Re: Are the beer keg CO2 regulators on ebay good for us

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

David Brown asked:

> I need 2 more CO2 setups, and would like to save some
> money.  Are the beer 
> keg CO2 regulators on ebay good for us?  There are a
> bunch of them.  Thanks.

As for the Subject question, "Are the beer keg CO2
regulators on ebay good for us," the answer has to be,
depends on how much you like beer and how much you drink.
;-)  I might not have said that if I didn't have a couple
of beers in me :-\r

Manufacturers of regulators know that their market is
almost entirely welders and soda pop vendors, with a
smattering of brew-doers throw in.  Nothing in the
fundamental design of gas regulator favors one use over the
other.  Think of it this way, the regulator has no idea
what's happening on the other end of the hose.  I think, if
the range of the regulator is what you want for CO2, then
the regulator is fine for us.  Even though CO2 in water is
slightly acidic, for regulator purposes, CO2 doesn't
qualify as presenting a caustic or harsh environment.

As often is the case, quality matters more than small
differences in design.  Yet, we don't *need* very high
quality for our purposes.  I've used $25 brand new
regulators that worked perfectly fine.  Unfortunately, I've
paid two or three times that price for regulators that
functioned no better or worse.  I've paid two or three
times that amount for regulators that functioned a little
bit better, but I'm not sure if that's fortunate or
unfortunate. 

Better performance is stability under temperature changes
and how finicky the adjustment mechanism is.

If you buy used, get an assurance that the diaphragm hasn't
developed a leak and that the seals are still good. 
Without those, a regulator isn't a regulator, it's just a
slow aerosol.

Scott H.

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