Bio-Snacky... Wacky?

[Shell]

Hello all! Question ~ I'm looking into buying a sprouting device, and I want to stick to products that are shipped withing Canada (yes, I'm cheap, and don't want to a) pay foreign currency prices, and b) deal with UPS/Fed Ex...frustrations with both shipping companies in the past, has made me want to do very bad things.....), which led me to the A. Vogel Bio Snacky Germinator. It has 3 levels in which to sprout, and looks quite good. Also, it has the word "snacky" in the name, which just makes me giggle like a little schoolgirl...I know, a good reason to buy something! My questions are: Has anyone purchased this fine piece of equipment? And if so, do you like it? Is it a solid product? Or, do you have any other suggestions? I'm a lost cause when it comes to sprouting, and I think if I actually had a piece of equipment to help me out, well, I'd be a sprouting machine! I appreciate any advice! Thanks in advance!

[sport]

I think that I may have one of these but I have had it for so long that I do not recall who made it and there is no mark on the trays themself.
I start off my sprouting in a jar (if doing small seeds) and do not transfer them untill they have started to sprout as some will slip through the holes.
I think that any basic system like this is great. You can not go wrong.
Happy Sprouting.

[kaybee]

i got one in ireland. they work pretty well. but it was like 30 euro over there which was like 50 bucks which was REALLY pricey. i hope yours is cheaper. all it is is plastic.... 30 euro is crazy.

anyway, i was hesitant about buying it because the only drainage it gets are through the hole under the red cap. i thought sure i was going to end up with a bunch of soggy moldy sprouts, but it worked pretty good. HOWEVER i did some extra steps: it tells u just fill up the top level a couple times a day and let the water drain through to the bottom level and thats it. this didnt seem very workable to me because then youre watering all the other levels with "dirty" ie discolored water full of the waste runoff of the above seeds. alot of times the water was dark colored by the time it got to the second level. so what i did is usually ran water through the whole system a bunch of times until it was clear on the bottom, or usually separated out the levels and ran the water through each individually.

the system works great for little sprouts like alfalfa etc but isnt tall enough to allow you to grow anything big like sunflower greens, wheatgrass,etc. also, i wish it was bigger diameter or had more levels because i really wanted more sprouts than it could produce quickly. i would use a whole level in a day or two but it took longer than a couple days for the new ones to be big enuff to use. probly i just needed 2 systems.

i do actually wish i could find one here though. the system wasnt perfect but it was far better than jars. jars im just too lazy altogether to do, and ive had bad luck with sprout bags. the biosnacky system is a lot lower maintenance then alot of other ways of sprouting, which is good.

good luck

k

[Shell]

Thanks so much! I'm always a little wary when buying equipment, and it helps so much to get feedback!

I will likely try the bio snacky......it's 29.99, plus 10.00 shipping, which is pretty decent I guess.....I haven't found anything cheaper on any Canadian sites, so this may be my choice. Thanks again!

[Live Love Laugh]

I think it really depends on how much you like eating sprouts , and how much money you are willing to invest . Once you have tried the jars , trays and soil method then the 3 or 4 tier system works not too bad . Just before Christmas I bought the freshlife automatic sprouter and just LUV it .. It is constantly going , and within 5 days I have fresh living sprouts . The water has to be changed once a day , and it's very quiet . I have done mung sprouts and wheat grass with wonderful results , plus a few others . I have no regrets spending close to $100. on this machine and will order another barrel for $29 real soon to double the amount I can consume .
I think the machine comes from Tribest in B.C. , but I bought mine at a local store here in Woodstock .

[Shell]

Just before Christmas I bought the freshlife automatic sprouter and just LUV it .. It is constantly going , and within 5 days I have fresh living sprouts .

So, does it run on electricity then? Hmm...interesting....

It's a little out of the price range I want......it's not the best time of year to be spendy! But maybe I'll look into it for a later date.....I'm not a HUGE sprout consumer, but could likely be, if they weren't so time consuming! Thanks!

[Live Love Laugh]

Shel I just dug out my old 4 tier , and it was made in Canada and called biosta .I bought it at a health food store . You could likely pick one up without ordering online and paying extra for shipping .
Keep in mind you won't be able to sprout anything tall , like the sunflower , pea shoots ,wheat grass or mung beans .
If you are really serious then I'd pay the extra and get the Fresh Life automatic sprouter model 2000 .... do check it out first , and Happy Sprouting

[verseaurainbows]

I have the biosnacky!

As has been said the water tens to become discoloured esaily, and sometimes the sprouts do get a bit overly soggy. There a certain knack to getting the water to flow properly under those red stops, but once youve got it its fine

Is great for little sprouts, quick and easy. I pretty much love my snacky:D (makes me laugh too!) Easy to clean too

Enjoy!

[crystalmoon]

Hi i use the much cheaper Vogel Bio Snacky jars for sprouting, about Uk £3.50 each. They work great for me & the seeds only need rinsing twice aday. I actually use the rinsing time as a moving meditation period & send love to the sprouts. I get great crops, I use 3 jars & they keep me in constsnt supply of sprouts. HTH

[sekhmut]

I use a sprout bag and pint glasses with muslin on top - works fine, bag was cheap and the pint glasses I had in the cupboard already.

[Shell]

Thanks LLL....I may check around to see if there are any health food stores that carry sprouters....

verseaurainbows ~ the bio snacky looked like a pretty easy to use sprouter....I definitely think it could work for me!

crystalmoon ~ I thought about jars...hmm, going to have to look into that....I just like the whole 3 tiered thing...

sekhmut ~ I'd do that too, but I've tried sprouting in the past, and I really am hopeless...I kind of wanted something that will put less dependence on my aptitude! :)

Thanks all.....and the quest gets easier!

[CrazyDelicious]

I know this is a few weeks old, but if you are still looking for health food stores around here that sell the bio-snacky, let me know - I know of 3 or 4.
ps: I use the bio-snacky jars and really like them - but I am not a sprouting fanatic - I just have 1 or 2 kinds on at any given time

[NoGMO!]

I'm very pleased with the Freshlife with double tier. Had it for 3 or 4 years.

Thinking about adding a second one.

[Shell]

CrazyDelicious ~ I would love to know! Feel free to message me, or post here if you're comfortable! Thanks!

NoGMO! ~ Hmm, Freshlife you say? I'll check that out too.....I'm open to all suggestions.

Still questing....

[CrazyDelicious]

Shell-

I got my bio-snacky at the Health Service Centre on Bloor (just googled it - 971), just east of Ossington across from the Shoppers Drug Mart. It's a little health store and the bio-snackies (I could type that all day!) are at the back with the juicers and dehydrators. Oh yes - they also have a ton of juicer types and excalibur dehydrators- one stop raw appliance shopping. Don't really know how the prices compare though - the bio-snacky jars are about 10 bucks, and I think the tray one is 30 or 40. I don't know where you are in the city, but there are 5 locations of this store - so you could call the one closest to you and see if they carry the same stuff. I don't see why they wouldn't.

[Shell]

Thanks so much! I'll definitely get on that......Bloor and Ossington isn't too far away from me....at least it's on the subway line! Such a great help!