The Edgestar KC3000 is a relatively new product, but initial reports have been stellar. Capacity is one of the main highlights. This model can hold all full sized kegs or up to three homebrew kegs. New features such as an external led temperature display add a touch of class. My biggest knock against this unit is the 90 day warranty on labor Edgestar provides. 90 days isn’t a strong demonstration of faith in the longevity of the product. Freestanding operation is required. Said another way, this model does not vent in a manner that allows it to be installed under a counter.
Appearance
The KC3000 is your standard black plastic kegerator. It is larger in size than the KC2000. The other noticeable difference is the digital display. It comes with four black casters that can be added for easy movement. It also has a rail for the top edge. The tailing helps give the kegerator a distinct look from the mini-fridge. Customers can also find this model in stainless steel versions. There are also dual and triple faucet versions that allow users to dispense beer from multiple kegs at once.
Capacity
Capacity is one of the biggest selling points of the KC3000. This model can hold any full-sized kegs, including over-sized kegs, like those from Miller Coors and Yuengling. It can also hold up to three corny kegs for the homebrewer. It is a tight fit, but this unit can also hold three sixth barrels. A myriad of combinations are allowed by this larger capacity kegerator, including 1 slim + 1 sixth and 1 slim + 1 corny.
Dimensions
External without beer tower: 33.5 inches tall, 23.625 inches wide, and 23.375 inches deep
Weighs: 79.5 pounds
Equipment
In addition to the metal guardrail visible in the first picture of this article, there is a drip tray. A drip tray can only help you from making a mess if there are literally a couple dribbles of beer. If there is an actually overflow moment, you are SOL. The beer will easily overflow from the drip tray and make a mess everywhere. 4 casters are also included to easily move the unit. Casters make it to where 1 person can roll a kegerator with ease. This is an important feature because the KC3000 lacks automatic defrost. That means you will have to roll this unit outside or to the garage to let the accumulated ice melt from time to time. A 5 pound C02 tank is provided with this model. This is always a nice touch because many of the cheaper kegerators ship with a 2.5 pound C02 tank. In those situations, the customer can either pay another 50 bucks to upgrade the tank or pay more over the long run filling the smaller tank.
Assembly
Assembly of the KC3000 usually takes 1-3 hours. Few additional tools are required beyond a screw driver and a wrench. A clearly written product assembly guide is available halfway down on the page here. There currently are not any assembly videos for the KC3000 on Youtube. I recommend watching the videos for the KC2000 as the process will be very similar. I am posting the one on the tower because that and connecting the beer lines will be the trickiest part for most people.
Warranty
Warranty is an area where Edgestar really needs to step up and start standing behind its products better. The KC3000 has a sufficient 1 year warranty on parts, but the warranty on labor is only 90 days. A 90 day warranty is what many manufacturers provide on refurbished products, so to see that on a brand new product, it feels like a red flag. That said, very few people will have to use the warranty and reliability reports on the KC3000 have been stellar.
Support
Edgestar support can be reached Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM. Some people report gruff or curt experiences with support. I recommend thinking clearly about how the problem with the product is the manufacturers fault before calling. If you can clearly convey that the parts were faulty, they won’t have much of an excuse not to replace them.
Phone: 866-319-5473
Company
The parents company of Edgestar is Living Direct Inc. They are headquartered in Austin, Texas. They also own and operate Kegerator.com. As a result, the KC3000 kegerator is currently only available on the Kegerator.com site. Living Direct has an A rating on BBB. There have been 44 complaints filed over the last 12 months. They have been in business since 1999.
Additional Reviews
Reviews are scant for the KC3000. It currently has a 5 star rating on Kegerator.com with 2 reviews written. Edgestar has had problems keeping this model in stock. I take this latter problem as a good indication about the quality of the model. Consumers on Twitter and on beer forums have also raved about the quality and capacity.
Price
The standard price of the KC3000 is $699. This price includes shipping costs. Fortunately, Kegerator.com only charges sales tax in a handful of states (Nevada, Texas, South Carolina). While this price is nearly $200 more than the KC2000, the KC3000 is a substantial step up. I highly recommend considering this model over the KC3000.
Competing Models
The most comparable model to the KC3000 is the Kegco K309B-1. The Kegco has a lower base price, but that price does no include tax. As a result the total shipped price of the K309B-1 is usually $75 to $100 more expensive than the KC3000. The biggest advantage of the K309B-1 is a 5 year warranty on the compressor and a 1 year warranty on parts and labor. Since few people will use the warranty, I personally would go for the cheaper priced KC3000.
Summary
The KC3000 is a great addition to the Edgestar lineup of kegerators. It’s main advantage is capacity. The fact that it can hold all full-sized kegs or 3 corny kegs is a huge plus for the avid beer fan. Edgestar has had supply chain issues, but we expect those matters to be resolved in short order. While we wish Edgestar would stand behind their products with a longer warranty, this will not be an issue for most consumers and extended warranties can always be purchased separately for those concerned about reliability. Overall, the KC3000 is a great model.
