In researching a kegerator for my husband this Christmas. I hope you can help. I would like a freestanding, dual tap unit. Pricing runs a huge range. I've looked at Edgestar, Kegco, Summit, Beer Meiter, True, BevAir and other. Given the pricing could some of you suggest kegerators in a few price points, $500-$1000, $1000-$1500 & $1500-$2000. I much prefer to stay below $1000, maybe push to $1200. At this point I'm just trying to narrow my choices and see what I get at each price point. Thank you in advance.
Welcome to our corner. Cobwebs had begun to take over. But it is the time of year where we get this exact question. Literally a few times every Season. Speaking of... do us a favor and do a quick forum search. Because it is exceedingly hard to answer your question until you have at least a little bit of kegerator specifics determined. $1,000 to $1,200 is perfectly acceptable. Below around $700 and I'll tell you not to bother. Get all stainless steel beer contact parts if possible. After that you have to decide How many faucets? Guinness style too? Where will the appliance be placed? Some units can be a bit loud, and aesthetics can also be a thing. https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...g-owner-looking-for-help.546401/#post-5768256 https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...rchasing-first-kegerator.539197/#post-5680383 Cheers.
Thanks for the reply. To answer a few of your questions: This will be a 2 faucet/keg system, no Guinness style. It will be in a room the adjoins a rec room, I don't see noise as a major issue. Aesthetics are not a big deal, but a DIY beat up garage frig isn't acceptable, stainless steel, black would be just fine. I've looked a the BevAir BM23 and True TDD-1, both are roughly the same price (I assume both will hold at least 2 1/6 kegs). The problem is the both are only single faucet. Adding the need equipment for a 2 faucet pushes the price beyond what I want to spend, at least that's what I see. That said I'm not sure exactly what additional equipment I would need, so maybe I could make it work, it's a bit confusing to me since I'm not the beer drinker, that would be my husband. The size of the BevAir and True would be perfect for the area it would be placed. The general size seems to be fairly standard. Hope this helps. Here are a few I'm looking at: https://www.beermeistersupplies.com...c4ca4238a0b923820dcc509a6f75849b&data1=999999 https://www.edgestar.com/edgestar-full-size-dual-tap-built-in-kegerator/KC7000TWIN.html https://www.kegerators.com/equipment/beermeister-double-tap-built-in-kegerator-BM1600SDNT/
My personal opinion, and a few others will hopefully chime in. All of these choices will work nicely. You really do get what you pay for. I would recommend any of those to a friend, with the s/s Beer Meister my top choice. There is no magic to these things. It's an insulated box with a refrigeration unit and some hardware. All of the good units will cost upwards of $700. After that you start to get things like a steel interior instead of plastic. Better faucets. Quality regulator. Quality couplers. A real drip tray and possibly with a drain hose. Cheaper kegerators supply some unbelievably cheap hardware that you are going to replace quickly. Around $1,000 is a good place to be, maybe a bit more for 2 faucets. A sixtel is specifically made to fit into half the space of a half barrel. You can turn over the beer quicker but be aware the cost saving over bottles is slim. Keg beer is almost always better beer however. Get to know your local beer store, and find one that will get you kegs on order. A few things to look for. Stainless is worth the money. That is stainless beer contact parts. Stainless interior is not too much of a concern for home use if using sixtels. All kegerators must have a tower cooling fan. It pushes cold air into the tower, which is otherwise not refrigerated. You MUST have a tower cooler or you will pour a lot of foam. Typically the first thing a cheap unit does away with. True and Bev Air are industry standard. Those are at your local tavern, so take a look next time. Notice they are built like a truck and meant to last. Simple thermostat. Solid hinges. Well insulated. Robust compressor. Robust price. They can be neglected, often are, and work for years. Decades. Technicians can fix those with one eye closed. It is a good place to start, because home units are typically a compromise of the True and Bev Air. You need to purchase a beer line cleaning kit. It's not optional, because beer is food, it has yeast and if you don't clean the thing every now and then your beer will taste like crap. You really do not need a new CO2 tank. Given the choice do not buy one. Rather find a welding supply or Fire Apparatus dealer and buy a full tank. Air Gas. Praxair. Haun. Expect to pay a bit, $75 or so. Then you exchange the empty for a full when needed, maybe $20 to $25. Buy a new tank, empty, and you're going to give it away to exchange for a filled one. BuhBye. Avoid fly by night retailers. And for Heavens sake, absolutely don't buy a kegerator from anyplace that sells linens, lawn mowers or grills. Please. Those folks are not going to be able to help you when you have questions. This is probably the most important advise I can give you. In addition to the ones you have looked at, consider the UBC dual tower kegerator. OK. Good luck. Search the forum if you can, and feel free to ask. Draft beer is really a great thing to have around if it is done right. Cheers.
Thank you again for your reply. I'm still looking for a UBC that fits my price range, any link or place to look might be helpful. I did find a Avantco, it appears to be well made and a nice features and a good price. It's only a single tap but with the price point I assume it could be converted to a 2 tap. Good idea or bad? Here is the link: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/av...enser-black-1-1-2-keg-capacity/178UDD1HC.html This Kegco seems a nice value also: https://www.beveragefactory.com/outlet/inventory-reduction/irxck-1b.html On the chance I go this route would you recommend the additional equipment I would need to order? Thanks Again, my search is coming to an end.
UBC is Ukrainian Beverage Company. We get them through our wholesaler, so I can't help on the retail end. It's just an option among many. It is our "go to" kegerator. webstaraunt is hands down the cheapest source for all kitchen equipment. Nobody really beats them ever for commercial kitchen equipment, ranges, grease hoods, kegerators, etc. However, they are strictly an online retailer, they execute the order for you and it is delivered from a number of wharehouse locations. Zero support so you have to be certain you are making the correct purchase. That means you'll need to get a 2 faucet tower that fits. They are not universal size and you'll also need to do some plumbing, which is not recommended. Not a big fan of the Avantco to be honest. It's better than the junk at Bed Bath and Beyond though. Beverage Factory is a very good option because they allow you to select a la carte, so remember your final price is more than the list. Shipping is also ... The chrome tower supplied is probably serviceable. Stainless is a nice option because it will be built very well. Perlick 630SS is highly recommended. The price for 2 is excellent. Do not need flow control. If you want to save $20 get the standard s/s faucets. The supplied standard chrome faucets are going to be junk and that is one item that you handle and it matters. Don't get the CO2 tank, previously discussed. Beverage Factory's standard gauge regulator is actually pretty good, you shouldn't buy the premium in fact. You'll need 2 "D" couplers. The ergonomic handle is not any better. "D" is for 99% of the domestic beers available in keg. The basic cleaning kit, maybe the fancier $34 kit if you want. No opinion here, just don't need the jumbo cleaning kit. That is pretty much it. Cheers.
I purchased a stainless steel dual tower value line Beer Meister a while back and was pretty happy with it (I've sense sold it because I just couldn't get decent sixtels). I upgraded to a stainless tower and perlick faucets. Unfortunately, it looks they they are pretty much sold out right now for the residential versions (they're Danby conversions).
After a lot of thought I decided to go with a BevAir BM23 or True TDD-1 and the equipment to convert it to a 2 tap system. My questions: 1. True or BevAir? 2. Can I use the tower that comes with the True or BevAir? 3. I assume I will also need to get another even with the True or BevAir? Thank you again.
I know you mentioned you wanted to fit 2 sixtels but you might want to look at whether it can fit 2 slim quarter barrels or 1 1/4 barrel and 1 sixtel. Not sure what your husband drinks but there are some beers that only come in 1/4 barrels vs sixtels. The BevAir can fit 2 1/4's which is nice, I don't know about the TDD-1. Might not matter for you but its nice to have. I wish I could fit a quarter barrel and sixth barrel at the same time in mine.
