Why no higher end picnic taps?

[marc1]

I've been kegging for several years now and have no desire to switch from a picnic type setup. I just got some of the regular Pluto guns and love them. They hang on the kegs easier. They also attach to eva barrier tubing easier.
I have shutoff valves a bit below the tap so I can turn it off when I'm done drinking and worry less about getting a fridge full of loose beer.

 

[BarryBrews]

I have shutoff valves a bit below the tap so I can turn it off when I'm done drinking and worry less about getting a fridge full of loose beer.

One of the greatest fears and nightmare clean up, not to mention the waste! But in the vein of easy brewing, picnic taps have there place.

 

[Mtrhdltd]

I think the answer is pretty easy. Plastic is cheap and easy to mold into any shape. Stainless steel would be a lot more expensive, negating the primary appeal of a picnic tap, cost. Would any of you be purchasing stainless picnic taps if they cost as much as a stainless traditional faucet? On a side note I believe you are overestimating the percent of kegged beer drinkers that only use picnic taps. If I'm wrong one of you should start a business making and selling them.

 

[Jonakr]

I started with picnic taps in my fridge. I had at least two instances where it fell and spilled in the fridge, so i was happy to get to upgrade to Intertaps.

 

[mabrungard]

I prefer picnic taps on the kegs in my fridge. They hang over the keg with their nozzles pointing down. That helps them to drain and help keep mold from establishing on the silicone plug in the tap. I especially like that if the silicone plug does get funky, it costs little to replace it.

 

[FromZwolle]

i use both. picnic for ciders and soda, normal taps for all my beers.

the taps aren't all that pricey, but shanks are how they get you. it's a racket, i swear.

 

[bruce_the_loon]

Stainless steel beer tap with self-closing handle and a shape that should allow for a one-handed operation on the end of a hose like the plastic picnic taps. Just add a short handle and a suitable hose-barb fitting to the end. Also available in chrome and brass.

https://www.kegworks.com/self-closing-draft-beer-faucet-stainless-steel/

 

[Beermeister32]

I like the stainless flow control faucets. You can adjust them for not having a balanced line, to reduce foaming.

 

[Dland]

I have the stainless pluto gun mentioned in post #2. It works great and is significant upgrade from plastic picknick tap.

 

[tmendick]

Since no one has apparently used the Pluto guns... if you want a fancy seeming picnic tap, these will fit the bill. The only gripe I have is that you do have to adjust them to get the proper tension to open and close them. It’s easy to do and once it’s setup shouldn’t need to be messed with again

Dland beat me to it.

 

[tracer bullet]

I just want my plastic versions to have stronger components so the flippy lever thing on top will stop breaking off. Thankfully when that does happen it doesn't allow beer to keep being poured out (plumbing version of a "normally off" circuit).

Agreed SS would be hard to make in the right shape for cheap, but the point is taken, the current ones certainly could be improved on.

 

[Chorgey]

I always had the same problem with the picnic taps but saw that others were using the Pluto gun. It does a pretty good job. The site says S/S but that's just for the barb, piston, and spring. The body itself is plastic.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/pluto-beverage-gun-stainless-abs.html

 

[jseyfert3]

@bracconiere since I asked if you had seen it, here's the guy who mounted 6 picnic taps on his kreezer build. Looks like he uses a stainless mudding pan as the drip tray, and if you scroll down a couple posts he shows a piece of gutter guard he covers it with.

He also has a thread with build pictures, basically cost him $4 a faucet to mount these "faucets" on his kreezer.

 

[Mtrhdltd]

I always had the same problem with the picnic taps but saw that others were using the Pluto gun. It does a pretty good job. The site says S/S but that's just for the barb, piston, and spring. The body itself is plastic.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/pluto-beverage-gun-stainless-abs.html

There is also a stainless version.
https://www.morebeer.com/products/pluto-beverage-gun-stainless.html

 

[bracconiere]

LOL, i saw that pic, and had to make sure it wasn't one of my old posts! i have that exact glass and similar setup for 2 picnic taps!

 

[NTBeer]

I have used picnic taps, the disconnect / 'real' tap combo and Pluto guns. The Pluto guns win, hands down. Sturdy and always stays shut. Easy to hang on a keg handle. And just feels good in your hand. Plus, it's designed for Kegland tubing and duotight fittings, so no barbs / house clamps to mess with. Try it, you'll love it.

 

[marc1]

I have used picnic taps, the disconnect / 'real' tap combo and Pluto guns. The Pluto guns win, hands down. Sturdy and always stays shut. Easy to hang on a keg handle. And just feels good in your hand. Plus, it's designed for Kegland tubing and duotight fittings, so no barbs / house clamps to mess with. Try it, you'll love it.

Wait... it attaches directly into a duotight? I slid the evabarrier over it and clamped it on.

 

[TheBluePhantom]

I have to speak in the defense of crappy picnic taps. I like them. They stay cold, and i don't get fruit flies on them (I get the things in the house every few months, ( i swear it is the bananas bringing them in). i don't have the smell of stale beer from spills, the drip pan is in the keezer. When I pull the keg, I just grab the line and both go to the keg washer for cleaning. I don't have to reach over the taps to load kegs. Easy cleaning on the drip pan too, I just pull it out and hose if off in the laundry sink. Opening a chest freezer doesn't dump the cold air as badly as a regular fridge, though I have considered a plastic shield to minimize it further.

Now you can call me cheap, I am. And this is not just a stepping stone for me. Just looking at a $50 per line upgrade, I have a 10 keg keezer, I keep 4 soda lines and 8 beer lines. So about $600, how many here call that insignificant? I actually have some taps, but i don't want to use them, I like the picnics.

Yes they are cheap, i pay $1.70 for them. That is why I don't care if they break. I have broken several, always the handle, it is the weak spot. the tap stays sealed. I did lose a keg of soda once to a bad QD, now i only use CMB QDs. They also have a spot in them that holds stuff, you have to disassemble them for cleaning or you get mold. I am not really fond of the cheap plastic, i would like stainless version. i will consider the pluto gun, again, big investment. But I will not be going to taps anytime soon. But really, how about something in between $45 and $1.70, that is a big gap.... and what I really need is a better fitting, better looking drip pan right now.

and a side note, stainless will not freeze to your hand at refrigerator temperatures. It really is not even that good a conductor. for a metal.

 

[Broothru]

I like the stainless flow control faucets. You can adjust them for not having a balanced line, to reduce foaming.View attachment 704994

How'd you get a FC Perlick to work like that? I tried replacing a rear sealing cheapo tap on a Black QD keg post mounted faucet with one of my "spare" Perlicks and it wouldn't allow the shuttle to move back and forth. It works fine with a standard shank but not so much on a detachable QD keg tap. The only way I could get it to work was with the control valve fully opened with high flow. Kinda' defeats the whole point of a flow control faucet.

Brooo Brother

 

[TheBluePhantom]

Interesting note, just found a video on the Pluto. seems it is not ABS, but is now nylon. The older chrome plate ABS is discontinued, the black is nylon and stainless for better strength.



Of course what I found on Amazon is mostly the discontinued version....

 

[NTBeer]

Wait... it attaches directly into a duotight? I slid the evabarrier over it and clamped it on.

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Hom...Tight-8mm-System/Duotight-65mm-to-8mm-Reducer

 

[marc1]

I have to speak in the defense of crappy picnic taps. I like them. They stay cold, and i don't get fruit flies on them (I get the things in the house every few months, ( i swear it is the bananas bringing them in). i don't have the smell of stale beer from spills, the drip pan is in the keezer. When I pull the keg, I just grab the line and both go to the keg washer for cleaning. I don't have to reach over the taps to load kegs. Easy cleaning on the drip pan too, I just pull it out and hose if off in the laundry sink. Opening a chest freezer doesn't dump the cold air as badly as a regular fridge, though I have considered a plastic shield to minimize it further.

Now you can call me cheap, I am. And this is not just a stepping stone for me. Just looking at a $50 per line upgrade, I have a 10 keg keezer, I keep 4 soda lines and 8 beer lines. So about $600, how many here call that insignificant? I actually have some taps, but i don't want to use them, I like the picnics.

Yes they are cheap, i pay $1.70 for them. That is why I don't care if they break. I have broken several, always the handle, it is the weak spot. the tap stays sealed. I did lose a keg of soda once to a bad QD, now i only use CMB QDs. They also have a spot in them that holds stuff, you have to disassemble them for cleaning or you get mold. I am not really fond of the cheap plastic, i would like stainless version. i will consider the pluto gun, again, big investment. But I will not be going to taps anytime soon. But really, how about something in between $45 and $1.70, that is a big gap.... and what I really need is a better fitting, better looking drip pan right now.

and a side note, stainless will not freeze to your hand at refrigerator temperatures. It really is not even that good a conductor. for a metal.


View attachment 705032

Cool setup! The black nylon/stainless Pluto gun is much cheaper than the all stainless one - I paid $14 each for mine. Still going to be spendy to get 10 or 12 of them, but you could swap some in over time. Get one or two and see how you like them.

 

[Bigdaddyale]

Where are all the beer brewing 3D printers out there?

 

[day_trippr]

Not sure I'd trust a 3d-printed pick-a-nick tap...

Cheers!

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

Thanks to this thread I just ordered the stainless steel Pluto Beer Gun.

 

[day_trippr]

That does look pretty cool. Be sure to let folks know how that works out...

Cheers!

 

[TheBluePhantom]

Cool setup! The black nylon/stainless Pluto gun is much cheaper than the all stainless one - I paid $14 each for mine. Still going to be spendy to get 10 or 12 of them, but you could swap some in over time. Get one or two and see how you like them.

Thanks, I have been looking at the stainless and the nylon versions. I am probably going to get some of the nylon ones. The video was fairly convincing that they are tough, and hey, I trust CMB plastic disconnects (but not offbrands). I also have a minor concern about the TIG weld. not sure how smooth the inside of the weld will be, might be an issue cleaning them. First I want to sample, to see how easy they are to get really clean. I want to get one, tear it down and look it over. They are no good if the seals are not replaceable. I think try a few on the soda, if they can take 25 psi and kids, they are good.

 

[Gozie Boy]

I'm not sure I'd want to grab a hunk of metal that's been sitting in a kegerator or keezer all night.
It'd be a bitch to get stuck to the damn thing...

Cheers!

Well, Ralphie, you're not supposed to perform mouth-to-tap dispensing! On second thought, I think I did just that back in college...

 

[TechFanMD]

I think the answer is pretty easy. Plastic is cheap and easy to mold into any shape. Stainless steel would be a lot more expensive, negating the primary appeal of a picnic tap, cost. Would any of you be purchasing stainless picnic taps if they cost as much as a stainless traditional faucet? On a side note I believe you are overestimating the percent of kegged beer drinkers that only use picnic taps. If I'm wrong one of you should start a business making and selling them.

There are a lot of things we use for brewing and around the house that would be cheaper if just made of plastic, or plastic versions are perfectly functional yet we still buy more expensive versions of things.

 

[Mtrhdltd]

There are a lot of things we use for brewing and around the house that would be cheaper if just made of plastic, or plastic versions are perfectly functional yet we still buy more expensive versions of things.

I think your argument is out of place. Yes, picnic taps work, but a stainless perlick faucet works better and is more sanitary. I use the more expensive item because it has more value. The question still remains, would anyone pay the same price for a stainless picnic tap as a stainless faucet? If there is demand for this maybe I will find someone to manufacture them so I can sell them, I just don't believe its possible to sell at the price point they would most likely be.