Anybody bought/used the new kegs that are manufactured in India?
Just curious if there’s a quality difference compared to the Italian kegs.
I don’t need more kegs, but maybe I do.
The best steel came out of India, historically. Not so sure about that now. I’d be concerned about quality issues. Caveat emptor.
You got a particular link to share?
On my phone so hard to do a link. Beverage elements has them scratch and dent for $67. New.
Williams or NB also has them, though apparently sometimes Chinese.
Yeah, I had the misfortune of having two of these things included with my kegerator. The other is Italian made. It’s really hard to get the disconnects on the posts…I actually needed a mallet. It got a bit easier as I connected them a few times, but even with keg lube I have to push down real hard, twist a little, then push down on the locking ring. Also, one of the two leaks out of the box. In short, I’m not impressed. Your mileage may vary. The Italian keg has been fine.
https://bvrgelements.com/product/Ball-Lock-NEW-5-Gallon-Class-2/
it does mention (as noted above):
[quote]Kegs will have cosmetic blemishes such as scratches, discoloration and dents. Certain brands of disconnects need to be forced onto post and the collar manually pushed onto post to snap on but work great!
[/quote]
Blemished…
All of my cornies were used and blemished to be sure. If these won’t rust then probably a decent deal considering what’s available in 2014 as opposed to 2007-2008.
Yesterday, I ordered one of the new ones manufactured in India. I’ll post a review when it arrives.
https://bvrgelements.com/product/NEW-5-Gallon-Keg-Ball-Lock/
I’ve heard nothing but bad things regarding the kegs coming out of China.
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Oddly, they only have that info on the page for the Class 2 kegs.
I have had two Chinese kegs for a while with no issues. I actually really like them and have been contemplating buying a couple more.
I have heard bad rumors about Chinese kegs, but everyone I know that owns them is happy.
That’s not happiness, that’s delirium from the lead poisoning.
But seriously, what rumors? Lead? I don’t believe it. I’ve heard them, too, but can’t figure out why there would be lead in stainless steel.
I’ve heard of leaky and easily dented Chinese kegs. My main concern would be the threading holding up over the years.
There is zero reason to use lead in stainless. I would not worry about that in the least.
The two I have are VERY thin, so denting could be a concern if your concerned. I don’t intend to abuse them, but shtuff happens.
The rumors are never specific, just that their ‘bad’. That’s why they’re rumors. People are probably worried the stainless contains milk. ;D
I have one at my house right now that belongs to a friend. I did notice that the pressure limit is 60psi instead of 125psi on older kegs. That is plenty of pressure, but it means it definitely means it is thinner metal. However, it is in far better condition than my recently purchased used kegs. I think they’re mining landfills now for anything that looks roundish and slightly shiny.
I saw a fair amount of reviews where people were complaining about leaks (I was thinking of buying a couple of the 2.5 gallon versions), but who knows how prevalent an issue it really is. It could also be user error.
I guess the people at adventures in homebrewing were getting a lot of questions about what those kegs were made out of becuase they had one tested. There’s a link to the results near the bottom of this page:
Those look like the same Chinese ones I have. I think I may have paid more, though… AIH has some pretty good pricing.
I haven’t had any issues with leaking and I’ve had these kegs for a few years.
I guess now that I’ve crapped all over the rumors about Chinese kegs, I should say that one of the reasons I asked about the Indian kegs is I had heard rumors of problems, as well.
What I had heard is issues of weld quality. Not that they leaked, but that the welds were sloppy and could cause issues with cleaning and sanitation.
But I’ve not actually seen these in person.
I have used one of the Italian kegs for a couple years, and more recently acquired a brand new one made in India. Right away a couple differences I noted was that the posts are not labeled in or out, and the posts I got with the Indian one had poppets that were not permanently installed into the poppets like my Italian one.
With the liquid dip tube, I find that I have to manually hold it in place by reaching into the keg while tightening the post, otherwise the dip tube will rotate around and end up pointed who knows where.
As far as welds, I have not noticed anything unusual about them on the indian one vs. the Italian one. Overall, I find that they are nearly identical but for the differences in the poppets and the dip tube which are probably insignificant to most people, I just happened to take note.
Just for contrast…
I have several kegs (old Pepsi tanks) that the outlet tube spin when tightened too. You just need to be aware and deal with it.
Thanks for feedback on the new ones. Someday I may need some more and it’s nice to have some comparisons.
Paul
I think one of my Italian kegs might have a crappy weld down at the bottom. It hasn’t been a problem for sanitation though.