Table of Contents
- Quick Comparison Table
- The T500 Reflux Still Explained
- The Air Still Pro Explained
- When to Choose the T500
- When to Choose the Air Still Pro
- What Each Still Costs Per Bottle
- Best Still for Beginners
- Can I Upgrade Later?
- Frequently Asked Questions
The T500 Reflux Still and the Air Still Pro are both good stills. They are built for different situations. The T500 works through a 25 litre wash and produces enough spirit for nine to eleven bottles per run, using water cooling. The Air Still Pro runs a 4 litre wash with no water connection at all, producing enough for one to two bottles.
The air still vs T500 decision comes down to three things: whether you have a tap you can run for four hours, how much you want to make per batch, and how much of the cost you want spread across a lot of bottles rather than a few.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | T500 Reflux Still | Air Still Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Wash volume per batch | 25 litres | 4 litres (5 litre holding capacity) |
| ABV ceiling, reflux mode | Up to 93% | Up to 90% |
| ABV ceiling, pot mode | Requires alembic dome, sold separately | Up to 80%, built in |
| Yield at drinking strength (40%) | About 6.5 to 8 litres | About 1 to 1.5 litres |
| Equivalent 700ml bottles | 9 to 11 | 1.5 to 2 |
| Cooling method | Water, needs a tap connection | Air, no water needed |
| Water per run | About 200 litres | None |
| Distillation time | 4 to 5 hours | About 2 hours |
| Space required | Dedicated bench near water | Any countertop |
| Still modes | Reflux only, unless you add the dome | Reflux and pot, switchable |
| Power draw | About 2,200W | About 300W |
| Best for | Volume, and the purest neutral spirit | Beginners, small batches, gin |
| Unit or condenser and boiler only | From $898 | $899 |
| Complete kit price | $1,199 to $1,539 | $1,299 to $1,419 |
Prices verified against the live catalogue and move with stock. ABV ceilings are the peak strength each still can reach in that mode, not the average strength of a full collection run.
The T500 Reflux Still Explained
The Still Spirits Turbo 500 is the most widely used home neutral spirit system in the world. It pairs a 25 litre stainless boiler with a reflux condenser column packed with ceramic saddles or stainless mesh.
How the T500 Works
Reflux distillation means the vapour never gets a clean run at the condenser. As alcohol vapour rises through the column, part of it condenses and falls back down, then evaporates again. Each cycle strips out more of what you do not want. The result is very pure spirit, typically 93% ABV or better at peak.
The column needs continuous cold water flow to hold the temperature differential. Water enters at the top, cools the condenser and exits at the bottom. Most home distillers run it off a laundry tap or a garden hose fitting.
T500 Output
From a 25 litre wash fermented to roughly 14% ABV, expect:
- Raw output: around 3 to 3.5 litres at 93% ABV
- Diluted to 40%: roughly 6.5 to 8 litres of drinking strength spirit
- Equivalent bottles: 9 to 11 standard 700ml bottles
The spread reflects how much you discard as foreshots and tails. Tight cuts give you less spirit and better spirit.
T500 Condenser Options
- Stainless steel condenser. The purest neutral. Best for vodka and as a gin base.
- Copper condenser. Strips sulphur compounds, giving a slightly softer character. This is what the T500 Pro range is built around.
- Alembic pot still dome. Converts the same boiler into a pot still for whisky and rum. The dome top and condenser is $699 and sold separately.
The Air Still Pro Explained
The Still Spirits Air Still Pro is a compact still that cools with fan-forced air instead of water. It is closer to a kitchen appliance than a piece of workshop equipment, and it is the reason apartment distilling is possible at all.
How the Air Still Pro Works
The Air Still Pro heats your wash in a sealed chamber with a 5 litre holding capacity, run with 4 litres of wash. Alcohol vapour rises into the condensing head, fans force air across cooling fins, and the vapour condenses back to liquid and drips out through a collection spout.
You will see the capacity written both ways across the internet, as 4 litres and as 5 litres. Both are right, and it matters more than it sounds: 5 litres is the holding capacity threshold in Australian still rules, and the unit is built to sit at or under it. The 4 litre figure is the working wash volume.
The Pro model runs two modes:
- Reflux mode. Cleaner, higher strength spirit, reaching up to 90% ABV at peak.
- Pot still mode. Retains more flavour compounds, reaching up to 80% ABV. This is the mode for gin and botanicals.
Air Still Pro Output
From 4 litres of wash at roughly 14% ABV, expect:
- Raw output: around 700ml per run
- Diluted to 40%: roughly 1 to 1.5 litres of drinking strength spirit
- Equivalent bottles: 1.5 to 2 standard 700ml bottles
A note on the strength figures, because most retailers muddle this. The 90% and 80% numbers are ceilings, meaning the strongest fraction the still reaches in that mode. They are not the average strength of the full 700ml you collect. Multiplying the peak ABV by the total volume gives a yield figure that cannot exist, and a few sites publish exactly that.
Air Still Pro Features
- Automatic foreshots collection. Diverts the first 30ml for you. Getting this cut wrong is the most common beginner mistake, so having it handled is worth more than it sounds.
- No water connection. A power point is the only requirement.
- Quiet. Just the cooling fan.
- Simple cleaning. Wipe down, no column to strip and repack.
- Switchable modes. Reflux or pot, selected on the unit.
When to Choose the T500
The T500 is the right choice if you have water access and you want volume. It suits a shed, garage or laundry with a tap, and it rewards commitment: the more batches you run, the further ahead it gets on cost.
Choose the T500 if:
- You want the purest neutral spirit available at home, for vodka, a gin base, or as a canvas for essences
- You have a dedicated space with easy water access
- You want enough spirit for regular drinking, gifting or entertaining
- You would rather run one long session than six short ones
- You want the option of adding the alembic dome later for whisky and rum
- You are comfortable with a more hands-on process, including packing a column
T500 Water Consumption
A T500 run uses roughly 200 litres of cooling water over four to five hours. Incoming water temperature and your flow rate both move that figure, so treat it as an estimate rather than a spec. You can cut it close to zero by recirculating through an ice bath with a small pump, and plenty of people route the outflow onto the garden instead of down the drain.
If you are on tank water or under restrictions, this is the number that decides the question for you.
Recommended T500 Kits
The T500 Turbo 500 Home Distillery Kit Create+ Starter Pack at $1,199 covers everything for a first batch. The T500 Pro copper condenser Super Starter Pack at $1,539 is the popular upgrade, adding the copper condenser.
For ongoing runs, T500 turbo yeast and carbon covers the consumables.
When to Choose the Air Still Pro
The Air Still Pro is the right choice if space or water access rules out anything larger, or if you mainly want to make gin. It is also the low-risk way in: if the hobby does not stick, you are $1,299 down rather than committed to a bench setup.
Choose the Air Still Pro if:
- You live in an apartment, unit, caravan or rental with no practical water access
- You want to learn the fundamentals before spending more
- Gin is your main interest, since pot still mode and small batches suit botanicals
- You want to run small batches of different spirits rather than one large batch of one
- You would rather set it going and leave it alone
Air Still Pro for Gin Making
Gin is where this still is genuinely better than the alternative rather than just smaller. Pot still mode keeps the botanical character that a reflux column strips out, and a 4 litre wash is the right size for experimenting. The optional botanical basket lets you infuse in the vapour path rather than steeping, and small batches mean a failed recipe costs you one afternoon.
Recommended Air Still Pro Kits
The Air Still Pro Home Distillery Kit Starter Pack at $1,299 includes the fermenter, yeast, essences and accessories. The Super Starter Pack at $1,419 adds the copper parrot head. The unit on its own is $899 if you already have fermentation gear.
Consumables run through Air Still and Air Still Pro yeast and carbon.
What Each Still Costs Per Bottle
Consumables cost roughly the same per bottle on either still, at around $10 per 700ml of neutral spirit. Where the two separate is the kit itself, spread across how many bottles each run produces. That gap is large, and it is the part most comparisons skip.
A T500 run yields nine to eleven bottles. An Air Still Pro run yields one and a half to two. So the same purchase price divides very differently:
| Batches run | T500 starter pack, $1,199 | Air Still Pro starter pack, $1,299 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 batches | About $12 per bottle | About $74 per bottle |
| 25 batches | About $4.80 per bottle | About $30 per bottle |
| 50 batches | About $2.40 per bottle | About $15 per bottle |
| 100 batches | About $1.20 per bottle | About $7.40 per bottle |
Assumes 10 bottles per T500 run and 1.75 per Air Still Pro run, at 700ml and 40% ABV.
Two honest conclusions from that table. If you plan to distil regularly for years, the T500 is not just better value, it is a different category of value. If you are not sure you will still be doing this in six months, the Air Still Pro’s lower total outlay matters more than its cost per bottle, because the cheapest still is the one you actually use.
There is also a time cost nobody prices. A T500 run is four to five hours for ten bottles, so roughly 27 minutes of session time per bottle. An Air Still Pro run is two hours for under two bottles, closer to 70 minutes per bottle. Fermentation time is identical either way, since both wait seven to ten days.
Best Still for Beginners
For most beginners, the Air Still Pro. Not because it makes better spirit, but because it removes the two things that make first attempts fail: plumbing and cuts. No water connection means fewer ways to set it up wrong, and automatic foreshots collection handles the decision that ruins most first batches.
The exception is worth naming. If you already know you want volume, you have a tap and a bench, and you are confident the hobby will stick, starting on the T500 saves you buying twice. The learning curve is steeper for about two batches and then it stops mattering.
What actually makes a beginner’s first spirit good has little to do with which still is on the bench. It is fermenting at the right temperature, waiting until the hydrometer stops moving, discarding the foreshots without arguing with yourself about it, and diluting slowly. Both stills reward those habits equally.
Can I Upgrade Later?
Yes, and it is the most common path our customers take:
- Start with the Air Still Pro. Learn fermentation, distillation and cuts on 4 litre batches where mistakes are cheap.
- Add the T500. When you want volume and maximum purity.
- Add the alembic dome. Converts the T500 boiler to a pot still for whisky and rum, $699.
- Keep the Air Still Pro. Use it for botanical experiments and small gin batches.
The skills transfer directly. Fermentation is identical, and understanding heads, hearts and tails applies to both. Plenty of experienced distillers run both permanently: the T500 for production, the Air Still Pro for trying things.
Worth being clear about the cost of that path. Buying the Air Still Pro first and the T500 later means spending about $2,500 across both, against $1,199 if you had started with the T500. Some people consider that tuition. Others would rather not pay it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which still produces better quality spirit?
The T500 reaches higher purity, up to 93% ABV against the Air Still Pro’s 90% in reflux mode, which suits vodka and neutral spirits. For flavoured spirits like gin, the Air Still Pro’s pot still mode can be preferable, because it keeps botanical character that a reflux column removes.
How much water does the T500 actually use?
Roughly 200 litres over a four to five hour run, varying with incoming water temperature and flow rate. Recirculating through an ice bath with a small pump reduces this to close to the initial fill.
Can I make whisky with the Air Still Pro?
Yes, in pot still mode. The limit is volume rather than capability: under two bottles per run means many runs to build enough spirit for proper ageing. A T500 with the alembic dome suits whisky far better.
Is the Air Still Pro just for beginners?
No. Plenty of experienced distillers run one alongside a larger still for botanical experiments, small batch gin and testing recipes before scaling up. Dual mode operation makes it genuinely versatile rather than merely small.
Which is more cost-effective in the long run?
The T500, decisively, if you run it often. Spread across 50 batches the kit adds about $2.40 per bottle against about $15 for the Air Still Pro, because each T500 run makes five to six times as much spirit. The Air Still Pro wins on total outlay, not on cost per bottle.
How many Air Still Pro runs equal one T500 run?
About five to six. A T500 run yields nine to eleven 700ml bottles at drinking strength, an Air Still Pro run one and a half to two.
Do I need any special electrical requirements?
No. Both run on standard Australian 240V household power. The T500 boiler draws around 2,200W, similar to a kettle, and the Air Still Pro around 300W. No special wiring needed.
Why do different sites list the Air Still Pro capacity as 4 litres and 5 litres?
Both figures are correct and describe different things. 5 litres is the holding capacity of the chamber, and 4 litres is the working wash volume you actually fill it to. The distinction matters because Australian still rules are written around holding capacity, with a threshold at 5 litres.
Which still is better for essenced spirits like whisky and rum?
The T500. Adding spirit essences to neutral spirit works best when the neutral is as clean as possible, and the T500’s higher purity gives the essence a clearer canvas.
Still Can’t Decide?
If the water question does not settle it for you, contact our team with your space, budget and what you want to drink. We would rather talk you into the cheaper still than sell you the wrong one.
Or browse the ranges directly:
These two stills are the most common shortlist, but they are not the only options. If you want to see the whole range side by side, including the air-cooled entry units and the 25 litre pot still configurations, read the full kit comparison covering every complete kit with current pricing and what a bottle actually costs to make.
