Perlick Faucets... Necessary???

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RBChallenger

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So I am looking to buy the faucets, shanks and handles for my keezer. My question is are the Perlicks necessary? Keg Works has this kit for $30 that includes everything. Whereas the Perlick faucet, shank and handle is basically double that. So the question is, how often does the cheaper kit get "sticky" and will it be something that needs to be replaced in short order anyway or will it work perfectly fine and relatively painlessly? Thanks ahead of time... since I am order 5-6 of them I just want to make sure I spend my money wisely.
 
I have them and I like them alot. A couple of my friends went the other way and they have problums with them sticking. If you use them everyday the cheaper ones want stick as much.

you get what you pay for.
 
Not "necessary". But definitely worth the extra money. Everyone who hasn't started out with a perlick and and converted has never looked back and been much happier for the switch.

I say just get the perlicks
 
Here is my solution to the sticky problem.
At the end of day I inject SANICLEAN into the vent hole.

VentHole-SaniClean.jpg



Cheers,
ClaudiusB
 
RBChallenger said:
So I am looking to buy the faucets, shanks and handles for my keezer. My question is are the Perlicks necessary? Keg Works has this kit for $30 that includes everything. Whereas the Perlick faucet, shank and handle is basically double that. So the question is, how often does the cheaper kit get "sticky" and will it be something that needs to be replaced in short order anyway or will it work perfectly fine and relatively painlessly? Thanks ahead of time... since I am order 5-6 of them I just want to make sure I spend my money wisely.
Click to expand...

i am no expert here, but i can tell you that my generic taps get sticky all the time. i have three beers on tap, by the time i get back to one that hasn't been touch in a week or so, it's sticky. can i still pull the tap... yes, but it's a pain in the ass. i started using a little beer lube on the brass inside the tap mechanism which seemed to help a bit.

in doing some of the same research you are doing, i have basically found that nothing will give me what i am looking for outside of the forward closing tap.

good luck...
 
williec30 said:
i am no expert here, but i can tell you that my generic taps get sticky all the time. i have three on tap, by the time i get back to one that hasn't been touch in a week or so, it's sticky. can i still pull the tap... yes, but it's a pain in the ass. i started using a little beer lube on the brass inside the tap mechanism which seemed to help a bit.

in doing some of the same research you are doing, i have basically found that nothing will give me what i am looking for outside of the forward closing tap.

good luck...
Click to expand...

That seems to be what I am finding as well... I'm just a cheap-o and trying to save $$$. If it's not worth it though I'll spend the dough and save the headaches.
 
The perlicks are great. Regular taps wills tick on the usage a single family will give them. It is kind of harrowing having to unstick the taps often hoping every time it won't break and waste a bunch of beer while making a huge mess. You will not regret spending the extra to get forward seals.
 
I've got two installed now and two more on the way.

Superior products used to be the cheapest place to get them, but they haven't had them in awhile.

Williams Brewing has them at a decent price with the shank and everything as a kit.

Another vendor at this site has them for the average of about 42.00, but they have a 10% coupon code that will save you some cash.
 
Do it right the first time.

No Perliks are not necessary, there is another forward sealing faucet. There is Shirron/Ventmatic, although the current status of the manufacture and distributing, I do not know.
 
RBChallenger wrote:Do you just have to do this after every use?
Click to expand...

No, after the last use only or end of day.
Once cleaned the faucet stays clean and sanitized for weeks.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB
 
I love my Perlicks. Never owned anything different however. After a couple of weeks of not using a tap they're still go to go.

Kal_HT2008_17_resize.jpg



They also look great nice and sweaty: ;) (I chill the lines, shanks, and taps)

Beer_tap_condensation.jpg


The cheaper faucets cost more then Perlicks because you'll end up replacing them anyway, and nobody wants to buy used (non-Perlick) faucets. ;)

Many people simply spray cleaner or something up there at the end of the day or after use, but to me that seems like a lot of effort over time. I'd rather just get something that doesn't stick. And unless you use a no-rinse cleaner, you're going to have to run some beer through to wash out the cleaner or have a second spray bottle with water to clean it out. Just seems like a lot of work to save a few bucks. But that's just me. YMMV.

Kal
 
Yup I sprung for the perlicks the first time around and I love them. I sometimes go two weeks between using them and they always work perfectly.
 
McKBrew said:
I've got two installed now and two more on the way.

Superior products used to be the cheapest place to get them, but they haven't had them in awhile.

Williams Brewing has them at a decent price with the shank and everything as a kit.

Another vendor at this site has them for the average of about 42.00, but they have a 10% coupon code that will save you some cash.
Click to expand...

Would I also need the SS shank or could I get away with the kit that includes the standard shank (talking about the kits from Williams Brewing). Would this be an area I would, again, regret trying to save money on? Thanks for the hints on where to look btw.
 
You don't 'need' a stainless shank. (I didn't go with stainless shanks but now actually regret it as I'd wished I'd have gone stainless with everything).

Kal
 
kal said:
You don't 'need' a stainless shank. (I didn't go with stainless shanks but now actually regret it as I'd wished I'd have gone stainless with everything).

Kal
Click to expand...

Are you having some sort of tarnishing or pitting or something, what reason do ou wish you would have went with SS? Thanks!!!
 
A friend of mine has perlick faucets, and they are very nice. However, I've got two normal cheapo faucets and they work great. Haven't noticed any sticking yet, but then again I pull off a pint almost every night. Maybe if I went quite a few days it would be different. I think I'll eventually go to perlicks, but for now the cheap chrome faucets are workingn great for me.
 
RBChallenger said:
Are you having some sort of tarnishing or pitting or something, what reason do ou wish you would have went with SS? Thanks!!!
Click to expand...

Impossible for me to see if there's any tarnishing or pitting since they're in the wall and the backsides are all wrapped up with glycol coolant lines. ;)

No, the only reason I say I wish I had gone with stainless is that I'm putting together a 100% stainless AG brew setup and seems silly to have the one inch of the system (shanks) be about the only non-stainless thing.

The chrome plated brass ones will work fine and last forever however since they don't get any 'use' in terms of wear. No bar uses stainless shanks. Hell, they don't even use forward sealing taps, but then they pour beer all day so that they never stick.

If there's one thing I wouldn't worry too much about using brass in it's cold temp beer serving.

Maybe they'd be more prone to beerstone build-up and won't clean as easy with a brush (I don't know). Get the regular brass ones. If you can afford it and want the best, get stainless for the reasons that people go stainless.

The Perlicks are great not because they're stainless (it's certainly a nice addition and means that they'll never wear out), they're great because they're forward sealing.

Kal
 
humann_brewing said:
Spill the beans. who? where? code?
Click to expand...

The retailer is Brewmaster's Warehouse. There were some issues with a thread that had the coupon code in it, so just to stay out of trouble I'll tell you to google it or pick up the next issue of BYO (Mar/Apr I think).
 
I'd love to have perlicks.

But, I'm going on two years of very heavy usage on my cheapy's and they're still going strong.

Plus, as many taps as I have, it'd be way, way too expensive.

DripTray_New_Freezer3.jpg

DripTray_New2.jpg

Rolling_Kegger99991.jpg
 
I started with normal faucets. Honestly, there's nothing wrong with them, and if you're good about cleaning them out with every keg swap they don't get too bad. That being said, there were several occasions when I wouldn't pull anything from a particular tap for a week or two - sometimes it'd be just fine, other times i had to pull so hard on it I was worried i'd either snap the tap handle or tear the shank right out of the tower.

I ended up getting 4 perlicks from superior products while they had them in stock and on sale - was only $8 more than my LHBS charges for regular faucets, so why not? So far I'm really happy with the solidness and quality of them. So far though, in the two weeks since I moved and finally had time to get them hooked up, I've been pulling pints every night, so I can't exactly test the non-sticking qualities :drunk:
 
I broke a cheap-o two weeks ago. The faucet was unused for about a month. Instead of soaking it in warm water (fill a glass up and stick it over the tap) I forced it and it broke. Since I had to buy a new faucet I got a perlick. Since I have a two tap keggerator I bought two perlick faucets. I'll install tomorrow, wish I had got them in the first place.
 
LHBS owner talked me out of the Perlicks (go figure). When I built my tower unit I bought all new Perlicks - so I wound up spending 50% more than I should have. That guy is always half in the tank so I no longer pay him any mind. Six months of use on the cheap taps with sticky drips & heavy duty discoloring of the brass.

btw- did not buy the Perlicks from LHBS
 
Well everyone convinced me Perlick is the way I will be going. I do not think I will be going with the SS shanks however, unless someone quickly convinces me otherwise.

Picking up the freezer tomorrow, excited to get this project underway!!!
 
Those plug caps someone posted earlier in the thread work well. I use them all the time since my taps are outdoors. It keeps out the flies and also keeps the tap from sticking.
I did buy 2 perlicks and they are real nice but I use the caps anyway. The standard faucets are fine, if you use the cheap caps.
it's your money, and like it has been said, you won't regret it.
I think the perlicks are a little sensitive, though, if you have heavy handles.
 
Seems that everyone uses Perllicks because they do.

I never will. Normal taps have served me well for 20 years. I can't imagine what is going on that actually "breaks" these things.

No headaches, no heartaches, and less than 1/2 the price of the "must have" perlicks.

I often wonder how they made and poured beer before the internet...
 
HSM said:
Seems that everyone uses Perllicks because they do.

I never will. Normal taps have served me well for 20 years. I can't imagine what is going on that actually "breaks" these things.

No headaches, no heartaches, and less than 1/2 the price of the "must have" perlicks.

I often wonder how they made and poured beer before the internet...
Click to expand...

That's a good point. Beer will pour just fine out of a hole that you stick a cork in as well.

The fact is that the perlicks are a superior product. It isn't necessary, but hey are better.

People survived just fine before electricity was discovered too, but I don't think I will trade in my electric grid because it is more expensive than using no electricity :D

It is just a decision between if you are willing to pay $15 more for a superior product.
 

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