40% general rule of thumb...

The general rule of thumb for most purchases is if the used price is more than 40% of the new price, buy new. Well Corny kegs have now hit this mark. "Real" ball lock kegs are now over $50. A new Keg is $110. Not sure what to do about this.

Are used really just as good as new (other than aesthetics) so perhaps does the 40% really not apply?

Millions of these were made. Where are they all?

A million were easily sold for scrap before homebrewers gobbled them up but I also keep hearing that containers full are going to China for the intended use of premix soda.

Who cares about the rule of thumb. They are worth what people are paying for them. Anyway I am seeing 40 for used and 120 for new so your rule is still good.

I know there is a benefit of the new corny they don't have plastic parts and can be sanitized right on the stove burner by heating them up. I also know that the pin lock kegs are much easier to buy\find than the ball locks. Most of the spare ball locks where sent to China to be used for water storage.

Might be better to get new just for that reason alone.

The rule of thumb's pretty meaningless in this case. It's kind of meaningless in general, there's a huge difference in the new/used decision depending on how much wear and tear the item gets and how long it can be expected to last. A car's different from buying, say, a power tool at a pawn shop. And, "used" isn't "used," a used car could have been owned by the proverbial grandmother or by her 16 year old grandson.

The functionality of a used keg is identical to that of a new keg, and if you buy a used one in good shape, it's going to last basically forever. There isn't too much to wear out other than o-rings and maybe you'd need to replace a poppet or something at some point.

What other value does a new keg offer? Is one new keg really worth two used kegs? Pretty and shiny is worth a little, but not $60.

yodalegomaster said:

I know there is a benefit of the new corny they don't have plastic parts and can be sanitized right on the stove burner by heating them up.

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I've never heard this before. Even if true, I'm not heating up a 5-gallon corny keg to sanitizing-temps on my stove! Why would I do that when no-rinse sanitizer is so cheap?

I like that my local Pepsi bottler charges $21 for a keg of Pepsi with no deposit. I asked about bringing some back and they got confused. That's gotta suck to pay $110.

Bobby_M said:

A million were easily sold for scrap before homebrewers gobbled them up but I also keep hearing that containers full are going to China for the intended use of premix soda.

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The LHBS guy tells me the soda industry is going back to stainless, anyone got any info on that?

-d

scooterunderwood said:

I like that my local Pepsi bottler charges $21 for a keg of Pepsi with no deposit. I asked about bringing some back and they got confused. That's gotta suck to pay $110.

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I saw this and immediatly called the local Pepsi bottler. I'm waiting for a call back from an account rep. Is there some kind of trick to getting kegs instead of the boxes?

This looks like a good deal. $75 each for new kegs.

http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/home_brew/kegs/4X-KEG-5GAL-NSH_ball_lock_keg.html

If the China rumor is true (as I have heard as well) then they have affected me in a few
ways.

Rise in price of corny's
Rise in price of copper ( ammunition )
Rise in price of lead ( ammunition, casting material )

You gotta love supply and demand!

mredge73 said:

This looks like a good deal. $75 each for new kegs.

http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/home_brew/kegs/4X-KEG-5GAL-NSH_ball_lock_keg.html

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Is this real?

Zixxer10R said:

Is this real?

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No, this is Sparta

(sorry couldn't resist)

well you have to factor in shipping too (~$40 for me). But still for 84 $$ a piece... that closes the gap on buying used....

Shipping sucks, it should be free for that amount of money. Kegconnection has flat rate shipping on everything and i'm sure their poundage is the same or more on a 4 kegerator kit.

ive never heard of, nor subscribe to, that rule of thumb.

audger said:

ive never heard of, nor subscribe to, that rule of thumb.

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Agreed. IMO the price to pay for used vs new varies substantially from item to item. There really isn't any reason to buy a new corny keg unless you want one that is nice and shiny (or 3 gallon size, since people seem to think they are worth their weight in gold).

So you buy a used keg for $40 or you buy a new one for $110. If you have to sell your keg you will get $35. You lose $5.00 on the used and $75.00 on the new...I never heard the 40% rule but I don't think it applies to kegs.

audger said:

ive never heard of, nor subscribe to, that rule of thumb.

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I have always heard of that rule being applied to repairs, not buying used.
We use it regularly in my facility when deciding between repairing an item or trashing it.

As for the kegs, my shipping is not that expensive ($81 each) and I like shiny things.
I just need a few more days of kissing up to the wife and then they will be mine