Hey everyone! New to all of this; home brewing, DIY bar building, etc. I'm finishing my bar right now, and finalizing parts. Just curious if there is a drastic difference between vendors; i.e Beer Factory vs kegworks vs northern brewer? I've seen some pretty drastic price differences between their like items. Any insight? Below is what I have right now, and I'll be adding it all to a build thread: Idylis 5.0 cu ft freezer 2x Perlick 630SS faucets w/ 4" shanks and 3/16" SS barb pins 1x intertap SS faucet w/ 4" shank 1x intertap growler filler attachment 1x ball lock corny keg 1x 3-way 5/16" gas manifold Things im curious about in my initial question is difference between disconnects, sanke couplers, beer/gas lines etc. Thanks in advance for all input! -C
Welcome to our hidden corner of BA. There is really no drastic difference between vendors. Home brew suppliers tend to be relatively expensive and the staff is virtually guaranteed to be ill informed about draft beer. Otherwise shop around. Amazon is usually competitive if you know exactly what you need. Couplers are complex at first but not really. 99% of American beer uses a Sanke D. If you really want imports just Google the correct coupler. Don't waste your money on no name product. Don't do it. There is something of an epidemic of low quality parts in the draft world right now. Made in China or East Europe, and the stuff is often not even standardized. So threads don't mate etc. Just go with a name brand and you'll be fine for home use. SS is the premium but good chrome is fine force home bar. If it's half the price of every other brand it is for good reason. You'll need an outboard Tstat. You are limited to sixtels and quarter barrels with the keezer. Use beverage line for tubing. 3/16" ID by 7/16" OD for liquid. Not the stuff from Lowe's. Beverage line. Kuriyama is great. 5/16" for gas, and make sure it has a pressure rating. Braided tube is fine. That can be from Lowe's. You'll have more questions so look over previous posts. And ask. Others will have valid opinions as well. Cheers.
