RANT - Overpriced Corny Kegs

[HoppyMaltPoet]

Just wanted to start a bit of a rant here. I was in the market for some additional cornies this past weekend and went down to my LHBS. Now their prices have always been a bit high. Last time I bought my Cornies from them they were 45 a piece. There is another local guy I used that was selling them for 35 a piece but it was hard to get from them because they were usually sold out. Well anyway I went back to mt LHBS to buy another Corny and they had each one listed for $85 dollars, with a sign saying that their distributor had raised the prices of cornies so they had to raise theirs. This seemed to be an insane price. I looked around and I was able to get 2 from MidWest shipped for about the same price as their one. So I ordered 2. Well yesterday I went to get my co2 tanks filled from a local soda distributor and noticed they were selling cornies for $25 a piece or $20 for 5 or more. I got 2 more from them. I checked all the o-rings and they seemed good. The kegs were both pressure tested, they were just not clean and still had soda remnants in them. An overnight soak in Oxiclean and they were spotless inside this morning. Any way, I guess I am just ranting because I really like going to my LHBS as they are really close (I can walk there), and the guys in there are extremely friendly. But I think some of their prices are way out of hand. Is anyone else paying similar prices for Cornies?

 

[Ace_Club]

Just wanted to start a bit of a rant here. I was in the market for some additional cornies this past weekend and went down to my LHBS. Now their prices have always been a bit high. Last time I bought my Cornies from them they were 45 a piece. There is another local guy I used that was selling them for 35 a piece but it was hard to get from them because they were usually sold out. Well anyway I went back to mt LHBS to buy another Corny and they had each one listed for $85 dollars, with a sign saying that their distributor had raised the prices of cornies so they had to raise theirs. This seemed to be an insane price. I looked around and I was able to get 2 from MidWest shipped for about the same price as their one. So I ordered 2. Well yesterday I went to get my co2 tanks filled from a local soda distributor and noticed they were selling cornies for $25 a piece or $20 for 5 or more. I got 2 more from them. I checked all the o-rings and they seemed good. The kegs were both pressure tested, they were just not clean and still had soda remnants in them. An overnight soak in Oxiclean and they were spotless inside this morning. Any way, I guess I am just ranting because I really like going to my LHBS as they are really close (I can walk there), and the guys in there are extremely friendly. But I think some of their prices are way out of hand. Is anyone else paying similar prices for Cornies?

It just takes some looking around for good prices. You can find good deals online, at scrap yards and even on CL.

Personally, I like the $14 clearance pin locks from cornykeg.com (when you can find them). The only thing wrong is the rubber top is dried and brittle. Otherwise, their normal selection is in the $20 range.

 

[Kaz]

My LHBS says they can only get their hands on new cornies, so they're $125 each. I hear that used cornies are becoming scarce, I don't know what distributor brew shops use to get them, but apparently they no longer have them. A couple shops in the area have all stopped selling used kegs.

 

[brewmcq]

The used cornies shortage is a myth... one of the corny vendors even posted here a few weeks ago saying they had (and I quote) "at least a thousand in stock and able to get plenty more."

Okay, I might be paraphrasing, but the word "thousand" was in there, as was their ability to get more.

Regardless... kegging my brew seems like a far-off fantasy for me at this point, which sucks because I really would love to sit at my bar and pour a home brew. Oh, and stop having to wash so many bottles... lol

 

[samc]

Obviously they don't have a source for lower priced cornies and more than likely don't have a high enough demand for them to look harder. Or they are lazy. Sounds like you solved the problem so why rant? If you like them for what they offer otherwise, have a talk with them about that issue and it might help both of you.

 

[Beerrific]

Not overpriced if people will buy them for the price. They would probably drop the price or stop selling them if no one was buying.

 

[rcrabb22]

The used cornies shortage is a myth... one of the corny vendors even posted here a few weeks ago saying they had (and I quote) "at least a thousand in stock and able to get plenty more."

Okay, I might be paraphrasing, but the word "thousand" was in there, as was their ability to get more.

Regardless... kegging my brew seems like a far-off fantasy for me at this point, which sucks because I really would love to sit at my bar and pour a home brew. Oh, and stop having to wash so many bottles... lol

They may be plentiful if you where to look and/or can afford to buy large lots. I know for a fact my LHBS is unable to do either. Not every LHBS owner has deep pockets, or a line of credit for that matter.

If anyone knows of a used keg wholesaler in the Chicago area, I would appreciate a PM with that info.

 

[audger]

Okay, I might be paraphrasing, but the word "thousand" was in there, as was their ability to get more.

i know the thread you mean- the guy worked for a company that sold kegs. he said his company was only interested in getting them in shipments of 1000 peices or more (thats where you saw "thousand"). he specifically said he was seeing a shortage of them. they are still around ("ability to get more") but he predicted that soon they would be harder to find in the coming year or two. from what i gatherd from the post, it sounded reasonable. we will have to see what happens though. i think supply of kegs will vary greatly by local area; not necessarily a 'national shortage'.

the LHBS around here still has them for 20-30 bucks. ball lock is getting few and far between in this area though. almost everything ive seen for a month or two has been pinlock.

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

Obviously they don't have a source for lower priced cornies and more than likely don't have a high enough demand for them to look harder. Or they are lazy. Sounds like you solved the problem so why rant? If you like them for what they offer otherwise, have a talk with them about that issue and it might help both of you.

I guess you are right...I shouldn't really be ranting, and I did find decently priced kegs, but I just couldn't believe the price for these kegs. I guess I was just trying to figure out other people's experience with recent keg price hikes, etc. I did seem to notice a difference in prices online as well, from some places at least.

And I may talk to the owner...he always seems to be a rather receptive guy.

 

[Spartan1979]

For $85 for a used keg I'd probably just buy new.

I ordered two kegs from Midwest Supply this week, too. Hopefully they'll be halfway decent.

 

[megalomani]

It just takes some looking around for good prices. You can find good deals online, at scrap yards and even on CL.

Personally, I like the $14 clearance pin locks from cornykeg.com (when you can find them). The only thing wrong is the rubber top is dried and brittle. Otherwise, their normal selection is in the $20 range.

+1, I live in cincinnati so stopped by the shop. Was able to get converted pinlocks at a lower price than advertised. Best part was no shipping charge. Bill was really easy to deal with.

I didnt ask about the clearence kegs but were marked out of stock on web site, plus I wanted ball-lock. He had plenty of kegs in the wharehouse and the universal popets rock.

I just need to get used to not having pressure bleeder valve.

 

[ArcaneXor]

I'd get a $99 new one over a $85 used one any day of the week.

 

[BrewThruYou]

My LHBS still charges $39.95 for ball-lock. Cleaned and new o-rings.

 

[Ace_Club]

+1, I live in cincinnati so stopped by the shop. Was able to get converted pinlocks at a lower price than advertised. Best part was no shipping charge. Bill was really easy to deal with.

I didnt ask about the clearence kegs but were marked out of stock on web site, plus I wanted ball-lock. He had plenty of kegs in the wharehouse and the universal popets rock.

I just need to get used to not having pressure bleeder valve.

Yep, that's what I do now. Since the ball-locks have become so expensive, I just get the converted pin locks from cornykeg.com. They fit better in my fridge anyways.

Plus, even the clearance pin locks plus the conversion kit comes out to be ~$25 for a used ball-lock keg.

 

[PCFloyd]

Just an FYI...Midwest is my LHBS and they currently have used cornys (ball locks) for $40.

Note on their site even states: we have a new supplier of soda kegs. Most kegs from our new supplier have stickers on them and have not had extensive
cleaning to the outside of the keg. As with most "used" soda kegs we recommend that you thoroughly clean the keg inside and out.
Goo Gone, Scotch Brite pads, and elbow grease will take care of any stickers on the outside of kegs should you wish to remove them.


Either way, since it's a 10 min drive for me, this is a pretty sweet deal. I've only bottled 3 batches and I'm already itching to keg :rockin:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/5-gallon-reconditioned-ball-lock-soda-keg.html

 

[MultumInParvo]

Holy cow, I guess I got mine for more than I steal than i thought. I spent under 10 bucks for mine. I drive by adventures in home brewing to work eat day and every now and then they sell them for dirt cheap. I bought just ten for myself, but maybe i should have taken them all and sold them for 20-40!

 

[jhnnyschmidt]

I recently ordered 5 ball locks from midwest. I wanted to make sure that I get ball locks so I could fit 8 in my 14.8 keezer. 3 had good size dents, but all held pressure. They are ugly but with some cleaning and polishing the only things that will stay a negative is the dents.

 

[SC_Ryan]

$35-$40 is going rate for a corney and they are well worth that price. What does a 6.5 gallon carboy cost? OMGWTFBBQ! They're like $40! What a rip off! Anything below $30 for a corny is a great deal. Great deals are out there to be had but don't complain about paying market price for an item that is well worth the price.

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

$35-$40 is going rate for a corney and they are well worth that price. What does a 6.5 gallon carboy cost? OMGWTFBBQ! They're like $40! What a rip off! Anything below $30 for a corny is a great deal. Great deals are out there to be had but don't complain about paying market price for an item that is well worth the price.

I have no problem paying market price. I bought 2 from Midwest at $40 and I am very happy with my purchase. But $85 is unreasonable.

I did approach my LHBS about the prices and they stated that there supplier up'ed the prices because kegs are becoming scarce. I told them what I paid at Midwest and the soda distributor and they told me to buy them up at that price because those prices will be a thing of the past. Whatever, I have enough cornies now to get me by and I use them for my yeast and grain purchases so they are good for that. Unless anyone knows where I can get 50 lb of pale/brewers malt for under $55 bucks shipped.

 

[ArcaneXor]

A bag of domestic 2-row shouldn't be much more than $50 at your local if they offer bulk pricing.

 

[HoppyMaltPoet]

Don't want to stray too much from the topic but this is a list of their grain prices pulled from their site. This is all Briess by the way.

Black Malt - 50 lbs. $ 87.00
Roasted Black Barley (Unmalted) 50 lbs. $ 90.00
Caramel (20L) - 50 lbs. $ 82.00
Caramel (40L) - 50 lbs. $ 82.00
Carapils® - 50 lbs. $ 82.00
Pale Malt (2-Row) - 50 lbs. $ 66.00
Pale Malt (Brewers 2-Row) - 50 lbs. $ 57.00
Pale Malt (Brewers 6-Row) - 50 lbs. $ 53.00
Pilsen - 50 lbs. $ 66.00
Munich - 50 lbs. $ 68.00
Vienna - 50 lbs. $ 68.00
Wheat (Red or White) 50 lbs. $ 56.00

 

[Manon_Theedge]

It just takes some looking around for good prices. You can find good deals online, at scrap yards and even on CL.

Personally, I like the $14 clearance pin locks from cornykeg.com (when you can find them). The only thing wrong is the rubber top is dried and brittle. Otherwise, their normal selection is in the $20 range.

FYI - Cornykeg.com has the clearance kegs in stock on their website today (7-2-2011).

 

[MrWhleDr]

Not to stray from the topic, but how does everyone fell about the universal poppits from cornykeg.com? Also, there is no reason you couldnt match the original poppits onto the kegs style dependant, correct?

 

[ArcaneXor]

Not to stray from the topic, but how does everyone fell about the universal poppits from cornykeg.com? Also, there is no reason you couldnt match the original poppits onto the kegs style dependant, correct?

I like the universal poppets. They get stuck less frequently than the originals.

 

[OntarioBeerKegs]

Universal poppets are a better design and easier to work with. Once suppliers and shops deplete inventory of the A,B,C,D types I would expect many will just carry them alone.

 

[KC10Chief]

You guys don't know how good you have it! Here in Anchorage at the one LHBS, they charge $75 for used cornies. $200 for a new one! Ordering them from the lower 48 is not an option as the shipping is ridiculous! I was in Oklahoma back in June. I bought three used ones for $35 each! What a deal! I threw them in the back of my truck and drove back to Alaska. I can never find corny kegs anywhere else. Not on Craigslist, nowhere. People hoard them like crazy up here. I'm trying to switch from pin locks to ball locks in my 4 tap kegerator. Thankfully, I found this thread and the link to the universal poppet! I can convert my 4 remaining pin-locks to ball lock. :rockin: