The secret of the popularity of the Magarych Mashkovsky moonshine from the Chelyabinsk Household Appliances Plant (CHZBT) is the same as that of old Soviet cars: for this inexpensive technique to work, you need to put a lot of effort and ingenuity, talk with your neighbors in the garage, go through everything to the last screw , then, perhaps, the “product” will not let you down on the long-awaited Saturday trip to the country or it will normally overtake the mash.
This beautiful distiller is made in the style of Chinese consumer goods: the appearance corresponds to the idea of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbgood moonshine still, and everything else is not important. If only there were many different glitters, then the Indians will definitely peck, they love beads.
Cube
In the configuration of the device “Magarych Mashkovsky” there are cubes with a volume of 12 to 20 liters with a thickness of only 1 mm. Tank diameter – 22 cm.
The maximum useful power that the cube is able to process without uncontrolled foaming is 1,5 kW, which is more than enough for this design.
If you simply blow into the apparatus to check the tightness, the bottom of the cube with a characteristic “shooting” sound will become convex. The same effect and when heated. Due to the too small inner diameter of the steam pipe – 5 mm, the pressure inside the tank rises, and after a characteristic click, the cube begins to sway on the stove, frightening its owner.
True, in 2016, manufacturers said that they had coped with this shortcoming by making stiffeners. Alas, the sound only changed the tone, but the problem remained.
Naturally, the philosophy of CHZBT regarding low cost is contradicted not only by the use of metal of normal thickness, but also by such a “luxury” as a thermometer in a cube and a safety valve. But in the instructions, the manufacturer warns the buyer in every possible way about the danger of blocking the steam channel, doing nothing to prevent the risk of an explosion.
And we are not talking about a budget device! The cost of “Magarych Mashkovsky” has not been low in comparison with similar distillers for a long time. Apparently, the price was influenced by the modernization of the device and serious investments in advertising campaigns.
Coil
The main problem of Magarych Mashkovsky is very low productivity. The buyers tried to guess what was inside the refrigerator: they measured the volumes of the tubes and counted the length of the coil. The result was 15-20 ml volume. Others assumed that the device did not have a coil at all, but the optimists calculated the length at 30-35 cm.
The point was put by moonshiner Timofey, who simply sawed the refrigerator with a grinder and posted the whole process on his YouTube channel.
Note that the coil tube has an outer diameter of 6 mm! With the external solidity of the refrigerator, it is practically empty inside, because a short coil of three and a half turns lonely occupies no more than a third of the internal volume.
The problem is described on many thematic forums and sites, but nothing has been done to solve it. The manufacturer does not care that the owners of the Mashkovsky moonshine continue to spend 7-8 hours distilling 15 liters of mash. And if they try to raise the heating power, they get a water consumption of more than 90 liters per hour and hot moonshine at the exit.
Sukhoparniki
The structure of the apparatus includes two vertical bubbler dry steamers, the lower one with a phlegm drain. However, instead of at least the simplest tap, there is a branch pipe, apparently, to save money, how to turn off this branch pipe is the problem of the distiller, the designers left room for creativity.
The top sukhoparnik is supplied with a noticeable twist-off cover. Quote from the CHZBT website:
“Moonshine is a unique taste, and so that your drink does not differ from famous alcohol, add all kinds of flavoring and aromatic additives to the upper collapsible steamer.”
The advice is relevant for a normal distiller from an adequate manufacturer, but this is not our case. An excerpt from the instructions for the moonshine still “Magarych Mashkovsky”:
“Important: for safety reasons, it is forbidden to fill the dry steamers with anything else, in order to avoid clogging the pipes and preventing the release of vapors.”.
There is a contradiction in the instructions and description. Technically, a steamer can be filled with aromatic additives, but this cannot be done according to the instructions. Violation of the operating conditions will void the warranty.
Considering that, during distillation, dry steamers give a slight, almost imperceptible strengthening, the first dry steamer works “in its specialty” – it protects against splashes, and the second one has a purely decorative function.
The device is decorated with beautiful covers to hide the quality of the seams.
New distiller “Magarych Mashkovsky”
In 2017, in order to completely confuse the consumer, another one was released, according to the manufacturer, the updated and modernized “Magarych Mashkovsky” 2017.
Differences between the new model and the old one:
- the bottom of the cube has become 5 mm and ferrimagnetic, such a cube will not “jump” on the stove;
- the cork on the upper sukhoparnik has changed;
- the steamer is equipped with an electronic thermometer;
- the tank lid has become a little wider – 10,5 cm, now you can ask your wife to wash the tank, a man’s hand is unlikely to fit inside;
- the steam pipe at the entrance to the first dry steamer was enlarged.
Update comments:
- the tank lid will still not open when hot, and a gas wrench of this size is difficult to find;
- the steam pipe between the dry steamers remained ultra-thin, easily clogged with foam and other components of the mash, which can provoke an explosion, and the safety valve did not appear on the cube;
- the refrigerator remained the same – with a 6 mm tube coil and legendary low performance;
- The device has become significantly and unjustifiably more expensive.
The road will be mastered by the walking one, but if after each modernization only one problem is solved, then only the great-grandchildren of the designers of the Chelyabinsk plant of household appliances will bring this product to an acceptable level.
Conclusion
The moonshine still “Magarych Mashkovsky” has a number of design and production shortcomings. First of all, this is an extremely low productivity, a distillation cube difficult to clean, poor quality of the connecting seams and the absence of a safety valve.
Those who bought this distiller can only return it back to the manufacturer. It is not advisable to modernize and independently modify the Magarych Mashkovsky due to gross design miscalculations and poor manufacturing quality of the main components – a cube and a refrigerator.
Reviewed by IgorGor.