Air compressor hose?

T

twopu

New member
I bought a cheap $10 hose (orange)from Sears and I went to use it the other day (very cold) and could barely get it to unravel. I went back to Sears and bought their 50' hose on sale for $12 but I'm reading that they are still very stiff. Home Depot has a Rigid for $40 and it seemed very flexible. Can you recommend a hose without going over the $40 mark?
 
Okay... first off, my recommendation may or may NOT fit your under $40 requirement (depends where you may shop), but I'm going to recommend a far superior product than "most" air hoses available at your local Home Depot/Lowe's/Sears.



I highly HIGHLY recommend a product by Coilhose Pneumatic call Flexeel. It's a reinforced polyurethane air hose. It's light as can be, SUPER strong, and thin. I have seen a few wood working shops near me carry this manufacturer, so you may try your luck there. Amazon.com actually has the 1/4" ID hose in 50 ft lengths for less than $35, so there you go!



Be extra careful not to get the PVC air hoses widely available at Home Depot or Lowe's. They may look like the Flexeel, but are not even in the same league as true polyurethane air hoses.



I have literally given away my old Goodyear hoses once I purchased my first Flexeel hose.



Good luck,

Mike
 
Coupe said:
Just get a goodyear hose. Its all i use, i had the same problem you had. I got a 50' from Harbor Freight for about $10.



http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa...o?itemid=42185&CategoryName=&SubCategoryName=
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+1 on that hose, that's the same one I use and I haven't had any problems with it getting stiff, but my garage stays somewhere above freezing. I'm sure they aren't the quality of the hoses that mixxmstrmike mentioned, but it has served my purposes well enough that when I need a replacement that's what I'll buy again.
 
Mine is goin on 5 years of brutal conditions, im mean seriously brutal. I will never buy a different hose, anything happens to this one i will buy another one in a heart beat without even thinkin twice about it.
 
Coupe said:
P.S. I use this hose in temps as low as -15F and it dosent harden up at all at those below 0 temps.
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I'll take your word for it not getting still at -15 because I hope I never have to find out first hand ;)
 
Thanks for all the input!!! I just can't stand that my current hose is impossible to uncoil and then recoil even on a hot day. You can imagine what it's like on a cold day. So here are the three that I'm looking at:



Rigid $40

1/4" Flexpress Air Hose - RIDGID Professional Tools



Harbor Freight $8 (can't beat that price)

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices



Flexeel $25

Amazon.com: Coilhose Pneumatics PFE40504T 1/4 Id X 50' Polyurethane Str Hose W/ 1/4 Mpt Ftg: Tools & Hardware



Do I need to be concerned about the diameter of the hose line 1/4 or 3/8? The current hose I have is 3/8. I don't mind spending the extra money for a light and flexible hose.
 
After looking at mine I think this is the hose that I got from HF:



Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices



Mine is marked 3/8" 200 PSI made in USA by Goodyear. I like it a lot better than the other hoses I had before and it has held up very well. Without looking at the hoses you have linked it's hard for me to say how they compare.



I have only used a 3/8" hose and it has worked well with all of my air tools and paint guns.... a 1/4" hose is not typically recommended for use with paint guns.
 
twopu said:
Do I need to be concerned about the diameter of the hose line 1/4 or 3/8? The current hose I have is 3/8. I don't mind spending the extra money for a light and flexible hose.
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I have both diameters and I reach for the 1/4" the most. It delivers enough air to power my 3/8" and 1/2" IR guns to remove lug nuts when doing tire rotations (torqued at 80 lbs. for reference). It's also the perfect match when I have my 18gg & 15gg nail guns attached to the hose. I have only used the 3/8" Flexeel on a few projects that involved my HVLP gun.



While the 3/8" Flexeel is a bit more bulky (coiled up), it's just as light and you won't be "fighting" the hose half the time. I guess it all depends on what your main uses will be, but like you said, you don't mind spending the few extra dollars for a light and flexible hose.



I would opt to purchase the 1/4" diameter hose and see if it does the majority of your work. You can always purchase the 3/8" if and when the opportunity presents itself. Going with 1/4" will also give you the chance to really see if you like the hose and not put too big a dent in the wallet if you don't.



On a side note, I've switched all of my air tools to these swivel connectors available at HD for about $1.50 apiece and let me tell you, with the swivel attached to the tool and then to the Flexeel, it's buttery smooth and light! :dance



Good luck with your choice and I hope we've all brought in some sort of info to help you make a decision that fits your needs.



-Mike
 
Eliot Ness said:
+1 on that hose, that's the same one I use and I haven't had any problems with it getting stiff, but my garage stays somewhere above freezing. I'm sure they aren't the quality of the hoses that mixxmstrmike mentioned, but it has served my purposes well enough that when I need a replacement that's what I'll buy again.
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I will be getting this hose come spring. I got that same orange hose but from Lowes and I hate it. Even when it is warm in the garage the hose stays stiff for ever and is a huge pain to work with.
 
I use my compressor to put air in my tires, interior cleaning, and my nail guns (16 and 18 guage). Based on the info the 1/4 hose should be enough. Right?

Thanks again for everyone's help!!!
 
I have used the Goodyear premium rubber hoses for years now and never had a problem...I use for air tools and tires....my oldest is about 10 years old now and still fine....I have a few coil type and they are ok...but like the straight hose better



AL
 
I really like the lightweight factor of the Flexeel but I'm reading that some have had problems with them kinking or coiling up. To remedy the problem they have stretched the hose out. Have you had this problem?

The Goodyear has consistently positive reviews except for being heavy. They both cost about the same so I just need to decide between the two.
 
The kinking stems from the hose not completely uncoiled. I think that's the best I can describe it, but if at the beginning of a job, I completely uncoil the Flexeel, I have never had it kink on me.



One thing to watch out for is that when you have an air tool attached to the Flexeel and constantly move the tool and do NOT watch the orientation, you can create an effect as if you're coiling up the hose, which may lead to kinking. This can be remedied by making sure your hose is as straight as possible by twisting the tool in the air connector to relieve the coils you're inadvertantly putting on the hose. The swivel connectors I mention in my earlier post make this A LOT easier to deal with.



For me, weight, bulkiness, and abrasion resistance are my top three issues with air hoses and the Flexeel is top notch in all three. I have dealt with the kinking if you can call that an issue. In my opinion, it's just part of knowing how a certain tool performs and how to remedy it. To be fair, I've had the Goodyear hose and it's a nice hose... very well made and never kinked, even when not completely uncoiled. For my uses though, it was heavy when working specially with crown molding or texturing a ceiling. It was bulky when I coiled it up and it didn't clean up as easily as the Flexeel. In the garage, the Goodyear hose started out black, but once you've pulled it in every which way possible against the ground, it picks up dirt very easily, and becomes gray in color. Small things here and there I've noticed with the Goodyear hose that I do not seemingly observe with the Flexeel hose. The Flexeel has a semi-slick feel to it and for clean up I just wrap a towel around the diameter of the hose and pull it through and coil it up. With the Goodyear, the rubber casing wasn't as easy to clean up and provides a bit of resistance when performing the exact procedure.



My number one reason for preferring the Flexeel: weight.



I apologize for the long post, but I hope it clarifies/answers your question.



Good luck and keep us informed of your choice and perhaps an update once you get the your choice of hose. I'm always a sucker for reviews, both good and bad.



Thanks,

Mike
 
Thanks Mike!!!

Do you know what type of stores would carry the Goodyear and Flexeel? I'd liked to try them out. I've only been able to find them online.
 
twopu said:
Thanks Mike!!!

Do you know what type of stores would carry the Goodyear and Flexeel? I'd liked to try them out. I've only been able to find them online.
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Back in the mid 1990s, I purchased my Goodyear hose at Home Depot. I don't believe they carry it anymore. As for Flexeel being purchased locally in New Jersey, I would try calling a few woodworking stores. There's one close to me that actually carried Flexeel to my surprise. Other than that, I have not seen the Flexeel hose in any retail store.



Happy hunting,

Mike
 
Just an update:



I went two weekends ago and got the Goodyear rubber hose from Harbor Freight and it blows the stiff orange hose away.
 
Just wanted to give a little update...



I was at one of my local Home Depots (San Jose, CA) and I saw an Amflo reinforced polyurethane hose. This resembles the Flexeel hose that's been talked about in this thread. The only size I saw, however, was 100 ft. with a 1/4" inner diameter (ID). The color was blue and the price was $50. There was also a yellow coiled version from Amflo... If my memory serves me right, it was 50 feet coiled, yellow, with stress reliefs on both ends of the hose. I know it's polyurethane because I was able to bend the hose with ease, unlike the other coiled hose which is just hard plastic.



Hope this helps someone out in case the Flexeel is difficult to find locally.



-Mike
 
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