4" clear flex from woodcraft...quality?

[Andy Maldoror]

is this good stuff?
comparable to mcmaster carr economy?
$60 for 30 feet w/ free shipping today a good deal?

[Dan Karachio]

This one right?
http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/Pro...0-4e7636b1261e

I have quite a bit from them. They used to have two grades with one being a bit stiffer and the internal wire having a more "copper" look. Either seem to do fine and have taken a few years of abuse very well. I'm satisfied, I think you will be too, but I have nothing to compare them to.

[Mike Cutler]

Andy

I have the 4" flex duct from Woodcraft. For what it is, it's good stuff.
I'm not gentle on it. It gets stepped on, kicked, wood dropped on it, etc. It's constantly being moved from one machine to the next, and adapted in various configurations, and it's held up well. Order a lot of the clamps, they can be a little cheesy and tend to wear at the point that tighten up on the fittings when continually made and remade.

[Andy Maldoror]

which clamps exactly?

[Jon van der Linden]

I think he means the hose clamps. There are special "split" hose clamps for use with this kind of hose that work better. If you need to hook up the same hose to different machines I'd get a coupling that would take away the hassle of loosening and tightening the hose clamp. Playing around with the clamp just isn't worth the time.

With the hose material, you want the smoothest interior that you can find. Also look carefully and you'll see a lip in one direction. Orient it for best flow, it won't make a huge difference, but might as well do it right.

[Andy Maldoror]

so get a bunch of the wire clamps found here?:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2003...se-Clamps.aspx

[Paul McGaha]

Andy,

I havent used the clear hose from Woodcraft. Rockler has some clear hose I really like.

PHM

[Andy Maldoror]

Peachtree pvc flex or Woodcraft pvc flex?
which is best?

[george wilson]

I thought the Woodcraft stuff just had a plastic helix in it.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

I have one length that I bought at Woodcraft and a second from McMaster Carr...I prefer the WC hose. it actually seems heavier gauge and the McM-Carr stuff in general seems to me to be on the pricier side -- with them you are paying a premium to have detailed, spec'd parts for such a vast set of systems and machine applications. They can also demand/justify that premium because they facilitate ease of Purchase Order/Account buying for institutional purchasing agents.

Funny in some ways to compare/contrast your two sources...they really couldn't be more different in my mind.

McM-Carr is a large warehouse (maybe not Boeing factory, but still very big). Like 6 stories tall and who knows how many acres...order pickers driving x/y lifts up and down the rigging as fast as possible, searching by electronic UPC/RFID among thousands and thousands of parts.

The Woodcraft stores I have been too seem staffed largely by retired guys who are hobbiest woodworkers and need to hang out and talk tools with like souls once and while...or their wives want them out of the garage/basement. THe store's inventory is usually thin and despite that, the store's crew can't find stuff anyway.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

I thought the Woodcraft stuff just had a plastic helix in it.

the length i have is heavy wire.

[Dan Karachio]

Andy, I was down in the old shop checking it out and I can back up what Mike said. I have been very hard on my WC hose and it's never failed. I think you will be fine. Go buy some!

[glenn bradley]

FWIW, I have several sections of Woodcraft's hose including a couple sections that get moved from machine to machine, drag on the floor, stretched, etc. I've been doing this for 5 or 6 years without a failure. Seems good enough to me.

I use the wire-style clamps but they are available at Lowe's for less than a buck apiece out here. They are one of those things that seem to have a very wide price range depending where you buy them.

[eugene thomas]

boy i learned my lesson on buying 4" duct . I bought 10' section of 4" clear hose from woodcrafters(good stuff) for my band saw and needed more so bough a 8' section from amazon cause was $10 cheaper. The stuff from amazon was so thin worry sawdust might put hole in it.

[Joe Leigh]

Rockler p#22791 4" x 10' clear hose. Wire reinforced and very pliable. Good stuff.