Why did you buy your brand of evaporator?

[highlandcattle]

Hey everybody, let's see who answers this question!

what factors came into play for your choice of evaporator?

availabliity?
price?
company reputation?
your buddy has one? What?!

Give details such as size, number of taps, prices, manufacturer, etc.

[Jeff E]

Right price, right place, at the right time. I was looking to expand and the guy next to me at the counter was looking to sell his used 3x12. Probably saved 60% off the new price.

[Bruce L]

Evaporation rate,company reputation,customer service.I spent two years researching,attending open houses,to me Leader had the most bang for the buck. Couldn't get any info from one company,one company seemed to get alot of bad raps on the Trader,another company wanted more money to custom design my evaporator,and I was not that impressed with that particular set-up anyway.Leader worked with me at no extra cost to get the Vortex to fit inside my old stone arch,delivered and set up the arch,and the rig boils as promised,my longest boil this past season was probably 5 hours.I got alot more sap this year than last(partly because of improvements Leader had recommended).The amounts of sap I got would have taken me around 8.5-9 hours to boil,so i went from 4 gallons of syrup per hour to 6-7 per hour without any enhancements such as ro,preheater etc.I have enough wood left over to possibly do another season without cutting another stick,which would not have happened with the old rig.I would go the same route again,and by the number of fellow producers I had in to watch the rig boil,wanting Leader's phone number,I should maybe be looking for commision

[Father & Son]

The rig had only been boiled on 3 times and the price was right.

Jim

[Moser's Maple]

My father used to be a dealer for waterloo/small brothers..... so after Lapierre bought them out and we were looking to upgrade our evaporator it only seemed right to get one form the man that used to build for waterloo/Small. We are VERY pleased with our Algier evaporator ( would now be Thor) and would recommend their craftsmanship to anybody that would ask us.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

no real direction from any one just first one i saw and liked, it was shiny too

[JuniperHillSugar]

Keep an eye on for unused units. I'm convinced there are lots out there that could be bought. I bought local with W.F.Mason, almost everyone in Maine has some of his equipment in their sugarhouse.

[heus]

I ordered my A&A 2.5x10 because I needed more boiling capacity over my 2x6 but could not afford an ro. The A&A was extremely affordable for a comparable size from another company. They seemed to get pretty good reviews on here. After seeing many other rigs, I still think my Patrick Phaneuf had as good as or better welds, style, and finish than any of the bigger companies.

[Russell Lampron]

Went to the fair to look at a used 2x6 that my father told me about. That one had been sold before I got there but there was a brand new Algier 2x6 set up beside the used one. My wife said buy it, you know you want too. It has been in use in my sugar house for the last 13 seasons and I couldn't be happier.

[sbingham]

I wanted something a bit larger with a higher evaporation rate than the 2x4 with batch pan that I had used for 5 years, did alot of research on this site and decided to go with a W. F. Mason unit.
Everything I had read about Bill and his products was good as I have expressed before, I am very happy with the quality and performance of my 2x6 continuous flow. Bill was great to deal with and took the time to explain things to me.
I am in NW Wisconsin and felt it was worth paying the freight from Maine to get the unit.
As I spend more time on the Maple Trader site, it sounds like there are alot of great equipment manufacturers out there.
Do your homework and when it feels right, pull the trigger.
Good luck.

[Potters3]

I live 40 minutes from the Leader plant I did a tour and saw equipment being made, cleaned and QC while I was there. The salesman I deal with is 10 minutes away. They where very helpful and they are still there for me if needed 2 seasons later to answer any questions I keep coming up with. Love my vortex and Max pans with the addition of the RO this year I too have a lot of wood left over. Also A BIG thing for me since I lost a great job because of jobs going over seas Leader is made in the USA .

[maple flats]

The price was right and they included all the valves. On this forum I asked and Thad Blaisdell had a Thor (formerly Algier) and sent me in that direction. I requested a custom set, 3x3 syrup with same side draw, and a 3x5 flue with 10 high raised flues. Thad was right, the price was great and when I picked up my pans they were and still are impressive. Perfect welds and all details are just right. They were also very fast, I ordered in May at 10% off their regular and the pans were ready in less than 3 weeks. When picking up the pans I also picked up a 1 yr old used SS hood set that had some very minor dents and the set ran $800 (almost $1200 less than new) with 2- 15" x 48" steam stack and rain hats, the flue stack had a damper installed and the hoods had 12" tall take offs on each hood to start. I can no longer find the dents, nor can my wife.After getting this set on my arch, I decided it should have a draw off tank long enough to be under both draw off valves, adjustable height and on casters with brakes. They built that too and even delivered it at a cost of $375. The pans were:

3 x 5 flue pan $ 3849 Flue 10’’ side 20’’ Float box included
3x3 syrup pan $ 975 Side 16’’ fitting and float box included
Did I say the pans are great?
Dave

[concord maple]

I looked at and priced out several manufacturers when I bought mine. It came down to the best fit, function finish, and price so I went with P. Phaneuf. I have upgraded and had him build custom pans for me. After seeing more and more equipment and talking with other producers, I still think he has some of the best built and nicest equipment out there.

[Eric in Kinburn]

I was looking at a smaller evaporator (2'x4') and I knew D&G had a very good reputation. They are also located fairly close to where I live so I was able to go pick it up directly from the Montreal factory. No regret so far and I got very good customer service whenever I needed it.

[bigschuss]

Bought a Mason 2x4...handmade in small batches, quality craftsmanship, great price, perfect for my small hobby operation, and he delivered it to my door.

[bees1st]

After listening to Maple flats and Thad B. talk. I also ordered from Thor . 2.5 x 10 Great price and quality. Fast service.