[dkfick]

The lid has hole for normal stopper and airlock.

Yay! The lid has threads so it won't slip like a stopper - and then we drilled the lid for a stopper. Fail.
 
They should have drilled it for the little black gaskets they put in bucket lids.

This is a better option it sounds like.  The lid has a threaded stopper built into it.  You can unscrew that and use a normal stopper if you want.  I loath the bucket lids with those little grommets... such a pain to clean.  Give you a bucket lid with a large enough hole in it for a stopper any day.

[konrad]

What is BBBOT?

BBBOT = Big Bore Blow Off Tube (usually 1" ID tubing)
But I liked "Big Bubbler Blow Off Tube."

[tommymorris]

They sell a 15/16" blow off tube with the fermenter for ~$5. I think it slides over the male end of the lid access port.  Midwest has better pictures of the lid.

[majorvices]

+1 for glass being a non starter for me.  I have a couple of these and really like them: http://morebeer.com/products/speidel-plastic-fermenter-30l-79-gal.html.

Large enough so I've never needed a blow off tube, easy to clean, has a port to easily rack and the integrated handles are sturdy and great for moving around 5 gallons of wort.

Thing that scares me about that I guess is the spigot, which are so hard to keep clean on plastic and when you take them apart to clean they never go back together properly and leak. Maybe this one is constructed differently.

[thebigbaker]

+1 for glass being a non starter for me.  I have a couple of these and really like them: http://morebeer.com/products/speidel-plastic-fermenter-30l-79-gal.html.

Large enough so I've never needed a blow off tube, easy to clean, has a port to easily rack and the integrated handles are sturdy and great for moving around 5 gallons of wort.

Thing that scares me about that I guess is the spigot, which are so hard to keep clean on plastic and when you take them apart to clean they never go back together properly and leak. Maybe this one is constructed differently.

That was the exact issue I had when I was thinking about buying these.  The spigots are made much better than the normal ones you see on buckets or better bottles and the parts are larger. However, I still worry about these spigots when it comes to sanitation. 

The spigots are optional as they come with a cap that you can put on instead of the spigot.

These things aren't perfect, but so far I like really like them.  Here's a few "issues" I've found:

It took me a couple of tries w/ different tubing to find the best tube for the spigot and I found 3/8 inch silicon tubing works the best. 

All of my transfers have a little yeast w/ the first pour. 

The airlock is big and doesn't show the activity as a regular airlock, but it works well.

Overall these are great fermenters.  My beer tastes the same as they did w/ carboys and buckets, but the cleaning, transferring and moving are much easier.  As Keith mentioned above, if you use the spigot, just have to take extra precautions to keep it sanitary.

[Delo]

The open mouth would be great to have. My 5 gallon carboys seem like there is barely enough room in the neck to get my brush in....but if I were to buy another "carboy like" fermenter it would probably be a speidel.  I like that the spigot is optional, but that is something that I would want to use. I use an autosiphon so I worry about that being sanitary. Thanks for the info bigbaker

[Stevie]

Can't a spigot be added to the top of the spidel to use a blow off if clearance is a concern? I think I can wedge two of the 15 gallon into my freezer, but not with the airlock.

[thebigbaker]

Can't a spigot be added to the top of the spidel to use a blow off if clearance is a concern? I think I can wedge two of the 15 gallon into my freezer, but not with the airlock.

I just checked w/ my 7.9 gallon one and the spigot can screw onto the top cap thread.  The top of the lid can flip w/ one side used for the airlock and the other for the cap/ spigot.  Those airlocks are huge.

[Joe Sr.]

Glass is a non starter for me.

I've gone there, too, after years and years of using glass.

Thing that scares me about that I guess is the spigot, which are so hard to keep clean on plastic and when you take them apart to clean they never go back together properly and leak. Maybe this one is constructed differently.

Agree with this point, too.  I just don't like spigots for all the reasons Keith mentions.  Plus, you never know when a kid or other careless person might inadvertently open it.

[klickitat jim]

I gave them up because after a while the threaded shank weakens and snaps off. Hard to tell when that's going to happen. Mess and loss. They make racking easy but you can get much cleaner beer by being careful with a racking tube, cane, etc.