Pin Lock vs Ball lock kegs

[ZmannR2]

Found some stellar deals on pin lock kegs, ball locks I noticed are a little more......whats the benefits of the ball lock system? Should I dish out the $20 extra for one?

 

[Hello]

Really, there is no benefit between one or the other exception being space. If you have pin lock kegs and a short space, you may benefit from using those pin locks. Pin locks are shorter and fatter. For me, I went ball lock so I could have more kegs in a smaller space. Height was not an issue for me.

 

[ZmannR2]

ahhhhhhh thanks!!

 

[Oldskewl]

There is usually a manual Pressure Relief Valve(PRV) on Ball Lock lids. Pinlocks usually have an automatic valve. The manual is nice for purging the tank from O2 when adding CO2.

 

[Peruvian802]

I agree the manual PRV is a nice feature. Most of my pin locks came with PRVs on the lids. I don't know why. If you find that the manual is not working for you, lids with PRVs are usually available for $10-15. You could even by screw in PRVs for about $5 and drill out the manual valve.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Found some stellar deals on pin lock kegs, ball locks I noticed are a little more......whats the benefits of the ball lock system? Should I dish out the $20 extra for one?

Not much of a difference, as other people will tell you. Something they may not mention but may be of importance to you now or later...

My homebrew club does a few homebrew festivals each year and everyone uses ball lock kegs except for one guy. It's not a huge pain to incorporate his kegs into our trash can kegerators, but it's a factor.

 

[stever1000]

I have both. I started with Pin locks but now i am moving to ball lock so I can fit two side by side in my mini fridge kegerator without hacking the walls up. I think it all comes down to the space you have. The lids are interchangeable so the PRV shouldn't be a deciding factor, the space you have should help you decide

 

[tonyOb]

I have both. I started with Pin locks but now i am moving to ball lock so I can fit two side by side in my mini fridge kegerator without hacking the walls up. I think it all comes down to the space you have. The lids are interchangeable so the PRV shouldn't be a deciding factor, the space you have should help you decide

I've got a Danby mini kegerator based on mini fridge I picked up cheap on an am radio swap - for sale show. It had a stand for a Sanke pony keg (7.75 gal). Two pin lock woudl not fit, but two ball lock will - very snugly. I swapped the single tap tower out for a dual tap. It works nicely.

 

[stever1000]

I've got a Danby mini kegerator based on mini fridge I picked up cheap on an am radio swap - for sale show. It had a stand for a Sanke pony keg (7.75 gal). Two pin lock woudl not fit, but two ball lock will - very snugly. I swapped the single tap tower out for a dual tap. It works nicely.

Sound just like my current setup, its great

 

[Pantherjon]

Those COULD be easily swapped out..They share a common size hole..So if you have a killer deal on pin-locks go for it and just so you know, you can swap those posts out for ball locks...I find the ball locks easier to connect/dis-connect, but, YMMV...

 

[stever1000]

Those COULD be easily swapped out..They share a common size hole..So if you have a killer deal on pin-locks go for it and just so you know, you can swap those posts out for ball locks...I find the ball locks easier to connect/dis-connect, but, YMMV...

Always check who made the keg, the posts come in different sizes. I ended up with one firestone and one cornelius which have different threads, and I believe only one kind you can convert to ball lock...

http://dresselbrew.com/Keg_Info.htm

 

[Pantherjon]

Always check who made the keg, the posts come in different sizes. I ended up with one firestone and one cornelius which have different threads, and I believe only one kind you can convert to ball lock...

http://dresselbrew.com/Keg_Info.htm

It seems I may be mistaken..I thought for sure I had read that the posts were interchangeable..But for the life of me I can't pinpoint WHERE I read it as I have been reading SO much on brewing(books, mags and of course a lot here)...So, I may have jumbled it with something else I had read..

 

[PapaO]

Firestone and Cornelius are not interchangeable but can get posts for them.
http://www.cornykeg.com/product-category/keg-it/conversion-kits/

 

[jmcquesten]

I ran into this issue with a couple 3 gallon pin lock kegs that I bought. They are Firestone and the posts are a different size/thread pattern than the Cornelius. Not a big deal once you figure it out. I did get tired of the lack of manual PRV, and just recently bought new lids that have them. It turned my $35 kegs into $60 kegs, but it was still cheaper than buying new (small) kegs. I have both brands in 5 gal kegs and can confirm that they are NOT interchangeable.