Product review (5 stars): Pretty Sweet Little Unit
I received a mini-kegerator for Christmas from my wife (thanks baby).  There were a number of reasons which I had requested the mini-kegerator rather than a full sized one; but I won't go into those.  One of the big reasons I asked for the Avanti unit was that it is compressor cooled, so it functions like a standard refrigerator, rather than thermoelectric cooling like a typical wine cooler (and pretty much every other mini-kegerator).  The reason I like the compressor system is because it is technology that is known to last (refrigerators last upwards of 20 years when taken care of) and I don't have to be concerned about leaving it running when it is empty (the thermoelectic systems can burn out if they are left on for a while when they are empty).

Like all refrigerators (air conditioning units, wine coolers, etc.) the thermostat controls within a temperature range (in this case +/- 1 degree Celsius) so the unit will fluctuate between 2 and 4 degrees on the lowest setting.  Due to the small size of the unit (1.7 cubit-feet) the temperature swing is rapid when comparing it to a larger unit, so it will click on and off about 5 times as often as a standard 13.5 cubic-foot refrigerator.  Also the more full you keep the unit the less it will turn on (liquid changes temperature less rapidly than air does, thus providing a temperature buffer).

The compressor runs at 55 dB; which compares to a television at volume 10 (average conversation is around 70 dB).  When I compared it to thermoelectic systems it was actually quieter, though I did not mark the noise level of the thermoelectric system, I do remember this unit being significantly quieter.

The unit holds 2 mini kegs (another feature making it superior to other systems) allowing you to hold 10 liters in kegs (or a little over 2.5 gallons of beer).  The upper shelf can hold standard pint glasses, though if they are standing upright they are difficult to remove when there are two kegs in place (when they are laying down its no problem).  You may also hold a 12 pack of 12 oz beer cans on the shelf (including the taller cans).  The upper shelf is where the cooling for the unit is blown in, particularly from the right hand side as you look into the unit.  After you fill the shelf, you will want to hang around and listen to it kick on and run for a few minutes to see if there are any funny noises, if there are then you will want to shift the items around because you are blocking the air flow.

You will want to test the regulator for leaks out as soon as you receive it.  That way if there are any issues you cannot troubleshoot yourself you may request a new one (you can expect to receive a new one within about 2 weeks, so you should have a self dispensing keg  just in case  you can use the line cleaner for testing the regulator).  Avanti does not manufacture regulators themselves, so while they stand behind the unit and will replace faulty regulators, it really isn't their quality issue.  I did however have a difficult time finding a 9 oz CO2 tank that did not have safety warning on the label.  Also, filling the tank up at a sporting good stores should come with this disclaimer  they do not use food grade CO2 this means that there are other gases in the CO2 that are not considered safe though after some research I discovered that at these impurities generally only cause headaches  so if you decide to go this route I wouldnt recommend using the gas to force carbonate your beer, and the last trickle of foaming beer should probably be discarded  otherwise your beer may be faulted for causing a odd hangover.

A nice idea with this kegerator is using it to dispense two kegs, one of which would be either a Newcastle, or Heineken (or you can also use the Party Star Tapping system).  The downside of going this route is that you will need to open the door in order to dispense the second keg  unless you decide to drill a hole for another tap, and find a way to split the regulator (or have a second regulator).  In a later post I will discuss all of my modifications.  Splitting the regulator is somewhat tricky as the gas supply line feeds almost directly to the edge of the unit (so there is a 90 degree elbow joint as the line exits the regulator)  SAFETY NOTE:  You may NOT simply switch sides on the regulator, the left side of the regulator is for HIGH PRESSURE  generally with another gauge to sense how full the tank is  tapping from this side would be very DANGEROUS.

I don't know for sure how many kegs may be dispensed with the 9 oz canister, but I know for sure it is more than 12.  I have only filled it once and I have dispensed 12 kegs already.  I suspect it is around 16, and I will update as soon as I run out of gas.  The instructions call for turning the regulator off after you have dispensed, and that is fine when it is only me, but when I have people over, I leave the level at about 0.6 bar which give me the best pouring speed, even though the directions call for 0.4 bar for German Lagers (and why buy anything else  really?)

Tapping a commercial keg, you may drink it pretty much right away without problem.  I have been having some issues with my homebrew however, the first 8 hours I dispense it comes out mostly foam.  So I have taken to taping the night before, and that smooths out the pour really nicely.  About the pour, it does take about 6 seconds to fill a pint glass, which is not the fastest pour.  Standard kegorators do this in about 2 seconds.  The slower pour may become problematic when I have a really large get together, but it hasn't been an issue yet.

For ideas on reusing the kegs to hold something other than beer, check out my article: Where Can I Get 5 Liter Mini Kegs?

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