Used Ball Lock Keg & Refurbished Keg Grade Levels

Used ball lock corny kegs come in a variety of conditions. Some are so old and abused they need a lot of help to make usable, and some have already been refurbished to usable, or even to a nearly new quality. This grading system will help you to identify what quality of used keg you are getting.

Used ball lock cornlius style kegs are a favorite for most home brewers, or even small shop owners on a budget. The beauty with used kegs, is that no matter how ugly they are, generally they can be fixed up and still function just fine. We generally grade our used corny kegs in one of 3 groups; Grade B, Grade A, and Premium A+.

With that said, many people have their own grading system, this is how we categorize out kegs here at Keg Outlet. Also, we do not sell any kegs that are unusable. Before selling any used kegs, they go through a washing and testing procedure to ensure they work and hold a seal.

Grade B Used Ball Lock kegs

Grade B kegs are the most common used ball lock kegs on the market. They are decades old and are usually pretty beat up. These kegs were used for syrups in the soda industry. The usually have small to medium sized dents, and stickers on them. The rubber handled could be deteriorating, or starting to pull away from the steel tank. Although they can be unpleasant looking, we always make sure they work. Is they have any punctures or other problems that cannot be resolved, we scrap them and keep the parts form them that are still usable. Our Grade B kegs, are washed and pressure tested, and if needed o-rings replaced. They are shipped pressurized so that when you receive the keg, you know it works and holds a seal. They are some of our best sellers due to the price point.

Grade B Single Handle Ball Lock Keg

Kegs Usually have Dents & Stickers

Grade B Used Ball Lock Keg with Dents and Stickers

Rubber Handle Dry and Cracking

Rubber Handle on keg is dry and cracking

Grade A Used Ball Lock Kegs

Grade A kegs are a level up from out B Grade kegs. Although they are generally from the same era as the B Grade kegs, there is a small percentage of these kegs that are well kept over the years and have earned the A Grade. These kegs look much cleaner than the B grade kegs. They may still have some wear and tear on them and stickers, but generally look a lot newer than the B keg that has only been used by one or two owners. They will have very minimal dents and the rubber handles will be in good condition. As with B Grade kegs, these also go through the same washing and pressure testing process before shipping but generally sell for 20% or more than the B Grade kegs.

Grade A Used Ball Lock Keg

Rubber Handle may show wear

Small dents and scratches

Premium A+ Refurbished Ball Lock Kegs

Our Premium A+ Refurbished Ball Lock Kegs are pretty magnificent! These kegs are still decades old, but have undergone an extensive 11 point refurbish process:

Kegs are hand selected from inventory. Any kegs with medium/large dents and blemishes are not considered. Minor pin-sized dents are acceptable.
After initial selection, the kegs are disassembled and all o-rings are removed.
The kegs and all components are cleaned with food-grade agents while they are disassembled, note that poppets are not removed from the post in this step, however, we do a pressurized, under water leak test every post. If any posts are found to be leaking, the poppet is then removed and replaced with a new one with new o-ring.
After washing, any tape, glue and stickers are removed from the outside of the keg.
Polishing - the keg is placed on a proprietary machine that polishes the outside of the keg.
After polishing, any kegs that need further work are manually polished (approximately 10-15% of the kegs that we work with).
All parts are reassembled with new o-rings. The leak-free posts from the prior step do not have poppet o-rings replaced.
Keg lids are polished. Wire handles are straighted (if necessary)
Final manual polish of keg to maximize exterior look.
The kegs are reassembled.
Kegs are pressurized to 3 BAR (43.5 psi) and set aside for 24 hours. Pressure is checked after 24 hours to confirm no leaks

The other main difference is that these kegs are not in US gallons, so are slightly different in volume than your traditional used 5G ball lock keg. These kegs come in 9L (2.4 gallons) and 18L (4.75 gallons). It’s close enough to the standard sized kegs, that most brewers don’t mind the slight difference for what you are getting in quality. Especial when you consider these kegs sell for about the same price as a Grade A keg, and only $20 more than our Grade B Kegs!

stickers on them. The rubber handled could be deteriorating, or starting to pull away from the steel tank. Although they can be unpleasant looking, we always make sure they work. Is they have any punctures or other problems that cannot be resolved, we scrap them and keep the parts form them that are still usable. Our Grade B kegs, are washed and pressure tested, and if needed o-rings replaced. They are shipped pressurized so that when you receive the keg, you know it works and holds a seal. They are some of our best sellers due to the price point.

18L (4.75G Keg) A+ Grade Keg