Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will
someone please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to
wow! I have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but
if there is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

"DIYGUY" wrote in message
...
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need to
buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic, Ortac,
Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will someone
please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to wow! I
have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but if there
is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..


Thin, light, flexible is best. Some of the "better" hose is overkill. I
find the yellow coiled stuff to be a PITA as it gets twisted in itself.

25 feet is sufficient for most. Will it reach your car easily if you had to
pump up a flat?

DIYGUY wrote:

Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will
someone please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to
wow! I have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but
if there is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

Get a good quality 1/4" 25' rubber hose. You will use this
for almost everything. It is light and flexible and easy to
move around. You will find that it is harder to find 1/4"
than the standard 3/8", but it is worth it.

Next, get 1 or even 2 of the cheap 50' orange hoses they sell
at HD or Lowes. Use the 1/4" in the shop, and when you need
to reach outside or farther, put one or both of the cheap
hoses on the compressor, then stick your 1/4" on at the
business end if you are going to be working for awhile. You
get the length AND the flexibility.

I often use more than one pneumatic tool at the same time, so
I put a splitter at the compressor and I have 2 of the 1/4"
lines that I can plug in and have both tools available at all
times, without having to unplug and plug in tools. If you are
going to be doing this farther away, put the splitter in the
end of the orange hose and you can have the same multi-tool setup.



--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

Have more than one so I don't have to lug the compressor
around (it isn't too portable).
I have a 15' which I use most of the time in the garshop.
I also have 2 50' hoses. One of these gets me to the
driveway for the cars & neighborhood bicycles.
Connecting all of them together lets me run a nailer
anywhere around the house.

If your shop gets really cold in the winter you should
take that into account in deciding what type of hose
to get.

Art

"DIYGUY" wrote in message
...
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will
someone please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to
wow! I have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but
if there is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

The latest issue of Shop Notes has an article on air hoses. There is
apparently a new braded line that is nice and a bit expensive. I have been
using a 50' rubber hose. The rubber hose will pull out and lay flat where
as the cheaper hoses will tend to not want to stretch out. I prefer the
longer hose for my 20 gal compressor so that the compressor can stay put
When I need to use the hose on the out side of the house. I keep a yellow
coil type for the smaller pan cake compressor.
"DIYGUY" wrote in message
...
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need to
buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic, Ortac,
Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will someone
please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to wow! I
have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but if there
is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 21:55:36 -0400, DIYGUY
wrote:

Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will


We work in new homes and normally have 1/4" x 50 footers hooked up.
If you don't need 50' just cut them in half and get a couple of
connectors.

We try about everything we see just to see if there is something
better. We've pretty much settled on using 1/4" Speedair rubber hoses
from Grainger. They are relatively inexpensive (I think we paid $22
for 50') and we have a Grainger locally so we just go pick them up.
We find that the rubber hoses are supple enough to lay down. Since we
walk over them all day they need to lay down. Some of the other
rubber hoses we've tried seem to turn hard after a year or two.

We've tried the orange plastic hoses and they stay a little too stiff
to suit me. Our nail salesman had some cool looking blue plastic
hoses that you could see through. They were very lightweight. You
could hardly tell they were hooked to your gun but they would not lay
down at all. If you could hang them from the ceiling they might be
okay but you couldn't walk over them. We also tried a red vinyl
coated hose that wasn't too bad. They were heavy enough to lay down
and the only problem was that the vinyl would crack at the fittings
after some time. We would just cut the cracked end off and crimp the
fitting on again.

Mike O.

DIYGUY wrote:


Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will

This may sound like heresy, but let me suggest the following:

Go to someplace like Home Depot and buy the lowest cost 3/8" x 50 ft air
hose on the shelf.

Yes, 50 ft is not a typo.

BTW, If you spend $15.00, you spent too much.

After using that hose for 6 months, you will have some very definite
opinions about what kind of air hose works best for you.

Lew

I agree with Lew on this one. Seems to me that any of them will get the
job done for an occasional user, and if it turns out you are a more
than occasional user then you will quickly learn what best fits your
needs.

For my needs, the clear blue reinforced hose works best, and I think my
coil is 50'. I wanted something that was decently cheap, wouldn't mark
up a wall if I get clumsy, and would coil quickly. There were probably
ten other choices, but didn't want to spend too long thinking about it.

Andrew

In article ,
DIYGUY wrote:

I got a 50' rubber hose that has served for 30 years. I don't know how
many of the plastic hoses will last that long. I alos have a coouple
shorter hoses to get greater length when needed. 25' sounds shourt to
me.

Dick

Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will
someone please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to
wow! I have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but
if there is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

Hi DIYGUY,
What type of inline ( or other type) filter are you planning to use? I
have noticed a lot of people do not use them but the info with my guns
recommends them. Yes, I am new to air tools also. JG

DIYGUY wrote:

Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will
someone please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to
wow! I have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but
if there is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

"DIYGUY" wrote in message
...
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need to
buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic, Ortac,
Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will someone
please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to wow! I
have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but if there
is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

My $.25 . . . I have 3 of the 50' red rubber hoses, and one blue plastic one
from HD. I have a fitting plumbed to the outside near the driveway so I can
plug a hose in, rather than run it through a hole in the wall. The blue one
from HD, after being left plugged in, started swelling like a bad sausage.
Apparently the inner liner is not air tight, and some leaks out under the
outer cover. This has never occurred with any of the rubber hoses. I also
have to agree with the other posts, that the rubber hoses lay down much
better, the plastic doesn't uncoil or lay down as nicely, is a little
stiffer to work with(except on a very warm sunny day). My personal opinion,
FWIW, is go with the good rubber hoses.

--
Nahmie

DIYGUY wrote:
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will
someone please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to
wow! I have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but
if there is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..
Still cannot figure out what all the various material types are but I
really like the idea to buy an inexpensive one and go from there. Kind
of common-sense. Thanks guys ...

DIYGUY wrote in message t...
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose.

Get two. Some big chunky rubber and canvas stuff that is long enough
to reach "anywhere" (onto the driveway too, if that's what you need).
You can semi-permanently attach this to the ceiling to run it closer
to the bench if convenient. Then a short length of something light
and flexible, even if it's damage-prone. Compressors are expensive,
hose is cheap - it's worth putting some time and effort in at this
point to get convenience in the future.

Avoid the coiled stuff - it's too springy and it'll pull tools across
the bench and knock things over.

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 04:33:22 GMT, the inscrutable Lew Hodgett
spake:


DIYGUY wrote:


Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will

This may sound like heresy, but let me suggest the following:

Go to someplace like Home Depot and buy the lowest cost 3/8" x 50 ft air
hose on the shelf.

Yes, 50 ft is not a typo.

BTW, If you spend $15.00, you spent too much.

After using that hose for 6 months, you will have some very definite
opinions about what kind of air hose works best for you.

That's right, Lew, and once you have bought one, you'll NEVER again
buy another cheapass hose. They don't lay down, won't roll up, and are
stiffer than a puritan woman on her wedding night. DAMHIKT.

The blue plastic hoses from HF are just downright tormentatious. I'm
keeping these two 50-footers for OUTSIDE use.


================================================== =======
What doesn't kill you + http://diversify.com
....makes you hurt more. + Web application programming
================================================== =======

I've got a 25' 3/8" hose on a reel, with 1/2" copper pipe leading to it.
I made the mistake of buying a 1/4" coiled hose to extend it's reach.
There's very little air volume for most tools, coming out of that
coiled hose. It's fine to pump up a bike tire, but not enough to run a
die grinder and other high air volume tools. as another poster
mentioned, the coiled hose is a PITA; it will knock stuff of
counters/tables if you stretch it across them. A well placed reel is
the most convenient way to store the hose, IMHO.

Dave

DIYGUY wrote:
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will
someone please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to
wow! I have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but
if there is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 04:33:22 GMT, the inscrutable Lew Hodgett
spake:
=20
=20
DIYGUY wrote:


Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I nee=
d=20
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic, =

Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Wil=
l=20

This may sound like heresy, but let me suggest the following:

Go to someplace like Home Depot and buy the lowest cost 3/8" x 50 ft ai=
r=20
hose on the shelf.

Yes, 50 ft is not a typo.

BTW, If you spend $15.00, you spent too much.

After using that hose for 6 months, you will have some very definite=20
opinions about what kind of air hose works best for you.
=20
=20
That's right, Lew, and once you have bought one, you'll NEVER again
buy another cheapass hose. They don't lay down, won't roll up, and are
stiffer than a puritan woman on her wedding night. DAMHIKT.

I suspect I am more familiar with this topic than you are -- and I had=20
_no_ problem whatsoever.

The blue plastic hoses from HF are just downright tormentatious. I'm
keeping these two 50-footers for OUTSIDE use.=20

However, I have not used that hose. Is it really that bad?


=20
=20
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
What doesn't kill you + http://diversify.com
...makes you hurt more. + Web application programming
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D


--=20
Will R.
Jewel Boxes and Wood Art
http://woodwork.pmccl.com
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those=20
who have not got it.=94 George Bernard Shaw

"David" wrote in message
...
I've got a 25' 3/8" hose on a reel, with 1/2" copper pipe leading to it. I
made the mistake of buying a 1/4" coiled hose to extend it's reach.
There's very little air volume for most tools, coming out of that coiled
hose. It's fine to pump up a bike tire, but not enough to run a die
grinder and other high air volume tools. as another poster mentioned, the
coiled hose is a PITA; it will knock stuff of counters/tables if you
stretch it across them. A well placed reel is the most convenient way to
store the hose, IMHO.

Dave

I have to agree with the 3/8" advice. I didn't realize the difference was
so significant until I changed from 1/4" for a sprayer I was using.
The sprayer needs at least 7 cfm and the 1/4" just wouldn't quite do it.

Max D.

Just a note on air hose use:
3/8" for Air wrenches/drills HVLP Spray guns.
1/4" for nail guns/ shop blow guns, small sanders ect.

Rubber, heavy, durable somewhat stiff.
PCV, lighter, prone to snags, pinches and punctures.
Pre-coiled - PITA - short ones can be convenient.

My new favorite:
Do a search for PUR-hose.
I am now a confirmed believer.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...73733?v=glance

These hoses are great. They are light, durable and very flexible. They
coil nicely and are not prone to snagging. I love'em.

Dave


"DIYGUY" wrote in message
...
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need to
buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic, Ortac,
Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will someone
please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to wow! I
have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but if there
is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..



Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
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In article ,
WillR wrote:
Larry Jaques wrote:
On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 04:33:22 GMT, the inscrutable Lew Hodgett
spake:


DIYGUY wrote:


Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will

This may sound like heresy, but let me suggest the following:

Go to someplace like Home Depot and buy the lowest cost 3/8" x 50 ft air
hose on the shelf.

Yes, 50 ft is not a typo.

BTW, If you spend $15.00, you spent too much.

After using that hose for 6 months, you will have some very definite
opinions about what kind of air hose works best for you.


That's right, Lew, and once you have bought one, you'll NEVER again
buy another cheapass hose. They don't lay down, won't roll up, and are
stiffer than a puritan woman on her wedding night. DAMHIKT.

I suspect I am more familiar with this topic than you are -- and I had
_no_ problem whatsoever.

you used puritan oil instead of mazola?

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 10:42:20 -0400, the inscrutable WillR
spake:

Larry Jaques wrote:

That's right, Lew, and once you have bought one, you'll NEVER again
buy another cheapass hose. They don't lay down, won't roll up, and are
stiffer than a puritan woman on her wedding night. DAMHIKT.

I suspect I am more familiar with this topic than you are -- and I had
_no_ problem whatsoever.

Ditto, it took considerably less than a week to find this out.
I guess Lew is more stubborn than we are, though that's awfully hard
to believe.


The blue plastic hoses from HF are just downright tormentatious. I'm
keeping these two 50-footers for OUTSIDE use.

However, I have not used that hose. Is it really that bad?

They have to be wound right handed. I'm a lefty and found that out the
hard way. They're stiffer than a Viagra Saturday Night but they'll
crimp and cut off the air in a second if you push them. Their only
saving grace is the beautiful blue color.


================================================== =======
What doesn't kill you + http://diversify.com
....makes you hurt more. + Web application programming
================================================== =======

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 18:24:48 -0000, the inscrutable
(Robert Bonomi) spake:

In article ,
WillR wrote:
Larry Jaques wrote:
That's right, Lew, and once you have bought one, you'll NEVER again
buy another cheapass hose. They don't lay down, won't roll up, and are
stiffer than a puritan woman on her wedding night. DAMHIKT.

I suspect I am more familiar with this topic than you are -- and I had
_no_ problem whatsoever.

you used puritan oil instead of mazola?

Hayell, that warn't no Crisco Party, neighbor.


================================================== =======
What doesn't kill you + http://diversify.com
....makes you hurt more. + Web application programming
================================================== =======

You ever get the feeling that people ask the questions they see in the
table of content at magazines while checking out at Lowes?

ShopNotes Vol 14, Issue 81 "Ultimate Sharpening Station" on the cover.

Covers the hose issue pretty well.

J

DIYGUY wrote:
Bought my new toys - a PC air compressor and a brad nailer. Now I need
to buy an air hose. So many choices! What is a man to do? Pliovic,
Ortac, Neoprene and more. Who knew air hoses could be so varied. Will
someone please help me choose? I know the prices range from modest to
wow! I have a small shop and am thinking 25' will do me just fine, but
if there is any reason to consider 50' please share it. Thanks all ..

I recently picked up a used Emglo compressor and a finish nailer to
do some trim work. I bought the clear blue braid-reinforced poly-
urethane hose from a contractors supply house. It is supple and very
lightweight (I got 50' of 1/4") and supposed to be very abrasion
resistant and not get stiff in the cold (though I haven't tested
these claims.) It was about $30. It really is so light that you hardly
notice you're connected to a hose.

Jeff Dantzler

Larry Jaques wrote:

That's right, Lew, and once you have bought one, you'll NEVER again
buy another cheapass hose. They don't lay down, won't roll up, and are
stiffer than a puritan woman on her wedding night. DAMHIKT.

Hope so. Have never yet been accused of being an easy teacher.

The lessons learned from that $10 investment may last a life time.

The blue plastic hoses from HF are just downright tormentatious. I'm
keeping these two 50-footers for OUTSIDE use.


Want an argument, change the subject.

Lew