The Danby DKC5811BSL Keg Cooler (checkout the link to find current price and reviews on Amazon) is an excellent unit for the price you will have to pay. Danby is known to be a leader in refrigeration and specialty appliances. It is an american run family business operated across North America.
The appliance itself does everything it says it will, and does it well. One plus and ultimately the main reason for buying one of these items is the need for ice cold beer. This Danby kegerator fulfills that need and generally offers you the maximum value for the money spent.
Appearance
This model comes with a smudge free, spotless-steel exterior which shouldn’t look out of place in any type of decor. The kegerator boasts a trendy black/chrome beer tower dispenser. it’s surrounded by a chrome guardrail so as to keep your drinks safe during a night of partying or just plain relaxing. Just below the tower is a removable drip tray, made easy for cleaning.
It comes with a handy reversible door hinge which allows for the ultimate convenience for either a right of left handed opening. This cool appliance features a durable scratch resistant worktop. An aluminium floor plate protects the kegerator against wear and tear of kegs. The swivel castors at the foot of the appliance make it portable. The castors are optional and can be removed at anytime.
Features
Converts to a refrigerator
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When not using the appliance as a keg cooler it can be converted into a 5.8 cu. ft. (164 litre) all-refrigerator with 3 shelves.
Portability
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Four built-in swivel casters allow you to roll the kegerator anywhere, keeping the party going no matter the locale. Whether you want to serve in the kitchen, game room, garage, or anywhere else for that matter, cold beer can always be available.
Exquisite looking, identical to stainless steel but without the smudging. This appliance looks good in most rooms.
Reversible Door Hinge
Convenient for use by both the right and left handed drinker.
Automatic Defrost
Quickly defrost those kegs or stored items with this function. It also stops them from freezing up.
*Free shipping is included in the United States.
Components Included and Assembly
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1. All components to chill and tap a ‘D system’ domestic keg: 5lb C02 cylinder and mounting bracket, C02 regulator and hoses, Keg coupler and hoses, 3 inch insulated tower and chrome tap
2. Drip tray and chrome guardrail to prevent glasses from falling off
3. Wire keg stand.
The installation is pretty straight forward and all you need to do is follow the simple instructions in the manual. Once you have put the appliance together, all that’s left to do is fill up the CO2 tank and add your beloved beer keg. The carbon dioxide tank is mounted externally.
Full Size Pony Quarter Slim 5 Gallon D System 5 Gallon Pin Lock Keg
Acceptable Configurations:
- (1) Full Size Keg, 1/2 Barrel (124 pints)
- (1) Pony Keg, 1/4 Barrel (62 pints)
- (1) Slim-Pony Keg, 1/4 Barrel (62 pints)
- Up to (2) Sixth Barrel kegs, (42 pints each)
- Up to (2) Cornelius Homebrew kegs, (40 pints each)
This solid unit by Danby is designed to easily accommodate full and pony-sized kegs up to 60 liters in size.
| Product Width |
60.96 cm |
24 1/4″ |
| Product Depth |
60.96 cm |
24″ |
| Product Height |
88.90 cm |
35″ |
| Shipping Weight |
55.90kg |
123.24lb |
| Voltage |
120 volts |
|
| Wattage |
140 watts |
|
| Weight |
113 pounds |
|
Warranty
Danby provides 12 months warranty on both labour and parts with in-home service. Installation and/or Yearly Maintenance (cleaning) are not covered under warranty.
The warranty offered here is pretty standard, but it’s nice that the in-home service is offered.
Support
The Danby customer service can be reached Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 6:00pm, and 8:30am to 4:00pm on Fridays.
Phone: 1-800-263-2629
You can also email the company using consumerservice@danby.com. Danby customer support is well regarded and based in Findlay, Ohio.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free shipping
- Doubles as a fridge in case extra space is needed and you’ve run out of beer (not likely but always an option)
- Mobile, can easily be moved with flexible castors attached.
- Automatic defrost, makes it more efficient and stops freezing
- Elegant design and look
Cons
- Can sometimes be noisy
- Lacks humidity control, humidity is around 40% which is again not ideal for long term storage.
- Because it’s a cold temperature refrigerator, temperature constantly fluctuates. A circulation fan would be handy.
- The first pour of beer can sometimes be foamy when it hasn’t been used for a while
- Over-sized kegs don’t fit
Reviews from around the web
Reviews on this kegerator are stellar. Be careful if you read the reviews on Amazon because wine refrigerator reviews are mixed in with the kegerator reviews. When you isolate the kegerator reviews, you will see that they are quite good.
On Amazon it has a 3.6 out of 5 star rating with over 260 customer reviews at the time of writing.
We recommend the Danby DKC5811BSL Keg Cooler available at Amazon.
Where to buy and price?
The price of the DKC5811BSL varies, obviously depending on where you buy the product. It’s currently available at an excellent price for an entry level type kegerator on Amazon. This may be one of its biggest selling points.
Conclusion
A personal kegerator is a must for all lovers of beer. The Danby DKC5811BSL Keg Cooler is a good pick for someone looking for affordability and style. At this price, not many kegerators are able to offer so many features. These include a 5 pound C02 tank, and larger capacity. Considering all this, I believe this keg cooler is a good purchase.
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Some Q&A
Question: Do all the shelves slide out?
Answer: All shelving is removable.
Question: Is the cooling unit a thermometric or compressor unit?
Answer: Compressor
Question: Will this fit the taller Riesling bottles?
Answer: No, but you could take out a couple racks and they would fit.
Question: What are the correct dimensions? The tech data lists this as… 51 x 34 x 46.8 inches
Answer: The exact dimensions are 13.5″ wide, 20″ deep, and 18″ high. And btw, I bought it in Dec of 2012. It worked until Dec 2013. You have to clean the air filter on the back of unit periodically … which I did. That’s not a big deal … easy to do. It simply quit cooling, unless you call 73 degrees cool. It held normal sized and large wine bottles. Unfortunate that it just stopped working. It’s in my garage now and probably on the way to the trash bin.
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