Did Blichmann Just Change Their Beer Gun Tip Design?

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hylander0

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I recently purchase a Blichmann Beer Gun. I haven't used it yet. I noticed there is a change to it that is different.

Has anyone seen this design yet? From what I heard there were a lot of complaints about the tip falling off/not staying on. Perhaps this design is a response to those complaints.

Can anyone tell me where I can get more rubber tips that conform to this new design?

BlichmannBeerGunTip.jpg
 
Mine looks different. What is holding that one on?
I imagine that any Bilchmann distributor/dealer could get the replacement parts for it.
 
This is a side by side comparison. It definitely changed. It seems much more secure. I can't even take it off unless I take the whole thing apart. I guess if I order more I would need to be very detailed in my order so they would not send me the wrong version.

What is holding it on?

There is a metal post going through the back of the rubber stopper instead of the side. The post is long enough that it won't side of unless you take it apart. I will post more picks when a get a chance to disassemble it.

image.jpg
 
This is very interesting as I am about to purchase a beer gun.
I am curious to why you would want to order new tips ? Do they wear out or need changing ?

Thanks,
Cam
 
I just want to get an extra one to have on hand in case of the dropped it down the drain, lost it, stopped sealing, etc.

That is when I noticed the ones pictured for sale didn't match the one I had.
 
I'll be ordering a new one of those. I've had issues with the original design (stopper falling off in bottle, can stop flow of beer). Hopefully they'll sell just that new end piece. They should actually just send them out as a service bulletin type deal to fix a design flaw.
 
After further review, mine is different. They have redesigned it. I hadn't looked at mine in a while, because I don't use the crappy thing because of the tip falling off regularly.
Replacement tips were $4-5 at Northern Brewer, furthering my distaste for this particular Blingmann product.
 
$6.70 is a reasonable replacement cost - kind of surprising for Blichmann...but the spare tips they sell are still the old style
 
Well since I'm down to my last tip that is easily lost, and probably will be gone next time I need it, I guess I'm ordering one of those....
 
The BeerGun tip has changed. If you need any replacements and are unable to find any message their support team on their website. They've been able to point me in the right direction with any issues I've ever had.
 
This is a side by side comparison. It definitely changed. It seems much more secure. I can't even take it off unless I take the whole thing apart. I guess if I order more I would need to be very detailed in my order so they would not send me the wrong version.



There is a metal post going through the back of the rubber stopper instead of the side. The post is long enough that it won't side of unless you take it apart. I will post more picks when a get a chance to disassemble it.

The second picture with the style blichmann just switched to is identical to my Chinese keg king beer gun I bought last year...
Unlike many of blichmanns other products that are made in the USA they have there version of the beergun made in china too it could make sense they just switched venders or their manufacturer switched sources for that component. Either that or blichmann just decided to steal the design of the other cheaper beer guns being sold on ebay and alibaba for a couple years now. My $40 beer gun came with a couple on the rubber tips. Honestly I wouldnt be at all suprised if my beergun was from the same manufacturer who started selling them to keg king in Australia and then direct on alibaba with thier small design changes first.

Another likely scenerio is blichmann places huge orders for these beerguns from a chinese manufactuer who since redesigned them and since the newer versions being sold direct for much less would hit the market long before blichmann depleted thier repackaged local stock, This would explain why blichmann is just catching up to the version everyone else has been selling for over a year now.

my issue with the beergun is the beer I bottle with it goes flat in a couple of weeks.
 
$6.70 is a reasonable replacement cost - kind of surprising for Blichmann...but the spare tips they sell are still the old style

If you consider they cost less than a nickel to manufacture (Remember blichmann gets the beergun and these tips from china theres no American manufacturer to justify the markup on this product. ) and you can buy an entire beergun with 2 tips for less than $40 ( http://www.aliexpress.com/item/home..._1&btsid=a1b25746-b393-418e-b407-95fe5490e90c) I dont think its all that reasonable... If they really were trying to be reasonable myself they would sell a bag of 6 tips for that price and still make a decent profit.

Normally Blichmann actually makes an effort to manufacture their stuff in a proprietary manor in odd sizes to attempt to force customers into having to buy their replacement seals or fittings at the higher prices over standard components. I read the owner got this practice from Caterpillar where he was once employed.
 
If you consider they cost less than a nickel to manufacture (Remember blichmann gets the beergun and these tips from china theres no American manufacturer to justify the markup on this product. ) and you can buy an entire beergun with 2 tips for less than $40 ( http://www.aliexpress.com/item/home..._1&btsid=a1b25746-b393-418e-b407-95fe5490e90c) I dont think its all that reasonable... If they really were trying to be reasonable myself they would sell a bag of 6 tips for that price and still make a decent profit.

Normally Blichmann actually makes an effort to manufacture their stuff in a proprietary manor in odd sizes to attempt to force customers into having to buy their replacement seals or fittings at the higher prices over standard components. I read the owner got this practice from Caterpillar where he was once employed.


The $6.70 is for the entire new tip assembly - the bracket and the rubber tip. I'm not going to argue about what we each consider to be reasonable. I stated my opinion, you've stated yours, Cheers!
 
The $6.70 is for the entire new tip assembly - the bracket and the rubber tip. I'm not going to argue about what we each consider to be reasonable. I stated my opinion, you've stated yours, Cheers!

tip has never fallen off mine, but I' tempted to grab the new replacement tip cause I'm sure it will fall off someday. i don't bottle often but when I do it's usually last minute for a competition. I agree $6 plus ship is kind of expensive, but cheaper than a new beer gun.

edit: Crap shipping is $10 so over $16 to get the "just the tip"

Anywhere else to buy this part?
:(
 
tip has never fallen off mine, but I' tempted to grab the new replacement tip cause I'm sure it will fall off someday. i don't bottle often but when I do it's usually last minute for a competition. I agree $6 plus ship is kind of expensive, but cheaper than a new beer gun.

edit: Crap shipping is $10 so over $16 to get the "just the tip"

Anywhere else to buy this part?
:(

like I mentioned, $39 can get you a whole beergun with an extra tip from the same country as blichmann buys them from. Blichmann will charge you half that or more just for shipping after they repackage them and mark them up 300-400% of their cost.. I might see it differently if blichmann was the designer and thier gun had some sort of advantage but it doesnt look that way from the fact that the new blichmann sold guns are now the same design as the old generic and keg king sold guns...
 
If the beer is going flat, then you have a problem with caps/bottles, not the beer gun. If it's not flat right after bottling then the CO2 is leaking out.

I naturally carbonate all the time with the same bottles and caps and dont have a problem so not sure? They stay carbonated for a week or two and then go flat over time. when researched the issue I found that its not uncommon... maybe Im doing something wrong? ... I prefill the bottle with the c02 then fill the bottle from the bottom at normal pressure and cap immediately.
 
I naturally carbonate all the time with the same bottles and caps and dont have a problem so not sure? They stay carbonated for a week or two and then go flat over time. when researched the issue I found that its not uncommon... maybe Im doing something wrong? ... I prefill the bottle with the c02 then fill the bottle from the bottom at normal pressure and cap immediately.

All I'm saying is if it is carbonated a week or two after bottling and later on it's not, the carbonation has to be going somewhere, so it must be leaking out. That wouldn't be the fault of the Beer Gun.

Maybe a bad batch of caps or a batch with some good caps and some bad one. Maybe you're not capping firmly enough.
 
All I'm saying is if it is carbonated a week or two after bottling and later on it's not, the carbonation has to be going somewhere, so it must be leaking out. That wouldn't be the fault of the Beer Gun.

Maybe a bad batch of caps or a batch with some good caps and some bad one. Maybe you're not capping firmly enough.

The thing is Im not so sure its that simple the carbonation goes into the headspace.... if you fill a growler full of beer it will also stay carbonated for a week or two but then goes flat over time even though its sealed. I have the flip toip growlers as well as flip top bottles and they too go flat over time unless carbonated in the bottle and under pressure. Perhaps I just need to overcarbonate it so when the head pressure equals out there still enough carbonation that it doesnt taste flat.

EDIT* so it seems other share my experience and do things like overcarb by 3-4psi and fill the bottle to the very top to avoid the issue.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=434427

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=342574

I didnt have foaming when filling but ironically the foam would be full of co2 so one would think it wouldnt be so bad as long as the beer still very carbonated.

I am going to try less head space next time.
 
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