Brewing Master

Question:

i plan to purchase a soda keg system for my homebrew, and i would appreciate some advice as to which is better ball lock or pin lock also can anyone suggest a supplie company with cheap prices. thanks in advance. mike M. G.

Response:

I can’t help with finding a supplier, but here’s the skinny on the ball vs. pin lock debate: Neither one is any better than the other. That said, it seems that ball locks (and thus the parts for em) are more common. I think that the really big concern is to make sure that you buy all you kegs of one type so you don’t have to screw with adapters. Cheers. Matt Kloepping            / / Every man that had any respect for himself would have got The Bathtub Brewery    / / of public moment. Tucson, Arizona.                                                   —-Mark Twain

Response:

There’s really no problem with mixing types if you get the connectors that have a threaded fitting versus a barbed fitting.  Very easy to interchange them.  I got 4 pin lock kegs for the price of a six of homebrew from someone who wasn’t brewing any more.   It kinda justified the slight expense for the connectors. — heubs Spammers forced me into this. Real responses…remove you know what. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I can’t help with finding a supplier, but here’s the skinny on the ball vs. pin lock debate: Neither one is any better than the other. That said, it seems that ball locks (and thus the parts for em) are more common. I think that the really big concern is to make sure that you buy all you kegs of one type so you don’t have to screw with adapters. Cheers.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i plan to purchase a soda keg system for my homebrew, and i would appreciate some advice as to which is better ball lock or pin lock also can anyone suggest a supplie company with cheap prices. thanks in advance. mike M. G. In a nut shell, Pin-Lock is a Coca-Cola Standard and Ball-Lock is Pepsi and everone else. I would think this started years ago when the Coke folks or vise-versa didn’t want a sode fountain selling both brands so they made the kegs non-interchangeable. If you have access to a Coke Fountain supplier Pin-Lock is fine. But those parts can be hard to find if you are buying from other sources. Also be aware that the Coca-Cola threaded hose fitting also use a different thread than the "Others" and these can be a nightmare to find from other than Coke.

www.beerinfo.com/beerads0.html  usually has someone selling soda kegs or info of where to look. — Colin DuBois I will drink no homebrew before its time.  It’s time!

Response:

i plan to purchase a soda keg system for my homebrew, and i would appreciate some advice as to which is better ball lock or pin lock also can anyone suggest a supplie company with cheap prices. thanks in advance. mike M. G.

In a nut shell, Pin-Lock is a Coca-Cola Standard and Ball-Lock is Pepsi and everone else. I would think this started years ago when the Coke folks or vise-versa didn’t want a sode fountain selling both brands so they made the kegs non-interchangeable. If you have access to a Coke Fountain supplier Pin-Lock is fine. But those parts can be hard to find if you are buying from other sources. Also be aware that the Coca-Cola threaded hose fitting also use a different thread than the "Others" and these can be a nightmare to find from other than Coke.

Response:

: I can’t help with finding a supplier, but here’s the skinny on the ball : vs. pin lock debate: Neither one is any better than the other. That said, : it seems that ball locks (and thus the parts for em) are more common. I : think that the really big concern is to make sure that you buy all you : kegs of one type so you don’t have to screw with adapters. Cheers. Just a note on kegs from another perspective.  I agree that neither the pin or ball lock kegs are better or worse.  But, if you are a scrounger like me you will take what you can get at the cheapest price and would never pass up a good deal.  I first bought all ball lock kegs, but someone offered me 2 pin locks for 10$ each.  Not a bad deal, but how to adapt to the new locking system.  I put flare (or flair??) fittings on my lines and can now switch from keg to keg or attach the counter pressure filler with no troubles.  SO, I wouls suggest these quick disconnects and buy whatever is cheaper.  Also if you are crunched on space in the fridge, the pin locks are a bit shorter in my experinece and I can use these in the family fridge without having to move much around. good luck, bill perry

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