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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Gear/Equipment --> Bench Cappers

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chino_brews
Charter Member
Eden Prairie, MN
301 Posts


Looking for a bench capper, after my buddy broke one wing capper and one bottle last Wednesday night.

Can anyone run me through the pros and cons of the popular bench cappers? The ones I see are the Ferrari/Agata adustable, the Ferrari auto-adjust/SuperAgata, and the Colonna capper.

I'm not even sure what questions to ask.

For sure, one of my requirements is for a non-finicky bench capper that doesn't need to be bolted down. I suppose I could c-clamp it to the counter or my Black & Decker Workmate, if that would work.

Anyway, any input would appreciated -- but if you want me to start kegging, you have to promise to come wire my basement for an outlet :)




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by chino_brews

mchrispen
Bastrop, TX
485 Posts


www.morebeer.com/products/ferrari-bot...

That is what I have, but I admit that I only break it out much anymore. I have been using a wing capper for when I bottle for competition.




Posted 34 days ago.

ingoogni
nl
314 Posts


Indistructable, can be operated one handed, even when not bolted to a table. Made by Grifo in Italy





Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Dude, that thing looks great!  Maybe I need to invest in a bench capper...



Posted 34 days ago.

ingoogni
nl
314 Posts


Some are really handy with the wingcapper
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmDVXiv8hE8#t=15

It always amazes me that people are willing to put quite an amount of money in kegging but those who bottle seem not to be willing to invest in decent equipment. Get the sturdiest capper you can get, it's for a brewers lifetime.




Posted 34 days ago.

chino_brews
Charter Member
Eden Prairie, MN
301 Posts


@ingoogni - the Grifo looks awesome, but my google fu must be bad today, because I can't seem to find it from a US-based online retailer. Where did you get yours?

Edit: I found a US-based source (E.C. Kraus). For some reason, the exact same google search that turned up nothing yesterday ("grifo professional heavy duty capper") returned it as the first result today. That is part of google's creepy awesomeness, I guess.




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by chino_brews

ingoogni
nl
314 Posts


I Europe they are easily available. In the US, www.ginopinto.com used to have them in their catalogue, but it's not in the current one, yet maybe they can help you.

The Ferrari cappers look just like the Grifo models. This one has the same mechanism as the big one.




Posted 34 days ago.

chino_brews
Charter Member
Eden Prairie, MN
301 Posts


Here are the sources I found:

$134.99 (coated steel model, not stainless) -- out of stock as of 23 Feb 2015
www.morebeer.com/products/deluxe-benc...

$214.00
www.eckraus.com/bench-capper-italian....

$246.00
shop.homebrew4less.com/professional-h...

A U.S. Distributor (no direct retail sales)
shop.brewcraftusa.com/en/wine-and-cid...



Posted 34 days ago.

uberg33k
Charter Member
The Internet
314 Posts


I really wish there was a single capper that could do regular corks, mushroom corks, regular caps, and Belgian caps.  In theory it should be possible by changing out the bell or jaws, but I haven't seen one that does all the things.



Posted 34 days ago.

chino_brews
Charter Member
Eden Prairie, MN
301 Posts


@uberg33k:  The Colonna Corker/Capper does regular corks, and 26mm and 29mm caps, for sure. And it seems to also do mushroom caps based on this pictorial in Brew Your Own.




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by chino_brews

uberg33k
Charter Member
The Internet
314 Posts


Hmm.  I always thought those things looked a little fragile, but I may have to revisit that.  If they can cap regular sized wine bottles and the short campaign bottles, then I might have to get one.



Posted 34 days ago.

ercousin
Charter Member
Toronto, Canada
77 Posts


Does anyone notice that their Ferrari bench capper picks up the bottle after capping? Then I have to pull the bottle out of the bell.

I got one for christmas to upgrade from my wing capper, but now I feel it isn't really an upgrade. It sometimes scratches the cap, it doesn't push the collar of the cap as far down, and it takes more force than my wing capper...



Posted 34 days ago.

chino_brews
Charter Member
Eden Prairie, MN
301 Posts


I saw a video that confirmed the Ferrari bench capper seemed to require some muscle, and then you had to twist the bottle out of the bell.

I think I've settled on that Grifo capper, but the coated steel version, rather than SS steel, when MoreBeer gets it back in stock. I found some other sources in the US for the SS one (EC Krauss, for one), but its over $200. I don't think my coated steel one will get damaged or rusty (and so what it it does, eventually?)




Posted 34 days ago.

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