NEW-B with keg questions...

[Valkyrie-M1]

Hello all,

I've been home brewing for about a year now and have decided it's time to start kegging. I know virtually nothing about kegs and kegging, but I have several friends that can help me out on the back end. I've been looking around for some kegs and related equipment and am wondering if someone can tell me the difference between a ball lock keg and a pin lock keg and what are some features of each. Also does anyone know where I can look to find the best deal on other kegging equipment?

THANKS!

 

[BrewThruYou]

If you know nothing about kegging, you might want to start at the Sticky: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/sticky-kegging-faqs-43347/

For deals, you can get setups at kegconnection, kegcowboy, midwest brewing supply, chicompany, northern brewer, austinhomebrew, etc. etc. Tons of options out there. Or search for used options on the classifieds here or on craigslist.

 

[buzzkill]

the best deal on kegs is who ever is having a good sale on that day. ball lock or pin, just go with one. if you got friends who keg maybe go with style they got,then you can swap a keg now and then. or borrow a keg now and then.

 

[jholen]

Ritebrew.com has some good prices on parts, real happy with doing business with them. Got my reg + manifold from Kegconnection.com as well, and would recommend them too.

 

[erikpete18]

If you're just starting out, pin lock kegs have been cheaper lately, so if you really want to save cash I'd go pin locks. Otherwise the kegs are pretty much the same (obviously different connections, but that's about it). The pin lock kegs are a little shorter and wider than the ball locks, so take that into consideration if you've already got a fridge/freezer in mind and want to make the space work for you. Some places are selling "converted" ball lock kegs where they've swapped the pin locks out for ball locks, so they're still shorter and wider but have ball connections.

The other big difference is that a lot of pin lock kegs don't come with a manual pressure relief valve, so you have to push down on the gas port to vent it (although they normally do have a safety release valve). Not a big deal, but might make ball locks a little easier. You can even get disconnects with MFL barbs so you could have both pin and ball lock kegs going if you wanted.

As far as deals, check out craigslist first. Especially for ball lock kegs, a lot of times you can find people who bought them when they were selling for $20-25 and can get them for that, rather than paying $40-50 from an online dealer. Otherwise, for all the other parts and pieces, kegconnection is the route I went as well. You can dig around and find deals on random pieces at a bunch of different places (and to a certain extent I did that), but especially if you're looking for a one-stop place, kegconnection can get you set up.

 

[JuanMoore]

If you're just starting out, pin lock kegs have been cheaper lately, so if you really want to save cash I'd go pin locks. Otherwise the kegs are pretty much the same (obviously different connections, but that's about it). The pin lock kegs are a little shorter and wider than the ball locks, so take that into consideration if you've already got a fridge/freezer in mind and want to make the space work for you. Some places are selling "converted" ball lock kegs where they've swapped the pin locks out for ball locks, so they're still shorter and wider but have ball connections.

The other big difference is that a lot of pin lock kegs don't come with a manual pressure relief valve, so you have to push down on the gas port to vent it (although they normally do have a safety release valve). Not a big deal, but might make ball locks a little easier. You can even get disconnects with MFL barbs so you could have both pin and ball lock kegs going if you wanted.

As far as deals, check out craigslist first. Especially for ball lock kegs, a lot of times you can find people who bought them when they were selling for $20-25 and can get them for that, rather than paying $40-50 from an online dealer. Otherwise, for all the other parts and pieces, kegconnection is the route I went as well. You can dig around and find deals on random pieces at a bunch of different places (and to a certain extent I did that), but especially if you're looking for a one-stop place, kegconnection can get you set up.

Excellent synopsis of the differences. The only thing I'd add is that pin lock QD's are quite a bit taller than ball locks, so if height is a concern, the shorter pin lock kegs that have been converted to ball lock posts are probably your best bet.