Thoughts on Clearflex tubing?

deadlysyn · Jan 7, 2010

So I have been looking for some inexpensive tubing so that I can finally put my loop together. I came across this Clearflex 60, which runs around $0.89 a foot, if I buy 10 feet or more. My original plan was to go with Primochill LRT in black, but this is less than half the price. I haven't actually ordered it yet, because I wanted to check with the more experienced guys first. I have read somewhere that it is the same as some of the Tygon tubing out there, but for less money. Is this tubing decent, or will I have problems with tight bends? This loop will be set up in an Antec 900, so I may have a couple of tight turns, and I don't want any kinks if I can help it.

hokiealumnus · Jan 7, 2010

Never had experience with that tubing, but what I can tell you with authority is that Primochill Pro LRT 7/16"ID tubing is SUPERB. Click on the 'water cooled rc690' build in my sig. Look at the bends between the GPU and the reservoir. Insanely tight with little effort and absolutely no problems at all. It's not cheap, but I'd recommend it to anybody.

Spawn-Inc · Jan 7, 2010

that's the first tubing i went with and i didn't like it one bit. it clouded up (plastizier leeching) on me within 3 months. it big and bulky.

i got it for the same reason you did, price. so i went looking and found 7/16" masterkleer 10 feet for 4.90 from jab

http://www.jab-tech.com/Masterkleer-Tubing-7-16-ID-5-8-OD-pr-3079.html

i've been using it for the last year and a bit and love the stuff. hasn't clouded and is tight on 1/2" barbs. i think i've order about 35 feet of it thus far.

Nebulous · Jan 7, 2010

Agreed! Clearflex is terrible tubing. I used to use it and I had to change it out evry 4 months becasue it would get stained in white cloudness. Bad part was all I used was distilled water and biocide.

Masterkleer is the best stuff to use. Been using it for ages as well and I would'nt want to use anything else.

deadlysyn · Jan 7, 2010

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I was actually considering the Masterkleer, but I am having a hard time finding it available in 1/2x3/4. I was going to go with 7/16x5/8 until I came upon a smokin deal on some Bitspower compression fittings, and decided to give them a try. I am thinking about the Primochill LRT still, but it is a little out of budget for the time being. The Primochill green is at around $1.25 a foot at Jab, but I have been keeping an eye on it for a while, and doesn't seem to be coming back into stock any time soon. I may just have to suck it up, and hope I can get a few extra jobs over the next few days, and order the Primochill black. I was hoping to order the 45 I need to put both compression fittings on my res at the same time, so I was trying to keep the price on tubing as low as possible.

Edit: I also wanted to add that I will be running straight distilled with True Silver barbs on my blocks. The plan is no other additives, as long as I can get away with it.

atomic ferret · Jan 7, 2010

I used to use Masterkleer 7/16". It had a pretty good bend radius, but it clouded up on me in a month with distilled and PT Nuke, which was kind of a bummer.

Spawn-Inc · Jan 7, 2010

try looking at mc master carr, they seem to have it, http://www.mcmaster.com/#masterkleer-tubing/=5a2ym6

1/2" x 3/4" - $0.89/foot

Conumdrum · Jan 8, 2010

Hmm, I'll spend $100 on a rad, $75 on a pump etc.

Then it's tubing, 10' of it. Spending 8.99 vs 22.99 for a much better product is a no brainer. But I agree, if there is anywhere to save, it's on tubing. Never want to scrimp on the main parts.

Primochill is $2.25. Whats the cheapest Masterclear? Decent stuff. $.90?

$13.50 difference for 10'. For a regular rig 8' is usually enuff by far. Almost under $10 diff.

NavyDood · Jan 8, 2010

I have no side window so I am not worried about the bling bling factor. I just go to the local hardware store and pic up the .19 cents a foot stuff. Never have had an issue

muddocktor · Jan 8, 2010

Conumdrum said:
Hmm, I'll spend $100 on a rad, $75 on a pump etc.

Then it's tubing, 10' of it. Spending 8.99 vs 22.99 for a much better product is a no brainer. But I agree, if there is anywhere to save, it's on tubing. Never want to scrimp on the main parts.

Primochill is $2.25. Whats the cheapest Masterclear? Decent stuff. $.90?

$13.50 difference for 10'. For a regular rig 8' is usually enuff by far. Almost under $10 diff.

Yeah, I agree with this. If you have to scrimp on something the tubing is the thing to do it. But have you ever thought about using 7/16 ID instead of 1/2 ID tubing to save some money? Going from 10' of 1/2 x 3/4 Primochill ($2/ft) to 7/16 x 5/8 Primochill ($1.85/ft) saves $1.50 right there and it uses the same 1/2 OD fittings. And I have been very impressed with the Primochill I've used so far in it staying elastic; much more so than my black Tygon has. From what I've seen so far with my Primochill tubing, I think I should easily get 3+ years of life out of it. But I also don't run clear tubing, just the colored varieties.

Freddiz · Jan 8, 2010

Masterclear ia a good hose, the only problem is that it cant handle tight bends if you need.
I used masterclear for a couple of month and then I went for Tygon R3603. There cant be any better hose than Tygon. Soft, bends great, and have a good lifetime.
Little more expencive but you whount need to change it in the future.

deadlysyn · Jan 8, 2010

I went ahead and just ordered the Primochill 1/2x3/4 in black, so that it will properly mate with my compression fittings. I was able to knock a fairly decent amount off the shipping by ordering 9 feet instead of 10. I figured since I am almost ready to put the loop together, I may as well do it the way I want it, instead of looking at it in a way that I know wasn't what I originally wanted.

deadlysyn · Jan 9, 2010

I thought of another question. I'm going to be replacing the barbs on my blocks with the Bitspower True Silver barbs that I have. When I put the new barbs on, how tight do I tighten them up? Do I wrench them down, or is as tight as I can turn them by hand enough? The barbs on my Fuzion V1 are so tight that I can't turn them by hand, but I don't want to over do it and ruin the seal. The compression fittings aren't set up for a wrench, they are just knurled, so I'm guessing as tight as I can tighten them by hand is about as far as I should go. Am I correct in assuming this, or am I mistaken?

Spawn-Inc · Jan 9, 2010

i tighten my barbs hand tight then 1/4" or so turn with a wrench.

muddocktor · Jan 9, 2010

Yeah, I go 1/4 to 1/2 turn after getting it hand tight. You don't want to totally deform the o-ring but then you also want it to be tight enough that it doesn't back out when putting the tubing over the fitting either.

deadlysyn · Jan 9, 2010

Thanks guys. I should have the rest of my parts either Tuesday or Wednesday. After that, it's just a matter of finding the time for assembly and leak testing.

baditude_df · Jan 9, 2010

Freddiz said:
Masterclear ia a good hose, the only problem is that it cant handle tight bends if you need.
I used masterclear for a couple of month and then I went for Tygon R3603. There cant be any better hose than Tygon. Soft, bends great, and have a good lifetime.
Little more expencive but you whount need to change it in the future.

You won't need to change Primochill either. The black 1/2-3/4" is one of the best investments I have made for my loop. I like it better than the Tygon R-3603 or 3400 in pretty much every way.

deadlysyn said:
I went ahead and just ordered the Primochill 1/2x3/4 in black, so that it will properly mate with my compression fittings. I was able to knock a fairly decent amount off the shipping by ordering 9 feet instead of 10. I figured since I am almost ready to put the loop together, I may as well do it the way I want it, instead of looking at it in a way that I know wasn't what I originally wanted.

Good choice, You'll love it.
Compression fittings, meh.

deadlysyn · Jan 9, 2010

baditude_df said:
You won't need to change Primochill either. The black 1/2-3/4" is one of the best investments I have made for my loop. I like it better than the Tygon R-3603 or 3400 in pretty much every way.

Good choice, You'll love it.
Compression fittings, meh.

The only things I can remember reading about Tygon, is that it is over priced, kinks easily, but doesn't stain as fast as other brands. Since I originally wanted black tubing (was thinking about the Primochill green, but it wouldn't look right with the blue LED fans in the Antec 900), and plan on running straight distilled with the True Silver barbs, I'm not too worried about staining. As far as price, the Primochill has Tygon beat, and as far as flexibility, from what I have read, the Primochill is worlds better. The only reason I got the compression fittings is because I found a great deal on them (6 for $25 shipped), otherwise, I would have just replaced all of the barbs with True Silver. It may have been overkill that way (several sources say all you need is 4 of them), and I could have gone with EK Fat Boys (found a link posted for $1.50 each) with a kill coil, but this method seems like it will work well for me.

baditude_df · Jan 9, 2010

I love fat boys, they're excellent.
I'm one of the rare few who use 4" zip ties to secure my tubing and nothing else. The fatboys have the smaller barbs behind the main barb to ensure that my outer tie bites in good and keeps the tube in place while I secure the inner tie behind the main barb.

Another reason I like the LRT. Not only does it bend well, but it deforms very well around barbed nozzles.
Nothing's getting through there. Not at the flowrates a typical WC pump puts out anyway.

donuts · Jan 9, 2010

deadlysyn, thanks for the thread and Baditude, thanks for the pic.
I'm about due for a teardown of my loop and was trying to decide on tubing. The Masterclear was to stiff, and I too was eyeing the Primochill black. This thread has made up my mind. thanks

Now I just need to decide if I'm going to change the MOBO when the loop is being cleaned, lol. That's another thread.

Thoughts on Clearflex tubing?

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