First time which kegerator to get?

[CoriolisEffect]

Hello,

I need a kegerator but I am on a budget. Here is what I was looking at:

1) Galaxy single tap from webrestaurantstore.com $380

2) ArcticKing(Midea) from Walmart online $380

3) Summit sbc-500 (discontinued model)from FB marketplace. It is used and I don't know how old it is. But seller says it is in good condition. $350 or best offer.

4) keggermeister(I think based on model#) km2800s from FB marketplace. It has never been used, out of box but parts are still sealed in box inside. It looks like it's from Canada and the seller said he's on three of them and loves them. $380 or best offer


I know Summit is a good brand, but ifs older I don't know if it's a good deal? With the new ones, although they are cheaper models I get a warranty at least.

So I could some help deciding lol.

Thank you

 

[fluketamer]

You could always buy a 4 c ft mini fridge and use any number of tap options inside the fridge.


Arctic king is on sale at Walmart for 150$ free shipping. That and a picnic tap and regulator gets you a kegerator for less than 250.

Do you have the kegs or no

 

[mac_1103]

I need a kegerator

Why? As in, how are you planning to use it? Goes a long way to determining the right choice. My first question is: how long are you going to be happy with one tap?

 

[CoriolisEffect]

You could always buy a 4 c ft mini fridge and use any number of tap options inside the fridge.


Arctic king is on sale at Walmart for 150$ free shipping. That and a picnic tap and regulator gets you a kegerator for less than 250.

That's an idea. That's definite cheapest way to do it. As of now, I will only have a keg once I get the beer

 

[CoriolisEffect]

Why? As in, how are you planning to use it? Goes a long way to determining the right choice. My first question is: how long are you going to be happy with one tap?

Right now I would just use it for an event a couple times a year. However, I want the option to start brewing beer, even on just a small level.

 

[day_trippr]

A minifridge and picnic tap might be enough...

Cheers!

 

[fluketamer]

it sounds liek you are planning on a commercial keg. which is usually a sanke d couple i think. that could be a little bit of an issue. as homebrewers ususally use ball lock connections so picnic taps and that sort of thing might be a problem without an adaptor.

welcome to the forum btw.

if you are looking to just "plug and play" then your best bet is to buy a commercial kegerator like one of the ones you listed and start there.

if you are handy and want to get into homebrewing do a bunch of research first. and then try to figure out a little bit about what you want to do and where you want to go with this. cause there are really a ton of options.


here :



now you dont have to buy a minifridge or a kegerator.

 

[Willy]

When I decided to keg instead of bottle, I went with a keezer/inkbird as it is simple and less prone to issues.

For my needs (your needs is what needs more clarification) ... I went with a big 14 cu fr chest freezer which gave me room for many taps (I went with 6 taps) and room for 8 corny kegs. So I could have 6 on tap and 2 lagering (and getting carbed up) ready to serve with a quick swap.

I would recommend that you watch a bunch of videos on this and further exploring options and permutations to nail down what you really want .

 

[mac_1103]

Right now I would just use it for an event a couple times a year. However, I want the option to start brewing beer, even on just a small level.

If/when you start homebrewing, you're probably going to want more than one tap. And you're probably also going to switch from sanke D-type kegs to corny kegs. It's certainly possible to make those changes to the kegerators you listed, but it might be rather expensive and a PITA. Not sure I'd spend $400 for a kegerator I was going to use a couple of times a year when a 10 gallon Iglo cooler and a picnic tap will do the job.

 

[CoriolisEffect]

it sounds liek you are planning on a commercial keg. which is usually a sanke d couple i think. that could be a little bit of an issue. as homebrewers ususally use ball lock connections so picnic taps and that sort of thing might be a problem without an adaptor.

welcome to the forum btw.

if you are looking to just "plug and play" then your best bet is to buy a commercial kegerator like one of the ones you listed and start there.

if you are handy and want to get into homebrewing do a bunch of research first. and then try to figure out a little bit about what you want to do and where you want to go with this. cause there are really a ton of options.


here :



now you dont have to buy a minifridge or a kegerator.

Yes, planning on a commercial keg. Thank you for the tips. That's a good video

 

[CoriolisEffect]

When I decided to keg instead of bottle, I went with a keezer/inkbird as it is simple and less prone to issues.

For my needs (your needs is what needs more clarification) ... I went with a big 14 cu fr chest freezer which gave me room for many taps (I went with 6 taps) and room for 8 corny kegs. So I could have 6 on tap and 2 lagering (and getting carbed up) ready to serve with a quick swap.

I would recommend that you watch a bunch of videos on this and further exploring options and permutations to nail

To clarify, I shouldn't have used the word event. I do like a keg style party Halloween and maybe one or two other holidays. I was just going to get a CO2 picnic tap with the small CO2 cartridges, and a keg cooler. But then I thought it'd be nice to have extra fridge space when I'm not using it. And I was wanting to maybe dabble in home brewing. That's why I started looking at a kegerator...

 

[Broken Crow]

To clarify, I shouldn't have used the word event. I do like a keg style party Halloween and maybe one or two other holidays. I was just going to get a CO2 picnic tap with the small CO2 cartridges, and a keg cooler. But then I thought it'd be nice to have extra fridge space when I'm not using it. And I was wanting to maybe dabble in home brewing. That's why I started looking at a kegerator...

"Dabbling" in brewing usually means bottling...Kegging is a more extensive practice with more gear than the averge 'dabbler' and something you move up when you're certain homebrewing is for you. Since you'd like an extra fridge around, you'd probably be best served just buying a full sized fridge. You could use the mini-CO2's and picnic tap as you mentioned, or get more detailed and add a tap or two to the door and all the fittings so you can have your dual-purpose unit that you build up over time and inclination.
Just my 2-cents.

 

[wdavis2003]

I would go with the ArcticKing from Walmart. I would not want to lift a 1/2 barrel keg into a keezer so scratch that idea. If you do decide to homebrew, you can fit 2-3 5 gallon corny kegs in that kegerator.

 

[mac_1103]

you can fit 2-3 5 gallon corny kegs in that kegerator

At 20.1" x 24.8", I very much doubt that you can get more than two five gallon corny kegs in there. My Edgestar is listed at 23.8" x 25.2" and can just barely hold three. But maybe "dabbling" could mean smaller batches and stackable minikegs?