For a while now I've wanted a kegerator for the bar/theater, but I've lacked the space for a full- (or even mid-) sized one. So today, despite some iffy reviews here and there, I bought an Edgestar mini-kegerator to sit on top of the mini-fridge in my bar.
This little machine keeps a 5L beer keg chilled at 38 degrees and delivers the perfect amount of head for a pint glass...only you get used to the pour speed and nozzle strength. The unit is pretty much like the Krups BeerTender machines that support Heineken and Newcastle, but this one also supports non-pressurized mini-kegs. I have to admit that I'm not a beer expert by any means, but when I heard that Newcastle was FINALLY available in Atlanta in the 5L size, I jumped all over this.
After a short 4 hours with the unit, I'm breathing a sigh of relief (between beer pours, that is). As I mentioned above, reviews have been hit or miss. Some people complained the non-pressurized conversion kits weren't yet available. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I had no problem ordering the Edgestar-branded one two days ago, and it even arrived before the main unit itself. Some others complained Heineken was the only act in town. My local stores have all kinds of non-pressurized beers, in addition to the Heineken and Newcastle kegs, so again I'm probably just lucky to live in a fairly large city. Some folks said the unit was just cheap plastic junk. That last point will probably be true for me at some point, as the unit is just plastic and faux chrome, but at $140 I couldn't have expected too much more. Someone somewhere said that the door was constantly ajar and the cooling plate couldn't do its job. From what I've heard and now seen firsthand, this just isn't a problem. My mini-kegs set nicely on the cooling plate inside the unit and I'm able to close the door completely and securely.
My only complaints so far are 1) the internal fan or whatever parts make it go are a bit louder than I'd like, and 2) I dislodged a washer in the plastic cleaning solution bottle that came with it. The second part was just stupidity on my part when I first flushed the lines, and it's totally fixable, but the former point is indeed a minor inconvenience. It's no louder than my ice maker or mini-fridge, but it's something else whirring in the back of the theater. Oh well.
So at this point, my margarita machine quest is on the back-burner indefinitely as I work on my beer pour perfection and fish out that stupid washer in the cleaning bottle. But for anyone in my shoes who may be considering one of these units but afraid of the spotty older reviews of the unit, I'm pretty pleased so far.
Cheers.