The empty bucket question can be easily solved by not leaving them empty :mrgreen:
I have a SS conical, glass carboys and some plastic buckets. All work well when properly cared for. The advantage of SS is that is is almost indestructible. The the disadvantage is the price of course.I made my conical so that helped. Glass is dangerous but my carboys are about 15 years old (knock on wood). You will get the most bang for your buck with plastic. Just treat it right and it will last for years.
This is what I do… two 5 gallon kegs, 6 gallon batch split between them.
