Big Fan Tailgating shipped me a Gamer Beverage Dispenser to test out during the last two Texas A&M games.  Timing was right to test and for the product launch.  Two games, six days.  Plus the all-new product hits shelves and the internet just in time for the holidays and can be found at BigFanTailgating.com

Upside: You Look Marvelous.

When you take a look at the image to the right you’ll notice that the product looks great.  The Dispenser, in fact, was the talk of the tailgate prior to the Texas A&M vs. Kansas game.  People wanted to put the product through its paces.

The product simply looks stellar with wonderfully matched school colors and logos.  To borrow from Billy Crystal’s Fernando character of Saturday Night Live fame – “You look marvelous.”  I’ve included a video of Crystal and former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to serve as a friendly reminder of the catch phrase.  Great stuff.

This I know, a true sports fan would be very excited to receive this product—it simply looks wonderful.

The Downside: Judging a Book Completely By It’s Cover

While it looks great, my tailgate team had difficulties with the prototype unit that Big Game Tailgating provided to us for testing.  The seal at the bottom leaked.  The dispenser leaked more than the porous Kansas Jayhawk secondary that we saw on Kyle Field a few hours later during the Aggies 61-7 victory.   The excitement we originally felt for the Dispenser went away in about 15 seconds when we realized the unit couldn’t be used.

The leak problem was big enough that I let their president know about the issue first thing Sunday morning.  The next day he sent me a note advising that they had inadvertently shipped me a pre-production sample for the Aggies Dispenser.  The final Aggies unit, in its finished format, actually would not ship until mid-December.

To make right and for more testing purposes they sent me a Georgia replacement dispenser.  Exceptional customer service and a background that includes licensed big school products for Tailgate Tables, Washer Tosses, the Chill Stick and many more tailgate oriented items helped to set Big Fan Tailgating apart.  Two days later I had the replacement helmet.

When the Georgia helmet arrived I quickly assembled the product—took 5 minutes—and then placed water in the container portion of the product.  I wanted to be certain the water held overnight with no leaks at all.  It did so with no problems.

So while this background is important to mention, it seems that Big Game Tailgating has the seal issue solved.  Moreover, any issues should be handled quickly and smartly via their customer support.

What It Isn’t?

At first glance, the Dispenser looks like a blender.  It’s decidedly not.  It is simply a very good-looking beverage dispenser.  Title says so, but at a glance—both inside and outside the box—it’s what you might mistake the product for being.

Pricing

To be the cool kid on the tailgating block, it’s going to set you back $149.  Arguably small change in today’s team tailgating environment, but not exactly low cost for a single tailgater.

Without asking, I suspect much of the cost goes into licensing the product.  The helmet, the dispenser and the stylized container all look and feel nice.  Think nice plastic football helmet, not official helmet and you get a sense for the product.  The dispenser adds to the tailgate look and feel with a nice football tap as a finishing touch.

The base of the dispenser is solid and as another nice touch the company provides a drip collector with a magnet base that smartly clings to and adjusts underneath the aforementioned tap.

Competitor

In a segment all it’s own—the collegiate licensed dispenser is a product that makes sense; however, a quick look around the web shows that the Margaritaville Bahamas Frozen Concoction Maker is available for $50 more–priced at $199.

Several problems for the above mentioned product.  Do you have the generator? Can you pull the wattage? Just as important . . . Are you willing to go lime green?  For Seattle Seahawk and Oregon Duck fans, the Blender makes perfect sense.

For the rest of us?  We’ll have to wait until collegiate licensed blenders become more widely available or until Dave and team attempt to convert a blender in the same way that they’ve converted Margaritaville grills into Custom Tailgating Grills in the past.

Final Recommendation

Gamer Beverage Dispenser–You Look Marvelous!  Form sometimes trumps function in the tailgating world and such is this case for this all-new product from Big Game Tailgating.  If you are looking for a cool, new tailgating idea this holiday season, then this product comes through in the clutch. For more information or to buy one of your own go to bigfantailgating.com or just click HERE.

For more articles written by Foster “Jim” Flint click here.