Home Bar Kegerator

you wont be over joyed with that. well, maybe you will be happy for a month, I don't know you. I do know that around here, we see nice wives who want to buy their nice husbands a kegerator. the kc2000 seems to be the popular item and it can only be for the price.
you will think about the fake drip tray, crappy regulator, flimsy plastic parts, lightweight faucet and tower, missing tower fan and crappy all around feel. and every time you pour a glass of foam you will think that there must be a better way to have draft beer.

the edgestar is an economy brand. ask yourself how they can make (and ship) a kegerator for $499 when other brands, not pro brands but simple house hold appliances, begin at $700 or more.

so sure, the kc2000 is one solution but you wont find too many of us draft beer nerds raving about it. $700 is a lot of money no doubt, but wasting $499 on something that is mediocre at best seems like a bad idea.
that is just one guys two cents.
Cheers.

 

Bev Aire is considered the standard. the Bev Aire BM 23 is the work horse. but they cost quite a bit. having a full size kegerator requires some trade offs. for one, they are a lot bigger than you might expect. plan to have a space set aside. 2,they are also kind of loud when running. so don't put it near your bedroom. and 3, they ain't exactly cheap. you really want to think about the cost, because you can end up spending between $500 and $2,000 and both appliances are supposed to be doing only thing, pour cold beer. so there is certainly something missing with the $500 unit.

in no order, True, Marvel, UBC, Perlick, sometimes Danby.
Edgestar and Haeir a not very impressive in my book, but some people get them to work well enough. you just have to spend money on upgrades and modifications, which is what the better brands don't require. and I am just a guy who does draft installs but in no way am I refrigeration tech. I would expect every new unit to hold cold for well after the warranty period.

just be sure that your kegerator has a tower cooler. if you get a 5# bottle of co2 (empty) that is a bonus. for real money, at abut $1,000 you should expect stainless hardware. it's not a requirement but stainless is much better all around.

we have discussed this topic quite a few times recently, so review the forum.
Cheers.

 

I love my Beverage Air unit. But with that unit expect to pay@$1,500-$1,700 with all components.As Bill said kinda noisier than the rest since its a commercial unit. But Your husband won't be on here dicking around with add on tower coolers and other things so he isn't pouring glasses of foam. Only other unit I recommend on the cheaper side is the Summit brand.

I've seen waayyy to many time wives that bought their husbands cheap kegerators and they have nothing but foam problems and trouble matching the cheap chinese components.

 

I couldn't swing a Beverage Air or True unit and went with this - I did upgrade to Perlick taps which I think is a must personally: http://beermeisters.com/product/dual-tower-with-stainless-door-value-line

It does not have a tower cooler, but I'm okay with the first pour being foamy. Temperature gets below 40 (mine is currently at 36). I've had it for 1.5 years and am perfectly happy with it.

 

Jesus christ guys. Simple and affordable seems out of your price range. Here is simple; buy a refrigerator to fit 1 full sized keg. Hell buy it off of Craigslist. Get exactly 5ft of 3/16" beerline from someone (like a draft technician, or a whatever). Buy a decent regulator new, costs $60 or so. Buy some airline, alittle longer than 5ft, say 6ft. You can also buy a co2 tank from Craigslist if you are lucky. Then buy an American sanke (keg tapping device), a beer faucet, and shank (the shank should be wider than the tickness of the wall of the fridge. It is the easiest set up possible because you don't need a specialized fridge w/blower for a tower. Towers are cool but completely unnecessary. You can even use a chest freezer with a electronic thermostat control that shuts the compressor off or on to keep temp. Freezers are freaking cheap.

And here is a kit from micromatic that has everything you need except the co2 tank and cooler for a kegarator.
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/kegerator-conversion-kits-pid-RCK-LC-S.html

Just rember you need to drill 1" holes for the shank.
What ever you buy to put your keg in make sure you check the demensions of the keg with a tapping device attached. A keg tapping device adds about 6" of height.

 

we have been through many of these posts in the past.

what are the chances that someone with zero experience, none whatsoever, is going to want to or be able to modify a fridge?

besides, the question is not "how can i build a kegerator?"

 

How do you "double-like" a post?

 

Craigslist.

 

True enough, however spending a grand on something that will be a novelty doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Also drilling a couple holes in a frigerator isn't a bfd. Her husband would probably be excited if she bought him the components to build one. Anyway if I purchased something to poor beer on the occasion when friends were over I would get a jockey box. Spend $500 on a single tap that can go anywhere with some bags of ice is killer.

 

Hey, my wife gave me the green light to buy a kegerator, or build one. The choice was up to me. I suggest that clulater give the hubby a "gift card" for a kegerator. She can include a dollar amount, or not. Then hubby makes the choice. Like they say, "it's the thought that counts"