Keg question

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brewcephus

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I'm likely getting a bunch of kegging equipment/supplies for christmas so that I can start my journey into kegging my delicious homebrew. I've been scouring the internet over the last couple of weeks looking at different sites, prices, things I need, etc.

My question, I found some cheap 5gal Pin locks, but it seems that everyone favors ball locks. Any rhyme or reason to this? just a matter of personal preference?

Thanks,
Brew
 
For a long time, ball locks were more commonly found (they are pepsi kegs). Those became more scares, and pin locks are cheaper and more common right now (coke products).

Either is fine, but they use different connectors so many people stick to one type or the other. You can buy conversion kits, or change out the gas fittings with a swivel barb to go back and forth, but most just stick to one type.
 
thanks Yoop! thats what I was looking for. Since I don't currently have any investment in either type of keg my decision will mostly be based on price and availability.

As long as I pull the tap and beer comes out, I will be happy :ban:
 
I went Ball Lock for the reasons Yooper mentioned. But now I see Pin Locks all over the place and cheaper. Sorry everybody, usually my bad luck just affects me!
 
There are some things to keep in mind when considering ball lock vs. pin lock:

1) There are size differences. The ball locks are slightly taller and narrower than pin locks, which may or may not be an issue, depending on your keg fridge.

2) Ball locks have a built-in pressure relief valve, while not necessary, is convenient. Pin locks can accept a ball lock lid, so adding a PR valve can be done if desired by replacing the lid. Again, the PR valve is more for convenience as it is still possible to bleed a keg without one.
 
Hello, also something you might need to consider is that pin lock and ball lock kegs are different heights and diameters.

I went with the ball locks since allow me to fit 4 kegs in my kegerator.

Cheers :mug:
 
Well, my current plan is to build a 4 tap keezer while trying to keep my budget under $1k. Shopping around for parts and kegs has been the most expensive part, thus far, but I've managed to come across plenty of deals and keep my budget low enough to where I could go buy a brand new freezer and still not break my budget.

Just didn't know if there was some advantage to using ball locks vs pin locks that I hadn't seen. And since the pin locks that I came across are the cheapest i've found, this includes a flat rate shipping, I'm ready to pull the trigger on 7 of them. That gives me 4 kegs for serving and 3 for aging.

I figure that prices will likely fall some more in the coming weeks as we get closer to the holiday season. So I have time to put my list together and give to my family so they know where to go and what to buy :mug:
 
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