Ok, after reading and asking questions about air hose I'm a little confused still. If it's a fact that rubber is better overall then PVC then why does it seem that more PVC is sold then rubber? At least it seems that way as far as what all the retailers stock and sell anyway. There must be something about rubber that isn't as good as PVC. Anybody know?
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May you die and go to heaven before the Devil knows you're dead. My Best, Mac -
How about COST!
I have been looking for rubber air hose because the plastic stuff I have doesn't "uncoil" and lay flat when I use it. Here in the Great Land, any rubber hose that I have been able to find, on reels, is between two and three times as expensive as the plastic hose.
I keep looking in Costco and SAMS. -
My understanding is that rubber hose is much more flexible in cold weather than PVC, but it is more expensive.
g.Smit
"Be excellent to each other."
Bill & TedComment
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PVC is cheaper to produce. I have two good sources locally for good rubber air hose, although you CAN find it in the hose section at the blue borg (by the foot). HF and IBT, and IBT will make it whatever size you want (still going to get 1/2" 110' for the air reel someday). Rubber is more abrasion resistant (which is why it was used as the line for the bell at full service gas stations, remember those?), it isn't as slick when tracked through the oil and such and will tend to last longer (ever seen pvc bulge?).She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.Comment
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HF has Goodyear brand rubber hoses dirt cheap. I think it was 50ft < $15.Comment
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I have a PUR-Hose, consider it much better than the rubber hose I had, and have never looked back:
http://www.amazon.com/PUR-Hose-PUR-1...5?ie=UTF8&s=hiComment
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I've sold several of these hoses and they are AWESOME, I've raved about them in past posts and still have every intention of replacing all of mine with this type. They claim to be flexible to -40 and they really do handle nicely and are EXTREMELY light.
Currently I have rubber hoses as well as an older PVC style hose made by Gates that actually handles really well, but EVERY newer PVC hose that I've checked on shows the same characteristics, they're just flat ignorant to work with. I actually threw a 50' blue PVC hose in the trash just because I was so sick of trying to roll it up.
One of these days when I hit the lottery
I'll just replace all of my hoses (200' worth 
) with polyurethane.
If it ain't broke.. don't fix it!!!... but you can always 'hop it up'
**one and only purchaser of a BT3C official thong** Comment
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Let's see if i can answer Jeffery & Steve:
i live in central Texas, but the temp here does drop to the 20's and rarely below. no problems.
I have mine mouted on an HF reel -- no problems rewinding it.
Does it "lay flat"? As opposed to what? No hose I've ever had laid flat right off the reel but uncoiling it is easy. Light weight. Abrasion resistant. Doesn't ever kink stopping air flow. And I've stepped on it numerous times in my 1 car garage shop (very crowded) with no problems. And mine is a 50 footer! Run it out from the shop to the driveway to fill the tires. no problem!
Best I've ever had!Comment
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Paul:
Thanks for the response. Looks like I will have to get some that hose.
I suspect that the ambient temperature in Alaska is somewhat lower than that in the lower and smaller states so that plastic stuff really gets stiff when lying on a cold floor.
Thanks again, regards, SNComment
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Hey SN, who are you calling smaller state?
Now setting SN straight on that let's get back to my original question. 
So I take it that price would be the only negative thing over PVC then. Course like pointed out HF sells a pretty cheap rubber one so there you go. It's rubber for me unless that PUR-Hose looks like I might like it better and I'm fixin to do that right now. Thanks gentlemen for the replies.
May you die and go to heaven before the Devil knows you're dead. My Best, MacComment
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Hey SN, who are you calling smaller state? Now setting SN straight on that let's get back to my original question. So I take it that price would be the only negative thing over PVC then. Course like pointed out HF sells a pretty cheap rubber one so there you go. It's rubber for me unless that PUR-Hose looks like I might like it better and I'm fixin to do that right now. Thanks gentlemen for the replies.
There you go! I knew that Texas would rise to the challenge of being a smaller state.
On to serious matters. I would like to get away from those awful hoses that retain their coils even when stretched out and, worse, are real pains when it come to winding them back up again. I have spent too much time tripping over them and trying to rewind them into manageable coils for storage.
It seems that the Polyurethane hose is less expensive than rubber hose, and much more flexible to boot. Both rubber and polyU would be a big improvement over PVC and that horrible yellow stuff.
And speaking of smaller states, one thing we do have in common with Hawaii and Puerto Rico is obscene shipping charges. I checked on HF prices and found that the shipping to Alaska was almost as expensive (within about $3) as the hose itself. And, to add insult to injury, many merchants and suppliers insist on shipping by UPS or FedEx and will not use USPS Priority Mail. Parcel Post mail takes anywhere from three to five weeks.
Its a tough life up here, even when you live in the largest state. I guess that's why they call it the "Last Frontier".
Of course, then there's the cold. But we manage!
Regards, SNComment
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Hey SN, do you guys ever worry about what would happen if all that ice and snow melted? I wonder what size Alaska would be then. I read somewhere that the best they can determine is New Jersey. 
OK, seriously though even with those kinds of shipping rate it probably makes it all worthwhile to be able to live in God's Country. One of these days I'll have to visit the place - before it all melts that is. Yeah I agree it would be well worth it at whatever price to get away from that PVC junk. Anyway take care up there in Alaska.
May you die and go to heaven before the Devil knows you're dead. My Best, MacComment
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I've had two "red" rubber hoses that I purchased back in 1979. One got knocked off the back of the storage shelf and went unnoticed lying on a damp basement floor for a couple of years. The second I use often and it is still in fairly good shape. The exterior is showing quite a bit of cracking, but this is two or more ply hose and it still holds pressure with no leaking.
The hose that didn't get used, simply rotted from the prolonged exposure to moisture.
As far as laying flat, the rubber hose is certainly more plyable than PVC and although you have some twisting to do when uncoiling it, it does lay down once uncoiled. The PVC is like a rather large spring! The rubber is also heavier.
I bought these at a farm/tractor supply store and have found these types of stores to be more than competive with pricing.
CWSThink it Through Before You Do!Comment
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