Moreover, the top bung hole is situated near an edge so it's easy to get samples or do topping. All Stakvats are designed for ease of handling. With traditional barrels, each one has to be cleaned well after each use. Now, the equivalent in capacity is 40 barrels, and that would have taken him two full days. Without doing precise mathematics, it's fairly obvious the amount of wasted space in barrel storage compared with the 90-degree angles of the Stakvat.
Further savings comes in second and third use.
Used barrels may be scraped to expose additional wood for future use, and likewise, Stakvats' oak sides may be planed to expose new wood as well. However, Warren and Parker suggest no more than two planings before a panel is replaced. Otherwise the wood gets too thin and the weight and pressure of the wine could buckle and soon crack the wood. All barrels decline in flavor after three or so years, and by year five generally the entire barrel is replaced. Some may view the cost of wood panels as high.