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Aluball mesh has broken

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J

JonT

Kava Enthusiast
I was a bit worried about this happening but all the reviews are so favourable I thought I must have been wrong. I've been using it regularly since March:

I mixed some kava up last night in the shaker, and when I went to take a glug, almost threw up :D The whole conconction was swimming with kava residue :eek:

I had to use a sieve and got most of it out. Closer inspection of the ball showed this:
http://i.imgur.com/KzlmGNj.png

That little tear in just one mesh is enough to make the aluball worthless. At high pressure, it just forces kava through and into the water. The longer you shake the more bits of kava you get in the water :D

I have been thinking of sealing up the mesh with some food grade epoxy but I'm not all that keen on doing it. And I wonder if this structural failure will occur in the other meshes too.

Anyone else see this happen? I do shake quite vigorously but I thought that was required.

When I got home I checked out my other aluball which I did not have with me. In my early days of AluBalling I used both balls at the same time in the shaker, but since then I've reduced it to one. However, the other ball appears to have developed the same fault:

http://i.imgur.com/BvjrLFZ.png

Now if you look closely at this one you can see one of the meshes is torn like the first ball, and the other has started to pull away from the plastic part of the ball. I think the tear is more significant, and I test with a small amount, and yes it allows kava into the mixture. But the pulling away at the "seam" is also a bit troubling and suggests it might fail over time.
 
nosuni

nosuni

Kava Enthusiast
Yeah, I've ripped 3. @EQ told me to be gentler with my balls. I drink it anyway, most of the time. Other times, I use the AluBalls and then dump the kava drink through a very thin mesh cloth that still allows the proper amount of particles through and give it a good squeeze. Still a lot faster than kneading.
 
P

PurplePanda999

Kava Curious
When I looked at AluBall's website, I noticed it said the ball only lasts 3-4 months with daily use due to the stress on the mesh.
 
M

moff000

Kava Enthusiast
Mine did the same...... I did get a replacement from Edward(forum member) .
I now use a Nutribullet blender/mixer which does a very good job!
 
P

PurplePanda999

Kava Curious
I finally found where I read the durability of the AluBall on Get Kavified website. It's under the FAQ section:

What is the expected lifetime of the AluBall®?

You can expect to get 3-4 months of consistent daily use before needing a replacement ball. Less if you shake the ball for longer than a minute with each use. A lot of force gets generated on the screen so eventually fatigue sets in.
 
Crunked

Crunked

Proselytizer
Yeah, I've been through quite a few but I mainly put it down to:
  • using two aluballs in the shaker; and
  • very vigorous shaking.
I now only use one ball at a time (each containing half my dose) and shake moderately fast. So far I haven't had a break in the mesh but I expect it will happen. If I get more than 3-4 months out of a ball I will be happy. Previously I was lucky to get a month (which was becoming way too expensive).
 
Tfin

Tfin

Kava Enthusiast
I run two at once and ended up needing to replace them both after a seemingly short time. I did run them through the dishwasher though under the high heat setting. When they came out the screens seemed stiffer/more brittle and that's when the tears formed. I now have two more and will not put them back in the dishwasher. The new ones have been going for roughly 2-3 weeks.....used 4-5 times a week.
 
GussWest

GussWest

Kava Enthusiast
Force equals mass times acceleration.
You don't need to beat it like it owes you money.

I've had mine for a few months with no issues, so far. They do seem to be a bit flimsy and overpriced for what they are.
 
kavadude

kavadude

❦ॐ tanuki tamer
The heat might be the issue; mine have lasted all year but I've not been putting them in the dishwasher or even using hot water.
 
GussWest

GussWest

Kava Enthusiast
Preface to say that I love my aluball. Can't imagine drinking kava without it! A wonderful and necessary invention! I will always buy more to be sure I never run out. They are, as we say in the biz, an "exposable consumable" and I am okay with that.

I've finally experienced my first aluball-related calamity. After nearly a year of careful use, I've had my first screen failure. Postmortem analysis suggests two possible failure modes. One screen was ripped in the middle (excascerbated by large wood bits in some med grinds?). A different screen had stress failed at the aperature boundary where the screen meets the plastic. 60% of the circumference has thinned and pulled away from the plastic (seems more an hydraulic event).

Got 9 months out of this aluball, and only one of the halves has failed so far. Going to put the other half in storage and swap for a fresh new aluball into the rotation and keep the half for future replacements. No evidence of failures in the other three halves of my daily setup.

Can't wait until the pink aluballs are available on Amazon. Don't need the shaker, but plan to buy a bunch of pink aluballs!!! Ordered another replacement for the stash, there are only 5 left in stock so get one if you need it.

Mahalo and Aloha nui loa to Kavafied for revolutionizing the western kava world.
"This is how we do it in the SubbuRRbs!!!"
 
IloveKava23

IloveKava23

Kava Curious
vorticity said:
I was a bit worried about this happening but all the reviews are so favourable I thought I must have been wrong. I've been using it regularly since March:

I mixed some kava up last night in the shaker, and when I went to take a glug, almost threw up :D The whole conconction was swimming with kava residue :eek:

I had to use a sieve and got most of it out. Closer inspection of the ball showed this:
http://i.imgur.com/KzlmGNj.png

That little tear in just one mesh is enough to make the aluball worthless. At high pressure, it just forces kava through and into the water. The longer you shake the more bits of kava you get in the water :D

I have been thinking of sealing up the mesh with some food grade epoxy but I'm not all that keen on doing it. And I wonder if this structural failure will occur in the other meshes too.

Anyone else see this happen? I do shake quite vigorously but I thought that was required.

When I got home I checked out my other aluball which I did not have with me. In my early days of AluBalling I used both balls at the same time in the shaker, but since then I've reduced it to one. However, the other ball appears to have developed the same fault:

http://i.imgur.com/BvjrLFZ.png

Now if you look closely at this one you can see one of the meshes is torn like the first ball, and the other has started to pull away from the plastic part of the ball. I think the tear is more significant, and I test with a small amount, and yes it allows kava into the mixture. But the pulling away at the "seam" is also a bit troubling and suggests it might fail over time.
Click to expand...
This has happened to me many times. It's very unfortunate as seeing how their 15 bucks a ball not including shipping :(
 
Zaphod

Zaphod

Kava Lover
Got mine for x-mas and it is still going strong with almost daily use, but I can see areas where the mesh is starting to wear down. No doubt about it this thin of a mesh is going to eventually fatigue and rip. I still think this is an ingenious design, and the merging of the mesh with the plastic of the ball is pretty well done. You could possibly get this fine a mesh but with thicker weave - so the fatigue life could be extended but it might hamper the ability to attach it to the plastic of the ball. Pretty good compromise right now and they sell replacement balls.
 
Nirad

Nirad

Kava Curious
In a pinch when mine failed I put a tiny bit of hot glue in the rip and squished between my fingers to fix it. I only used it for a day or two but it was easy.
 
John Bytell

John Bytell

Kava Enthusiast
I get about 2 months out of mine. 5 times a week. Double aluball. Warm water. Shaken fairly hard. Rinsed immediately after.
I have been advocating for a frequent flyer program or a punch card or something. They are pricey to only get a couple months out of them.
Kavasseur, Please elaborate on how you have never had one bust.
 
Zaphod

Zaphod

Kava Lover
While we are talking balls - anyone have a good cleaning technique for when you leave them filled with kava a bit too long and they get a bit stank. Yup - I got stanky balls :( and regular old soap and hot water doesn't seem to do the trick. I might try a little vinegar and baking soda next.
 
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