The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Air Hose Couplers

Anyone have experience with the so-called "universal" type compressed air hose couplers?

As I understand it, there are several proprietary types that were developed by different manufacturers, but there are the universal types that cover two or three common styles.

---> Bill

bought the universal types before, and they leaked after awhile, not real bad, just enough to irritate me. better, i think to buy the sets that have different fittings and change all to the same type. oh yeah--keep one of the packages so you have the number when you buy a new tool and need the coupler. i just keep an old package in my air tool drawer.

Go with the steel type as the brass ones will wear out quicker and cause leaks at the connections.

When I got my set-up going, I took one of the connectors i had and went to the store and bought handfulls to match. I also bought several extra and keep them in my air tool bin.

Lowes and Home Depot sell connections that are color coded so all you have to do is remember your particular connection color.

I should have clarified... I sometimes do work in, and occasionally borrow tools from, a couple of other shops. All three locations have different systems. A real inconvenience to have to swap air plugs everytime you want to use a tool, which is what led me to ask about the universal types.

Changing my system to match another would be easy enough, but I can't match both, so I guess I'll need to make some adaptor fittings.

Thanks for the replies.

---> Bill

When I started, I borrowed some air tools from a friend that used to be a mechanic and matched his fittings. He uses tools from several shops as well and has made adapters that he keeps on hand. When he borrows tools from another garage, just grap one of the adapters and go to work. The adapters can easily be swaped and matched to fit any applications.