I have a 50 gal batch of Chambourcin aging in a poly barrel in my cellar, with a combination of med toast and heavy toast oak "Spirals." This is the first time I've gone with the spirals instead of staves. The exposure to oak is greater than with a stave of equal length. The spirals have the same bouyancy so I'm re-using my chrome u-locks for weights to suspend them in solution. So far I'm really pleased with how easy they are to work with compared to the number of staves I would have needed.