Stout Faucet Recommendations

[geepmaley]

taprite confirmed the bottom tube that screws in and holds the restrictor plate and the internals(including restrictor plate and plunger) are SS, but the housing is brass. Maybe Zack's supplier makes a knockoff but in SS housing. That would be cool

 

[StainlessBrewing]

While I'm aware that getting an exact metal type would be an expensive testing proposition I suggested that because this type of item tends to be either 304 stainless or plated brass so cutting in would be a solid indication, perhaps not definitive but I would be amazed if you somehow got hold of anything but those two types.

What do I think? I think it is as stated, the wet parts are stainless. I have a few nicks on the shank connection that have no signs of brass showing through nor do the threads which is another place I would expect to see brass in a plated item. Further the machining on the unpolished interior surfaces are extremely crisp which I do not think would be the case if plated, they would look more like the smoothed over machine marks on the threaded rod and knurled nut of the tap handle connection. Further the machined corners on the wet parts are precise, they do not have the rough ridging I normally see on plated stuff which is evident on the dry portions. By look, feel, and close inspection the faucet I bought from you looks well made and accurately listed with your update (don't worry I don't care that you had it listed as all SS when I bought it). As far as performance, IDK as I haven't had the chance to set it up yet, been too busy in the past three months to brew and no money for a beer gas tank.

I hear ya. I still have yet to use mine. Too busy doing orders and not enough time to brew.

 

[StainlessBrewing]

taprite confirmed the bottom tube that screws in and holds the restrictor plate and the internals(including restrictor plate and plunger) are SS, but the housing is brass. Maybe Zack's supplier makes a knockoff but in SS housing. That would be cool

They may be talking about the upper part in terms of housing. That is where the plunger sits.

In sales, there are some suppliers you don't want to give out the name because they will sell direct. If you're considered a distributor on a website, you have a loyal supplier that will not sell to the public. It's possible that if we knew who was manufacturing these that we could go direct and that's a risk they might not want to take.

 

[ArcticBear]

Not to thread jack but i have been having some stout faucet woes and all i'll say here is one thing (i plan on creating a thread when i have more time and am not typing on an ipad tomorrow)

I am now a full time taprite supporter in any product they make. At this point i know my setup isnt 100% stainless (the stout faucet being the only one) but it matches well enough. I will go more in depth why and link it here tomorrow, but i am now sold on taprite going forward. They have the best customer service of any manufacturer around and there is something to be said for that. They stand by their products and will go out of their way to assist anyone in need.

Work was long today and its late so more to come tomorrow

 

[Bensiff]

taprite confirmed the bottom tube that screws in and holds the restrictor plate and the internals(including restrictor plate and plunger) are SS, but the housing is brass. Maybe Zack's supplier makes a knockoff but in SS housing. That would be cool

The long and short of it is that I as a consumer can't tell you for sure what I have in my hands as I'm not a metalurgist. What I can say from my research is that all stainless stout faucets don't seem to exist. I have been homebrewing for a decade and have had my share of stainless and other metal parts in my hand over the years and can say that what Stainlessbrewing is selling is a solid quality piece of metal. If it turns out to be a brass body, well, its a very well made brass body as that would be some quality plating. I am happy with what I have as far as what I see. I still need to give it some real world experience but I'm too busy prepping the house for our first child and getting my brewery rebuilt to deal with setting it up at the moment though.

 

[Markd27]

Wow...

I have a Krome stout faucet. It looks fine and works great. I didn't know until now that it's really a piece of junk. Maybe I got lucky?

 

[JonW]

Wow...

I have a Krome stout faucet. It looks fine and works great. I didn't know until now that it's really a piece of junk. Maybe I got lucky?

Yes, you should consider yourself lucky! I had a Taprite faucet that I used for the last year that was borrowed from a friend. When I went searching to buy my own, I saw lots of online places with pictures of the exact Taprite faucet that I had, so I bought a couple. Upon receiving them, they were Krome brand and the quality was no where near the Taprite, yet they were similarly priced. Instead of going by what was pictured on the websites, I started calling other online vendors as to what brand they had and found several that were selling the Krome ones - yet their online picture was a Taprite stock photo (easy to tell, the Taprite has a serial # on it).

The Krome one is probably fine, but I can tell you the quality of the Taprite is better. I also didn't like the fact that many of the online places switched to the less expensive Krome faucet (less cost, but same sales price) and didn't update their pictures or specifically say what the faucet is. They just call it a stout faucet. I think it's a bit deceptive to sell them that way. I could easily find at least half a dozen large retailers that show a picture of the Taprite, but are selling a Krome. Look at the details of the pic I posted earlier in this thread. Look close at the nozzle and the flat spots that are ground into it. Not one of the flat spots are the same - they look like they were done by hand. Look close at a picture of a Taprite one and you'll see that it is very consistent. The Taprite is made to more exacting standards and the Krome is a close knock-off.

 

[Andy_K]

Yes, you should consider yourself lucky! I had a Taprite faucet that I used for the last year that was borrowed from a friend. When I went searching to buy my own, I saw lots of online places with pictures of the exact Taprite faucet that I had, so I bought a couple. Upon receiving them, they were Krome brand and the quality was no where near the Taprite, yet they were similarly priced. Instead of going by what was pictured on the websites, I started calling other online vendors as to what brand they had and found several that were selling the Krome ones - yet their online picture was a Taprite stock photo (easy to tell, the Taprite has a serial # on it).

The Krome one is probably fine, but I can tell you the quality of the Taprite is better. I also didn't like the fact that many of the online places switched to the less expensive Krome faucet (less cost, but same sales price) and didn't update their pictures or specifically say what the faucet is. They just call it a stout faucet. I think it's a bit deceptive to sell them that way. I could easily find at least half a dozen large retailers that show a picture of the Taprite, but are selling a Krome. Look at the details of the pic I posted earlier in this thread. Look close at the nozzle and the flat spots that are ground into it. Not one of the flat spots are the same - they look like they were done by hand. Look close at a picture of a Taprite one and you'll see that it is very consistent. The Taprite is made to more exacting standards and the Krome is a close knock-off.

Do you know any specific problems to look for on the Krome faucet? I got one and I'm having trouble with my nitro system with it being foamy with no head retention. There are no small, creamy bubbles. I'm wondering if it's an issue of overcarbed beers, or if my cheap Krome faucet is to blame.