Review of 2 Tap Tower from Ontario Beer Kegs
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 3:09 pm
I just got a two tap tower from Ontario Beer Kegs. Thought I'd post a few thoughts here.
Pros:
1) Very fast shipping and great price. As has been my experience, communication with OBK was great, and the package arrived in Cheticamp, Cape Breton, just a few days after I ordered it. A++
2) Price: The two tap tower seems to be on a nearly permanent sale for $109. I got Perlicks thrown in which added something like $50. Good price for a stainless tower. Plus, shipping was only $12 and there's a 5% Brewnosers discount. A+
3) Build: The tower is stainless. Can't argue with that for the price. Handles are simple plastic, but just fine. The cap on the tower, however, is chrome painted plastic, not stainless. A-
Cons:
1) Build: As noted above, the cap on the tower is plastic. I would much rather have paid the extra $10 or whatever it would cost to get all metal construction. C+
2) Assembly: One of the taps arrived lose (wiggly to the touch). Not a super big deal, but I don't have wrench handy to tighten it, so it will be a bit of a pain. Everything else seems solid and well put together. C+
3) Screws. The screws for installing the tower are a bit cheap. They stripped out when I tried to use a drill, and even with a screw driver I had to be careful. Given that they are prominently displayed at the base of my pretty new tower, stripped out screws look pretty ugly. Easy enough fix (buy some new ones), but given that we're screwing into metal in many cases, more robust screws would be nice. C-
4) Taps: One of the Perlicks leaks when shut off. That's a problem for Perlick, really, and not OBK, but still irritating. D
5) Beer line. This is my biggest gripe. The beer line has a very strong plastic smell (sort of skunky). It is strongly noticeable on the nose of any beer that sits in the hose of more than a few minutes, and is powerful when you open the kegerator. I am sure it will go away with time, and it might go away faster if I soak in hot water, etc., but I don't really want to take apart of the tower to treat or replace the hose (and I have already had to throw away a number of pints). Maybe all new beer line is like this, I don't have a lot of experience, but I doubt it. Again, I'd rather pay a bit more and get something chemically more stable. F
Bottom line: Good value for money. Looks sexy. Would replace the screws and beer line after purchase.
Pros:
1) Very fast shipping and great price. As has been my experience, communication with OBK was great, and the package arrived in Cheticamp, Cape Breton, just a few days after I ordered it. A++
2) Price: The two tap tower seems to be on a nearly permanent sale for $109. I got Perlicks thrown in which added something like $50. Good price for a stainless tower. Plus, shipping was only $12 and there's a 5% Brewnosers discount. A+
3) Build: The tower is stainless. Can't argue with that for the price. Handles are simple plastic, but just fine. The cap on the tower, however, is chrome painted plastic, not stainless. A-
Cons:
1) Build: As noted above, the cap on the tower is plastic. I would much rather have paid the extra $10 or whatever it would cost to get all metal construction. C+
2) Assembly: One of the taps arrived lose (wiggly to the touch). Not a super big deal, but I don't have wrench handy to tighten it, so it will be a bit of a pain. Everything else seems solid and well put together. C+
3) Screws. The screws for installing the tower are a bit cheap. They stripped out when I tried to use a drill, and even with a screw driver I had to be careful. Given that they are prominently displayed at the base of my pretty new tower, stripped out screws look pretty ugly. Easy enough fix (buy some new ones), but given that we're screwing into metal in many cases, more robust screws would be nice. C-
4) Taps: One of the Perlicks leaks when shut off. That's a problem for Perlick, really, and not OBK, but still irritating. D
5) Beer line. This is my biggest gripe. The beer line has a very strong plastic smell (sort of skunky). It is strongly noticeable on the nose of any beer that sits in the hose of more than a few minutes, and is powerful when you open the kegerator. I am sure it will go away with time, and it might go away faster if I soak in hot water, etc., but I don't really want to take apart of the tower to treat or replace the hose (and I have already had to throw away a number of pints). Maybe all new beer line is like this, I don't have a lot of experience, but I doubt it. Again, I'd rather pay a bit more and get something chemically more stable. F
Bottom line: Good value for money. Looks sexy. Would replace the screws and beer line after purchase.