RoaringBrewer
Well-Known Member
Ok, so I'm definitely going to be getting into kegging here by early November at the latest - maybe earlier. However, I'm torn between paying a little more for a new kegerator with dual taps and building my own out of the Sanyo 4912.
I figure buying the new kegerator with dual taps and a set of 3-4 corny's is going to cost me $750-850 range. Building a Sanyo 4912 with dual taps will cost me about $500. In all honesty, I'm not all about sparing expense to get this done, so if money wasn't an option, which would you do? There are things to consider like a warranty on a purchased kegerator (none on the 4912 with a hole in top!), cooling capability of the 4912 (is it up to the task?), prepurchased has the nice top with glass guards, etc. etc.
Here is the one I was looking to purchase outright - it can be purchased ready for the homebrew setup (less kegs of course). Is Summit an alright brand? They have similar ones made by Haier, Sanyo, etc. but for some reason I got the feeling that Summit was a solid brand. Total cost with shipping, plus some HB kegs is probably close to $800:
http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/beer/sbc500bv-2.shtml
Or the other option is to buy the 4912 ($200) and this ($300) double keg, double tower setup from kegconnection.com. Looks like it comes with all quality parts (less Shirron taps) - possibly better than the parts on the summit (as far as regulators, etc. go). Total cost would be about $500 and some labor:
http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=55
Like I said, not too worried about the $300 difference, which would be better quality and overall better for someone new getting into kegging!? And before i get preached to, I know you can build a 4912 for much cheaper if you buy it on sale and piece it together, but I don't have the time or patience for doing that to save $100-150... I've also been scouring Craigslist for used kegerators to no avail. All of the affordable ones are ugly and beat up. I want something nice and I want to be kegging like it's last week!
Thanks for any insights!
I figure buying the new kegerator with dual taps and a set of 3-4 corny's is going to cost me $750-850 range. Building a Sanyo 4912 with dual taps will cost me about $500. In all honesty, I'm not all about sparing expense to get this done, so if money wasn't an option, which would you do? There are things to consider like a warranty on a purchased kegerator (none on the 4912 with a hole in top!), cooling capability of the 4912 (is it up to the task?), prepurchased has the nice top with glass guards, etc. etc.
Here is the one I was looking to purchase outright - it can be purchased ready for the homebrew setup (less kegs of course). Is Summit an alright brand? They have similar ones made by Haier, Sanyo, etc. but for some reason I got the feeling that Summit was a solid brand. Total cost with shipping, plus some HB kegs is probably close to $800:
http://www.beveragefactory.com/refrigerators/beer/sbc500bv-2.shtml
Or the other option is to buy the 4912 ($200) and this ($300) double keg, double tower setup from kegconnection.com. Looks like it comes with all quality parts (less Shirron taps) - possibly better than the parts on the summit (as far as regulators, etc. go). Total cost would be about $500 and some labor:
http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=55
Like I said, not too worried about the $300 difference, which would be better quality and overall better for someone new getting into kegging!? And before i get preached to, I know you can build a 4912 for much cheaper if you buy it on sale and piece it together, but I don't have the time or patience for doing that to save $100-150... I've also been scouring Craigslist for used kegerators to no avail. All of the affordable ones are ugly and beat up. I want something nice and I want to be kegging like it's last week!
Thanks for any insights!