air hose

joiner1970

joiner1970

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Joined
Jun 13, 2007
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3,222
I thought I would ask the experts as I'm sure you boys that side of the pond use air nailers more than us. I want to try out the new polyurethane type hoses , the only one I can see here is the bostitch pro hose which cost loads of money. Are there any others you can recommend ones that I might also be able to get here in the UK.
 
Possible brands to look for Flexeel, and AirPro.  I am not sure that they are available over there.  I have happily had the Flexeel for about 7 years. 

Peter
 
Hi Chris I have a yellow one I bought off snap-on its a bit to stiff and not as managable is I would like I think I prefure the normal rubber hose.

I also have one of those bostitch hoses on a drum which is in a cage and swivel base thats quite good the hose is a smaller bore than normal airline,but it is a bit fiddley to rewind when you are done.
 
Cheers guys, the yellow Bostitch stuff is supposed to be as flexible as a normal mains cable unlike my pvc hose I have now and its smaller diameter. The stuff I have now is the same as your reel up one Footstool.
 
Peter said:
Possible brands to look for Flexeel, and AirPro.  I am not sure that they are available over there.  I have happily had the Flexeel for about 7 years. 

Peter
Click to expand...

I too have owned a Flexeel hose for years, it's a nice hose and fairly inexpensive over here.
 
Those dam lightweight poly hoses I hate! They do not lay flat. I don't know how anyone works with them, I prefer rubber.

If these Flexilla are as light as poly hoses and truly lay flat I will change over.  :)

 
Flexzilla really has no memory. It's profound how behaved it is.

I'm told that it also works great at cold extremes. I've seen video of someone demonstrating its behavior in what appears to be a very cold outside environment. Supposedly, it was at a North Slope site. I tried mine last winter when it was below 10 degrees F here (that doesn't happen very often). I couldn't tell the difference in how it reacted then or when it's above 100 degrees F.

Tom
 
I have 4 hoses.  My originals from automotive times, DeVilbiss rubber with screw-in connectors and Goodyear 100% natural rubber for breathing air.  I only use the Goodyear hose in a spray booth and the DeVilbiss is industrial and very heavy so I usually don't use that outside of an automotive setting even though it's an excellent hose.

I've been using both the Flexeel hose in a 3/8" ID and the same size in a Flexzilla hose.  The Flexeel is 100% polyurethane and even though it is lightweight, it can be a pain with the coiling memory, wrapping and unwrapping the hose and during use it's a trip hazard at times.  I have noticed a slight change in the hose at temperature extremes.  The Flexzilla is supposed to be a blend of poly and rubber and does behave a little better than the Flexeel, however it is a thicker OD and will fold over itself squeezing the air flow off easier than the Flexeel.  They all have good and bad points, so I don't have a favorite.  There doesn't seem to be a "perfect" air hose.
 
I have one of the Bostitch Proflex hoses and I'm disappointed.  Have been using it for two weeks and the outer lining is coming loose and the underlying Nylon braiding is now exposed tot the outside.  It's really de-laminating.  Not happy with it at all.  Had been using cheaper PU hoses and those just started leaking along there entire length, so I wanted to try a quality hose.  Ordered it at tools4trade.com, so sending it pack is a bit of a hassle, it's still functional so I'll keep using it , but disappointed none the less...
 
I've put the Flexeel mostly and the Flexzilla through plenty of use to test abrasion resistance and they show no signs of any wear which must be a good testament to their design and quality.
 
Peter said:
Chris,

Don't forget that you have FOG friends here in the states!  [big grin]

Peter
Click to expand...

Thanks Peter, I emailed amazon and they can ship to me for $6.99 + $1.99 per lb or something like that.

I've also found a guy local to me that sells various hoses he sells the usual clear reinforced hose for around £20 inc fittings I think its pvc not sure for 30 m so I might just get that
 
Second thoughts I may be contacting one of you guys out there to help me out. Im thinking of going for a flexeel MAX or the flexzilla anyone know somewhere cheap in the states to get it and what one would you go for ?
 
joiner1970 said:
Second thoughts I may be contacting one of you guys out there to help me out. Im thinking of going for a flexeel MAX or the flexzilla anyone know somewhere cheap in the states to get it and what one would you go for ?
Click to expand...

Try the US Amazon, I'm pretty sure they will ship internationally.
 
Cheers Brice I already emailed them and yes they do.

Thinking about hose size now do you need 3/8" over 50' or is 1/4" ok ? I will only be running nailguns on it.
 
joiner1970 said:
Thinking about hose size now do you need 3/8" over 50' or is 1/4" ok ? I will only be running nailguns on it.
Click to expand...

Chris,

It has to do with how much cfm (cubic feet per minute) is at the air compressor hose input compared to how much makes it to the end of the hose (what's actually available at the tool end of the hose) and how much air in cfm your tools draw + adding some safety factor like an additonal 25% of airflow.  I've only used 3/8" ID hose just because it allows me a lot of flexibility in tool usage to around 15cfm with 3/8" high flow fittings or around 10cfm with standard 1/4" fittings.  If you only expect to use nail guns, then 1/4" ID hose should be fine over a 50 foot length since nail guns only use air per shot and a small amount at that unless you've got some big framing nailer and shoot the thing in rapid succession.  I wouldn't go 100 feet on 1/4".  Keep in mind that air fittings also reduce the cfm and different designs have different amounts of reduction.  Look at the openings in the fittings to see their ID and you'll understand.  You can find cfm ratings for the different sizes and types of fittings online or thru the manufacturer's website.
 
Ken,

The biggest gun i have is my T nailer (concrete) but maybe one day i might get a frame nailer. I spotted today that your fittings are NPT where as we use BSP but I suppose the 3/8 hose can be fitted here with BSP fittings.
 
British Standard Pipe Taper is not the same thread and angle as National Pipe Taper.  Talk with or send an email to the hose manufacturer about this or get NPT fittings as well.

Remember to get the air consumption per shot or air consumption per minute, 60 shots requirement for the T nailer and whatever possible framing nailer you might get.  Let me know what you come up with.
 
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