Cannot decide which Kegerator is best

[bbell21]

I am debating between three different models and I need your help!!!

1. The Nostalgia 2100 from Walmart for $384.30

2. The Igloo 6.1 from Walmart for $389

3. The Danby 5.2 from Costco for $400

The obvious downfall of the first two are the co2 tank size is 2.5 vs the Danby who has a 5. The downfall of the Danby is a single regulator vs the top two have a duel. Has anyone had experience with any of these kegerators?

 

[m00ps]

do the 5lb CO2 cylinder for sure and just get a dual regulator. well I guess it depends on what you usually drink. You could easily get by with a single regulator feeding both taps for most styles. But with the double, you also have the option of using the other regulator to purge and seal kegs at room temp / high psi

 

[bbell21]

My planned use is for home brews using one five pound corny keg. I'm not that far into the lingo to know what you meant there sorry

 

[m00ps]

you mean 5 gallon?

The dual regulators are so when you have 2 kegs (2 5gal cornys should fit in each of those models), each can be set for a different carbonation level. If you are not planning on getting a 2tap tower, or upgrading to a 2 tap one in the future, you wouldnt have any use for a dual regulator really

 

[bbell21]

I also heard I will need to buy a new attachment for a pin or ball lock corny keg to work on the Danby, not sure if this is correct on the others as well. But yes I did mean 5 gallon sorry

 

[fatherdan]

Costco warranty is the best.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

You need to actually look at the pictures. They are not "dual" regulators. For some stupid reason(probably to trick people like you) some companies count the tank meter, which doesnt matter. They arent dual regulators, they are listed as dual GAUGE regulators. A true dual regulator would have 3 gauges(1 for each regulator, 1 tank gauge)

You can clearly see on Walmarts picture its just a standard regulator.

All of these are single output regulators, i dont think you would ever see a dual regulator sold in a premade Kegerator because it adds about another $60-70 in cost for a very limited use.

Based on Tank size alone i'd go with the Danby, 2.5 is not big enough. Not to mention i dont even know where you'd swap 2.5's...every brew store around here only does 5# and one does 10# swaps.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I also heard I will need to buy a new attachment for a pin or ball lock corny keg to work on the Danby, not sure if this is correct on the others as well. But yes I did mean 5 gallon sorry

This is possible, but its also incredibly simple and cheap to fix. Undo the clamps holding the existing Sanke(probably) connector, hook a gas line ball keg connector to the gas line, and beer line ball keg connector to the beer tap, screw the clamps back down and your in business for probably ~10 in parts.

 

[dmcman73]

I also heard I will need to buy a new attachment for a pin or ball lock corny keg to work on the Danby, not sure if this is correct on the others as well. But yes I did mean 5 gallon sorry

For ball lock corny kegs:

This one for the gas line: https://www.morebeer.com/products/ball-lock-gas-barb.html

This one for the beer line: https://www.morebeer.com/products/ball-lock-beverage-barb.html

For pin lock corny kegs:

This one for the gas line: https://www.morebeer.com/products/pin-lock-gas-barb.html

This one for the beer line: https://www.morebeer.com/products/pin-lock-beverage-barb.html


Just cut the line you currently have as close to the original Sanke coupler, slip a hose clamp over the hose and push the barb on these coupling right on and tighten the hose clamps snug.

 

[martyjhuebs]

I would just troll craiglist and build your own unless you have no desire to go bigger in the future. I personally am never content. I have a 2 tap system that I made less than a year ago and Im already looking to expand... I feel that a $400 system is only worth it if you dont have the time to piece together and install a custom system.

 

[bbell21]

So I finally bought a 4.4 cu ft magic chef mini fridge (no freezer) from Home Depot for $128. Dimensions (22.2x19.7x33.4) I hope this will fit one Corny keg. Then went on Amazon and got the Kegco homebrew conversion setup for $147! Out the door for about $280!! Not too bad!

 

[martyjhuebs]

I think you made a smart choice!