Thehomebrewcompany secondhand keg quality

[craiclad]

Is anyone else disappointed with the quality of these kegs lately? Ones I bought a few months ago were fantastic, but some of the ones I've gotten lately haven't been in the best condition.

Anyone know of a source for decently priced secondhand kegs that are actually in a usable condition?

[cruiscinlan]

Haven't had any issue with them myself but I'm new to kegging.  Far better job though would be to contact them re their condition.  There's little point in complaining about a product/service if you've not given the company no chance to make good first.

[Simon_]

Got 3 last week, all in great condition. That's the thing with buying 2nd hand stuff,  the condition is variable and you'll have the same drawbacks with kegs from other sources.

I did have an issue with one I got from them before and they said i could send it back but in the end I swapped out lids and kept it. So if they're that bad give them a call

[Acott]

I got a couple a while back, one keg was troublesome but the guys replaced it no problem! great service

[pob]

You need to ring/email them (with the details) to let them know & ask them to resolve it.

[molc]

Got 5 of them; two of which were in pretty poor repair, but all were serviceable with a bit of TLC.

[auralabuse]

I got 3 and all were in great condition. The hbc are very professional and have excellent customer service. Although they can't afford you that service if they don't know about the problem.

[Qs]

Got 2, one of which was a little dinged up but its mainly an asthetic issue. For the price I'm not complaining.

[craiclad]

Haven't had any issue with them myself but I'm new to kegging.  Far better job though would be to contact them re their condition.  There's little point in complaining about a product/service if you've not given the company no chance to make good first.

You're absolutely right, my intention wasn't to bash HBC! Just trying to find out whether there's another reliable source of secondhand kegs in Ireland or the UK.

I have no doubt that HBC will refund or replace faulty kegs, just trying to figure out options for gifts in the future - would be really disappointing for someone to get a christmas package only to find out that their keg won't hold pressure!

[pob]

There ain't nobody offering kegs at those prices here or UK. You're looking at x2/x3 the price as next option.

So great value or much more expensive options? (Not sure where 'more reliable' comes in) Your choice.

Remember no matter where you're getting them, unless you're paying €150/180 each for new ones, they've all been used somewhere for years, so won't necessarily look all shiny & sparkly.

If it's a keg not sealing give them a call.

[LiamTutty]

Mine are dinged up and very well worn - but all hold pressure and work perfectly so I'm happy out.

[craiclad]

There ain't nobody offering kegs at those prices here or UK. You're looking at x2/x3 the price as next option.

So great value or much more expensive options? (Not sure where 'more reliable' comes in) Your choice.

Remember no matter where you're getting them, unless you're paying €150/180 each for new ones, they've all been used somewhere for years, so won't necessarily look all shiny & sparkly.

If it's a keg not sealing give them a call.

Fair enough, thanks for the info! As I said, just trying to see what the options are. Do you know where the next cheapest option is? I've seen geterbrewed and homebrewwest have new kegs for ~€145/150, but nothing secondhand.

I really have no problem scrubbing secondhand gear until my fingers are raw, I'm just getting a little frustrated with the lack of consistency between kegs - different sized in/out connections, non removable diptubes, non replaceable plastic parts, warped mouths and faulty lids etc. Very disappointing to shell out €84 plus shipping on a couple of kegs only to find out they don't work as expected. Even more disappointing to have to spend more money on return shipping just to get a functioning product or a refund - either way you've lost time and effort on something that should have worked right the first time. Not that this is a problem with HBC specifically, just an irritating aspect of buying secondhand I guess. 

[Shanna]

Can direct do 2nd hand kegs imported on a pallet from Germany. There have been two group buys from them in the past but it requires approximately 60 kegs per pallet to make it economical. The consensus was that the reconditioned kegs they sold were great but they can be awkward to deal with. Before the hbc started doing the 2nd hand kegs can direct were an economical option but awkward to organise. With the price of the kegs there is no other realistic option that would come even close to match in price. Personally I don't mind the outside of the keg being beaten up. The important thing is that posts are in good working order and that the seals are good. The seals are consumables and will eventually wear out so I would not be too worried about this. Cleaning the inside of the kegs should be possible reasonably easily with some cleaner like vwp or oxy. I had one before (not from hbc).that had sprite in it. A couple of gallons of hot water + 4 tbsps of vwp sorted it right out.

Shanna

[Greg2013]

Did you call HBC first and give them the opportunity to rectify the situation ? The condition of the kegs is not down to HBC but i am sure if they can rectify they will but you need to tell them first.

Other than that you simply wont get as good a deal anywhere else, even all the UK guys are buying kegs from the HBC now and you are looking at probably double or triple the price elsewhere with no better garauntee of quality. 

[Endatheworld]

I bought 3 of these Kegs and one had a faulty mouth that wont seal. I informed them and like you guys pointed out they offered to replace it. The problem is that the cost of sending it back is nearly the same as buying another as they are so cheap!