Finding the best air still to meet your needs can be a challenge, especially as a beginner. Between different brands, models, and features, choosing a practical one that’ll carry you for most of your home brewing years can be overwhelming.
But I’ll guide you through the process by comparing two popular air stills–Still Spirits and Vevor. While the Vevor Air Still is a powerful machine and is certainly an affordable option, Still Spirits’ still allows for higher-proof distillates, making it a great option to create high-quality, flavorful spirits. It’s versatile too. You can add a gin basket to create your own unique flavors.
Let’s take a closer look at their price points, capacity, and features to help you determine which one best suits your needs.
Table of Contents
What Is An Air Still?
An air still is a pot still that operates without the need for a source of running water or cooling water. It has a built-in fan that blows air over the cooling coils inside the top cover.
Who Is An Air Still Good For?
Because air stills are relatively small and simple to use, they’re ideal for beginners. But, they can also be excellent for experienced distillers to sample a new recipe.
We recommend the airstill for:
- The beginner – who wants something cheap and easy.
- The apartment dweller – Who doesn’t have access to an outside hose, or is limited in space
- The Developer – Who needs to test and prototype recipes quickly. No one wants to make a 10L batch of gin only to throw it away. That’s why we love our air still for testing micro batches of gin!
Vevor Vs Still Spirits (Which Is Best)
Still Spirits and Vevor are two of the market leaders when it comes to making and selling Air Stills.
Still Spirits is a distilling equipment company founded out of New Zealand. They sell everything a beginner distiller could need, including ingredients and flavoring essences. They also provide really detailed instructions and youtube videos. Vevor on the other hand is a homewares brand from China and predominantly sells on Amazon. They offer ‘almost’ the same piece of hardware at a fraction of the price. And, while the quality is surprisingly high, they lack some of the accessories and instruction that Still Spriits offer with their complete system.
Our Tip: While Still Spirits instructions are enough to get you going, they tend to over promote their own range of products like turbo yeast, clarrifiers and filters. We love their Air Still, but reckon you can make better booze at a fraction of the price by following the tried and true recipes and techniques on this site.
Here’s a closer look at the features of both stills to help you decide which is best for you.
The Still Spirits Air Still
Still Spirits’ Air Still allows you to distill small batches of flavourful spirits with up to 60% ABV.
Still Spirits Air Still
- Best starter still
- Great for testing and recipe development
- 4L (1.1gal) capacity
- All the accessories you need to get started
What’s included
- Starter Guide
- Air Still Head Unit
- Air Still Boiler and power cable
What we like
- Compact and easy to use
- Equipped with an efficient built-in fan
- Does not require a separate water source
- Digital display screen for temperature control
- Accepts gin basket
- Comes with a 3-year warranty
What we don’t like
- Limited capacity (4L)
Here’s a video from the Still Spirits Youtube channel explaining how to setup and use your airstill.
The Vevor Air Still
The Vevor Air Still is made of quality materials, including 304 stainless steel and BPA-free plastic, with a powerful 750W motor.
Vevor Air Still
- Great starter still
- 4L Capacity
- 750W Heating Element
What’s included
- Air Still
- Water collection bottle
- Dust cap
- Cleanser
What we like
- Made of high-quality materials
- Easy to clean and maintain.
- Digital display screen for temperature control
What we don’t like
- Limited capacity (4L)
Comparison
Vevor’s Air still is a versatile budget-friendly option that’s easy to use. It can distill water, alcohol, and other liquids. Still Spirits’ is designed specifically for distilling flavorful spirits and comes with a 3-year warranty. It’s ideal for beginners and is compact and easy to use. It has the added option of purchasing a botanical basket to craft gin.
Price
The Vevor Air still is priced at $93, while Still Spirits’ costs $245. The former is more budget-friendly, costing less than half the price of the latter.
Capacity
Both the Vevor and Still Spirits air stills have a capacity of 4L (1.06Gal).
Power and Power Consumption
The good news is that both Vevor and Still Spirits air still use the same amount of power. Also, both the 110V US version and the 230V European versions have the same wattage, so you don’t need to worry about the US version being underpowered like some appliances.
| US Version | UK/EU/AU/NZ Versions | |
|---|---|---|
| Still Spirits | 750W | 750W |
| Vevor | 750W | 750W |
Features:
Vevor Air Still
- Made with a 304 stainless steel inner tank and condensing coil
- 4 L boiler
- Adjustable temperature and displayed digitally
- Equipped with overheating and dry-burning-resistant protection functions
- Easy to assemble and clean
Still Spirits Air Still
- Adjustable temperature and displayed digitally
- Made with 304 stainless steel inner tank and body
- 4 L boiler
- Distills up to 90% ABV in a single run using reflux mode
- Automatic foreshots collection
- Auto-off in reflux mode
- Compact and easy-to-use and clean
- Comes with a 3-year warranty
What’s In The Box:
Vevor
- 1 x Water Distiller
- 1 x Glass Container
- 3 x Carbon Packages
- 1 x Fruit Cleaning Powder
- 1 x User Manual
Overall winner – Still Spirits
If you’re looking for a machine that produces high-quality and flavorful spirits, we recommend going with the Still Spirits’ Air Still. It allows for higher-proof distillates, resulting in a more refined and complex taste. And, it comes with a 3-year warranty, so you can rest assured your investment is protected.
It’s also incredibly versatile. You can add a gin basket and experiment with making your own unique flavors. Though it’s more expensive, we believe the high-quality output makes it worth the investment.
Best On A Budget – Vevor
But, if you’re on a budget, the Vevor option is a great machine which just lacks a few of the features of the Still Sprits version.
5 Recommendations To Get The Most Out Of Your Air Still
So, you’ve made your decision, bought the still you like, and feel equipped enough to try it out? Not so fast, here’s how to harness the full potential of your still.
- Upgrade the temperature controller
- Use a large capacity still for stripping
- Use a good-quality yeast
- Clarify you wash before distilling
- Add a gin basket (if making gin)
1. Upgrade the temperature controller
Upgrading the temperature controller will provide you with greater control over the process, resulting in better-quality alcohol. An inexpensive and versatile device you can use is the STC-1000. It offers precise temperature readings and helps regulate the temperature by keeping the temperature within the still stable.
2. Use a large capacity still for stripping
A larger still can accommodate a higher volume of wash, which means you can distill more alcohol in a single run. This will save you time and energy, making the distilling process more efficient.
3. Use a good quality yeast
A good quality yeast will help you achieve a higher alcohol yield and produce a smoother-tasting spirit. Also, select one that’ll complement the flavors you’re looking to achieve. If you’re making whiskey, it’s best to select one that’ll produce caramel-like notes, like whiskey yeast.
4. Clarify your wash before distilling it
To achieve a clear and high-quality drink, clarify your wash by filtering any sediments that might burn and affect the taste of your final product.
5. Add a gin basket (if making gin)
We highly recommend you add a gin basket to your still. The vapors will extract all tasty flavors from the botanicals for a more flavorful gin.
Conclusion
After extensively researching and comparing Still Spirits’ and Vevor’s Air Still, we can confidently recommend Still Spirits’ for both beginners and experienced distillers.
While the Vevor Air Still is a powerful machine and is certainly an affordable option, its counterpart allows for higher-proof distillates, making it a great option to create high-quality, flavorful spirits. Still Spirits’ still is versatile too. You can purchase a botanical basket separately so you can create your own unique gin flavors.
Air Still FAQ:
Below are some of the questions we get asked about air still distilling
Q1. Where are the Still Spirits Air Still Instructions:
You can download these here.
well , good info , thank you for that, now i feel like an air still is out of the qustion, becuse the one i can afford which is clearly not the air still pro or even the air still brand “still sprits” their base model is way outside our price range, and the vevor sitll with the same watts wont make as high abv as the non-reflux still sprits base model ? , why is this when it has the same watts and same size ? just what does the more exp. “$230.00” u.s. dollars base model do better than the $100.00 vevor ? is the cooling coil better or is ther something else ?now im talking pot still vs pot, i made a homemade still out of a pressur cooker , than i bought a 13gal vevor ,not the football model, “i wish i had” but we went cheap, lol, seems the tubeing is too small ,so i made a larger exit in the center and larger tubeing, now im back were i started, having to use flour paste for sealing, what a mess, i dread running day, so stressful, we have plenty of time , so the clean easy set it and forget it sounds good , plus i’ve caused the large burnners to go out using the big 13gal still, wife is very unhappy about that, im feeling the air still route might be a bad way to go on the one i can afford, but thinks for the review, i gess its a craft for the people not on a fixed income lol “well not really lathing out loud , more like for crying out loud, yuppies ruin everything for the common man , i remember when air still were kinda a gemmic , sorry for the bad spelling ,hope you can read this lol, if you have the time to get back to us , we would be very grateful
Hi Johnny, thats for your comment. The Vevor air still is great and if budget is your biggest priority then its still a good option! I rate the air stills for exactly the reason you mentioned. Its EASY. No mess. no flour paste. no cooling tubes and pumps and cold water. I just works! I use mine for small test batches but would use a larger ‘propper’ still for production batches. Hope this helps 🙂
thanks for the get back , i was confused whe you said in reflux mode for the still sprits one, they have a reflux head unit for $$$$$ , but i still dont see how the base mod. still sprit can out abv the vevor, they do the same thing in pot still mode and you need the reflux unit to get more abv , both can be slowed down and the vevor has real time temp. display, and set temp. setting with timer , so are you claming higher abv w/out the reflux head unit “sold sep.” on the still sprit air still, or are yall saying you have the opt. to get higher abv “if” you use the reflux head unit ?