Best air hose?

Need to buy a long (50-100 ft) air hose. All I've ever used are the heavy rubber type. Interested in maybe trying the newer polyurethane or other, but looking for recomendations from you all.

Cold weather use isn't a big deal for me. Not that it doesn't get cold here in Cleveburg, but I'm not outside fussing with the air hose when it is.

I do want something that uncoils easily, lays flat and doesn't coil around your feet all the time, and coils back up easily. And with a long hose, lightweight would be a plus too.

Reviews on amazon are the usual mixed bag...best ever...worst ever...

I won't be giving it full time heavy use, so extreme durability really isn't a requirement either.

I think 1/4 inch is fine, won't be driving sanders or sprayers or impact wrenches, just typical nailers and staplers.

Don't mind spending a bit to get something that won't annoy me for the rest of my life.

TIA,

Paul F.

Reply to
Paul Franklin
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I found that automotive rubber fuel line hose works just peachy for what you describe. It takes 120PSI indefinitely (yeah, I get lazy or forget to uncouple it after I'm done). All the plastic hoses I've tried get stiff below about 60F. Art

Reply to
Artemus

Just buy brand name stuff. A lot has to do with how you stow it. That is where it can develop kinks. I have mine on a tire rim, folded in a one over one under lay so that it does not come off spiraled. The reels are nice, too. I got a 50 footer and a 100 footer at yard sales CHEAP, and I hardly ever pull out the 100. I have quick connects on everything.

Steve

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Reply to
Steve B

I have both the poly and the rubber. The poly hose lies down flat and straight till I put the air to it, at that point, it curls up like a lawnmower hitting a Slinky=99. Then I have to straighten it all out again. Then, when you least expect it, the damned thing forms a perfect loop in front of your feet, and you don't see it because you're carrying an open box of sorted screws.

I have a 50 ft blue rubber hose I got from the Snap-On truck decades ago, it is my favourite.

Reply to
Robatoy

Here in Canada my recommendation would be the "tundra" air hose from Princess Auto. It is PVC. You can buy it from JM Ellsworth in Milwaukee in the states

Reply to
clare

PVC, really? I have some of the Chiwanese PVC hoses and they're stiff as hell under 60F temps.

Paul:

The black rubber hose from HF is horrid. It reeks of chemicals and rubber, and it's not very pliable.

I bought a couple 50' lengths of poly hose (transparent blue 1/4" from and eBay vendor) for my staple guns and it works well. It's less stiff than the PVC, by far. It's lightweight, too, so I love it for that. But it won't run an air chisel or other high-air-use tool for long. I'm very glad I bought it and it has definite uses, both in my shop and in the field on my air pig.

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whatever that is.

The old (30 years ago) Snap-On hose felt like microsuede and was wonderfully pliable at any temp, they didn't kink, and they cost an arm and a leg to buy. I wonder if they're still made.

I was disappointed when I checked out the Goodyear Pliovic hose. It felt much like the stiff PVC hose from HF. The Goodyear rubber hoses might still be good and tough, though.

I'd suggest going to local body and auto repair shops to check out the hoses they use now, Paul.

-- Woe be to him that reads but one book. -- George Herbert

Reply to
Larry Jaques

I use a heavy 1/2" PVC type that is clumsy but has a large capacity and sturdy. I also use a light 1/4" rubber hose for the last 25' so I do not fight with the heavy unit all the time, at the tool. This gives me length options .

I also own a synthetic rubbery type hose that is very flexible but do not recommend it. It acts like a coiled spring when it gets a twist and has been caught up in my feet many times. Very soft and seems very nice when I bought it but the tangle problem gets dangerous.

The natural rubber one on the last few feet seems to be a good compromise for pressure drop and toughness.

Cold weather use isn't a big deal for me. Not that it doesn't get cold here in Cleveburg, but I'm not outside fussing with the air hose when it is.

I do want something that uncoils easily, lays flat and doesn't coil around your feet all the time, and coils back up easily. And with a long hose, lightweight would be a plus too.

Reviews on amazon are the usual mixed bag...best ever...worst ever...

I won't be giving it full time heavy use, so extreme durability really isn't a requirement either.

I think 1/4 inch is fine, won't be driving sanders or sprayers or impact wrenches, just typical nailers and staplers.

Don't mind spending a bit to get something that won't annoy me for the rest of my life.

TIA,

Paul F.

Reply to
Josepi

--------------------------------------- The first issue you need to resolve is pressure drop.

1/4" & 3/8" hoses have lots of pressure drop if any significant footage is involved. 100 ft is a bunch by my way of thinking.

As a result, my approach is as follows:

2 PCs, 1/2" x 50 ft black rubber hose.

Gives you 100 ft of hose that is probably stiffer than a bull's pecker in fly time, but NBD since it's not going to move around much..

You are trying to cover footage with minimum pressure drop.

You are able to get about 100 ft from the compressor site at minimum cost.

SFWIW, About 4-5 years ago, I got some GoodYear 1/2" black rubber hose from Harber Freight for about $25/50 ft length.

Now if the time for convenience.

A 3/8" x 50 ft of quality flex hose or coil hose provides an additional 40 ft -50 ft, stays out of your way and gets the job done.

I forgot what I used but it was NOT that cheap PVC from H/F or HomeDepot.

Robatoy likes Tundra and he's 100 miles north of you.

Sounds like a winner for lengths of 50 ft max.

Maybe only 15 ft if it's a coil hose will do the job.

The point is you addressed two issues, performance and cost.

BTW, is light house still wearing it's ice coat?

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fun.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

OOPS!!!

Robatoy likes Tundra and he's 100 miles north of you.

Not true, he likes SnapOn.

Good stuff but they sure are PROUD of their stuff.

Check F&W Ursem in Lakewood.

They definitely can help you if you are willing to go COD.

The old man started business about 1933.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

I have a 50' rubber and a 100' poly. Both are 1/4"

They both work fine in "warm weather". I have built several fences with a framing nail gun and the 150' together work just fine and long as you are not doing any rapid fire shooting, a nail every second is fine.

Once the temps get cooler the poly hose is a fight to get straightend out and to wind up on it's reel. I mostly use my rubber hose in my shop. I would not even consider using the poly unless I have a wide open space to open it up.

Reply to
Leon

Thanks all, lots of good suggestions. I like the idea of 2 heavy rubber 50 footers, with a shorter length of lighter/more flexible stuff on the end. Gives a lot of options.

Lew, I think the lighthouse finally thawed, and the lake's frozen over now. We had some freezing rain a couple days ago, but it ended up not being as bad as predicted; at least here. Canton and Stark county got nailed; still a lot of folks without power down there.

Never heard of Ursem; I'll check them out for sure.

I hardly ever see the snap-on trucks around these days. Hate to see them go. But I imagine it's tough for them to compete, even with the quality they offer.

Thanks again all!

Paul F.

Reply to
Paul Franklin

----------------------------------------- Looks like the grand kids didn't continue the business.

Ursem was a mfg rep that specialized in hydraulic and pnuematic componets.

Hansen couplings, Norgren regulators, etc.

BTW, this was the 1/2" hose I used.

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fun.

BTW, what part of Cleve?

Spent 25 years in Middleburg Hts.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Lew,

There's listings for Ursem Co. in Akron and Lakewood under pneumatic equipment and supplies, so maybe they are still around. No web site I could find though. I'll give them a call on Monday.

Live in Richfield now, not far from the site of the old Coluseum, if you were here when that was around. My Mom lived in Middleburg for quite a few years, near Bagley and Pearl.

Where do you hail from these days?

Paul

Reply to
Paul Franklin

---------------------------- These days it's got to be one of the grandkids running the place.

I knew Bill, the founder, and Dick, his son who would be pushing 80 if he is still around.

I've been away from that market since the late '60s so info is a little rusty..

---------------------------------

---------------------------------- That monstrosity, glad when it got razed.

Always liked Richfield, was still a little "horsy" when I was there.

-------------------------------------

-------------------------------- The center of the Middleburg universe.

I lived between city hall and Midpark HS.

I-71 hadn't been built yet when I moved to Middleburg.

--------------------------------------

------------------------------------- These days I'm in Los Angeles where the sun is shining and approaching 70F today.

What is it, 4-6 weeks till the buzzards return to Hinckley announcing the arrival of spring in Ohio?

--------------------------------------- BTW, if you get those H/F, 1/2 hoses, equip them with 3/8-1/4 reducer couplings and standard 1/4 quick connect couplings.

Easier to find in stock and less costly than 3/8 couplings.

Have fun.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

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