*THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED*
Author: Marshall Schott
I’m pretty cheap when it comes to (everything) homebrewing equipment, preferring to balance price with quality rather than spending a paycheck on a sparkly big name item. Anyone who has seen my gear list has likely noticed my demonstrable disliking for things that plug-in, are too hard to clean, or add any hassle to my brew day. In my experience and opinion, good beer is the result of good practices, not expensive gear.
Then there are those things where price is commensurate with quality, where cheaper options provide shittier results, and where spending a little extra can make all the difference in the world. For people who package their beer in kegs, no other item represents this idea more than the faucet.
My first kegerator, which I regrettably and naively purchased pre-built, came with a dual-tap tower with standard chrome plated faucets. I clearly hadn’t done my research. After the excitement of being able to pour myself beer from a tap wore 
off, I was hit with the reality that these faucets fucking sucked. While I typically refrain from expressing such negative opinions, my experience with standard faucets was nothing short of aggravating. I recall once coming home after 2 short days away, stoked to pull a pint of something I’d brewed, only to find myself struggling like the dickens to get the damn thing to budge! I pulled so hard, I had to brace the entire kegerator, and even then, nada. In researching this issue, I discovered it was very common and caused by residual beer in the faucet drying up, leaving the internal moving components cemented in place. I eventually resorted to drizzling hot water over the faucets to loosen the beer-glue then pouring myself a pint, which I drank while looking for better options, as after only a couple months I’d had enough and began planning my first build.
Looking over a bunch of kegerator/keezer builds, I noticed many people were reporting satisfaction with Perlick faucets, noted for eliminating the stuck tap problem due to being “forward sealing.” At the time of my build, Perlick was still making the 525 series, so I purchased 3 of the stainless steel versions and installed them in an old refrigerator. Sure enough, they never stuck, not even after a week of no use, which was immensely satisfying. I went on to sell that kegerator and build the keezer I currently use, installing 5 more Perlick 525SS faucets initially then adding two more 525PC versions later on. All was good, until it happened…
Drips… leaks from the bonnet… sticky messes… lost beer…
All 5 of my original stainless faucets began to leak right around the same time. I did some research and discovered this was fairly typical for Perlicks, simply requiring the replacement of a couple o-rings to remedy. I bought, I replaced, and all was good. Until it wasn’t. More leaks, more mucking around, more hoping. Add to that the fact I couldn’t find a replacement for the defunct Bowie Bottler I’d recently misplaced and perhaps the frustration I experienced is more palpable. Ugh.
I’m certainly not here to talk shit on Perlick faucets, they did me good for awhile and, with a little love, I trust they would have lasted a lifetime. I’ve heard rumors the discontinuation of the 525SS/PC fuacets and release of 630SS/PC was in part to address the leaking issues. Still, my issue was personal– I’m lazy, I don’t like repairing things, and I really wanted a convenient solution for bottling from the keg. It’s actually this last part that ended up leading me to the faucets I’m here to discuss today.
While poking around for Bowie Bottler replacement parts, I landed on the Center Line Machining website, manufacturers of some neat aftermarket faucet parts, among many other things. One of these parts was a threaded bottling attachment for a faucet made by Vent-Matic, a company I’d heard of before but never really researched. So, I researched and learned quite a bit more than I bargained for.
My first stop on the path toward better beer pouring was the online homebrew retailer recommended by the aforementioned website, which said they weren’t able to sell Vent-Matic faucets due to “continuing legal matters between the original patent holder and the 2013 mfg. license holder.” Huh. Surely, I thought, Vent-Matic must have a website of their own. Yep! I was a bit surprised to discover they were selling faucets directly from their site. Curious, I shot off an email using the contact form and received a response just a couple hours later from Brad, the owner, who asked if we might setup a time to chat on the phone. Why not? Later that week, I received a call from Brad, and what I expected to last no longer than 10 minutes turned into a 1 hour discussion of the history of Vent-Matic, no dirty details spared. It’s not my place to relay everything Brad shared with me, though trust his plight to reacquire the company he started was hard fought and thankfully resulted in a positive outcome– Vent-Matic faucets are back!
At the end of our conversation, Brad offered to send me a few faucets in exchange for an honest review, despite never having heard of Brülosophy. I informed him of my standard product review practices, particularly that if I was displeased with his product I would provide him my feedback privately and give him the opportunity to opt out of a published review (this may seem odd to some, but it’s not terribly uncommon and is based on the idea that a lack of an endorsement means something; I’ve never had to do this because I only agree to review items I trust are great). Brad’s response was badass:
“I guarantee these will be the best faucets you’ve ever used, don’t worry about what I think, just do the review.”
Well, okay then. His confidence was reassuring. A few days later, the faucets arrived well packaged, Brad sent me the “full brushed” version per my request (there are 2 other cosmetic options). For the most part, they looked and felt like any other higher quality faucet I’d seen, with 2 main exceptions: removable nozzles and, interestingly, the handle lever inside the faucet (or “flow gate,” which stops the flow of beer when the faucet is closed) was not a sphere but more of a cube with rounded edges. Impatient to see how these bad boys would compare to my repaired Perlicks, I spent about 30 minutes disconnecting and cleaning lines, removing my old faucets, and installing the Vent-Matics. I really liked how the matte finish looked on my keezer.
Before connecting any beer lines, I pulled each handle to ensure everything was working right on the mechanical side of things. It seemed to and, let me tell you, these faucets just felt different, I likened it to pulling a lever in a military tank. Strong, burly, tough, solid. There was absolutely no give when the faucet was closed, something I’d experienced with my Perlicks, and everything lined up beautifully. With only minimal trepidation, I connected beer lines to kegs and pulled my first pour.
Whoa.
I figured things might be a little different, I’ve used numerous faucets over the years and each is slightly unique, but my word, these faucets were different– the feel of the handle movement, the way the beer poured out of the nozzle, how beer left the faucet once shut, and… no dripping!
Immediately pleased with just the performance of the faucet, I sort of ignored the beer I’d just poured and reveled in the fact this fantastic alternative existed while I proceeded to clean the faucets I’d just removed. No less than 5 minutes later, thirsty from all the scrubbing, I remembered there was a beer ready to drink sitting on my keezer. I know this sounds really nerdy, it is, but I was surprised almost to the point of bemusement at how the beer looked 5 minutes post-pour, namely how incredibly fluffy the head appeared.
This particular beer had been on tap for a couple weeks, I’d actually drank a pint poured from an old faucet just minutes before installing the Vent-Matics, it did not look like this. The novelty of my observation was matched by my first sip, not that the beer tasted any different, but rather the feel of the foam on my lips was something I can honestly say I’ve never experienced. What once was a fairly standard Kölsch that poured with a slight cap of quickly dissipating foam had become a fairly standard Kölsch that poured with a luscious, creamy, and super smooth head that hung around permanently and clung to the side of the glass.
If beer is about experience, which I wholeheartedly believe it is, then good head matters, and I’m here to say that Vent-Matic has given me the best head I’ve ever experienced. I’m skeptical by nature and will admit to thinking Brad was being perhaps a touch overzealous in his description of these faucets. I mean, how the hell can a faucet make all that big of a difference? The internals, how they work, even the way they look are pretty damn similar. He wasn’t kidding.
Wait, there’s more! I alluded to it earlier, one of my favorite features of Vent-Matic faucets– the removable nozzle.
Being able to remove the nozzle makes cleaning a cinch, just take it off and toss it in your cleaning solution of choice. And that’s not all it’s good for. Let’s say you want to fill a growler to take to a club meeting, 
but want to avoid over-foaming or oxidation, all you have to do is attach the growler filler nozzle and voila, no more fussing with tubing that slips off the tip of the tap. Now, for my favorite part– this same nozzle can be used to fashion a super convenient counter-pressure bottle filler, similar to my beloved Bowie Bottler! All you need is about 12″ of 1/4″ hose, a #2 stopper with small hole, and a 10-12″ length of 1/4″ ID plastic or stainless tubing. I plan to write a more dedicated how-to on this later, but basically, you attach one end of the hose to the nozzle, the other end to the tubing, then slide the stopper on the tubing. To fill, simply attached the nozzle to the faucet, place the tubing in the bottle about 1/2″ from the bottom, seal the stopper on the lip of the bottle, open the “flow gate,” then gently depress the stopper as the pressure in the bottle builds. No more dialing down your keg pressure or fussing with clunky bottlers, this is as easy as it gets. Center Line also machines and sells nozzles for Vent-Matic faucets that change the hole diameter to 8mm, which is purported to get rid of “hollow pours,” an issue I’ve yet to experience, though it’s cool to know a solution exists.
| THE VERDICT |
I’ve been using these faucets now for over a month and my appreciation for them has only grown stronger. I’m not usually one to make strong recommendations about products based on my own personal experience, I understand people have different preferences, and the fact is my experience with Perlick wasn’t all that bad. But I have absolutely no qualms saying…
Vent-Matic makes the best damn faucet I’ve ever had the pleasure to pour from. Period.
From this point forward, I’ll be recommending Vent-Matic faucets to anyone reaching out with questions about keezer/kegerator builds or upgrades. Consider it an endorsement, whatever, I assure you I am in no way affiliated with the company. Any money you spend on these faucets goes to support the growth of Vent-Matic, who is committed not only to producing the highest quality faucets but to keeping the manufacturing of their products right here in the United States. Whether you’re a homebrewer serving from a keezer in your garage or a professional brewer pouring from a pub, consider outfitting your rig with Vent-Matic faucets, I trust you’ll be just as pleased as me.
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127 thoughts on “Product Review | Vent-Matic Ultra Flo Faucets”
Great! Now I want to sell my 5 perlick 525’s and buy these. Damn you Brulosophy
In the spirit of paying it forward, I gifted all 7 of my Perlicks, all cleaned up, to friends.
Awfully nice of you, Mine aren’t that old and I need to sell them to fund the VM’s 😉
Wow! Thanks so much for the post, Marshall. I wondered what happened to Vent-Matic. I have four GOLD polish finished Vent-Matics (was going to post an image but can’t figure out how) from years ago. I could not agree more – they are THE best faucets available. Great to hear they are on the go again and I know what I’ll be purchasing for my upcoming keezer build. 🙂 Thanks again!
Cheers!
Neil
Glad to hear someone else’s experienced take, thanks Neil!
I have the old Perlick 425 faucets, which look similar. However, I found this review from 2005 comparing the two. Some great shots of the innards.
http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=44134
So get this– the 425 Perlicks were essentially a rip-off of the VM faucets, which led to Brad suing Perlick, hence the discontinuation of that model. Seriously, the story is long and fascinating!
Based on that review it sounds like the Vent-matic faucets allow the tap handles to spin, but they offer a stem that doesn’t rotate. I only see the one model on their website. Can anyone with the current model weigh in on if the tap handles spin?
Spinning tap handles?
The tap handles I use have a front/back (kind of like this: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ed/a9/f5/eda9f5f959f19875fb5859fe7e52efe3.jpg).
I currently have two beer faucets (both chrome-plated brass). One is rear-sealing, and the stem is indexed so it can’t turn. I can tighten down the tap handle and then bring the metal spacer up to match it and it will stay in place so the front will always face the same direction. The other faucet is a forward-sealing faucet (not perlick but similar). It has a round stem (not indexed), so once I tighten the tap handle on I can still rotate it in place. Every time I pour a beer the handle gets moved a little bit, so I’m constantly adjusting it to face the right way.
The newer style Perlicks have an indexed stem, so the handle can’t rotate once it’s tightened down. I’m curious if the current vent-matics are indexed or if they can rotate freely.
Honestly, I’ve no clue what you’re talking about, haha, but the handles fit exactly the same as my old Perlicks.
Tap handles do not spin
Spinning tap handles – must make filling a beer interesting
“Vent-Matic has given me the best head I’ve ever experienced.”… well, there’s the ad campaign.
I’ve got several Vent-Matics from years ago. I’ve tried many different Perlick’s etc. and been nothing but disappointed (anyone want to buy 4 SS Flow-Control Perlicks?). I recently switched back to my old Vent-Matics and oh man, the difference is astounding. Personally, I will never buy or recommend anything else.
This is so great to hear! I had so much trouble finding folks who used Vent-Matics, especially prior to the shitty years.
I should mention that my only complaint with my Vent-Matics is the occasional hollow pour you mention in your article. I will be ordering some of the new spouts for my faucets to see if it fixes the issue.
Mike sent me one to test out, I didn’t really notice a difference, but I have yet to experience this hollow pour phenomenon.
I dug up my old emails & it looks like I bought my VMs back in 2006. Other than cleaning I have done NO maintenance to them. I bought 4 of them total and I hate to put a number on it but must have at LEAST several-hundred gallons of beer through each. I’ve been trying all night to get a video of a hollow pour and so far all the pours have been perfect. Anyway, I’m geeked up to get the growler-filler and probably some new spouts to fix the problem I can’t seem to replicate. You mention Center Line and CHI above. Both sell VM Growler fillers. It seems like there are some changes/improvements to the newer faucets so I’m confused on which site has the filler for the old & which has it for the new. Or doesn’t it matter?
I don’t think the threads have changed. I’m almost certain the growler fillers on CHI are supplied by CenterLine, I’d just go through the source, but that’s me 🙂
What is a hollow pour?
It’s what happens on the first pull from a tap when it hasn’t been used for awhile, maybe a few hours. He beer basically comes out in a cylinder.
What I don’t like is the threads in the product zone for the removable nozzle. I guess since you can remove it, you can clean that, but I don’t like threads contacting beer or wort. Perhaps an updated design will move that o-ring up to the face of the nozzle. Think like Blichmann’s QuickConnectors.
…..damn you…..
Thanks Marshall, now I know what faucets to buy. Saved me some research buddy!
Aaron in Sequim
Marshall, first off, congrats on the AMA recognition, you’ve certainly earned it. Just a quick questions regarding the beer line with your setup. What temp/pressure do you serve at with these taps and what OD/length of line?
Thanks for all your great writeup, keep ’em coming!!
Thanks!
8′ of 3/16″ ID beer line served at ~43F
12 psi or so?
Sorry. 10-16 depending on style.
Dumb question – do all taps have the same fittings so I can swap out with the existing hardware?
I’m not certain. What hardware?
I have the perlics now – do these swap out?
Yeah.
I’m thinking of ordering some of these and the “back story” is mesmerising. Are these identical to the faucets sold at gfhinc.net / Beverage Equipment Company. The flow graphic and youtube videos seem to be linked?
I was under the impression Brad is the only one selling actual VM faucets at this time, I’d be concerned those other ones are knock offs… but I really don’t know.
I’ve tested both. The faucets from Beverage Equipment Company are crappy foam machines. Low carbonated beer is foaming even if I let out most of the pressure of the kegs. Really awful. The real Vent-Matics are great.
Will 1/2″ ID line fit over the “snout” and stay put for line cleaning? I would also do this for growler filling. I will be ordering 6 of these in the coming month to replace my Perlicks. Thanks
I finally received my taps today, 18 days. The top of the tap between the tap handle threads and the actual tap itself isn’t the brushed stainless it appears to be from the website pictures. Mine are chrome plated (something) and the chrome is already flaking off. Not exactly the quality I was looking for. I’ve emailed the company, hopefully, they can make it right.
What?! First off, I was under the impression all VM faucets were stainless, if you got chrome plated, that’s not right. Unless I’m wrong. You’ve every right to be frustrated, please let me know what comes of your communications with brad via email: marshall@beerconnoisseur.local
Their website changed in the past week. I emailed them about buying 6 and now they are 3 weeks out and you can’t buy through their site now.
I was also given quite the discount off retail which made this very appealing and I was about to put my 5 Perlicks up for sale and grab 6 of these. Looks like I will be waiting a bit longer. Hopefully the discount will still be applicalbe
Wait. So VM offered a discount of some sort? I’m a little out of the loop I guess. Feel free to email directly to discuss: marshall@beerconnoisseur.local
I ordered 6 faucets from Vent-Matic back on October 11th, and so far I’ve not received any sort of communication from them; I only got my PayPal receipt. When I ordered the website stated that orders were delayed by 1 week due to increased volume; however, when I checked back yesterday it stated that orders were delayed by 2-3 weeks.
Today they updated their website again, and it no longer mentions the order delay anywhere. They do now state regarding the chrome “The nut and cap at the top will be chromed brass as they do not touch the beer.” That was not stated on the website when I placed my order.
I’ve emailed them twice in 48 hours asking for a status update on my order, but have not heard back from them at all.
Just a quick update that I did get an email back from VM. They said “had a glitch that needed to be fixed at the manufacturing level of the faucets. We got that handled.” My faucets have now shipped and should be here Monday.
Looking forward to hearing how the new ones look!
Just wanted to close this out in case anyone is reading and on the fence about ordering these faucets. I placed my order on October 11th and received my faucets on November 2nd (so just about 3 weeks). Communication was a bit lacking during the order process, but I did get responses to my inquiries, and now that the faucets are installed on my keezer I could not be happier.
The first pour, and all subsequent pours over the first night they were installed were just perfect.
Just to followup on my earlier post, I can finally say my request with Vent-Matic has been closed. Due to my earlier issues, I was given the opportunity to test their next gen taps. I was also offered a set of tips for the taps. (tips came in today.) I am very satisfied with the faucets, as Marshall mentioned in his review, these taps feel “beefy” and certainly pour a great beer! I haven’t tried the various tips yet, but I don’t see them changing the pour significantly. I have no complaints with the faucets at all. That being said, there are some pretty serious problems dealing with Vent-matic as a company. They have consistently not met their commitments, especially in the communication realm. Something I personally have little patience for, is saying one thing and doing another. As others have also mentioned, I (hope)think they are just experiencing growing pains and weren’t prepared for the popularity this blog garners. I, like Marshall, can’t recommend against these faucets, but I beg some patience with the process because it will be needed.
I can’t get these guys to answer an email. My son has three of their faucets and likes them. I’m leery of ordering from them if I can’t even get them to answer an email.
That’s partially my fault. They’re a small business who got way more exposure than either of us expected from the review. Sorry.
Could you tell me if there is a compensator on it?
I tried emailing them with the same question but they don’t seem to react…
A compensator? I’m not sure what that is, but I don’t think it has one.
Hi Marshall,
A compensator as in:
http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Taprite_Flow_Control_Faucet_p/taprite-bf3000.htm
A very nice gadget so you don’t have to mess with the length of beerlines and other stuff.(flow control)
Thanks!
Erick (from the Netherlands)
Flo-control IMO is really silly. I can see it being beneficial if you have an overcarbed keg maybe, but even at that it’s something I doubt I would ever use. I’d rather have secondary regulators for carbing at different levels. That’s also on my wishlist along with these faucets.
Secondary regs are awesome, expensive, but I’d never go back.
Do you know if their “stout” faucet attachment has any purpose other than cosmetic?
Not a clue.
The stout spouts works like the nozzle in an ordinary stout faucet, with standard restrictor disc and flow straightener. Turns the Ultra-Flo into a stout faucet.
http://www.tapcooler.no/images/products/6-vent-matic-stout-spout-3.jpg
http://www.tapcooler.no/images/products/6-vent-matic-stout-spout-2.jpg
That’s awesome! Wonder how that would pour on CO2 vs nitro. No nitro yet
It’s like with any other stout faucet. With proper pressure you’ll get a creamier texture with CO2 (while risking getting too much CO2 in the stout). But it can’t be compared to using nitro. Anyway, there’s no point in using nitro without a stout faucet, so getting the stout faucet (like the Ultra-Flo with a stout spout) is a good start.
Based on Marshall’s endorsement (and a leaky Perlick issue in the recent past) I went ahead and contacted Vent-Matic on the 26th of October to inquire about shipping 5 faucets to Canada. I received a reply within 12 hours and after a couple of back and forth emails I pulled the trigger and received the faucets today (about 5 weeks from initial contact)..pretty darn good for a cross border purchase. Upon unwrapping them from their protective bubble wrap I must say I couldn’t be more impressed with the casting and finish of these faucets. All 5 are blemish free, a beautiful brushed finish, perfect threads and grooving. The stems are indexed (no spinning handles) and if the cap and bonnet are indeed chromed brass then I am impressed..wow.. the finish perfectly matches the rest of the faucet. Couldn’t be happier with my decision.
I ordered two of the Vent-Matic faucets. It was a mixed bag. One of the faucets spouts was stained (it looked like rust stains that had been wire brushed). Im not sure how stainless steel could be stained but it was. It was obvious enough where it should not have gotten by the quality inspection.
Once installed one of the faucets exhibited a leak at the tower connection. I re-installed it a few times but the leak persisted. I re-installed the Perlick faucet and the leak went away. I’m not sure why the Vent-Matic leaked and the Perlick didn’t.
I requested a return authorization and will be returning both of them once I receive it.
I can’t recommend contacting VM customer service more, they’ve been very apologetic of such mistakes to the few I’ve heard from with similar experiences, all of whom now have wonderful working faucets.
Not sure about the stained spout, but I also had one of six faucets I receive leak initially. Turns out it was missing the o-ring that goes where you screw the faucet to your shank, so you might want to check that. I contacted VM and they sent me two o-rings right away.
They have been out of stock since december, been waiting and not in yet. I had contacted them and response was fast…initially, i then emailed back for some questions and didn’t hear back after a week,i emailed them again,two weeks now. I wanted to put my money on these,but since they are not in stock, no customer service, perlicks are on sale, and they are not 100%, got confirmed they ship with the nut on top brass/chrome. i have a whole system set up all SS, and i would like the nut even if it dosent come with contact with the beer SS, just like the perlicks do.
Such a bummer, sorry man. I have to believe the fact the VM faucets are out of stock is a good sign. I absolutely love mine, but totally understand your predicamentz
Apparently they’re still having issues with quality. This is the message on their website:
“We are currently working with new manufacturers to provide an outstanding product. Until then, you may see some “seconds” showing up for sale on our site. While they may have a few external nicks and scratches, we guarantee these faucets will work the same as our mirror polished faucets. They’re litterally the same faucet, just with a few external blemishes.”
To me it sounds like they already dumped a bunch of seconds on their current customers. I’ve spent the last month trying to get a return label from them. Initially had some responses then nothing. I ended up turning it over to Payal to see if they could get a response.
I personally would not do business with them again. The first generation Vent-Matics a few years back were horrible. I returned them immediately. Based on your current review I assumed they had their quality issues under control. This was not the case (at least for the two faucets I received).
Poor quality and sporadic customer service.
To be fair, the “first generation” faucets came out quite awhile ago, what you got were the poorly made licensed version. Yeah, they sucked. Unfortunately, VM has been struggling trying to keep inventory of the high quality faucets I reviewed, hence their search for a new manufacturer, which has led to some people receiving lower quality product. I hate that this is happening and have been in contact with VM.
I am going through the same experience right now. I was getting responses in December, since the new year I have heard nothing. I am extremely frustrated and just want to get my money back and be done with this company.
Good luck. I filed a claim withPaypal and ended up with a refund through them.
Sorry to hear that, man. I’ll be communicating with VM soon.
Thanks Jeff, I will try that.
With I had bought some back in October when I first saw this post 🙁 Everything appears to be sold out and I’ve tried reaching out to them at their listed primary and alternate email addresses with no luck. Really want to support their small business. Let us know if you hear anything about when/if taps will be available again!
Just emailed VM. Their inventory issues are a huge bummer.
Agreed. I’m just about to build my keezer and would love to start with these. Thanks!
Their website is down now. Don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from them recently?
I haven’t 🙁
Another one bites the dust it seems
This isn’t the first time they have bit the dust. Glad I kept my Perlick’s and didn’t order these. Reminder, I do need to source new seals for mine.
I bought a pack of 100 for like $6 on Amazon.
My 525’s have 4 seals, and only 2 are the same. I found a “set” for a $1.50, but they wanted $8 shipping. $17 for 6 sets of seals is a bit rich for this homebrewer.
So I pulled the trigger on the intertap taps a couple weeks ago and couldn’t be happier! Beautiful pours! Time will tell of course but I’m happy!
I’ve been in touch with them several times recently. They are making a custom version of the Ulta-Flo V for us, and we just received some samples. Brilliant beer taps! 🙂
Just got an email from Brad. They’ve had an unexpected issue with the web site, and are working on fixing the problem.
I’ve emailed them at least 2 times over the last month and have yet to receive a response. Because of that, I’m hesitant to recommend their product.
I’d like to have that email. They got my money, I got ripped off
They definitely seem to be DOA. None of the contacts work, all forms of contact (Facebook, website) are gone. It’s a damn shame, they made nice faucets.
Couldn’t agree more.
Considering Vent-matic’s faucets appear to be unavailable again, if anyone’s looking for a similar faucet, Intertap’s seem to be almost identical to Vent-matic’s: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=567485&page=2#18
It’s speculation, but they may be similar enough that they infringed on Vent-matic’s patent, as they somewhat mysteriously disappeared from the US stores. But they are still available from several sellers in Canada (that ship to the US) or Australia (where Intertap is located).
I never got to try a Vent-matic (wanted to wait until the quality issues were resolved), but I’ve compared my Intertap faucets to Perlick’s 630 faucets and I think the Intertap pours much better.
I don’t believe Intertap is available in the US currently, unfortunately.
No one’s mentioned any US carriers still selling them, but the last few pages of the homebrewtalk.com post I listed mention several people getting Intertap faucets internationally. The cost, even with shipping, is still usually less than or about equal to the cost of buying a Perlick.
Theres a Canadian company that ships to the US, Aliexpress (China) ships to the US, though it takes about a month, or directly from Australia (the current exchange rate balances out the extra cost of shipping).
Couldn’t recommend the Canadian website more. Ordered two FC Intertaps, stout faucet and growler filler on Wednesday afternoon, arriving from Canada today. Free shipping also!
Would you mind sharing the link again, please? I’m chatting with the Keg King folks currently, trying to put something together for those interested in these apparently great faucets.
Sure thing! I bought mine from Brew Pump, which is a sister site of Ontario Beer Kegs that actually ships to the U.S. Here is the link for all their faucets: http://www.brewpump.com/category-s/2025.htm . They have both regular Intertaps and the Flow Control Intertaps. It’s free shipping on $100+, I placed my order wednesday afternoon. Got a notice about an hour later that they shipped, and two days later they are waiting for me at my door. I’ll update when I get home if there were any problems.
Without doing a ton of back reading, what is so special about these over Perlick?
I like that they’re more sturdy and don’t leak like all of my 525SS faucets did.
My 525’s are still leak free after a couple years. I would like to upgrade to SS at some point so having choices is always a good thing
Have to say I was hesitant to order the Intertaps when I found out they might be patent infringing. I’ve heard lots of discussion on both sides of that argument, but nothing concrete. I ordered 6 Vent-Matics when they first came back on the market, and I’ve been nothing but pleased with them. There was a bit of a communication gap when I first ordered them, but that was right when this article came out, so understand the unplanned for publicity caused them some problems, but once they responded to my email the communication was regular, and I had my faucets about 3 weeks after I ordered them.
I’ve been wanting to replace 4 Perlicks on my kegs at work that I’m unhappy with, and I’ve been waiting for Vent-Matics to come back in stock to do so. Once the website went down and I saw Marshall’s new post, I figured it was a lost cause, so I pulled the plug on 4 Intertaps using the brewpump website posted here. Not only did my order ship within an hour of placing it, but when I emailed as I accidentally forgot to add the auto-closure springs to my order, I got an email saying they couldn’t charge me for them as they didn’t have my card on file, so they just threw them in for free.
Talk about your customer service!
I bought two Intertaps when they first became available. They are very well made, and great quality! I installed them last week and so far har been working flawlessly. I’m really happy with my purchase and would recommend these to anyone who wants to replace their current tap/faucet.
The forward seal on both the Perlick 525SS and the 630PC’s that I have are a standard o-ring size. I’ve not tried to replace any of the others yet, but going from the stock nitrile (BUNA-N) to the red Silicone seals seemed to really improve the quality of the seal on both the Perlicks. The 630SS/PC’s are a much better design though. I picked up my 525SS’s used and for the price I did alright. The seals IIRC were #104 (double check as I don’t have it in front of me now) for the forward seal O-ring. $3.24/25 is the current Amazon price as of a few minutes ago if you are a prime guy.. the same place sells on e-bay if you are not. I now am to the point that any time I need to buy a seal for anything, I break out the calipers and look at the charts on the web, and order packs of 100 of them in silicone.
Having said that, the InterTaps are interesting and I’ve heard rumors there might end up being a prior art challenge to VM anyway. Shame that for the most part they became a patent troll.
Does anyone know what happened to Ventmatic, or what’s happening with their business? A previous post on this website indicates they were having technical problems with their website, but I find it strange that they also completely deleted their facebook page and all contact information. Their faucets are beyond amazing, worth every penny.
I’ve reached out a couple times and haven’t heard back. I also reached out to Keg King, the Australian company behind Intertap. While they shared nothing conclusive, I’ve developed a theory as to what is going on, I could totally be wrong. Here it is:
Brad (owner of VentMatic) realized he didn’t have the capacity to deal with such high volume effectively, but loved that interest in his product was growing (they’re great faucets). After someone (ahem) asked about a very similar looking faucet design by Intertap being sold by a certain online retailer, Brad contacted them with legal threats (this I know occurred). However, since Keg King isn’t in the US, not much could happen– the online retailer was forced to stop selling Intertap faucets, that’s it. Here’s where most of the theory comes in…
Brad continued to correspond with Keg King/Intertap, as apparently they did rely on one of his old “good” blueprints (with updates) for their faucets. Realizing he didn’t have the ability to meet the growing demand, Brad proposed a royalty plan with Keg King wherein they would get exclusive rights to his US patents in exchange for a cut of the profits.
I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if you start seeing Intertap faucets popping up all over the place within the next year or so. And I think this is awesome. After chatting with the Keg King folks, I realized they are far more equipped than Brad to meet the growing demand, and their faucets seem to be just as good if not better than VentMatic, at a lower price point with more options.
Again, just a theory…
Just got in a couple intertaps (cheap for SS, btw), along with the growler filler attachment and a nitro faucet adapter. Very, very good quality.
Interesting theory, thanks for the thoughts!
This is all fine and dandy that the sold their product except I’m stuck here with $400 worth of useless vent-matic merchandise, not inter tap.
Why would the Vent-Matic merchandise be worthless? I have 6 VMs at home and love them. I ordered 4 of the Inter-Taps for work, and they’re very nice, but not quite as nice as the VMs.
My main issue was i ordered 3″ shanks and they sent 6″ shanks and with my kegerator setup the 6″ ones are too long. I attempted to go through paypal to have my money refunded for the shanks as ventmatic will no longer respond to any attempts to contact them, but unfortunately because i waited longer than 7 days to report to paypal (i made a number of attempts to contact, and was told new parts were being shipped to me) they won’t do a chargeback to ventmatic. This unfortunately has left me with useless product until i am ready to fork out another $200 for new shanks.
Useless? $400 sounds like you have actual faucets in addition to other stuff. Why not put them to use?
Definitely not defending Vent-Matic here, but I still don’t get it…
6″ shanks are like $20. Just order those and sell the 3″ ones you received, and you should be all set? The Vent-Matics don’t require a special shank.
Also, not sure I understand about swapping nozzles between the VMs and Intertaps? They both come with nozzles, so why do you need to swap them?
The problem is the interchangeable nozzles aren’t compatible between the two. I’m in the same boat.
Well, I have the vent-matics. They’re great. However, I didn’t anticipate the company evaporating, so now I can’t get a growler filler nozzle, or a stout nozzle.
Ahhh, maybe you could try reaching out to the Centerline folks (http://centerlinemachining.com/homebrew.htm). They made those parts for VM anyway, and only stopped selling them directly on their website once the new VM website got so popular (after this review). Maybe they could help you out?
Well, as it happens, I’m currently working on a little project that includes filler nozzles that fit the Vent-Matic faucets– I’m calling in The Brü Bottler and it allows for counterpressure filling of bottles/growlers directly from the faucet without the need to change psi. The VM version (which also works with 400 series Perlicks) is going for $35, which includes shipping and a Brülosophy sticker. Shoot me an email if you’re interested: marshall@beerconnoisseur.local
The nozzles are available through The Chi Company.
So Ventmatic delivered a gang of faucets, some good and some bad. I received one that leaked and one that had some severe staining in the steel.
I contacted them and they assured me they would send out a new nozzle for the one I had that was defective. I contacted them two more times and both times they said they’d send out the replacement. It never happened. When I requested a return authorization for both of my faucets (the one that leaked and the one with the stained nozzle) they never answered me. Other people tried to contact them and couldn’t get to them either.
The posting on their website said that all faucets had been sold and that they were working on lining up a new manufacturer due to quality issues.
They stopped answering e-mails and stopped responding to inquiries.
Then they said they were having temporary issues with their website. Their e-mail account had some phantom problem that was going to take days to fix. It’ll be fixed soon they said. Like many of their other promises this never happened.
Then within days they shut down their website, closed their facebook account and e-mail accounts and basically left all their former/current customers hanging.
No repair parts, no customer support and no explanation.
Good riddance, hopefully they’re gone for good.
I’m so sorry.
Yup, they got me for 2 faucets and 5 plastic handles. Still trying to get money back from PP. I have 3 VM faucets and not sure what I’ll do with them. I’d like all my faucets to match. I hope VM are gone for good. Serves Brad right IMO. Nothing worse than someone stealing, no matter their situation. Maybe the KK faucets will be worth it, and they deliver apon payment.
Keep it up Marshall!
so…. Where the heck can I buy these amazeballs faucets from?!?!!??!? Their website isn’t working..
MoreBeer sells them:
https://www.morebeer.com/products/intertap-sealing-stainless-steel-beer-faucet.html?a_aid=brulosophy
Hello, I apologize for all the problems with Brad and ventmatic. GFH Inc is the manufacturer of these faucets. Brad private labeled them for vent-matic. Intertaps are knockoffs out of Australia. http://gfhinc.net is the manufacturer and has rights to the patent. If you wish to buy them http://beverageequipmentcompany.com is the only distributor. We have been in business for 40 years and will not be evaporating anytime soon. We have a stout tips as well as growler fillers.
Thank You,
Greg
Beverage Equipment Company
9555 S Howell Ave
Oak Creek WI 53154
414-764-2211
greg@beverageequipmentcompany.com
And the plot thickens!
It was a good day to have just come across the existence of Vent-matic!
Wow, so now I am confused as it looks like that Intertap is the same thing as Vent-matic? I did go to the website above for the vent-matic and they’re listed, just more expensive then the Intertap to trying to figure out why i would go that route and spend more for the same product. That is if Intertap is the same but you did post it from morebeer.com.
They are not the same thing. gfhinc.net is the manufacturer with patent.
Ahh Thank you! I guess I have a little thinking to do. Hard for me to drop close to $270 bucks for another 6 faucets when I could get 6 SS Intertap for around $170 and have only heard good reviews about that product as well compared to perlicks.
I didn’t have any luck finding these taps… email to gfhinc bounced back and no replies from beverage equipment company… Maybe I need to make my own
Sold the latent to Keg King, who now sells them as Intertap. Great faucets.
Kegland not keg King have the intertap facets. Also they have been superseded by the new nukataps (which are awesome). Still with all the same fittings that fit the intertap taps.
It was King King at the time of this article (I still have emails to confirm). The switching of hands has been quite interesting…
It has been Keg King all the time, even if Kegland also used the name and design belonging to Keg King. I guess I prefer the classic VentMatic design over the new sex toy inspired one…