The KC2000 is the best-selling kegerator from Edgestar. For many years, this was the only kegerator offered by Edgestar until they recently added the KC3000 and KC7000 lines. This is a cheap kegerator and as such has some capacity issues and a crappy warranty. It fills the needs of many users, but it is by no means a show piece to be displayed as a trophy in a mancave.
Appearance
The KC2000 kegerator has an all black plastic appearance common of most base, no frills model. Four casters can be added to the bottom for easy movement. There is a small wire side railing that makes it look a little less like a mini-fridge and also helps prevent clumsy moments of broken glass during parties. It is smaller than many models. Some sites even refer to it as a “slim” model despite the fact that it holds many full-sized kegs. Oversized kegs from Miller, Coors, and Yuengling are notable exceptions. The above illustration has a black tower, which is a cool touch, but you should expect a silver tower should you decide to buy this unit.
Capacity
Capacity is a big weakness of the KC2000. It will barely hold many full sized kegs, but oversized kegs are out. You are also limited to two corny kegs if you are a homebrewer. An over-sized keg is considered anything over 16 1/8 inches. Miller Coors is the most common oversized keg. The company has stated that they are switching to smaller shells, but this process will take many years.
Dimensions
– Internal Measurements: 28 inches tall, 16.75 inches wide, and 15.5 inches deep
– External Measurements with Tower: 48.5 inches tall, 20.1 inches wide, and 23.8125 inches deep
– Weighs: 81.6 pounds
Equipment
In addition to 4 casters, the KC2000 comes with a 5lb aluminum CO2 tank. This is a nice touch given the units cheap price. Some cheaper kegerators (notably the Nostalgia Electrics and Igloo brand models) come with 2.5lb tanks. 2.5lb tanks are not just a pain because they need to be filled more frequently. They also cost more over time as the price difference between filling 2.5lbs and 5lbs of C02 is often negligible. If you ever have the choice between a steel and aluminum C02 tank, I recommend taking the aluminum version. They weigh less and aren’t going to rust. Since the Edgestar is a smaller kegerator, the C02 tank is installed on the back. Larger kegerators that have the C02 tank on the inside perform a little better, but it isn’t a huge difference.
Is It Hard to Assemble?
Assembling a kegerator is a pain. If you are not a handy person, I recommend watching videos first. You can expect to spend at least an hour assembling the unit. 1 hour can easily grow into 3 though. The big thing is to make sure all your connections are tight. Leaks can make for a really bad day. Fortunately, you won’t need many extra tools. A screwdriver and a wrench will usually do it.
Warranty
Warranty is a major downside of the KC2000. The manufacturer provides 1 year protection for parts and 90 days for labor. Unlike some other manufacturers, like Kegco, the compressor does not come with a longer warranty. Some report that having Edgestar products serviced can be a pain. I doubt this will come into play for a kegerator since it is just a simple mini-fridge at its core.
Support
Edgestar support is available 8am-5pm CST Monday – Friday. Some reviews report receiving rude or argumentative responses. On the bright side, their support is based in the United States.
Phone: 1-866-319-5473
Company Background
Edgestar has been in business since 1999. The company is based in Austin, Texas and has an A BBB rating. 44 complaints have been closed over the last year. Most of the complaints are about faulty products. There is also a frequent theme of arguments about whether a product is being returned for buyers remorse or for being defective. If the product is returned over buyers remorse, they have to pay for return shipping in the original box and eat a 15% restocking fee. Given the size of these products, that can add up quickly. The best advice with any such large purchase is to do your research first and make sure the product fits your needs.
Additional Reviews
This product has generally good reviews on Amazon. It has a 4 star rating with over 40 reviews.
On Google Shopping, there is also a 4 star rating with over 180 reviews. The similarity between the ratings on Amazon and Google Shopping is always a good sign. If there was a big discrepancy, I would worry that someone was trying to game the reviews.
Price
Price is the biggest selling point of the Edgestar KC2000. During select sell periods, the model can be had for $449. It is more common for it to be priced in the $499 to $529 range. These prices include shipping costs. With such large appliances, you always want to make sure you are computing the out the door price with shipping and tax to do a fair comparison. You can buy the model from Edgestar directly on Kegerator.com. You can also buy it from them via Amazon. The advantage of the latter route is that Amazon might go to bat for you on the off chance you have an issue. No company wants to piss off Amazon, and their customer service will bend over backwards to make customers happy.
Summary
The KC2000 is a solid no frills, beginner kegerator. If you think of it that way going into the purchase, you are likely to be pleased. The important things to note are that it won’t fit over-sized half barrel kegs. The 90 day warranty on labor is also skimpy, but shouldn’t be an issue for the vast majority of people. As with most kegerator, you will have to manually defrost this unit. Assembly can be a headache for those who are not mechanically inclined, but there are videos to help. The big thing is to make sure all your beer lines are well put together. Overall, most people buying their first kegerator will be quite pleased with this purchase