23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Post by **orlando** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 2:16 pm

Having been trawling all the usual places to try to find used 19l cornies at a reasonable price has forced my hand. eBay has proved to be the most frustrating as I have seen s/hand kegs going for £60 +. Germany had dried up, even Norm didn't have any and Hop & Grape's prices kept going up and they only had 18l versions. So I have gone and recruited the 23 litre versions made in China, which cost just under £100, but they are able to take a full brew, are brand new, bought from the Home Brew shop and so come with some guarantee so I feel they represent reasonable value. New 19l cornies are £120 + and probably won't remain like that with the $ gaining 8% on the £ this year already. It used to be the gap between new and reused was really quite large but not anymore.

The new recruits!

jonnyt · Post by **jonnyt** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:33 pm

What happens with spares given the lids are different sizes etc?

Keep us updated how you go on as it will be interesting to know.

Post by **orlando** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:59 pm

jonnyt wrote:What happens with spares given the lids are different sizes etc?

Keep us updated how you go on as it will be interesting to know.

Hmm, well I was assured that everything was the same, as this was an obvious concern. What do you know that I don't and what does etc. mean?

barneey · Post by **barneey** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:00 pm

Orlando what would you say the quality of he welding is like on the inside of the kegs?

Cheers

jonnyt · Post by **jonnyt** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:01 pm

Well the home brew website states:

The lids are larger then the Cornelius kegs

So they cannot spell either!

Post by **orlando** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:15 pm

barneey wrote:Orlando what would you say the quality of he welding is like on the inside of the kegs?

Cheers

They arrived already gassed up, presumably to keep the lids in place, so I haven't looked inside yet. I was going to wait until the gas and regulator arrived but now I guess Ill take a peek and maybe photograph if I can. My concerns are now those raised by jonnyt, I'm particularly annoyed if true because I specifically asked the question, by phone, that the regular spares would fit. If it is only the lids, and the website says "All the Cornelius fittings can be used on these beer kegs" then I suppose I will have to buy new ones from them, but how often is the need for new ones going to arise? Seems odd they should choose for the lids to be different, is it because the kegs are of bigger capacity?

jonnyt · Post by **jonnyt** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:24 pm

No it's because they are cheepo chinese copies. Looks to me like the pressure rating is lower too, inferring thinner walls.

barneey · Post by **barneey** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:29 pm

I wouldnt worry about the lids being a larger size, for one it will mean you wont get the "****" I`ve got the bloody keg stuck on my arm syndrome and looking like the Tin Man. The only thing with the lids is when buying new seals obviously get larger diameter ones, the cheap US seller of the Red Seal has loads of sizes in stock.

As for the posts take one out and post a piccy of the thing for a game of spot the difference if infact they are any different, mind you with corneys you can end up with lots of different styles anyway.

jonnyt · Post by **jonnyt** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:34 pm

I agree providing you can get the seals you will likely be OK, I'd be inclined to see if I could source a few spares now.

Post by **orlando** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:48 pm

jonnyt wrote:No it's because they are cheepo chinese copies. Looks to me like the pressure rating is lower too, inferring thinner walls.

I'm not looking for high pressure as I prefer Ales to lagers and will be looking for the minimum pressure to get the beer out. I guess the problem, if it is one, arises if you want to force carbonate, correct?

Post by **orlando** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:56 pm

Some pictures of the kegs that might help with the questions so far. To a complete layman's eyes the welds look fairly neat and the whole feel of the keg is substantial.

far9410 · Post by **far9410** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:32 pm

The main problem I can see, it may not be the case, is the metal/weld quality, rust doesn't mix well with beer!

Hogarth · Post by **Hogarth** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:42 pm

Never mind the technical stuff, they look terrific!

Post by **orlando** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:58 pm

far9410 wrote:The main problem I can see, it may not be the case, is the metal/weld quality, rust doesn't mix well with beer!

I will keep an eye on it, is there anything preventative that can be done?

far9410 · Post by **far9410** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 7:09 pm

orlando wrote:
far9410 wrote:The main problem I can see, it may not be the case, is the metal/weld quality, rust doesn't mix well with beer!
I will keep an eye on it, is there anything preventative that can be done?

Well if it is crap metal quality, and it may not be, I hope not, but not much you can do if it is

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23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

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Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??

Re: 23 litre cornie kegs, now sensibly priced??