kegs - pin lock vs Ball lock

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

kappclark

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Messages
1,590
Reaction score
8
Location
Southern VT
I am not kegging yet, and was wondering if anyon has opinions about pin lock vs ball lock.

Are they equally easy to deal with ? Which does the forum prefer.

Thx ...

BTW - served a Pale Ale at a 40th birthday, and was big success, even though it was only 12 days in bottle. (Tough competiotion was Magic Hat #9 from a keg)
 
Depends on your source. I personally found a place getting rid of 20+ pinlocks for a song. Now, in my case, I'd be an ass to go out of my way to buy ball locks. So... figure out which is more accessible locally if at all, if nothing, buy ball locks mail order.
 
Both are fine. But you should choose now and stick with them. Having a combination of each can be a PITA, especially if you have barb connectors on your kegging system rather than flare fittings.
 
this is why i use flared connectors.

in fact, if i could do it over again, i'd use flare to push-connect fittings to make things even easier. heck, maybe i'll do it now, i just have to invest in the fittings and more tubing.

i have around 25 ball lock and around 10 pin locks. i use both without a problem. i buy whatever i can find cheapest. i just recondition myself and have a lot of poppets on hand and bulk gaskets.
 
gnef said:
this is why i use flared connectors.

in fact, if i could do it over again, i'd use flare to push-connect fittings to make things even easier. heck, maybe i'll do it now, i just have to invest in the fittings and more tubing.

i have around 25 ball lock and around 10 pin locks. i use both without a problem. i buy whatever i can find cheapest. i just recondition myself and have a lot of poppets on hand and bulk gaskets.
Yeah, push connect fittings would be the way to go. Then the type of keg wouldn't matter at all. But I guess it does sort of offset the advantage of buying whatever type is cheapest, given that the fittings have a cost associated with them. Regardless, I have one pin lock keg in my garage -- maybe I will a push-connect fitting, too.
 
They have slightly different dimensions too. Ball locks are taller and skinnier than pin locks...might come up if you are pressed for space.
 
There is one thing that is better about ball lock and that is a design improvement in the ball lock fitting.

The ball lock fitting is designed such that when you've got it fully seated (which means that the valve tot he keg is open) and you release it it locks in place. Thus reducing the chance of making a mess. The Pin lock still requires that you twist the retaining ring to lock the fitting in place.

It is possible (and I've done it) to not quite get the pin fitting locked in place and have it slip a little bit, spraying a small amount of liquid all over. This is particularly troublesome if you are applying the fittings in awkward locations.

This is a minor hassle and shouldn't be a primary reason for buying ball lock but, everything else being equal, ball lock valves are better designed in this respect.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top