Due to the increasing scarcity of Used Ball Lock Cornies, I have been thinking about which way to go with the Ice Harbor Homebrew Shop. Please give your input as to whether or not you would prefer to pay more (is $35 will be going up to $40) or converting to Pin Lock ($30 + the cost of switching all your fittings)
Already 7 kegs in with all the fittings, so changing over may not make cents either. But if I were just starting out, I’d definitely go pin lock for that kind of savings.
I started out with 18 pinlocks, then I was given 10 ball lock kegs(2 more today). Using flare fittings I can easily change my hose connectors to use either type keg in my system.
Spend the extra money on flare fittings, and have a few of each type (ball or pin lock) and get whatever kegs you can for a reasonable price.
Another +1 on going with flare fittings. I have lines with the 1/4" flare fittings for homebrew kegs and lines with standard (3/8"?) wing nuts for my commercial keg couplers. That way I don’t need to keep track of so many lines and can switch up as needed when tapping things.
That’s something I’ll have to keep in mind. I use flares myself, but I don’t know what my customers use. That’s the major problem. I’m trying to keep costs down as much as possible for them.