A 1LB Drum?
Should we go bigger or smaller?
Thanks to all of you RK'ers for your business and your loyalty to RK products. We strive to only make the best and highest quality products you can buy, and of course, "Made in the USA".
Hope everyone is having a great summer! There has been some talk lately, (and a few inquiries) as to whether or not we do/should make a small drum. A 1LB drum or similar. Larry and I talked a bit about it and he seemed to imply that is didn't make much sense as it would cost nearly the same labor as to make the 4LB drum and a bit less material.
I was curious as to what you guys thought about that subject. Since the 4LB drum can actually do a great job on 1LB roasts, what am I missing? Why would someone want a drum that was limited to just 1LB? If we did make a new drum, would you prefer a larger or a smaller?
Email me or comment on the thread if you have input! Thank
Comments (3)
Seems to me that the only reasons for a smaller drum would be either cost, or to fit into a smaller gas grill. At 8" DIA by 12" length though, it's hard to imagine any grill so small that the 4 lb drum wouldn't fit. And, as you say, the cost difference for producing a 1 lb vs a 4 lb would be nearly negligible. Other sites do offer more extreme price differences, but then again they're using riveted construction, so perhaps the labor time really is less for them.
When all is said and done though, it's not the up front cost that matters most; it's the long-term operating cost. The way I see it, if I'm going to bother firing up my grill, it's going to cost me pretty much the same amount of gas to roast 1 lb as it would to roast 6 or 8 lb. Guess that also depends somewhat on the price of gas, but over the long term... it's still the operating cost that would matter more.
Then again, the cost difference between a 4lb drum and a 6 lb drum on your site are actually significant to me. If the cost of a 1 or 2 lb drum was proportionally less... (about 23%) that up front cost difference might be more significant than it would otherwise seem. Granted, that's a diminishing return as you go down the scale, but, while $35 wouldn't be a game changer for me, $75 might be.
I own the 6 lb and have occasionally wished I could roast 3-6 oz. A 1 lb roaster would be a perfect fit for this. I agree that gas may be expensive and the initial cost of a 1 lb roaster might be high, but for me the costs are outweighed by understanding the characteristics of the different roast levels for a new coffee bean. It is nice to know what a particular coffee taste like from a City roast all the way to a French roast (or beyond).
.That's great feedback Scott, thanks for that. Now, if a 1LB in terms of labor is close to the cost of a 4LB, and you can do 1/2LB easily on the 4LB, is it still worth making? Although, if you have a bigger drum, I think I may see your point.-Shane