Sep 4, 2009 12:00 AM

Review: Head-to-Head: Kegerators — Sanyo vs. Edgestar

Name: Kegerators — Sanyo vs. Edgestar
Item: Kegerators — Sanyo vs. Edgestar

When nothing is more important than plentiful, cold beer, what you need is a kegerator.

$650 at Head-to-Head:

WIRED

Sturdy components. Sleek look. Cold beer comes out of it.

TIRED

Costs a bit more than we'd like (but not more than cold beer is worth.) $950, us.sanyo.com rating: 8 out of 10

Edgestar KC2000

Any kegerator is better than no kegerator, right? Absolutely. As long as cold beer comes out of it, you really don't need anything else. So, short of drilling a hole in an abandoned fridge you found on the side of the road, your cheapest way into the wonderful world of beer flowing freely in your own home is Edgestar's KC2000. This kegerator was not born to serve beer. It appears to be a compact fridge that has been repurposed to fit a full size keg — barely. We hooked up some Mirror Pond Pale Ale from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon, in a five-gallon keg, which is 23 inches tall just like a full-size keg, and it just snuck in. The inside of the door looks as though it has been hollowed out a bit to accommodate the 16 1/8" diameter of a full-size keg, which did indeed just barely fit. But while the size makes for a tight squeeze, it also means your kegerator takes up less space. The unit measures 35 inches tall (plus another 15 inches for the tap tower), 20 inches wide and 24 inches deep. This could be a huge asset if you don't have much room, or you have a spouse who isn't naturally amenable to adding this particular appliance to the home. "But honey, look how small and cute it is!" And it's on wheels so when the book club comes over you can whisk it away to the garage. Or better yet, move it closer to you. The small size also means the CO2 canister has to be outside of the kegerator, so Edgestar has provided a rack to mount on the back, and a hole to feed the tube through. This way the gas pressure can be checked and adjusted without opening the kegerator, which is a plus. But it adds another 5.5 inches of depth and means it can't be flush against the wall, which detracts a bit from its lilliputian appeal. Cuteness aside, it keeps the beer cold and serves it up consistently. We had the Edgestar cranked up to its coldest setting, which got the beer to a perfectly respectable temperature — but if you like your beer too cold, this kegerator won't participate in that folly. Getting the right CO2 level was easy, and, for those of us who know how to pour a beer, the perfect amount of head was a cinch. What wasn't as easy as it could have been was putting the thing together. It came in a box with none of the beer dispensing system assembled. Though the directions were nicely illustrated with photos, a few steps left us scratching our heads momentarily. Still, the whole business only took us about 30 minutes. However, some of the components were less than sturdy. The guard rail doesn't seem to stay put and a piece of the CO2 rack snapped off while we were attaching a new canister, though it still works. This kegerator's best asset is its price. It is listed for $650, but you can easily find it online for around $425. Overall, it is outperformed by the Sanyo BC1206 and lacks the character of Beer Robot, our converted refrigerator. But if your dorm room won't be complete without a kegerator, the Edgestar is the least expensive one you can buy that will handl

Beer. What would college be without it? If you're lucky enough to have a budget capable of handling it, a kegerator is the ultimate beer storage, cooling and delivery system.

Head-to-Head: Kegerators — Sanyo vs. Edgestar

Learn How We Rate ##### Wired

Cheap. Cute. Cold beer comes out of it.

Tired

Buy It Now
| Head-to-Head:

How We Rate

1/10A complete failure in every way
2/10Sad, really
3/10Serious flaws; proceed with caution
4/10Downsides outweigh upsides
5/10Recommended with reservations
6/10Solid with some issues
7/10Very good, but not quite great
8/10Excellent, with room to kvetch
9/10Nearly flawless
10/10Metaphysical perfection

Wired.com tested two commercial kegerators, one that you can pick up for around $700 and one that goes for as little as $425. Our reviews are below.

If your ambitions — and your budget — are a little bigger, take a look at some extreme kegerators, including several with built-in videogame consoles.

Too rich for your dorm's entertainment budget? Make your own: Wired.com took a free fridge found on craigslist, installed a $200 kegerator conversion kit, added a flowmeter connected to Twitter, and turned it into Beer Robot, the ultimate kegerator. You can do this, too: Read how to make a kegerator on Wired's How-To Wiki.

Sanyo BC1206

Something about a kegerator makes me want to be a man with a cave. Not that a woman can't have a cave, it just doesn't sound as good. "Woman cave." Am I right? Anyway, the Sanyo BC1206 kegerator (photo shown above) would be a good candidate for my cave, regardless of what it's called.

This kegerator performed flawlessly for us, and looked good while doing it. Obviously the most important feature of a beer dispenser is the successful dispensing of cold beer, and the Sanyo was pouring perfect pints of tasty White Lightning American Wheat from Speakeasy Brewery in San Francisco within minutes of assembly. It managed to get the beer almost too cold with the dial just halfway between its midpoint and coldest setting. But it also looks nice and solid and has a certain quality that says, "Come, have a beer. You deserve it."

Other than some mildly frustrating labor involving stubborn screws for the guard rail and wheel casters, putting the unit together was easy. However, this may be because it was the third kegerator we had assembled, rather than because the directions were crystal clear: they were not. All the parts, as well as the fully assembled product, felt good and sturdy. The wheels roll almost too well, and might require a stopper of some sort once you're through wheeling it through your house (or office).

The kegerator measures 37 inches tall (plus another 15 inches for the tap tower), 24 inches wide and 25 inches deep, which means it isn't going to tuck away easily in the corner. On the other hand, that means there is a good amount of surface area for glasses, beers and of course beer pong paddles. Anyway, who would want to hide this sleek black (or stainless steel) kegerator, which is obviously the central feature of one's cave? In fact, we would consider going the other way and pimping it out with a nice paint job, flames maybe.

While we're at it, we'd upgrade to a double-tap tower, because you can fit two five-gallon corny kegs and two five-pound CO2 canisters in the Sanyo. Why be forced to choose between a dark beer and a darker beer? Have one and then the other. Good. And if you have two kegs, the chances of going dry at a critical moment — say in the fourth quarter when your team is beating the Lakers — are lower. (This is why you should also have a spare propane tank for the grill you will clearly have to buy to complement your kegerator.)

The one hitch may be the price. And we say "may be" because really, at what price cold beer? The Sanyo lists at $950, but most online retailers sell it for $650 to $700. You can certainly get a cheaper kegerator such as the Edgestar KC2000 below, or convert an old fridge. But we recommend shoveling a few extra bills into the cave for the Sanyo and making up the difference by serving your friends a cheaper brew at the cave-warming party you know you're gonna have once you buy this thing. And unless you need more volume or really want to show off, there's no need to buy a fancier model than this one.

e a full-size keg, and it's one of the few options under $600.

$650 at Head-to-Head:

Review: Head-to-Head: Kegerators — Sanyo vs. Edgestar

Head-to-Head: Kegerators — Sanyo vs. Edgestar

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