I don't think that any hotplate from one of the super stores is larger than 750 watts. I have used the one rick sells for years before going to internal heating element. (((1500 watts, by passed T-STAT)))------- The best???

Heya Kane.. As one of the cheapest git's on the planet (Or so me missus tells me) - there isn't a cheaper hotplate that will deliver the results you seek. If you are going with a hotplate, the one Brewhaus sells is the best bang for the buck. And even then, it's advisable to modify it and deploy with a RSC and use the diffuser plate.

I only use the hotplate for mashin', as it takes too long for other applications and is difficult to control w/o a RSC and bypassing the thermostat to prevent cycling.

Sadly... hobbies cost money I was of the same opine as you... then, I realized that being too cheap was hurting my progress. It took me months of saving my mad money to get all my stuff, but it was worth it.

If you are looking 26 gals, bro, you'd best be looking at the water heater element or gas, like a Blichmann. Otherwise you'll havta insultate that boiler and allocate a lot of time for it to rise to temp.

"Kane, you titled this thread, Whats the best hotplate and later you mentioned getting a 26 gallon boiler. I would bet that a hot plate is not gonna work with a boiler that big.
Now the propane Blichman of course would but internal water heating elements would be the most reliable in the case of something that big.
And then 25 gallons of wash will make a lot of likker for personal consumption, something like 2.5 gallons of hooch. Man thats a lot of hooch and thats before its cut prolly closer to 3.5 gallons once its done and drinkable. I'm not trying to discourge you -- my mind wonders sometimes thats all.
If in fact if your trying to skimp then a 26 gallon boiler doesn't make any sense after you figger the price of a wash and the unit and the gas whoa....
Good luck....."

Well heck, brother, get yerself an 8 gal and save the coin for other gear

As far as the blichmann.. Love it to death. NOTHING boils faster, and I can even do a BOP of crawdad's on it too I have also slated it for use in this years canning runs on vegs from the garden. It takes forever on the stove top to get my 23 qt canner to pressure and hold it there. I did a test run on the blichmann with some green beans I got from the farmers mkt, and it cut that time in half.

Not me man.. if I could get paid to play music and sing, that'd be enough for me

From what little I studied the option, one needs about 250K to get off the ground with a real pro distillery set up. Between the building, gear, legals, insurance, and bonds, it's a ton of money. Even then, the big wheels will still stomp the little guy out.

Better to sing a song with a glint in the eye and a smile on the face...

Yes, impressive, isn't it?

I am not a professional musician. I actually have a IRL career...My music is a hobby, but also a passion as I play multiple instruments, in a band, etc... With an average cost of about 1-3 grand per instrument.... I worked odd jobs, fixed puters, anyything to make the extra over the years to get those instruments, so I wasn't sticker shocked when I started this hobby. If I am going to do something, I am going with quality over quantity every time-Just my way about it. So I can identify with your POV here. What I suggest is go slow, research ways to make it fit your budget. I certainly had to and it took a while for me to get everything lined up. The best part of that delay was I also learned a lot more about what the hell I was attempting to do along the way. I learned that by reading the adventures and stories of others.