Pin lock vs ball lock

[virtualbrew]

Hi I want to keg and all I can find local is pin lock. My friends use ball lock. What's the real difference and is there any pro / cons to pin lock...


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[mtnagel]

I have pin locks because when I bought them I had no idea there were different kegs.

The main difference is the size. Pin locks are shorter and fatter. Ball lock are taller and skinnier. So figure out which will fit better in your kegerator. I had to shave the plastic pieces that hold the shelves in my kegerator to get my pin locks to fit. Not really a big deal, but something to consider.

Also, pin locks don't have pressure valves you can use to release the pressure quickly (they still have a safety pressure relief valve). Not a big deal because you can use a screwdriver to push in the gas connection to release the pressure. Purging gets a little tricky because you have to put the quick disconnect on, turn on regulator, then remove QD to relieve pressure and repeat several times. Ball locks you can keep the QD on when relieving the pressure.

 

[Hello]

These days you'll find mostly pin locks and at a better price. Pin locks are shorter and fatter, otherwise, it really comes down to preference I suppose. I went ball lock because I had one I got for cheap. It just kind of sealed my decision to continue with that. They're not cheap though. I've paid as much as $70 for a ball lock keg.

 

[sennister]

The biggest thing I would say is pick one and stick with it. It is more of a PITA To change couplers back and forth so pick one and stick with it.

Personally all mine are ball locks.

As mentioned Pin locks are cheaper and easier to find used. There is the size difference but it isn't that big of a deal in most cases.

There isn't a purge valve on a pin lock but I have seen retrofit kits. This is nice to have because when you first fill a keg and hook it up to the gas line, you want to purge it a few times to push any air out of it. CO2 is heavier so it will drop down and sit on the beer. Pull the pressure relief a couple times to bleed off the air. To do this on a pin lock you would have to hook up the gas, disconnect it and push on the pins with a screwdriver, then repeat. Much easier to hook up a line and pull or flip a pressure relief.

Should you want to buy new kegs, I have seen (and bought) new ball lock kegs. Not sure they make new pin locks. Maybe they do, I just never have looked for them. So if you do go pin lock, I would get a big supply of them so you are not looking for them later if you expand.

Another option is to get the cheaper pin lock kegs and convert the posts to ball lock. That is another option but doesn't add a pressure relief. By the time you do the two conversions you are in the price range of a ball lock so I would just do that.

 

[TheZymurgist]

The biggest thing I would say is pick one and stick with it. It is more of a PITA To change couplers back and forth so pick one and stick with it.

Personally all mine are ball locks.

As mentioned Pin locks are cheaper and easier to find used. There is the size difference but it isn't that big of a deal in most cases.

There isn't a purge valve on a pin lock but I have seen retrofit kits. This is nice to have because when you first fill a keg and hook it up to the gas line, you want to purge it a few times to push any air out of it. CO2 is heavier so it will drop down and sit on the beer. Pull the pressure relief a couple times to bleed off the air. To do this on a pin lock you would have to hook up the gas, disconnect it and push on the pins with a screwdriver, then repeat. Much easier to hook up a line and pull or flip a pressure relief.

Should you want to buy new kegs, I have seen (and bought) new ball lock kegs. Not sure they make new pin locks. Maybe they do, I just never have looked for them. So if you do go pin lock, I would get a big supply of them so you are not looking for them later if you expand.

Another option is to get the cheaper pin lock kegs and convert the posts to ball lock. That is another option but doesn't add a pressure relief. By the time you do the two conversions you are in the price range of a ball lock so I would just do that.

With MFL fittings, it's really easy to switch back and forth. I say don't limit yourself to one. Buy what you can find at the best price. Used kegs are getting harder and harder to find, so I say get what you can. I bought 9 pin locks a little less than a year ago for $25 each, which was a steal. You'd be lucky to find one for $40 now, at least in the Atlanta market.

All of my pin locks came with pressure relief valves, but like the others have said, they would have had to be retro fitted at some point. Not an issue to me, but new keg lids are pretty cheap.

 

[TheZymurgist]

Just for reference, here are pin lock MFL connectors. All you have to do to switch between pin and ball lock is unscrew them. Easy peasy.

 

[sennister]

With MFL fittings, it's really easy to switch back and forth. I say don't limit yourself to one. Buy what you can find at the best price. Used kegs are getting harder and harder to find, so I say get what you can. I bought 9 pin locks a little less than a year ago for $25 each, which was a steal. You'd be lucky to find one for $40 now, at least in the Atlanta market.

All of my pin locks came with pressure relief valves, but like the others have said, they would have had to be retro fitted at some point. Not an issue to me, but new keg lids are pretty cheap.

Yeah, I know about MFL fittings and use them. I have all the MFL adapters on the commercial couplers as well if I wanted to tap any of those. There are also other means to switch fittings around. I would prefer to stick with one though. The more you move stuff around, the more you need to check for leaks.

 

[BigRob]

Flare fittings are pretty good at not leaking, unless you only finger tighten them onto the QDs. I have both styles of keg, and switching around the QDs is just a matter of finger tight + quarter turn with a wrench.

You'll also find that there's quite a few pinlocks out there with pressure relief valves in the lids as well, in general however assume the pinlock won't have one.
So the whole point being, get what's cheapest and fits in the space you plan to use it.