All About Hoses And Fittings For Air Tools

Thanks for the best information I've seen so far. 👌 very helpful.

I'm not sure what size male threaded quick disconnect I should pick up for my new Chicago Pneumatic CP860 1/4"die heavy-duty grinder. Can you help me out? Thanks.

Nice video! I am new to using an air compressor and bought a100 ft 3/8 hose. I purchased a 1/4 blow gun and tire inflation gun. I have used them and it seems to work, but it sounds like I should switch out for the 3/8 tools instead, right?

This is real good info good explanation.

Thanks for the info🖒

4 years later and as relevant as it ever was.
Good to hang out with folks, center a discussion around a topic, trade tips and learn.
My tip is to get a larger hose for next to the compressor, then hook lighter ones for added distance, if you need to.
That big hose is a reservoir of air, once filled it extends your tank a little, run anything a bit longer.
And, it takes some of the wear. You could use 3/8" or even 1/2" at the tank, and adapt down to the extensions' size.
You should own hoses of different types and sizes, especially if your work and location can vary!

I remember hearing the words like Milton and Lincoln style ends back in the day. Now it's industrial and automotive mainly.

Excellent presentation and a great teacher 👍🙏

Great video, love the joining of 2 compressors at the end of video. I'll do that...

Thanks for all the great info. In the many times over the years I've used compressors, I never realized how much I didn't know until I went to buy my own, lol.

This vid saved my life. I’m getting into casting my own sculptures but I’m utterly shop tool illiterate. I was confused as to why my hose fittings had so much space and my compressor just leaked air, i had no clue about sealing tape. Thanks for the patiently described and extremely informative video!!!

Thank Joe Pesci.

Good advice very helpful

👍👍

Thank you for such a thorough video! I feel a lot more confident in choosing the right hose/fittings for me now.

my AIR HOSES come with threaded male fittings on both ends. I want to use A COUPLER with INTERNAL THREADING to join the hoses into one hose. No matter how I describe this simple internally threaded female 'pipe nipple' eBay insists on showing me the opposite or distantly related products.
Once again, I go looking for finding out what the time of day is and am treated to the entire history of clocks starting with a stick in the sand.... twenty wasted minutes and I still do not know the name to search for that one piece I need to screw two hoses into to make one hose. (Not a union, like a union but simple screw hoses into it)

I run a detail shop and use a lot of air.
No matter which fittings I use they only good for 3 to 4 months, moisture is what kills them, they start to leak. No big deal being I keep several male and female fittings.
I'm currently using the 26 gallon Kobalt Quite Compressor with two polyurethane hoses , going on 4 years since I replaced them.
Rubber of course are best.
Thanks for the video

Can a hose diameter be too big for a compressor? Just bought a 4scfm and don’t know whether to buy 1/4 or 3/8 hose? I would like to use a framer and impact very limited. Mostly use a brad and stapler. Will i be working the compressor too hard with a 3/8 for smaller tools or will I struggle to drive a framer and impact with a 1/4?

Excellent review.

Yooooo I thank you for this video I thought I just wasted my money on the things lost on how to connect the cord to the compressor

Just the video I was looking for. Thank you for the info.

Can you put the high flow couplers directly on your compressor to change out the brass ones

Thanks. This is very helpful. I purchased a dually and had no clue how to get from the compressor the the air head.

Good explanation video. I had to watch 3 videos before I got to yours that answered my questions.I've used compressors but I have never purchased on and needed to understand what to use and how to assemble the fittings. Thanks for making it easy to understand.

M style is the most common

Comprehensive and very informative. Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise. Its a big help. God bless.

Automotive and industrial fittings have its strengths and weakness. Automotive is more robust with repeated removal and drops on hard concrete floor but seals only on face side which is more prone to leaking. Industrial fitting seals better due to its larger sealing area but can be easily damaged if dropped on hard surfaces and wears out sooner than automotive fittings.

3/8 hose with 3/8 fitting makes sense.
why the heck can I only find 3/8 hose with a 1/4" fitting ?

Thank you, very well done and informative presentation. Keep up the good work!

Thank you so much. Anyway the more we take care of our products.(tools) The more it will last longer.(

Hows the Flexzilla hose holding up after 5 years? About to buy one and wondering if its still going strong?

The problem with using the same fittings everywhere is pressure loss. Especially the standard couplers. Every NPT adapter in the system is a pressure loss. Every transition into your FRL or out is a pressure loss. Heck just the hose ends (look at the tiny size of the inner diameter of that hose end) is an orifice that causes pressure loss. Do yourself a favor sometime and just blow through the coupler and see how hard you have to work to push even a tiny bit of air. It's rather eye-opening.

For many air tools like small nailers and such, this pressure drop is inconsequential. But once you get up towards bigger tools like larger impact or spray guns or such, you can really notice the pressure drop in the transmission system. This is partly why so many compressors or now 150psi or more-- you need the higher pressure just to keep 90psi under load at the tool! Many 125psi compressors don't need any regulation with lager tools because under load that can't even maintain 90psi even when the tank is at 125.

I'm scrutinizing every aspect of my air delivery system from the tank to the tool and it's frankly rather disconcerting how bad is most of the stuff sold to us for homeowner/small shop use. Most 120v compressors will have an absolutely tiny 3/8 hardline going into the tank. (cheaper copper). The discharge into the regulator/pressure switch is 1/4npt nipple.

The good news is no single restriction will really kill your system-- it's the death by a thousand cuts. So just eliminate the worst offenders and you can have a pretty decent system.

I'm in the process of converting most of my connections to Chicago couplers (1/4 turn) because they have a LOT less pressure loss and still allow relatively convenient connect/disconnect.

I'm completely new and lost to air compressors! This is one of the most informing video I've seen. I feel so much better "kitting out" my first air compressor.

Thank you for sharing!

First time using and buying air compressor air is leaking through both sides of the hose on the fittings(Amazon purchased). I did not use tape I just screwed them on. I also have Milton fittings just in case the cheap fittings didn’t work. Help please lol

Great video. I also have a tip if you have a long distance between the compressor and the job, I use a seperate 10 liter tank close by the job. So run a 40ft 3/8" from the compressor to the extra tank and from the extra tank to the tool. It really works well for short burst of full pressure tools. Ofcourse not for long periods then your long hose will become the weakest link again.

N.B.I only use my compressor occasionally so when I’m done I bleed the air and open the drain valve to remove any water. I don’t want corrosion in my tank that can cause a dangerous explosion someday.

Thank you very much.

So which will take the most beatings ? I need a 50ft for filling my semi tires, mainly in rough terrains

Correction: There is a difference between "Industrial and Automotive" quick coupler fittings. Industrial fittings have a higher rating of the Max Pressure Rating.

Example: 1/4" Industrial coupler is higher rated at 300 Max psi.

The Automotive 1/4" coupler is only rated 150 Max Pressure.

My compressor hits 175 psi, so I use industrial rated lines and connectors for heavy blowouts.

My 1/2" reel line is rated over 2,000 psi and is Fire Marshall Rated as Flame Resistant.

These Max Pressure Ratings only matter at higher pressures above 150 psi. That's made for industrial use.

This video is great! Thank you!

How can a (man-made) rubber hose withstand oil and grease ? Rubber is notorious for becoming soft, weakens and eventually melts when exposed to oil or grease for an extended time ! Otherwise, you've done a great job laying out the basics. Thanks.

If you want max output from one of these portable units, use 3/8" hose and 3/8" couplers. Try 1/4"`and try 3/8", you will notice the vast difference in air delivery with 3/8".

Thank you. 😃👍

This was the video that helped me finally understand what I was missing!

Thank you!

awesome teaching

thanks bruh