parting lines which run from the top down the sides, and divide the carboy in two equal halves from top to bottom.

View attachment 110209View attachment 110210

 

[Garagista]

I built a makeshift polariscope for my carboys between seasons. This first photo is from a mexican carboy.


While it has no flaw (like the dredded yellow annealing flaws) you can see the darker spots on the bottom where it hits the sides. This indicates inconsistent thickness.

This is one of my beloved Owens Illinois carboys from the 50s/60s. You can see how consistent the base is without any blobs or flaws. I will eventually decommission the Mexican one even though it is mostly flawless. Why take a chance?

 

[BarrelMonkey]

I built a makeshift polariscope for my carboys between seasons. This first photo is from a mexican carboy.

Would love to hear more about how you did this!

 

[Rocky]

Would love to hear more about how you did this!

This video is a somewhat long but it may answer your question.