To Perlick or Not to Perlick - That is the $200 question

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cannman

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Ahhh the joys of shopping.........

There's a point where some of this stuff gets so expensive (for what it is) that I'm just resigned to open my wallet and wait for the delivery truck with a homebrew in hand... But before I shell out $400, I'd like your first hand experience with the following situation:

I'm getting ready to upgrade my kegging system by installing a 3 tap tower on my freezer fermenter to use it as a keezer once fermentation is done and I've a boat load of kegged beer.

Most of this beer will be for me (hehe) but the only people I pour for would be club members (and to them, who cares how the beer got into the glass... does it look, smell, and taste great?!? The 3rd degree). Therefore I really don't have anyone to impress... it sits in the shed...

With this situation there are two options: A chrome set up for about $200 OR an all stainless steel setup with Perlick flow control faucets and SS ball lock connectors. About $400

My current keg setup is a 1 tap chrome that has not provided any problems. I spray the tap with StarSan after every pour and haven't experienced the "stuck" that some people report due to gunk. I have a tap cleaning system and dissect and clean the faucet every 2-3 weeks or so (especially with keg changes), still trouble free.

I know Perlick is the Mercedes of faucet taps for the home brewer, especially with the flow control... but is this really a "nice to have" and not really practical? I can't see why I would want to spend the extra $200 when I can use this cash for a few more kegs or grains.

Thank you for you assistance in this purchase. :mug:
 
Ahhh the joys of shopping.........

There's a point where some of this stuff gets so expensive (for what it is) that I'm just resigned to open my wallet and wait for the delivery truck with a homebrew in hand... But before I shell out $400, I'd like your first hand experience with the following situation:

I'm getting ready to upgrade my kegging system by installing a 3 tap tower on my freezer fermenter to use it as a keezer once fermentation is done and I've a boat load of kegged beer.

Most of this beer will be for me (hehe) but the only people I pour for would be club members (and to them, who cares how the beer got into the glass... does it look, smell, and taste great?!? The 3rd degree). Therefore I really don't have anyone to impress... it sits in the shed...

With this situation there are two options: A chrome set up for about $200 OR an all stainless steel setup with Perlick flow control faucets and SS ball lock connectors. About $400

My current keg setup is a 1 tap chrome that has not provided any problems. I spray the tap with StarSan after every pour and haven't experienced the "stuck" that some people report due to gunk. I have a tap cleaning system and dissect and clean the faucet every 2-3 weeks or so (especially with keg changes), still trouble free.

I know Perlick is the Mercedes of faucet taps for the home brewer, especially with the flow control... but is this really a "nice to have" and not really practical? I can't see why I would want to spend the extra $200 when I can use this cash for a few more kegs or grains.

Thank you for you assistance in this purchase. :mug:

As far as I'm concerned, stainless is the only way to go. Chrome will not stand the test of time. So for me, the question would not be chrome or stainless, but flow control or standard.

There have been times that I have regretted purchases where I settled for something less. But once you've made a purchase, the money is gone and you'll probably never thing of it again. But you need to be content with whatever it is you've purchased because you'll think about that every time you use it. Good or bad.

I love my flow controls. I don't have to worry about beer line length to try and balance the system. I can pour as much or as little foam as I choose from one beer style to the next or from one pour to the next.

Check out RiteBrew.com for decent prices.

labels closeup.jpg

:mug:
 
In my opinion the perlick are best and I love all of mine. I don't think the flow.controls.are necessary and serve little purpose unless you are filling small flites or growlers. I've had 4 micromatic faucets and after a 2 - 3 week period of no use the are stuck like glue. Perlick all the way for me.
 
I've always only had perlick faucets, so I can't give a comparison. What I can say is that on my three tap system I've never had a a stuck faucet and I'm not nearly as proactive as you have been (with the star san spray after every use). They are nice faucets. And since it's also a chrome vs SS debate, I'd go with SS Perlicks, no real question for me on that.
 
Ss perlick. You won't be thinking about replacing them in a year or two. Maybe adding to them... but that is different. I don't see a point in flow control but to each his own
 
I use stainless shanks and perlick crome faucets. The shanks were only a few dollars more for stainless, so i figured why not. Works great, no sticking, and I saved $20 per tap.
 
One of the things that I've discovered in homebrewing is that upgrading is one of the most expensive parts. What that in mind, I've developed a "do it right the first time" mentality.

And, since its your money I'm spending, I say get the Perlick SS's :D determine whether or not you really need the flow control (does it really mean you don't have to balance your lines? is that worth it to you because you're constantly changing pressures in your beers for different carb levels of different styles?)

If you ever need to sell them, you'll be able to recapture more of what you paid for them than the chrome faucets - probably at least the initial difference. I remember getting rid of a bunch of chrome faucets from a commercial kegerator that I stripped and resold and I was practically giving them away.
 
i found some perlick taps for $20/each. They never stick, ever. I broke the handle on a cheaper tap because I hadn't drank out of the keg in a couple of weeks. That did it for me, I'm a Perlick ONLY man now.
 
One of the things that I've discovered in homebrewing is that upgrading is one of the most expensive parts. What that in mind, I've developed a "do it right the first time

This all the way for things like faucets, kettles, valves, and other accessories when it comes to SS vs other metals or big vs small.

Chrome would be fine for things like jockey boxes and going mobile.
 
This all the way for things like faucets, kettles, valves, and other accessories when it comes to SS vs other metals or big vs small.

Chrome would be fine for things like jockey boxes and going mobile.

Especially since it'll get cleaned right after its used, and if it breaks when youre out and about its less of a loss.
 
I have 630ss faucets only On my kegerator. I have a stout that hasn't been poured for a few weeks. Last night I filled a growler off that faucet. I poured as if it had been pouring all night. That is why I use perlicks.

On my jockey boxes I use cheap faucets. They are only used for a day at a time so it doesn't matter. Right tool for the job I say.
 
I have 4 taps - all perlick SS

3 of them are regular. I have 1 flow control on my soda tap.
 
I have had a bunch of taps in play for several years. Two Perlicks are out of service awaiting new gaskets, which I get confused ordering because I can't remember which models I own. I pull hard when the generics get stuck, but have never had one leak due to a bad gasket, unlike the Perlicks.
 
The beauty of Perlicks is the forward valve so it's much more resistant to clogging up. SS is great if money is no object, otherwise get the 525PC chrome plated ones. Don't believe the hype on SS. We'll never flow enough brew to make it matter. Think of it this way, the best beers you've ever had at bars on tap probably came out of a $12 piece of junk.

Ritebrew always seems to have them the cheapest ($18.99), and they're often out of stock. You have to keep your eye out for them there: http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843162.htm
 
My situation is somewhat similar, my kegorator is in my workshop, I travel so my taps will go a week easy at times without being used. 2 chrome perlicks, one ss creamer perlick, and every so often I feel the slightest resistance from sticking. I believe if these were cheaper ones, I'd have broken them.
 
There seems to be a heavy bias here in favor of stainless steel.... Chrome plate is impervious to corrosion, in fact chrome is what makes stainless steel "stainless"..... Chrome plate is harder and more wear resistant than stainless steel. Taps are not subject to a lot of wear or conditions that would make chrome fail.

What I'm mostly hearing is Perlick is better....... stainless is more expensive hence it must be better........ "stainless is cool". Comparisons between cheap taps and stainless steel perlick taps are a dime a dozen........... My question is who has had a failure of the chrome on a Perlick faucet??? Nobody so far has said...... "bought all chrome plated Perlick faucets, and they failed and were unreliable due to failure of the chrome plating..... so I bought stainless faucets and my troubles were over..........."

I don't see evidence that the stainless steel Perlicks are superior to the chrome plated Perlicks........ Just a lot of opinion based on what??? This reminds me of the old pissing match between Buick and Chevy owners..........Both cars with identical drive trains....... the only difference is the trim package...... The Buick must be better..... It costs more.......


H.W.
 
In fact, there is no lack of reports on HBT about chrome plating disappearing from faucets. Seeing base metal where chrome used to be is something I don't want, but if you're ok with, go for it...

Cheers!
 
Perlick 525PC are the way to go, stainless steel is nice but the local bars use the 525PC without any concerns. $20 each on eBay, cant beat that...
 
Perlick is definitely the way to go. My taps often go a week or longer between uses, and traditional taps used to stick really bad, and would drive me mad. I literally broke a tap handle once trying to pour a stout that I hadn't poured in a week.

Since switching to Perlick I've never had a stuck tap, and I've gone up thre weeks without using a tap handle on a stout, with absolutely zero sticking.

I went with chrome plated because I found 525PC faucets for$ 20 apiece. For that price, I was fine without SS. I can always upgrade later.

As far as not having to balance a system if using flow control taps... I don't know about that. Does anyone have any ligature to support that?
 
There seems to be a heavy bias here in favor of stainless steel.... Chrome plate is impervious to corrosion, in fact chrome is what makes stainless steel "stainless"..... Chrome plate is harder and more wear resistant than stainless steel. Taps are not subject to a lot of wear or conditions that would make chrome fail.

What I'm mostly hearing is Perlick is better....... stainless is more expensive hence it must be better........ "stainless is cool". Comparisons between cheap taps and stainless steel perlick taps are a dime a dozen........... My question is who has had a failure of the chrome on a Perlick faucet??? Nobody so far has said...... "bought all chrome plated Perlick faucets, and they failed and were unreliable due to failure of the chrome plating..... so I bought stainless faucets and my troubles were over..........."

I don't see evidence that the stainless steel Perlicks are superior to the chrome plated Perlicks........ Just a lot of opinion based on what??? This reminds me of the old pissing match between Buick and Chevy owners..........Both cars with identical drive trains....... the only difference is the trim package...... The Buick must be better..... It costs more.......


H.W.
Chrome is fine and will provide excellent service life, if and only if they get a high quality, defect free, plating layer. You see poorly plated, peeling chrome on car bumpers all the time. Same thing can happen with any poor plating job. Given the spotty quality control of many Asian suppliers, lots of folks would rather avoid the potential problems by going with SS. It does cost more, but there are no worries about plating integrity.

Brew on :mug:
 
I picked up 6x perlick 630SS. They're awesome. That said I'm definitely a "buy once" purchaser. I use a growler filler (fitting with a short tube) that really works well, fills in a min or two. I got my stuff from birdmanbrewing.com (I'm in no way affiliated with them)...decent pricing on most of the tap/ beer line (bev-seal ultra) equipment you might be looking for.
 
In fact, there is no lack of reports on HBT about chrome plating disappearing from faucets. Seeing base metal where chrome used to be is something I don't want, but if you're ok with, go for it...

Cheers!


^ This! Also happens to chrome plated shanks in about a year. Ask me how I know...
 
Perlick all the way.

I bought the chrome ones, because the HBS was out of SS and I was too impatient to wait and order SS ones online. After reading some of the stories about the chrome wearing off, I regretted the purchase, but so far (~2.5 years of use) they seem to be holding up fine. I'll probably buy the SS ones next time around, but so far my chrome ones have performed wonderfully.
 
I agree with everyone else who says Perlick is the only choice. As far as SS vs. Chrome goes- I don't think you'll regret buying SS and knowing that you'll never have to buy faucets ever again.
 
What about ss shanks? How important does this become if we go Perlick?

I just used the old shanks I already had when I switched to Perlick faucets. IMHO, who cares about the shanks! All they really are is a connector between the faucets and the line. They're not seen, and other than an o-ring failing, there isn't much that can really go wrong with a shank. I'm sure others will disagree, but if you already have shanks, I wouldn't upgrade them unless you've got money burning a hole in your pocket.
 
Someone mentioned "Krome" brand faucets @ their work...........That is a good looking faucet, and I've often wondered about their reliability / construction, 'cause I see LOTS of them in service @ brewpubs, restaurants, and whatnot.........
Anyone have knowledge of them?
 
Someone mentioned "Krome" brand faucets @ their work...........That is a good looking faucet, and I've often wondered about their reliability / construction, 'cause I see LOTS of them in service @ brewpubs, restaurants, and whatnot.........
Anyone have knowledge of them?

I had one Krome faucet. I added it to a three tap kegerator to make it a four tap kegerator. The other three faucets had no brand name markings that I could find. The Krome one was not as smooth and did not pour quite as good as the no-name faucets. I wasn't terribly impressed.

And there was just no comparison between any of those four faucets and the Perlick ones that I upgraded to.
 
I have one SS Perlick faucet and have seen other buddies standard faucets (they stick).

I will be buying 3 more SS Perlicks when we open up our home bar up north in a year. Lasts you a lifetime, so no reason not to get the best.
 

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