Stainless vs. Chrome Plated Perlicks?

[BansheeRider]

I am looking to upgrade my taps on my kegerator tower. The tower is chrome plated with chrome plated standard faucets. I found some old threads on this subject and the reviews seem mutual between both faucets, but the threads were old. What are people recommending today? Does the chrome plated really chip or corrode over time? I have a dual tower so there is almost a $25 difference between the two when ordering from Amazon. Also I read there is a slight concern with ingesting lead with the chrome plated faucets. Any advice would be appreciated before I make the purchase. Thanks!

 

[SpentGrains]

Stainless, the benefits outweigh the small price increase.

 

[BansheeRider]

Stainless, the benefits outweigh the small price increase.

And what exactly are the benefits?

 

[Bobby_M]

The chrome eventually dissolves away on the interior exposing the brass which corrodes also.

 

[kblankenship11]

Stainless all the way. Over time the chrome can wear off, leaving bare brass which is detrimental to your brew. The cheaper taps (Krome) will wear off quicker than Perlicks. My old Krome taps have worn off on the inside in certain areas and you can see the brass underneath.

Check this out, more than you'll ever want to know: http://www.draughtquality.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainlessVsBrassTNB.pdf

 

[BansheeRider]

Stainless all the way. Over time the chrome can wear off, leaving bare brass which is detrimental to your brew. The cheaper taps (Krome) will wear off quicker than Perlicks. My old Krome taps have worn off on the inside in certain areas and you can see the brass underneath.

Check this out, more than you'll ever want to know: http://www.draughtquality.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/StainlessVsBrassTNB.pdf

Will the SS taps fit ok with the chrome plated tower?

 

[kblankenship11]

Will the SS taps fit ok with the chrome plated tower?

Yes, it should be all the same. I have chrome plated shanks and SS taps and they work fine together.

 

[cbzdel]

For what its worth, I have the chrome ones and am not worried about them.. I am sure they will outlast my kegerator.. This is a light duty home application, not a busy bar..

Oddly I paid extra for the stainless tower, but when I decided to get perlicks I chose the chrome ones... I saved enough to brew another batch, so its a win in my book

 

[BansheeRider]

For what its worth, I have the chrome ones and am not worried about them.. I am sure they will outlast my kegerator.. This is a light duty home application, not a busy bar..

Oddly I paid extra for the stainless tower, but when I decided to get perlicks I chose the chrome ones... I saved enough to brew another batch, so its a win in my book

I hate the damn mixed reviews. I don't pull nearly enough beers for the chrome to wear off sooner than my kegerator dies. I'm not sure what to do

 

[Bobby_M]

The chrome wears off simply due to being exposed to acidic beer. I had chrome plated shanks that lost the chrome inside within a year.

 

[b-boy]

If you've got the money and don't mind spending it I say go with the SS. You'll never go wrong choosing with SS for any brewing application.

 

[241]

For me, I just paid the extra little bit to not have to worry about it. In my book, a few bucks extra to thwart all worries is money well spent.

 

[Peter_h]

I have both.

I have 5 of the 525SS (3 in use) and 2 of the 545PC because I tend to have a belgian, Heff or sour on tap at all times.

I have had the 525SS's for 2 years, they still look new.

I have had the 545PC's for less than a year and the plating is starting to come off on both. The one that has had sour beers go through it, the plating came off within 6 months and is now visible on the outside around the tip of the faucet. The other one is only really visible inside and you have to be looking for it. Unfortunately, there is no 545SS or I would have bought them instead.

The price difference for the SS is worth it IMO.

 

[BansheeRider]

The chrome wears off simply due to being exposed to acidic beer. I had chrome plated shanks that lost the chrome inside within a year.

Are they backed with a warranty?

 

[day_trippr]

Are they backed with a warranty?

That costs $13 extra...with the upgrade to the SS model...

Cheers!

 

[BansheeRider]

True Ok well I guess I'll go with SS model. Maybe I can sell my old faucets to help with the cost. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Dr. Francois]

Stainless. All of my PC flaked within 9 months.

 

[Pratzie]

Def go SS, i'm upgrading mine with my next paycheck.

True Ok well I guess I'll go with SS model. Maybe I can sell my old faucets to help with the cost. Thanks for the feedback!

And u def can, there's always someone out there who would buy it.

 

[hunter_le five]

Stainless. All of my PC flaked within 9 months.

Damn. I bought 3 chrome ones because the LHBS was sold out of stainless ones. I guess there was a reason for that. I haven't noticed any issues yet, but if they start flaking I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy some SS ones.