Unbreakable – The fact that Better-Bottle carboys are essentially unbreakable in normal use is a major reason for their popularity. Glass carboys are fragile, especially if they are scratched, that simply clinking two together or setting them on a hard floor can result in breakage, leaving a terrible mess that moments before held the promise of an excellent wine or beer. So many people have had this experience that tales of the disasters are a staple of winemaking and brewing gallows humor. But if you are seriously injured, or in any way liable, glass carboys are no laughing matter. A glass carboy, especially one filled with liquid, will explode into razor-sharp shrapnel when dropped. No wonder retailers recommend keeping glass carboys in crates or padded jackets!

Unlike glass carboys, shipping Better-Bottle carboys does not require costly packaging, special handling, or insurance. The cost of packing and shipping a glass carboy can be as much the cost of the carboy itself. This is an especially serious problem for mail-order/Internet retailers, because customers often have the impression that the high shipping and handling charges amount to gouging:

"Why do we charge handling fees for glass bottles and carboys? Because we use a lot of time and packing materials to get them ready for shipment. We individually bubble-wrap each bottle! Look at the way we pack our bottles! When we pack your glass, it gets to you in one piece. We've tried shipping glass bottles and fermenters in their original boxes, but the rate of breakage was very high. Moreover, shipping insurance won't cover broken glass unless it's surrounded by 2 inches of cushioning, so broken glass shipped in the original box means you're out of luck trying to get a refund. The handling/shipping fees that we charge barely cover the cost of the packing materials and labor required." – Quote from the Web site of an East Coast dealer

Permeability — Of all the types of all the plastics that can be made into bottles and carboys, only special types of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have been successfully used to make containers for carbonated beverages. The reason is simple – only these special types of PET are sufficiently impermeable to keep carbonation (i.e., carbon dioxide) in and the oxygen out. Better-Bottle fermentation carboys are made of a unique, scientifically tested PET and they are specially manufactured so that oxygen permeability is negligible. Use the Technical tab at the top of page to access a discussion of Permeability.

Better-Bottle PET carboys are slightly more permeable than glass; however, it would be a mistake to assume that using a glass carboy will guarantee superior results. It is important to think of a glass carboy as just one part of complete fermenting system that also includes a stopper, an air lock, hose, a racking cane etc. In typical use, more oxygen diffuses through, or leaks by, stoppers and liquid-filled air locks than diffuses through the walls of Better-Bottle carboys. Moreover, every time a stopper is removed from a glass carboy in order to perform a test or to make an adjustment, a considerable amount of oxygen enters the wine or beer. Air contains about 20% oxygen. If the head space, ullage, in a carboy is just 200 ml, 40 ml of oxygen will enter every time the stopper is removed. In fact, much more oxygen will enter; oxygen reacts very rapidly with wine and beer, which essentially sucks up oxygen. Racking from an open glass carboy with a siphon tube or pump will also expose the wine or beer to a large amount of oxygen. In actual practice, Better-Bottle carboys are equal to, or better than, glass carboys, because Better-Bottle fittings make it convenient to control the extent to which wine or beer are exposed to oxygen. (Use the Products tab at the top of page to access Tips on Usage.)

Extremely light weight and easy to handle — Better-Bottle carboys weigh only ~1.5 lbs ( ~0.68 Kg) empty and can be easily held by their necks using just one hand. They are designed with ribs in their sides for gripping and their necks are strong enough to permit the safe use of red, clamp-on, or blue, snap-on, handles. (See Products tab at the top of this page.) Glass carboys weigh about ten times as much and they are difficult and dangerous to handle, empty or full. Filled with wine or beer, 5 gallon (18.9 L) glass carboys weigh ~55 lbs (~24 Kg) and lifting one by its neck can cause the neck to crack off, especially when handles are used.

Racking outlets with SimpleFlo™ valve — Better-Bottle carboys are available ported, so they can be fitted with a racking adapter and SimpleFlo valve. Racking wine or beer under oxygen-free conditions is as easy as rotating the internal stem of the adapter to just above the level of any sediment and opening the valve. Gravity does the rest – no siphon is necessary. Porting is simply not a practical option for inexpensive glass carboys

Thom Cannell, the Projects column editor for Brew Your Own, liked the idea of a carboy with a spigot so much that he wrote a lengthy column describing how to install a plastic spigot into the side of a glass carboy. [Brew Your Own, May-June 2003, pp 53-58]. The technique he described requires about $100 dollars worth of diamond glass drills, an electric drill, and plenty of patience. High-Q, Inc., of which Better-Bottle is a division, drills precision holes in the sides of borosilicate glass carboys on a regular basis in order to produce its 103C-G containers, which are used for storing high-purity water in research and medical laboratories. And High-Q engineers commend Mr. Cannell for his excellent description. However, the engineers are quite certain that bottles prepared as Mr. Cannell describes will be exceptionally fragile. The costly borosilicate carboys that High-Q uses have walls nearly 3/8" thick; whereas, the walls of inexpensive soft-glass (soda glass) carboys are likely to be uneven and as thin as 1/8". Moreover, following the drilling operation, High-Q re-anneals its carboys in expensive high-temperature ovens in order to remove any strain (i.e., tension in the glass structure created by the drilling). When glass contains strain, it is prone to cracking with a sharp tap or a temperature change. Glass workers routinely cut glass sheet, rod, and tube by scratching it and then tapping or heating it.

Wide, precise opening — Glass carboys have relatively narrow (~30 mm) neck openings, making these carboys difficult to fill and clean. The inside surfaces of their necks are also likely to be uneven, making leaks and jammed stoppers a constant problem. Better-Bottle carboys have wide (44 mm), precise openings. The consistency of the openings means that rubber stoppers fit better and it is also possible to provide tough PET closures that have reliable O-ring seals. These closures are more easily and quickly cleaned and sanitized than rubber stoppers. (See Products tab)

Easily cleaned/sanitized — Better-Bottle carboys are more easily washed and sanitized than glass carboys. Glass is hydrophilic and scums created during fermentation tend to stick so tightly to the walls of glass carboys that stiff brushes and plenty of elbow grease are necessary to loosen them. Strong bleach is often required to oxidize residual organic films. By contrast, the surface of the special PET from which Better-Bottle carboys and fittings are made is non-porous and hydrophobic. Hot water, a good bottle cleaning detergent, and some soaking will separate films from the walls of Better-Bottle carboys, without brushing. Also, rinsing a Better-Bottle carboy by holding it upside down in one hand and spraying a jet of water up against the bottom with a hose nozzle is easy and effective. Don't try that with a glass carboy! (Use the Technical tab at the top of page to access Wash/Sanitize.)

Easily stored — Because Better-Bottle carboys are so light weight, they are easy to stack in an out of the way place when they are not being used.