Grand Deluxe 125 GD125

[CoxR]

Wow, simple questions are not simply answered. Been awhile since I have been here and longer since I have posted.
Get this back on track. Wife really likes the 2 door SD, anyone here have any end user reviews? I am in Brisbane and it will be outside in an outdoor kitchen. I have products from retailers and not brand loyal.

 

[Grmblz]

Wow, simple questions are not simply answered. Been awhile since I have been here and longer since I have posted.
Get this back on track. Wife really likes the 2 door SD, anyone here have any end user reviews? I am in Brisbane and it will be outside in an outdoor kitchen. I have products from retailers and not brand loyal.

Regardless of brand or power consumption just make sure it can hold serving temp at ambient mid summer temp's, I suspect they'll all struggle in an outdoor environment in heat waves, and it looks like we'll be getting more of them.

Case in point I have a smallish (2 x 19lt kegs) converted fridge that works perfectly (holds 4 deg's) all year round in my man cave, last summer I hosted a bush fire relief party and relocated it to the deck outside, it was so convenient that I decided to leave it there, a few days later I poured a beer from it and shock horror it wasn't chilled, not warm just not chilled, "bugger" thinks I, another dead fridge so I put it back in the cave, having no space in my other serving fridge I left it powered up with the kegs in it, lo and behold a week later it was pouring chilled beer (and still is) I'm far South Coast so not nearly as warm as Brizzy gets.
Sorry for not being able to answer your question directly, but I think it's something that needs to be considered when you're reading reviews. Cheers G

 

[CKK]

Wow, simple questions are not simply answered. Been awhile since I have been here and longer since I have posted.
Get this back on track. Wife really likes the 2 door SD, anyone here have any end user reviews? I am in Brisbane and it will be outside in an outdoor kitchen. I have products from retailers and not brand loyal.

Ability to function at higher temperatures was one of the main reasons we wanted the Super Deluxe range. After the last summer when Melbourne was hitting days with 44 C its obvious that fridges need to be able to handle the higher temps and not let you down when a cold beer is most enjoyable.

We can ask if any of our customers are willing to speak to your that would work for you? In any case here are some pics of what one of our customers did with his 2 door unit.

 

[Fro-Daddy]

Wife really likes the 2 door SD, anyone here have any end user reviews?

Another brewing forum has a review on the Atosa fridge, which is either the same or very similar as the SD. Might worth a read as they are in Brisbane as well.

 

[JDW81]

Wow, simple questions are not simply answered. Been awhile since I have been here and longer since I have posted.

Par for the course here now whenever there’s a question about KK or KL products. Takes about 5 or so replies before the usual suspects chime in a starting throwing mud around.

You can’t ask a genuine question on either retailers products, and expect a genuine answer. You’ll just get each side running each other down and spruiking there own wares.

JD

 

[TheBeerBaron]

Wow, simple questions are not simply answered. Been awhile since I have been here and longer since I have posted.
Get this back on track. Wife really likes the 2 door SD, anyone here have any end user reviews? I am in Brisbane and it will be outside in an outdoor kitchen. I have products from retailers and not brand loyal.

Fridges come with various climate ratings and whether or not they are indoor or outdoor rated etc. etc.

https://www.procoolmfg.com/refrigerator-climate-class-sn-n-st-t/All fridges and freezers are rated with 4 main climate classes as below:

1. SN (Subnormal) suitable for use under ambient temperature range of 10 °C ~ 32 °C (50 °F ~ 90 °F)
2. N (Normal) suitable for use under ambient temperature range of 16 °C ~ 32 °C (61 °F ~ 90 °F)
3. ST (Subtropical) suitable for use under ambient temperature range of 18 °C ~ 38 °C (64 °F ~ 100 °F)
4. T (Tropical) suitable for use under ambient temperature range of 18 °C ~ 43 °C (64 °F ~ 109 °F)

KK website says 43 ambient so thats the 'T' level. Being the highest, it should cut the mustard. I'd just make sure it has good ventilation because on the hottest Brisbane day, built into a kitchen it could push those limits depending on the set up

I reckon the bigger issue would not being able to keep the font cold rather than the fridge not coping

 

[CKK]

Another brewing forum has a review on the Atosa fridge, which is either the same or very similar as the SD. Might worth a read as they are in Brisbane as well.

They are indeed but their design is a bit different and the prices are eyewatering.

 

[CKK]

Fridges come with various climate ratings and whether or not they are indoor or outdoor rated etc. etc.

https://www.procoolmfg.com/refrigerator-climate-class-sn-n-st-t/All fridges and freezers are rated with 4 main climate classes as below:

1. SN (Subnormal) suitable for use under ambient temperature range of 10 °C ~ 32 °C (50 °F ~ 90 °F)
2. N (Normal) suitable for use under ambient temperature range of 16 °C ~ 32 °C (61 °F ~ 90 °F)
3. ST (Subtropical) suitable for use under ambient temperature range of 18 °C ~ 38 °C (64 °F ~ 100 °F)
4. T (Tropical) suitable for use under ambient temperature range of 18 °C ~ 43 °C (64 °F ~ 109 °F)

KK website says 43 ambient so thats the 'T' level. Being the highest, it should cut the mustard. I'd just make sure it has good ventilation because on the hottest Brisbane day, built into a kitchen it could push those limits depending on the set up

I reckon the bigger issue would not being able to keep the font cold rather than the fridge not coping

Wow - will take this as a compliment coming from the BB. Fonts do have cooling hoses but if you want ice on a flooded font you could always add a flooded font with a chiller. The 43C ambient rating I believe is necessary for not just Brisbane area but plenty of other warm places in Australia. Obviously one needs to keep the air inlet/outlets unobstructed to get the benefit of this but that is not very hard. Building one of these in does not have anywhere near the issues which something that dissipates heat through its walls has.

 

[CKK]

Par for the course here now whenever there’s a question about KK or KL products. Takes about 5 or so replies before the usual suspects chime in a starting throwing mud around.

You can’t ask a genuine question on either retailers products, and expect a genuine answer. You’ll just get each side running each other down and spruiking there own wares.

JD

What part of the KK response was not accurate, truthful and genuine? It would be stupid of me not to offer our products. After all that is why we sponsor this. Feel free to point out any technical issue or errors in what I have said about the products.

 

[contrarian]

I have a GD 125 that was purchased from keg king about 4 years ago. I have it inside and it does the job fine, I am sure that outside would be fine too but any fridge in direct sunlight in the heat of summer is going to struggle. Mine is a lot noisier than a normal fridge and as it is in the same room where I watch TV it is an issue if I am watching something at a lower volume because everyone else is in bed.

Mine also has issues with cycling more often than I think they should and not holding temp very well. I think the kegs and drinks in the fridge stay cold but the placement on the temp sensor means that it detects rises in temp very quickly and cycles frequently for short periods of time.

Other than the above it is great. I have 4 corny kegs in one side and a 4 tap cobra font on top and it looks awesome. On the other side I have shelves that have ample space for win, mixers, other beer, food etc. while I could have more kegs I really have no reason to.

When I bought this all of the keg fridges would only hold up to 3 kegs and if they had been available at the time I would have considered a 4 keg option.

Obviously I can't compare to the other offerings, to be honest I am sure that they will all do the job with strengths a weaknesses in different areas. For example I could care less how long it takes to chill a warm beer as 95% of my kegs would go from a crash chilled fermenter to keg and into the fridge cold. If you purchase beer it would obviously be more important!

 

[CKK]

I have a GD 125 that was purchased from keg king about 4 years ago. I have it inside and it does the job fine, I am sure that outside would be fine too but any fridge in direct sunlight in the heat of summer is going to struggle. Mine is a lot noisier than a normal fridge and as it is in the same room where I watch TV it is an issue if I am watching something at a lower volume because everyone else is in bed.

Mine also has issues with cycling more often than I think they should and not holding temp very well. I think the kegs and drinks in the fridge stay cold but the placement on the temp sensor means that it detects rises in temp very quickly and cycles frequently for short periods of time.

Other than the above it is great. I have 4 corny kegs in one side and a 4 tap cobra font on top and it looks awesome. On the other side I have shelves that have ample space for win, mixers, other beer, food etc. while I could have more kegs I really have no reason to.

When I bought this all of the keg fridges would only hold up to 3 kegs and if they had been available at the time I would have considered a 4 keg option.

Obviously I can't compare to the other offerings, to be honest I am sure that they will all do the job with strengths a weaknesses in different areas. For example I could care less how long it takes to chill a warm beer as 95% of my kegs would go from a crash chilled fermenter to keg and into the fridge cold. If you purchase beer it would obviously be more important!

Well of course its best to keep a fridge away from heat sources of any kind as it just adds to work load. Which is why I was talking about units which dissipate heat from their walls being not very efficient. In regard to the cycling you are aware that you can change the hysteresis so the cycling can be made right. Obviously the ideal place for a probe is in the beer or on the keg but this is not practical. However by adjusting the hysteresis you should be able to get this right. If you are unsure about the controller then we can assist you of course. Also its good to clean the dust from the air inlet on the front every 6 months or so.

 

[contrarian]

Well of course its best to keep a fridge away from heat sources of any kind as it just adds to work load. Which is why I was talking about units which dissipate heat from their walls being not very efficient. In regard to the cycling you are aware that you can change the hysteresis so the cycling can be made right. Obviously the ideal place for a probe is in the beer or on the keg but this is not practical. However by adjusting the hysteresis you should be able to get this right. If you are unsure about the controller then we can assist you of course. Also its good to clean the dust from the air inlet on the front every 6 months or so.

To be honest with the instructions provided I did have some trouble adjusting much more than the set temperature but rather than derailing a thread I'd be happy for you t send me a message.

I was just trying to provide some info to the above poster about my experience to support an informed decision.

 

[donald_trub]

You guys seem to bring up this fake reviews thing but as far as we can see this is a issue that has already been resolved and it was us that disclosed this in the forum. We found out about it, notified the forum, then fixed the problem. If you have an issue or find a review that you guys feel is disingenuous that is still up on our website for some reason PLEASE email us and it will be fixed just like other issues are fixed.

What? You didn't bring up the fake reviews at all?? You also had to be pressed a number of times before you did anything. Here are a list of blog articles you've stolen from other homebrew stores word for word:

Home Brew Keg Dispensing stolen from Kegging 101 - Clever Brewing Home Brew Beer Supplies

https://www.kegland.com.au/blog/post/how-to-get-started-in-home-brewing stolen from https://www.cleverbrewing.com.au/brewing-resources/home-brewing-methods

https://www.kegland.com.au/blog/post/cleaning-and-sanitising-the-key-to-great-home-brew stolen from https://www.cleverbrewing.com.au/brewing-resources/cleaning-sanitising

https://www.kegland.com.au/blog/post/how-to-make-a-successful-yeast-starter stolen from https://www.cleverbrewing.com.au/brewing-resources/yeast-starters


I'm not sure what Clever Brewing have done to deserve that, maybe you can enlighten us?

 

[kadmium]

The rates wattage of the Series X is 85 Watts. With that said it also has quite low duty cycle too while the GD models generally in comparable conditions have higher duty cycle as well as having significantly higher wattage rating.

The wattage ratings on their own really don't help that must it really tells you the maximum power consumption and to test them comparably you need to test the fridges side by side in similar conditions to see how they compare which is why we invite this type of comparison as it's the only way to find out for sure.

You guys seem to bring up this fake reviews thing but as far as we can see this is a issue that has already been resolved and it was us that disclosed this in the forum. We found out about it, notified the forum, then fixed the problem. If you have an issue or find a review that you guys feel is disingenuous that is still up on our website for some reason PLEASE email us and it will be fixed just like other issues are fixed. To make it sound like we are out there trying to deceive people is not accurate.

What we know is that Will Fiala from KK has multiple fake accounts on this forum. In fact he has already been sprung using them and accidentally signing off with the wrong account as the KK representative. The question is does this back and forth really add any value to the forum. I mean it seems like people want to unload specific issues that really have no relevance to the topic or thread. I really wonder if we are creating a forum now with so much junk on it that perhaps it just devalues the whole resource.

In our eyes the forum is a place to share ideas, and continue to develop new gear that makes the brewing process easier and communicate with a wide range of customers who can benefit from the innovation. If that means we regularly release new versions of products and older versions get outdated that is simply how innovation works. If anyone has ever got a product that is not "fit for purpose" from us they would be entitled to a return/refund/replacement.

Hey, Here is a fake review for a NukaTap attachment. It looks like you just can't stop lying. Fix your website, pretty sure it's illegal to have fake / place holder reviews on your website. In fact I will give CAV and ACCC a call this afternoon to confirm.

 

[Fro-Daddy]

They are indeed but their design is a bit different and the prices are eyewatering.

Can you elaborate on the design differences please?
I'm aware they include a few extras such as fonts, taps etc. But I thought the fridge itself was the same.

 

[CKK]

The cooling system and the enclosure are similar but placement of font holes, lack of entry ports for gas lines etc are not the same. The manufacturer turned to us to do a proper beer fridge so we did the redesign to make it work properly with fonts in the right place to match the integrated drip trays etc. We are their designated goto for beer fridges. Got some nice new modular fonts coming out to match up with them too.

 

[BKBrews]

You guys seem to bring up this fake reviews thing but as far as we can see this is a issue that has already been resolved and it was us that disclosed this in the forum. We found out about it, notified the forum, then fixed the problem. If you have an issue or find a review that you guys feel is disingenuous that is still up on our website for some reason PLEASE email us and it will be fixed just like other issues are fixed. To make it sound like we are out there trying to deceive people is not accurate.

I think all this back and forth is total bullshit, but I really think Keg King comes out on top as coming across more genuine in their responses, and I feel sorry for them coming across as squabbling when for the vast majority of the time, it seems they are just having to defend themselves from your stupid shit.

The above quote is a perfect example of your bullshit. You did not disclose the review issue on this forum, you were called out for it and then were forced to respond and blame your website/SEO guy. I don't even remember what thread it was on, nor do I care, but can you just give up the crap? You are doing irreversible damage to your brand by being a total cock head. And guess what? After a few sub par Kegland purchases already, you'd be better off focusing on fixing your products than sprouting total shit here.

 

[Grmblz]

^What he said^ CEO KK may bang on a bit but everything he posts about KL's under handed business practices are accurate as far as I can tell, where as Kee's KL rhetoric is utter bullshit, CEO defends his position albeit repetitively and the usual suspects come out of the wood work, never questioning the repetitive nature of Kees garbage, the guy couldn't lie straight in bed, time and again he's been caught out for a variety of sins yet criticising one of his rubbish products just gets you banned from their thread, they don't like valid criticism, and will just shut you down if they can, all very Chinese/Russian government tactics, lock up/poison the opposition, and extol the virtues of your own rubbish with blatant propaganda; just had a thought, include Trump in these tactics. China makes products to a price, gone are the days when it was all shit, pay a fair price and you get a good product, but tell them you want cheap as possible and guess what you get, 3 guesses the KL brief.
KLs business model seems to be based on lowest price for everything, as "stores with doors" disappear nationally, and we become more reliant on internet "influencers" for our product research I fear we will eventually regret buying on price alone with no real guarantee of quality and no shop we can return faulty goods to.
An old Chinese curse is "may you live in interesting times"
Interesting times indeed!

 

[CoxR]

To be honest with the instructions provided I did have some trouble adjusting much more than the set temperature but rather than derailing a thread I'd be happy for you t send me a message.

I was just trying to provide some info to the above poster about my experience to support an informed decision.

Thanks mate I appreciate your honest opinion.

 

[contrarian]

Always happy to

Thanks mate I appreciate your honest opinion.

Always happy to share info. I'm happy with my unit and I am sure there has been some development in the last 4 years since I bought mine but I would warn anyone buying a commercial unit that it will be significantly louder than a regular fridge and based on my experience will cycle more often.

I have never put a power meter on mine to see what the running costs are but I might do it just for personal interest. The main reason I haven't so far is that the last thing my wife needs is a solid argument against the number of fridges we currently have in use!