USA or Imported tubing?

[whoaru99]

Need to order some 1/2" id silicone tubing.

Looking at the Brew Hardware site there is USA and/or imported tubing.

Recommendation as to which performs better overall?

 

[Broken Crow]

Silicone or "other"?
....and then:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/search...&c[child_nodes]=1&c[nodes][0]=282&o=relevance
..just in case.

 

[pers]

Bought silicone tubing from them over 5 years ago and it was great. Unfortunately have no idea if it was imported or domestic.

Recently bought some more of the USA made one. While perfectly fine it kinks very easily. So keep in mind if you're going to be making any large bends. It can be mitigated by having something hold it but can also be a pain.

I suspect my original order was the imported one as it is more rigid and doesn't kink easily.

 

[whoaru99]

Silicone or "other"?

Fixed in original post.

 

[Broken Crow]

Personally I'd stick with Made in USA. The very first 12' I bought of the cheaper import smelled bad and took a lot of repeated cleaning to get rid of the smell before I used it which I only did once as it stained badly and immediately... it's now out in my garage waiting for a non-food repurposing. I've since stuck with the platinum-cured made in USA and it lasts a lot longer and doesn't stink.
Just my 2-cents.

 

[hotbeer]

Do you need any of the advantages they claim for the imported tubing?

I pretty much consider tubing a consumable. It'll have to be replaced after so many uses. So just try the less expensive and see if it works well enough or last long enough. Or you can try the more expensive first.

 

[whoaru99]

The comments about it being a bit more rigid/less prone to kinking and smoother finish seem like good things.

But, feedback from those who may have used both might reveal additional considerations.

 

[sibelman]

I think Bobby went to thinner walled tubing at some point, possibly because he felt it was adequate and less expensive. This may explain the kinking thing.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I hate to recommend anything, but do some checking around and ask questions. Anything connected to a pump, I prefer the heavier wall tubing. Other applications I will use the lighter stuff. I buy in bulk so I don't have much thin wall tubing.

 

[whoaru99]

Both variants of the (unreinforced) silicone tubing from Brew Hardware say 1/8" wall (for the 1/2" id stuff).

 

[Bobby_M]

We only started selling imported tubing as an option about a year ago. My domestic tubing is slightly harder and clearer than 95% of the silicone you'd find in the homebrew market. The imported stuff is one step further in that direction. In my opinion, it's a little more rigid than I like.

 

[day_trippr]

Which one doesn't stink?

I'll be ordering ~25 feet of 1/2" ID 1/8" wall tubing for my rig soon and figured to just reorder the same tubing I bought last time...

Cheers!

 

[sibelman]

doesn't stink

Seems like food-grade tubing shouldn't stink. I've never noticed stinkiness in new silicone tubing I've bought from Bobby or others.

Too, I don't think I've previously noted country of origin. I did see lots from China when hunting for replacement tubing (5mmx7mm) for floating dip tubes. So now I'm worried.

 

[Peebee]

We have a similar conundrum in the UK:

Should I buy the UK-made stuff or the cheaper foreign stuff?

I have opted for the cheaper stuff in the past. ... Yeah? ... Is it what I expected? ... ???


Certainties are always the best in the long run.