Watercooling Fittings test/roundup

[Parge]

Given how popular watercooling is becoming, and Antonys recent woes with 45 degree compression fittings (something I’ve regularly experienced myself) I’d LOVE to see a WC compression fittings and general angled fittings roundup.

These products are VERY expensive for what they are, and in my experience, often extremely sub par in their quality. There is definitely a story here.

[Mankz]

I'm happy to try and do something.. I've got a fair collection of the blighters.

What sort of things would you like to see?

[Parge]

I’d like to see a number of Compression fittings tested, from Bitspower, to TFC, Feser, EK, and generic brand ones that a lot of stores carry.

I’d also like to see angled fittings with G1/4 threads tested from the above companies, as these are often particularly bad.

I’d like to see them looked at in terms of

Price
Ease of Use
Ability to withstand pressure (both internal, and from tubing at an angle)
Leakiness

You’d need to have about 5 of the each of the above to get a fair assessment of quality..

Personally I've just sent back 4 90 Degree compression fittings to Scan for a refund because they did not function as described (they leaked all over the place). I should mention, Scan were very good about this and refunded them straight away.

[PabloFunky]

Would be a nice thread, generally had good experiences with fittings,

But 45s had issues, nice to know there was a second gen of them, i didnt know that.

It makes me wonder if most of the fittings are made in China somewhere bucketloads at a time, then the only thing that people make them think are nice, is painting them or chroming etc.

I want things that look nice, but ultimately if the product sucks, theres no point in chroming it.

However ive used many fittings, and was only 5 or 6 fittings from bits that failed, i threw them away, as the joy of throwing them in the bin was worth more than messing about with rmas .

When you get a rma from Scan like that it would indicate they are aware of the issue, so naturally happy to sort it.

Im looking forward to buying a few monsoon fittings, to give them a go.

[Combatus]

Interesting idea - shame my woes had to be the inspiration. I'd much rather they'd have friggin worked!

I agree with PabloFunky that a thread might be a better idea rather than an article. That way we can all post our horror stories. Only about 50% of the fittings I bought leaked, so there's a good chance that if I got them in for review, we wouldn't come across dodgy ones.

Mine were barely under any pressure. I got some EK 45 degree barbs and these were miles better - much firmer at the rotation joint.

[Mankz]

This is why i still swear by straight barbs and jubilee clips...

[PabloFunky]

I noticed that the last lot (unused as yet) of 45s are fixed ones, not rotary.

Grrrr, thought i had rotary ones, oh well, theres no way they will leak though being fixed.

[Spreadie]

I've only had one rotary angled fitting leak, although I have heard some stories about Bitspower fittings leaking.

[Krikkit]

Originally Posted by Mankz

This is why i still swear by straight barbs and jubilee clips...

You Luddite! (Me too...)

[Zurechial]

I could never go back to barbs & clips - Far too much hassle and I'd spend too much time worrying about them leaking or coming loose, along with the actual awkwardness of opening & closing clips/clamps, but that's just a matter of preference, I figure.

Compression fittings all the way for me. I've never 'invested' in Bitspower or any branded fittings. They're one of the least exciting parts of a build to me, so I go for functionality & ease of use over everything else.
Plus, to me expensive Bitspower fittings are (and should be) the preserve of extreme high-end builds like MDPCs and coolmiester builds. I think they're a total waste in the average build where shiny, chromed/anodised fittings are just an expensive addition to an average build where they'll either go unnoticed or add nothing aesthetically.
I get the feeling that, like a lot of things in PC modding, branded fittings (such as Bitspower and so on) are a matter of 'fashion' and joining the elite club; the same as anally-retentive individually-sleeved PSU cables and many design tricks copied from MDPC/Murdermod etc.

Unbranded 13/10mm compression fittings all the way for me. I don't believe that they're better/worse than branded fittings and the like but they fit the bill for me and that's all that matters when I'm placing an order for parts.
In my latest build I tried out the compression fittings with built-in anti-kink springs and I'm finding them great so far. Not to everyone's visual taste - I, for instance, can't stand anti-kink coils on tubing; I think they look hideous - But I like the pseudo-industrial look that the springs add to the loop.

[robump]

I think this is a great idea.... is it worth spending more on more expensive fittings??

[Parge]

Originally Posted by Combatus

I agree with PabloFunky that a thread might be a better idea rather than an article. That way we can all post our horror stories. Only about 50% of the fittings I bought leaked, so there's a good chance that if I got them in for review, we wouldn't come across dodgy ones.

Mine were barely under any pressure. I got some EK 45 degree barbs and these were miles better - much firmer at the rotation joint.

'only' about 50% of them leaked? That's a terrible ratio and about the same as my experience.

Imagine if 50% of any other component failed! If someone said to me that the chances of me getting a working GPU when buying from new was 50%, I wouldn't even consider buying that product.

The leaky 90s I had only had the weight of some tubing on them, and they leaked like a sieve from the get go.

[Spreadie]

Originally Posted by Parge

The leaky 90s I had only had the weight of some tubing on them, and they leaked like a sieve from the get go.

My single leaky 45 comp fitting was the same - only the weight of the filled tubing and pressure from the pump was enough for it to fail. That's the only failure I've seen, out of the two dozen or so revolvable fittings I have used. A much more palatable strike rate, I'm sure you'll agree.

[Combatus]

Originally Posted by Parge

'only' about 50% of them leaked? That's a terrible ratio and about the same as my experience.

Imagine if 50% of any other component failed! If someone said to me that the chances of me getting a working GPU when buying from new was 50%, I wouldn't even consider buying that product.

The leaky 90s I had only had the weight of some tubing on them, and they leaked like a sieve from the get go.

Sorry I should have worded that better! I agree it's a disgusting ratio - my point was that if I ordered in samples, the chances are I'd get a working sample because not all of them are naff, and could potentially be recommending a product with a 50% failure rate...

As for compression fittings in general, it's only the angled and rotary jobbies I've had issues with. The straight barbs (and so far these angled rotary EK fittings) I've never had problems with and haven't used barbs and jubilee clips since ordering my first batch.

[Parge]

Originally Posted by Combatus

Sorry I should have worded that better! I agree it's a disgusting ratio - my point was that if I ordered in samples, the chances are I'd get a working sample because not all of them are naff, and could potentially be recommending a product with a 50% failure rate...

As for compression fittings in general, it's only the angled and rotary jobbies I've had issues with. The straight barbs (and so far these angled rotary EK fittings) I've never had problems with and haven't used barbs and jubilee clips since ordering my first batch.

Agreed. When I've used straight compression fittings I've never had a leak.

Like you say, its the fittings with rotary heads that are the real culprits.

I suppose the only way to get around the above would be to order anonymously (ie: not under the BT banner to reduce the chances of cherry picking), and to order 5 or 10 of each.

[icemanTM]

Never had problems with alphacool even though they are kinda cheap compared to Bittspower

[tp148]

I wouldn't mind seeing something about Monsoon fittings, they're spot on aesthetically but it would be good to know if they match performance wise!

Cheers