SS thieves

Can anyone explain why a stainless steel wine thief is $89 (I think it’s $150 at Burgstahler):
http://www.thevintnervault.com/index.php?p=view_product&product_id=1811" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

while a stainless steel turkey baster is $7?
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/stainless-steel-turkey-baster-set/32710961.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I realize they are not quite the same, but… huh?

And can anyone think of any reasons why a slightly modified SS turkey baster would not work as a wine thief?

Same reason a decanter can be $150, while a glass water pitcher of similar size is $20.

Its all about perceptions.
Marketing 101.
Best, Jim

Yep. All my decanters come from Crate & Barrel, $20 each. Go ahead, break one, WTF do I care?

I use Erlemeyer flasks as decanters.

Kind of like plastic measuring cups. I can get 3 for $3-4 from Wal-Mart, but the ones of the same size from the scientific supply catalogs are $10.

the ss thieves scared me, thought I was bein accused of somethin…

Yeap, Buy mine from discount stores like Ross…never paid more than $14 for a decanter and guess what, they work just as good as that $250 Riedel one. So go grab that turkey baster and have at it. Actually I wonder if a baster might actually work a little better with that little bulb on the end. No need to try and get your finger just perfect to cover the thief hole

Indeed, Andy. And if not, I can probably sculpt a rubber stopper with a hole for the end to use it as a traditional thief. The baster in the picture appears to have a plastic tip. Probably fine, but I have found others for $15-25 that appear to have an all-stainless shaft.

The SS thieves I’ve seen are pretty thick, weigh a ton and with that weight are dangerous around thin stemware. The turkey baster looks like it might be a bit thinner which would be nice. But its lack of curve in the neck might be an issue depending on its length.

TJ Maxx baby!!!

We actually have one the the theives you are talking about. It’s nice, easy to sanitize and is for the look factor while pouring barrel samples in the tasting room. That’s why we bought it. Serving barrel samples out of a turkey baster… Naaa.

Oooh! Looks like we’re in for fun times at Abood’s place!

I doubt it’s just “marketing”. Knowing Wayne Burgstahler, he is an excellent machinist - but not a devious marketing sage.

The difference between the SS thief and a turkey baster is that the SS thief is hand made in small quantities using thicker gauge materials. Turkey basters are mass produced by machines and sold in volume. For turkey basters they can make just a couple of bucks on the sale to justify their costs - something handmade HAS to cost a lot more just to cover the labor involved, overhead etc.

That said, I stick with boswell glass thieves - I want to SEE if the thing needs to be cleaned on the inside.

Tim, We usually do a full rinse with soap after a barrel tasting and run it through the sanitary buckets if we use it in the winery. The top end has a huge rubber piece that comes off to clean it good. It’s very well made!!!

I’m gonna guess that the ss thieves are made of 304 or 316 and that any turkey baster is made of lower grade stainless…like 300 or so. If that is true, then the thieves would then be much more resistant to harsh chemicals in the winery.

Yes they are 316ss. Seems like a lot but they really are nice. They are curved to get under a barrel rack too.

it’d cost $150 if it were for medical apps . . . and $55,000 if the military bought it . . .
alan

FUNNY… TRUE… SAD… [suicide.gif]

Just make sure that if you do get the ss theif from Burgstahlers that the angle on the handle is correct and the shaft isn’t too long. We were having issues with ours not going into bungholes with barrels stacked on racks. Had to have them chop off an inch or so and reweld the tip which was another $25.