Good compression fittings?

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jfreund

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Sep 3, 2006
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I went with Phobya fittings when I was buyiing parts for 2 loops because I needed a lot of fittings and they were cheaper than the others available. I got the first loop assembled, and for the second loop I incorporated some Koolance QD3s. Working with the Phobya fittings sucked - it takes a feat of strength to get the collar down far enough to start on the threads, and then it takes 2 wrenches to get the collar tightened down. With the QD3s, everything just fit together and I was able to tighten them by hand.

What are some good compression fittings for soft tubing (3/8"ID, 1/2"OD) that don't resist going together?
 
Ive had good luck with Barrow fittings. They are bitspower knock offs. I did find they are much easier to get the collar down and actually prefer them now.
 
drklu said:
Ive had good luck with Barrow fittings. They are bitspower knock offs. I did find they are much easier to get the collar down and actually prefer them now.
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Yeah would Recommend Barrow and Alphacool Stuff.
 
EK has worked like a charm for me... They do have some resistance - heating the tubing a little makes it far more malleable and therefore easier to fit.

Also, using a small non slip mat saves your fingers if you're doing more than a few fittings.
 
I would imagine this has a lot more to do with the combination of tubing and fittings you are using than the fittings alone. I know on my Primochill LRT tubing the Bitspower fittings are impossible to tighten down completely without using tools which damages the finish and texture. I believe Bitspower probably makes the best fittings out there but their shit just doesn't fit on Primochill tubing and my guess is that Primochill tubing OD runs on the thick side causing the problem.
 
Chapeau said:
EK has worked like a charm for me... They do have some resistance - heating the tubing a little makes it far more malleable and therefore easier to fit.

Also, using a small non slip mat saves your fingers if you're doing more than a few fittings.
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Yeah they do have some resistance,but it's ok, and probably won't be able to run the collar down to the end of the thread....but o well. Still have enough force on there.
 
guitarslingerchris said:
I would imagine this has a lot more to do with the combination of tubing and fittings you are using than the fittings alone. I know on my Primochill LRT tubing the Bitspower fittings are impossible to tighten down completely without using tools which damages the finish and texture. I believe Bitspower probably makes the best fittings out there but their shit just doesn't fit on Primochill tubing and my guess is that Primochill tubing OD runs on the thick side causing the problem.
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Yep, I used Primochill tubing. The Phobya fittings look great and I have no doubts about the overall quality, it was just a pain to get them together.

Looks like several good options suggested. I'm considering rebuilding the first loop and including quick disconnects. That'll be an opportunity to replace the fittings with some that are easier to work with.
 
jfreund said:
Yep, I used Primochill tubing. The Phobya fittings look great and I have no doubts about the overall quality, it was just a pain to get them together.

Looks like several good options suggested. I'm considering rebuilding the first loop and including quick disconnects. That'll be an opportunity to replace the fittings with some that are easier to work with.
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I know it's taboo to suggest but especially if you are confident you can always get standard Bitspower barbs for cheap and slide Primochill LRT right over them and not use any clamp or compression fitting. ESPECIALLY if you don't have a reason to mess with it after you put it on the first time you'll be shocked at how well that stuff hangs on and it looks great IMO. I wouldn't go tempting fate by moving things often but I've never actually had a problem with that specific combo at any diameter and every time I put a loop together I wonder about doing it.
 
I'll echo the suggestion of Barrow. They're a bit hard to find in the States, but ModMyMods keeps a pretty good stock.
 
I like the monsoon compression fittings. I primarly use the 7x16 5/8 fittings. Used in 3 riggs
i currently have going. Never had a issue with them.
 
also have used barrow soft tubing compression fittings and petg hard tubing fittings with good success. Found an ebay seller that is local to TN for quick shipping.
 
My loop now is all barrow, no issues at all. Before that it was all Koolance, also no issues at all. Used EK fittings once, 3 swivel 90's started leaking at the joints, used bitspower fittings a couple times, they're pretty but watercooling is already expensive enough.
 
I'll echo rgMekanic, Bitspower is pretty but expensive. XSPC is cheap and reliable, but don't expect anything fancy. Alphacool is fine, though I had some issues with a swivel fitting leaking.

I think swivel fittings, in general, come with inherent risk. That said, if you aren't going hardline, you really don't need them.

Primochill tubing is good, as well as their PETG if you go that route.

guitarslingerchris is right though, it is all about the combination. Alone, most of the companies are decent.
 
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rgMekanic said:
My loop now is all barrow, no issues at all. Before that it was all Koolance, also no issues at all. Used EK fittings once, 3 swivel 90's started leaking at the joints, used bitspower fittings a couple times, they're pretty but watercooling is already expensive enough.
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What brand of hard tube did you find works best with the Barrow fittings you are using?
 
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