Stainless steel coupler/disconnects

[giraffeman]

OK I'm new to home brewing and have no clue about kegging but someone gave me a few stainless steel disconnects for ball lock corny kegs:
They look like this http://www.kegman.net/product_images/d/397/8088__75912_std.jpg

Has anyone used these? I'm trying to figure out what one is for the gas and what one is for liquid. How do you tell them apart?
any cons over the plastic ones other then price?

 

[day_trippr]

I'm pretty sure your picture is of a beer line disconnect: the gas line disconnect has a groove around the barrel just above the release sleeve, along with a white plastic identifying ring, while the beer disconnect has no groove and sports a black plastic ring.

Imo, the primary advantage of the stainless disconnects is their low profile; their sturdiness versus plastic may be assumed, but unless you're into abusing plastic QDs, strength is pretty much a non-issue. And the cost differential is pretty significant: you could buy a handful of plastic QDs for each of those stainless jobbies...

Cheers!

 

[giraffeman]

Thanks Day_tripper
Looks like I got 3 of the beer line ones
Oh well they were free so I cant complain, just need to learn more on how to keg.