Ball lock or Pin lock keg?

[crashlann]

Im finally going to start kegging. Which style is better? I see deals on both. I currently have a standard kegerator with tap and CO2 that I put commercial beer in. Thx.

[spiderwrangler]

It seems to be largely personal preference, though from my experience, more people have been using ball than pin.

[andygravity]

It seems that lately pin lock kegs have been cheaper and easier to find (at least here around Denver). I think this may be because more people are using ball locks and used ones are becoming harder to find. Personal preference is probably the biggest thing, I agree. Keep in mind that you will just want to stay consistent once you start.

[Bugeater]

If you are part of a club or know other local brewers that keg, check to see what they use. That way if you folks ever serve beer at a public even you can keep the equipment compatible.

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

If you are part of a club or know other local brewers that keg, check to see what they use. That way if you folks ever serve beer at a public even you can keep the equipment compatible.

+1. My brewing friends used ball lock before I started kegging.

[crashlann]

Thanks for the replies. Will my current tap work with either? I have a standard kegerator that I commonly fill with Alesmith, Lagunitas, Greenflash kegs...

[ajdelange]

Pin lock is 'better' than ball lock in one major regard. There is only one size pin lock for gas and one size for liquid. With ball locks there are several. Thus you must have gas and liquid fittings for each of the sizes you use. This becomes a real nuisance when you break a connector or lose one only to find that the spares you have are of the wrong type.

I threw up my hands and went to Sankey for everything. With the 1/4 bbl and sixtel sizes now available in Sankey these are compatible with home brewing applications. You will need a fairly hefty pump to clean them, however, unless you want to take the spear out each time and that's a bit of a PITA.

And the final question: yes, ball and pin lock kegs are compatible with Sankey draft systems. You will need to make up some 1/4" flare to draft tailpiece lines (or conjure up something with quick-disconnects) but it is definitely doable.

[maxwell]

My bet is that if homebrewing continues to gain popularity, folks are going to start kegging in Sankeys more and more. It used to be that used corny kegs could be had for less than $20 but now they are approaching the price of a 1/6 barrel Sankey keg.

Ball locks are nice because they tend to come with a lid with manual pressure relief valve, which is useful for letting off pressure. They are narrower and taller (unless you're looking at a converted pin lock) and fit more easily inside some kegerators.