Customer Reviews

great addition Review by Tom

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Can't believe I waited I waited so long to buy one. Used it several times already with no complaints. (Posted on 4/4/12)

not built to tolerance for 1/2" hose Review by supersillyus

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As another reviewer has pointed out, it is impossible to use this thing with 1/2" hose. the manual says you can use up to 9/16, what a joke! even with a hose clamp on it, there is still a small stream of bubbles coming in from that junction, always threatening the siphon should it cause a big enough bubble to form. hitting it with a heat gun didnt shrink the tubing enough to fit. for the 25 cents it costs, why don't they just include proper tubing with the device? I've bought 1/2" tube from a pet store and from a homebrew shop and neither fit snugly, they are way too big. with all the headaches this has caused me, I wish I had just bought a pump. it does work fine minus that design flaw though (Posted on 4/2/12)

Most of these negative reviews seem to be user error... Review by Do The Home Brew

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Love this siphon, I had the smaller version and this one is so much faster. The larger diameter makes it a bit easier to clean too.

For the negative reviews:
This needs 7/16 tubing not 1/2. The outer diameter of the cane is 1/2 so if you use 1/2 tubing it will be very loose. You can order 7/16 from NB.

These never promised to be usable for hot transfers. You'll need a ball valve and high temp tubing for that..

It's also not supposed to be a filter for hops...so it clogging is your fault not the cane's. Rubberband some cheese cloth on the end. You can also find stainless mesh that kinda looks like a test tube to attach to the bottom. (Posted on 1/23/12)

Fantastic When Used Properly Review by Jared

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the 1/2" is great. much faster transfers than its 3/8" twin.

i believe the auto siphon manufacturers recommend the 7/16" tubing in the packaging to go onto the end of the cane. its a pain to get on there, but helps to cut the tube going onto the cane at and angle then submerge 1/2" of the tubing in boiling water will help slip the tube over the cane. This is somewhat permanent, its not necessary to take the tubing off during cleaning and sanitizing.

If you keep the tip above the sediment/hops/trub for majority of the racking you will avoid any unnecessary sediment or clogging. I have not experienced any clogging, if you allow everything to settle out and/or fine your beer with finings, everything stays down and out of the way really well.

Do not use this for hot transfers. I used the 3/8" one for transferring ~165 F water and it warped the cane. It still works just not as well.

The seal at the tip on the racking cane that moves inside the siphon assembly sometimes needs to be "stretched" outward as to make a good seal to the walls of the larger diameter tube. This will prevent air from being sucked in as well as having the correct size tubing. Also DO NOT store the racking cane with the seal inside the larger diameter tube. This causes the seal to "form/shrink" to the walls of the larger diameter tube, the seal needs to be slightly larger to seal properly.

This product will eventually need to be replaced due to wear and tear. When stress cracks and form it can and may harbor bacteria that it hard to kill with sanitizing. It's time to be replaced. Some buy one every year, my 3/8" i have had for over two years and is in great condition except for the slight warping ing the racking cane.

Excellent product made for the homebrewer's frequent/unfrequent use. Mileage may vary. (Posted on 12/20/11)

I'd like to like this but.. Review by Robert

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there are better ways. Went through 2 of these in as many years. The plastic is flimsy and there is no way to access the plunger mechanism if it becomes stuck. Try a homemade T-siphon instead. (Posted on 12/15/11)

waste of money Review by Gage

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The first time i used it it clogged with whole hops, I had to take it apart to clean it. The second time I used it it no longer created a suction. It would work great if there was nothing in the beer to clog it, other than that its a complete waste of money. (Posted on 12/7/11)

Get the right tubing and it works great Review by Robert

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If you get the 1/2" ID thermoplastic tubing with this cane, you'll spend every transfer trying to figure out how to get it to keep a seal. And it just won't. So, don't try.

Get the 7/16" ID tubing and all your problems are solved.

I'd give this 5 stars if they recommended the 7/16" tubing with it, but since they recommend 1/2", I have to take a star away. I also assume it will fail (probably at an inopportune moment) because of the plastic, but at this price point I'd be okay with replacing it every year or two. (Posted on 12/4/11)

Forming small cracks Review by Nate

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My siphon is about 2 years old and has been used to transfer and bottle about 8 batches of beer. It has never been dropped or exposed to extreme heat -- only what comes out of the faucet for cleaning. It's now forming hairline cracks all over and needs to be replaced. My guess is the plastic is so cheep it starts cracking with age. (Posted on 8/4/11)

#*^#%!!! Review by JR-Sconnie

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Had a 5/16 siphon and broke that one. Thought the 1/2" would make like better with faster transfers. Wrong. Have tried multiple types of tubing and I cannot get this thing to seal and hold siphon. Lets air in, even with clamp, and will not keep the flow up. Junk. I'm going bacj to smaller diameter one (Posted on 3/27/11)

Strong Auto Siphon Review by Mike

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I just racked several beers with my newest acquisition and have dubbed this my "strong siphon". It emptied the carboy before I could finish my pint; my 5/16" siphon is a "session siphon" in comparison! (Posted on 2/20/11)