Ball Lock or Pin Lock

I'm looking to get a kegging system. Is there a big difference between the two. I find that most feedback is biased because some like one and not the other. They're roughly the same price. Is one easier to find or repair? What's the deal? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Figure which fits best with your fridge/ kegerator situation/ set up. Pins usually short and stout. Balls usually tall and slim. You can convert each to the other. If u can fit 4 pins and only 3 ball or vs verse etc...

As the ball locks are slim, it's easier to fit many of them in less floorspace than with pin-locks, but as pin-locks are short, there are probably more refrigerators and freezers that you could use with minimal/no modification for at least _some_ kegs. A lot of compact fridges you find on the shelf simply aren't tall enough, and if you only want to fit one keg, pin lock would be the easy fix- but if it's a couple inches taller, you might be able to fit 2 or 3 ball-locks there (provided the freezer/compressor hump allow)

I think it's safe to say that ball locks are somewhat more popular, so you'll see the kegs themselves often run $5-10 more apiece.

You do need a special socket (or at least make your own) to get the pin lock fittings off the keg. If you don't have the deep sockets for the ball locks any way....then it is pretty much a wash. I would have gone pin but I already had a couple ball when I started kegging.

thatjonguy said:

You do need a special socket (or at least make your own) to get the pin lock fittings off the keg. If you don't have the deep sockets for the ball locks any way....then it is pretty much a wash. I would have gone pin but I already had a couple ball when I started kegging.

Click to expand...

I have pin locks and I can use the open end of a wrench to get the posts off. I believe it's a 13/16.

Is the pressure relief value different between the two and is that a consideration?

Pin lock kegs do not have pressure relief valves.

opus345 said:

Is the pressure relief value different between the two and is that a consideration?

Click to expand...

Ball locks have them, and pin locks don't. That was why I went with ball locks. To degass a pin you can take the gas-in connection off and press down with a screwdriver or something I'd guess. And I guess after you put pressure on the keg there isn't an easy way to 'burp' the O2 out of the key w/o some game of pressure, screwdriver degas, pressure, screwdriver degas, etc. I just couldn't see any pro for pin locks vs ball locks. I guess if somebody gave me a pin lock for free I would have went in that direction? Or if my fridge had some height restriction? People use them, must be a good reason.

And as it turns out for me, I can fit 6 ball locks exactly in my fridge if I had to. I never thought I would do that, I was just going to have 1 keg on tap. You know where the story goes, well, now I have 4 on tap, 1 that is 'on deck' cold conditioning/carbing and my nitro tank all in the fridge. My c02 sits outside the fridge.

Oh kegging.. how you have ruined my wallet.

I tried looking up dimentions but am horrible with the search button. I got an old GE mini-fridge (with freezer I'll need to remove somehow) I want to convert. Anybody know the dimentions of each ball and pin lock kegs with fittings at the top? thanks for the help/advice

ball, because they still make them.

I have a pin lock, and it has a pressure relief valve. Right there on the middle of the lid.
Strange that some don't.

Most of the lids are interchangeable so some pin-locks end up having the valves in the lid. They probably originated on a ball-lock keg because it seems that standard practice for Coca-Cola was to use the Gas-In poppet as the relief valve. The only "oddball" lids I've ever seen are the racetrack style, which are not elliptical like the typical ball-lock and pin-lock lids, so they don't interchange with the more common keg configurations.

In addition to the things mentioned in this thread, as of this moment, pin-locks are generally a lot cheaper than ball-locks. Used ball-locks are getting scarce, I guess, and not many people want to pay $150+ for a brand new one.

Pin locks have a PRV in the lid but it is a fuseable one set to go off at ~130psi so you couldn't "manually" activate it to purge the keg like you can on ball lock ones. SixFo is right in that I often see pin lock kegs that have new lids in them with the pull ring purge valve, but I also see ball lock kegs with an old pin lock fusible PRV lid.

Its all personal preference but i find my kegorator and operation much easier and quicker to manage with the ball lock pull ring relief valves to dump pressure off. Many times the gas-in post will spit head on a new keg when the relief valve vents just gas. You would be supprised to find out how much of a difference that one inch gas-in dip tube makes.

Glad I found this thread. Been looking at corneys and found a huge diff in prices between ball and pin lock systems. So they both function the same fundamentaly it is just a difference in the popularity and availability of the connector style. One is still in production and the other isnt. SO if I bought a few pin lock I could eventually switch the connectors if I cannot obtain pin locks at a decent price later? I'm disabled so I have to watch the pennies and the prices rae signifigantly different to make a big difference in the purchase decision. If all things are equal the only issue I foresee is possibly making a socket to remove and install the different connectors. I have a mill and lathe so that is a non issue to me. Input, comments, differing opinions please. I am gonna pull the trigger mid month April if this holds out, otherwise Ball Locks will have to wait till at least May or June.

"Bob doin wheelies today"

If money is tight and time is in large supply then use pin locks.... if they fit in your keezer.