Which Air hose.

Huh, this is funny…I am adding 4 more coiled flex lines for mill, lathe, vertical saw and horizontal saw. They wii go with a pull down line for tires and woodworking. Oh, and the air boosted HF press. I have not had an issue with cheap eBay hoses, $10 each, that almost cost less than the individual quick connectors they come with.

Might be a bit obsessive, but think of the time I will save. :)
 
I use a 25' version of this hose on a reel for blowing air and filling tires etc. It is light weight, flexible and pretty resilient.
https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-x-50-ft-polyurethane-air-hose-60354.html

I just replaced it with the same hose. I got 8 years out of the last one before I ruined it with a hot weld that melted through the hose. I don't see it in 6' of 8' drop lengths though.

I use 3/8" for most air tools.
 
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I have a bunch of Dotco air grinders I run off 1/4" . They are minis though and they I plan to keep . I just don't have a need for the large air tools any longer . All pnuematics run the 1/4" clear flex line in at work Jeff . The machines are constantly moving during cycles . No complaints from me about it .
 
I have one Flexzilla hose on a reel. I like hose itself but the reel mechanism often won't catch, it takes lots of fussing (lots of yanking on my hose) to get it to stay without retracting. I like the heavy rubber goodyear hoses for connecting from the wall to manifolds on my mill and lathe. I use short "orange" cheap ones from there but would prefer something less obnoxious. Unless something better comes up here, I'll probably go for short loops of flexzilla for the bench areas in my new shop.
 
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Looking for a solution as well... tagging along to see what folks are recommending.

The coil hoses... I have had mixed results with those. But then again, I have been buying the cheap HF units...
 
I've been using 1/4" Continental Contitech from MSC in my shop for about a year. The 3/8" is stiffer, obviously. Used it at work for several years. While it's not as flexible as rubber, it's better than some of the other stuff I've used. The thing to do is hang it in large loops, it helps prevent the tangles.
 
jbobb1 said:
I've been using 1/4" Continental Contitech from MSC in my shop for about a year. The 3/8" is stiffer, obviously. Used it at work for several years. While it's not as flexible as rubber, it's better than some of the other stuff I've used. The thing to do is hang it in large loops, it helps prevent the tangles.
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I'm probably going to create 3-5 foot hoses. Just going to create my own and add ends.

When I get annoyed by something I fix it so it doesn't annoy me. That way I lose a frustration, and chill.... I want to enjoy what I do, not curse out a bothersome issue. So short purposeful runs to machines. I already have my mister plumbed. Looking to make the rest of my life easier.
 
woodchucker said:
I am giving up on some of my coiled hoses. I am constantly having to untangle them... yes they are cheap HF units. The one I thought I would like the least is the one I like the most. The hard one, it doesn't tangle, but it's tough to pull. The orange ones constantly tangle on their own coils.

I am going to go to straight 1/4" line for blowing. My question is what hose are you using 1/4 and is it nice and flexible?
I like both Coil hose Pneumatics for my 3/8 lines, and I bought my son Flexilla. They are both nice. But none are 1/4"... They are both made in USA..
I plan on buying the hose and cutting it up for use by my machines...

Thanks for your opinions... Please give more than "I have xxxxxxxx" I want to know what you think about the hose to help make a determination.
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A few years ago I decided rather than drag air hoses across the shop I would put in a drop by each major machine. I went with a RapidAir 1/2" 100 ft. Master Compressed Air Piping Kit #90500 from Northern Tool. The kit comes with hardware for 4 drops. I added 2 more for a total of 6 drops with drain legs. The drops are positioned at joist level with the air hoses extending downward. I positioned the drops about 2" from each machine. That would allow me to just let go of the hose if I was in a hurry. It would swing out of the way yet remain within reach if needed again. While they are 3/8" rather than 1/4" I find they uncoil and return quite easily.

RapidAir 1/2in. 100ft. Master Compressed Air Piping Kit, Model# 90500 | Northern Tool

The RapidAir 1/2in. 100ft. Master Kit is a compressed air piping system designed for automotive and woodworking shops, trailers or home garages. Us...
www.northerntool.com www.northerntool.com

RapidAir 1/2in. Compressed Air Outlet, Model# 90100 | Northern Tool

RapidAir 1/2in. Compressed Air Outlet features a versatile design that allows user to configure outlet for wall or ceiling mount and hidden or surf...
www.northerntool.com www.northerntool.com

For hoses on the drops I used these:

Polyurethane Recoil Air Hose 3/8in. x 25ft., 125 PSI, Model# PUR3825-NT | Northern Tool

Heavy-duty, poly recoil air hose is lighter than rubber or nylon hoses, with a higher resistance to abrasion. Extremely flexible and kink r...
www.northerntool.com www.northerntool.com

Like you I had a few of the HF cheapies and they were a Pain in the a**. They tangled amongst themselves, and even kinked when trying to straighten them out. I haven't had any problems with the larger diameter ones from Northern Tool. I am quite happy with the current arrangement, and kick myself for not having done it 20 years ago.

As an FYI I do use straight rubber hose for the compressor on the garage. I have 50' of 3/8" hose on a retracting reel like this:

Ironton Auto-Rewind Air Hose Reel With 3/8in. x 50ft. Hybrid Polymer Hose, Max. 300 PSI | Northern Tool

The Ironton® 3/8in. x 50ft. Auto-Rewind Air Hose Reel is a compact, lightweight air/water hose reel that features a durable high&a...
www.northerntool.com www.northerntool.com

I have another 50' extension to get out into the drive to air up tires on the trucks.
 
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