KegMaster XL vs Series-X - Which one is better?

[Stugots]

Hey guys,

Long time reader, first time poster. Been looking at getting my first Kegerator, tossing up between the KegMaster XL vs the Series-X, but I am confused.

I haven't really been able to find many independent opinions online - all I seem to come across is petty competitor rivalry, which is pretty pathetic and uninteresting to me. I just want to get myself the best fridge which performs the best and is the best value for money - I really don't care about the rest.

The XL has a few additional feature claims over the Series-X - like it's faster cooling and larger condenser/evaporator but I have no idea if this translates to real world or not. The internal LED light seems like it'd be partially useful.

The Series-X seems to be more popular from searching about the place, but a common complaint I've seen is that they're quite loud. Noise is a major concern for me since I'm going to be having it in an indoor bar, which will connects to a lounge room. Sometimes I chill in there to relax, and noises piss me off lol

Has anyone gone through the same comparison process and can help me out? Looking for independent review/thoughts on which one to go with.

Thanks legends!

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

G’day mate, might help if you post the specs of each so that we can review. I am aware of the Series X at KL, but not sure where the Kegmaster you refer to is from?

 

[Stugots]

G’day mate, might help if you post the specs of each so that we can review. I am aware of the Series X at KL, but not sure where the Kegmaster you refer to is from?

Hey man - good point, thanks, should have done that haha.

KegMaster XL - there's a comparison table in the description, which is what I was referring to
https://www.kegking.com.au/beer-keg-fridge-kegmaster-series-xl-kegerator-with-two-beer-taps.html
Series-X
https://www.kegland.com.au/series-x-kegerator-base-fridge-with-regulator.html

 

[golfandbrew]

The better is likely whatever is owned by a poster. I doubt you will find many people that have purchased both. Come to think of it, you should purchase both and post your findings.

 

[Stugots]

The better is likely whatever is owned by a poster. I doubt you will find many people that have purchased both. Come to think of it, you should purchase both and post your findings.

Yeah of course not! I'm not expecting people to own both, but others would be definitely way better versed in kegerators that myself. I don't know heaps about them, and looking at these products online and side-by-side, the differences almost seem imperceptible... they look so similar they probably come out of the same factory.

Looks like I might just have to take a punt and see what happens...

 

[user 103260]

Yeah of course not! I'm not expecting people to own both, but others would be definitely way better versed in kegerators that myself. I don't know heaps about them, and looking at these products online and side-by-side, the differences almost seem imperceptible... they look so similar they probably come out of the same factory.

Looks like I might just have to take a punt and see what happens...

Are you trolling?

 

[Stugots]

Are you trolling?

What? Why would I be trolling. Are you? Got anything productive to add to the conversation?

 

[Jayvan90]

What? Why would I be trolling. Are you? Got anything productive to add to the conversation?

don't buy either you will eventually be disappointed - make your own

 

[Grmblz]

Hey guys,

Long time reader, first time poster. Been looking at getting my first Kegerator, tossing up between the KegMaster XL vs the Series-X, but I am confused.

I haven't really been able to find many independent opinions online - all I seem to come across is petty competitor rivalry, which is pretty pathetic and uninteresting to me. I just want to get myself the best fridge which performs the best and is the best value for money - I really don't care about the rest.

The XL has a few additional feature claims over the Series-X - like it's faster cooling and larger condenser/evaporator but I have no idea if this translates to real world or not. The internal LED light seems like it'd be partially useful.

The Series-X seems to be more popular from searching about the place, but a common complaint I've seen is that they're quite loud. Noise is a major concern for me since I'm going to be having it in an indoor bar, which will connects to a lounge room. Sometimes I chill in there to relax, and noises piss me off lol

Has anyone gone through the same comparison process and can help me out? Looking for independent review/thoughts on which one to go with.

Thanks legends!

Consensus seems to be that kegerators in general are noisier than a domestic fridge, plenty of posts here regarding "gurgling" and noisy fans, also first pours tend to be fobby due to the taps not being chilled, building your own is my preferred option but it's not for everyone.

 

[KegLand-com-au]

I would agree that Grmblz that having the tap shanks coming directly through the door is an ideal solution but with that said I think a lot of people purchase the Series X because it looks a lot better than just a generic fridge with holes through the door.

We also seem to get more and more customers not willing to build something from scratch and generally these customers want a turnkey solution.

We did make this video here that really shows the two products side by side:


With respect to sound both fridges have exposed evaporator and the capillary tube, evaporator, and fan are very similar so the sound is very similar. We have seen some customers swap out the existing powerful fan with a less powerful "silent" fan as it's a standard hole configuration but this comes at a reduction in cooling performance so it's really a trade off. During the recording we did not mention sound at all but we noticed that both the X and XL had similar noise levels.

I would say that when we launched the Nukatap SS this substantially reduced the "first pour foam" and even with warm taps you get substantially less foam that the previous Intertap taps that we used to sell. If you are concerned about "first pour foam" I would not recommend the flow control taps as they have more mechanical components and as the thermal mass is substantially more they will always have more foam on the first pour.

The font fan does cool the font to some degree but you can't expect it to be as cold as the internal fridge space as the font is sticking out the top of the fridge. Generally speaking the beer line inside the font is about 8C warmer than the internal fridge space. One thing I can say is that it's a good idea to use small ID beer line to reduce foaming too. A smaller ID will reduce beer in the beer line and thus reduce the warmer beer in the font. Generally speaking we make all our kegerators to use the 4mm ID which is really what I would recommend.

With the 4mm ID beer line, the Nukatap SS and with a fridge set temp of about 2C you can expect to get about 3-5cm of foam on the first pour and about 1cm of foam on each subsequent pour. I find this to be quite acceptable myself but each to their own I guess. With similar conditions and having beer taps through the door of a fridge I think you can expect about 1-2cm less foam on the first pour. So not a massive difference in my opinion but a measurable difference none the less.

The largest effect that causes foaming is an incorrectly balanced system that either causes the beer to become more carbonated over time or causes CO2 to come out of solution so I would be spending more time balancing the system if you have foaming issues. If you have bubbles forming in your beer line this is normally a good sign that the system is not balanced.

 

[user 103260]

I would agree that Grmblz that having the tap shanks coming directly through the door is an ideal solution but with that said I think a lot of people purchase the Series X because it looks a lot better than just a generic fridge with holes through the door.

We also seem to get more and more customers not willing to build something from scratch and generally these customers want a turnkey solution.

We did make this video here that really shows the two products side by side:


With respect to sound both fridges have exposed evaporator and the capillary tube, evaporator, and fan are very similar so the sound is very similar. We have seen some customers swap out the existing powerful fan with a less powerful "silent" fan as it's a standard hole configuration but this comes at a reduction in cooling performance so it's really a trade off. During the recording we did not mention sound at all but we noticed that both the X and XL had similar noise levels.

I would say that when we launched the Nukatap SS this substantially reduced the "first pour foam" and even with warm taps you get substantially less foam that the previous Intertap taps that we used to sell. If you are concerned about "first pour foam" I would not recommend the flow control taps as they have more mechanical components and as the thermal mass is substantially more they will always have more foam on the first pour.

The font fan does cool the font to some degree but you can't expect it to be as cold as the internal fridge space as the font is sticking out the top of the fridge. Generally speaking the beer line inside the font is about 8C warmer than the internal fridge space. One thing I can say is that it's a good idea to use small ID beer line to reduce foaming too. A smaller ID will reduce beer in the beer line and thus reduce the warmer beer in the font. Generally speaking we make all our kegerators to use the 4mm ID which is really what I would recommend.

With the 4mm ID beer line, the Nukatap SS and with a fridge set temp of about 2C you can expect to get about 3-5cm of foam on the first pour and about 1cm of foam on each subsequent pour. I find this to be quite acceptable myself but each to their own I guess. With similar conditions and having beer taps through the door of a fridge I think you can expect about 1-2cm less foam on the first pour. So not a massive difference in my opinion but a measurable difference none the less.

The largest effect that causes foaming is an incorrectly balanced system that either causes the beer to become more carbonated over time or causes CO2 to come out of solution so I would be spending more time balancing the system if you have foaming issues. If you have bubbles forming in your beer line this is normally a good sign that the system is not balanced.

This is not actually showing a Series XL and a Series X side by side, this is showing YOUR two products side by side. There is no Keg King Series XL in that video and claiming that you are comparing these two products is defamatory in my opinion.

I wouldn't be surprised if you created a fake account to start this conversation and push this agenda. Sigh.

 

[KegLand-com-au]

This is not actually showing a Series XL and a Series X side by side, this is showing YOUR two products side by side. There is no Keg King Series XL in that video and claiming that you are comparing these two products is defamatory in my opinion.

I wouldn't be surprised if you created a fake account to start this conversation and push this agenda. Sigh.

Hello Nope. You are correct in saying that the KegLand 4.1 model is not exactly the same as the Series XL from KK. With that said the difference is limited to:
1. Internal LED Light
As mentioned in the video this model has two options from the factory with the internal LED and without the LED. As mentioned in the video we chose to go without as we do not see it as that beneficial but we are open to your suggestions and if customers feel like an LED light is more beneficial then we can increase the price by $5 and include this option.
2. Fan Speed Control
The XL from KK has a slightly different temp control PCB that allows you to control the fan speed. When we slowed the fan speed we noticed significantly reduced performance and as described in the video we though that this was also not worth ordering but once again. If you guys really want this feature we are happy to include.

All other aspects of the 4.1 and XL are identical such as: Fridge body, door, compressor, evaporator size, condenser size, capillary tube, castor wheels, insulation specification, internal fridge lining, fridge shelves, drip tray etc. From the perspective of electrical efficiency and refrigeration cooling performance they are identical.

So you are correct in saying they are not precisely the same and I am sorry if you have found this "defamatory" but for all intensive purposes we just want to call a spade a spade. They come out of the same factory with the same tooling and ultimately performance is the same even though there are some very minor differences in LED and FAN speed control.

The Series X however is substantially different as shown in the video. To be quite frank even though the price is cheaper we have been finding it hard to sell the 4.1/XL model. The chances are we will probably have to discount this model to eventually move the stock.

 

[Stugots]

They come out of the same factory with the same tooling and ultimately performance is the same even though there are some very minor differences in LED and FAN speed control.

Thanks for clarifying, this is what I had assumed. So if they all from the same place, why is the Series-X supposedly different to the XL?

If performance is ultimately the same just seems like much of a muchness with these fridges... I can buy any and be done with it & happy

 

[user 103260]

They come out of the same factory with the same tooling and ultimately performance is the same even though there are some very minor differences in LED and FAN speed control.

Can you prove it or are you just being defamatory?

 

[user 103260]

T

Thanks for clarifying, this is what I had assumed. So if they all from the same place, why is the Series-X supposedly different to the XL?

If performance is ultimately the same just seems like much of a muchness with these fridges... I can buy any and be done with it & happy

This just confirms this account is Kegland in disguise. Damn Kee, you're losing your touch.

 

[KegLand-com-au]

T


This just confirms this account is Kegland in disguise. Damn Kee, you're losing your touch.

The Series X is NOT from the same place. The Series X has better build quality, faster cooling, is more electrically efficient and is made at a factory that exclusively supplies to KegLand.

The Series XL(from KK) and the Series 4.1(from KL) are the ones that are from the same factory and have the same performance characteristic as each other.

I know this is quite confusing due to the similar name that KK has used but hopefully this clarifies the difference.

 

[The Mack]

T


This just confirms this account is Kegland in disguise. Damn Kee, you're losing your touch.

Now who's being "defamatory" ("can you prove it?"-Nope) lol

OP: My kegerator lives in the alfresco area, it is neither of the models you mentioned from the two vendors, it is 'somewhat' noisey though so being outside it's no problem.
Before this, I had a chest freezer that I converted into a kegerator, it was quiet as and lived in the spare room adjacent to the lounge room, not a massive issue lifting a keg up and into it but could be an awkward angle and if you were prone to back/soft tissue injuries that is also a factor to consider.

The option of building your own from a fridge as mentioned above-isn't for everyone, but it is quiet, and with some internet inspiration you could jazz it up to fit in with the decor (possibly). I really preferred my own diy kegerator but the compromise with the wife it it was to live in view of everyone is it had to not look like I cobbled it together.

Really it sounds like you could just get either and it is compact, will look neat but there may be a noise trade off...

2c

 

[Barleycorn Brewer]

I have got the XL went for the stainless top too, I can highly recommend it. I haven't got both but a mate of mine has the X, I can go and check his out against mine and give an update.

 

[Stugots]

I have got the XL went for the stainless top too, I can highly recommend it. I haven't got both but a mate of mine has the X, I can go and check his out against mine and give an update.

The stainless top is nice, I was eyeing it. That would be awesome if you'd be willing to! Looking forward to it

 

[Barleycorn Brewer]

The stainless top is nice, I was eyeing it. That would be awesome if you'd be willing to! Looking forward to it

I have, well he came around and saw mine. He admitted it was superior to his, in saying that he did have a lot of problems with his from the start. Could just have been a one off I don't know.