Comparison
FermZilla Conical vs All Rounder
Same pressure capability, same clear PET. The cone adds yeast harvesting and height -- and most brewers do not need either.
The short answer
Buy the FermZilla All Rounder unless you harvest yeast. Both do pressure fermentation and closed transfer equally well, but the All Rounder is shorter, cheaper and easier to clean. The Tri-Conical's detachable collection butt is only worth its extra height and complexity if you repitch yeast regularly.
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These are the same vessel family with the same pressure capability, the same clear PET and the same ball lock port arrangement. The only real difference is the bottom, and whether you need it comes down to a single question: do you harvest yeast?
Current generations. Confirm the revision when ordering.
| All Rounder 30 L | Tri-Conical 27 L | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Cylindrical | Conical with collection butt |
| Capacity | 30 L / 7.9 gal | 27 L / 7.1 gal (also 55 L) |
| Pressure capable | Yes, with kit | Yes, with kit |
| Closed transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trub dump | No | Yes, via the butt |
| Two-stage yeast harvest | No | Yes |
| Height | Shorter | Taller |
| Cleaning | One smooth vessel | Extra joint and gasket |
| Tri-clover ferrule | Lid option | 3 in molded into the tank |
| Price | Lower | Higher |
An orange rule marks the better of the two on that row.
The deciding question
Do you actually repitch yeast?
Be honest about this, because it is the whole decision. Harvesting and repitching yeast is a real practice with real benefits -- it saves money per batch and healthy harvested slurry often outperforms a fresh pack. It also requires a routine: sanitized jars, refrigeration, a sense of viability, and brewing often enough that the slurry gets used before it dies.
Brewers who do this will use the collection butt constantly and should buy the Tri-Conical. Brewers who think they might start doing it someday will, in practice, mostly not -- and will have paid extra for a taller vessel with an extra gasket to clean.
Height and cleaning
The two practical penalties of the cone
Height. The cone and collection butt add real height below the liquid line. If your fermentation chamber is a 5 cubic foot chest freezer, the All Rounder probably fits and the Tri-Conical may not. Measure the internal height and subtract an inch for the gas post or airlock.
Cleaning. The collection butt is a separate component joined with a gasket and a clamp. That is one more seat to clean, one more gasket to inspect, and one more place soil can hide. On a PET vessel, where you are already cleaning by soaking rather than scrubbing, the extra joint is a real ongoing cost in attention.
Generations
FermZilla revisions matter too
Generation confusion is not limited to the hot side. FermZilla vessels have revised through Gen 3 and Gen 3.2, with changes to the tri-clover ferrule arrangement and the dump valve on Tri-Conical models. Current Tri-Conical versions have a 3 inch tri-clover ferrule molded into the tank and a redesigned tri-clover dump valve, which earlier revisions did not.
Confirm the revision in writing before ordering, particularly secondhand -- see brewing system generations explained.
Our verdict
Which one should you buy?
Buy the All Rounder if
FermZilla All Rounder 30 L
- You do not harvest and repitch yeast
- Chamber height is tight
- You want the fewest joints and gaskets to clean
- The lower price matters
Buy the Tri-Conical if
FermZilla Tri-Conical 27 L
- You repitch yeast as a regular practice
- You want to dump trub mid-fermentation
- The molded 3 in tri-clover ferrule is useful to you
- Your chamber can take the extra height
What we recommend
The products on this page
The default pick
Mid tier
FermZilla All Rounder 30 L
KegLand
Cylindrical, so shorter and easier to clean, with the full pressure capability of the range. For a brewer who does not harvest yeast, this is the better vessel.
Spec sheet
- Capacity
- 30 L / 7.9 gal
- Shape
- Cylindrical (no cone)
- Pressure rating
- Rated for pressure fermentation with the pressure kit
- Material
- Clear PET
- Ports
- Ball lock posts, 4 in tri-clover lid option
- Weight
- Light enough to lift full-handed
What it is not good at
No cone at all -- no trub dumping, no bottom yeast harvesting. Pressure kit is a separate purchase.
Who it is for
Brewers who want pressure and closed transfer with minimum fuss
If you harvest yeast
Mid tier
FermZilla Tri-Conical 27 L
KegLand
The detachable collection butt makes proper two-stage harvesting easy: dump the trub fraction, collect clean slurry from the next. A 3 inch tri-clover ferrule is molded into the tank.
Spec sheet
- Capacity
- 27 L / 7.1 gal (also 55 L)
- Cone
- Detachable collection butt for yeast harvest
- Fitting
- 3 in tri-clover ferrule molded into the tank
- Valve
- Redesigned tri-clover dump valve
- Material
- Clear PET body
- Pressure
- Yes, with the pressure kit
What it is not good at
Taller, more expensive, and the butt is an extra joint with an extra gasket to clean and maintain.
Who it is for
Brewers who repitch and want two-stage harvesting
FAQ
Questions brewers actually ask
Should I buy a FermZilla All Rounder or a Tri-Conical?
The All Rounder unless you harvest yeast. Both offer identical pressure fermentation and closed transfer capability, but the All Rounder is shorter, cheaper and has one fewer joint to clean. The Tri-Conical's detachable collection butt makes two-stage yeast harvesting genuinely easy, and that is the only reason to accept its extra height and complexity.
Does the FermZilla All Rounder have a cone?
No, it is cylindrical with a flat bottom. That means no trub dumping and no bottom yeast harvesting, but it also makes the vessel shorter, cheaper and easier to clean than the coned versions. Pressure fermentation and closed transfer work identically on both shapes.
How do you harvest yeast with a FermZilla Tri-Conical?
In two stages. A day or two into vigorous fermentation, dump the first portion from the collection butt, which clears out cold break and dead cells. Then collect the next portion into a sanitized jar: that fraction is clean, healthy slurry you can refrigerate and repitch within a couple of weeks. The detachable butt exists specifically to make this two-step process simple.
Is the FermZilla pressure kit included?
No, on either vessel. FermZillas are pressure-capable rather than pressure-equipped: the rated lid, ball lock posts and spunding valve are separate purchases. Without them the vessel ferments at atmospheric pressure. Price the fully equipped configuration when comparing against a stainless pressure vessel.
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