Mac line or steel hose

[Chozy]

I need to know which one i should get on my 68 automag, what are the goods and bads about mac line and steel hose?
Thanks

[TheDoveDecends]

Steel hose will scratch your body up pretty bad if it touched it at all. Personally i prefer macroline. After awhile you might start getting leaks at your macroline ends, but easy to fix.

[SlartyBartFast]

Use SS braided hose. No question of its safety.

To stop it from scratching up your marker, cover it with heat shrink tubing.

[trains are bad]

I use a grease hose, just get one at napa. Never buy anything from TSC.

[RRfireblade]

SS braided line covered in heat shrink tubing.

Jay.

[Torbo]

i prefer macro because of the ease with which it can be put to use. On a mag, due to the long line from the valve to the asa i might use steel. I dont shoot a mag anymore though.

[Smitty2k1]

Macro is a bit easier to work with, but it tends to blow up in your face (esp. with co2) Not that I think its a huge saftey concern, but its annoying and can pretty much ruin your day if there is no spare line anywhere around.

SS looks cool (with shrink tubing on it) and the QD's are a solid product. A bit harder to install but it will last longer and won't spring leaks.

Id recomend SS with a QD, I use it on all my markers :)

[ogre55]

Much less headaches with SS line, especcially with mags as they require high input pressure.

I would also suggest a slide check or pro-connect to degass the gun.

Ogre

[Nick O time]

macro all the way.

[Jt$uper$tar]

macroline is the only way to go, its soooo easy to use and adjust lengths, i would never ever EVER go back to steel unless someone paid me like a crap load of money

[Dryden]

Keep in mind, you're going to get a hundred comments on Internet forums touting the virtues of both, and both sides of the argument can be convincing. In the end, it's your choice (and your welfare) as to which you use.

Hoses are graded with a working pressure (WP), and have a burst pressure normally 4 times the WP.

Macro typically comes in two types, 300 WP and 500 WP. If you go with macro, make absolutely certain you get the thick walled, 500 WP stuff (Parker Parflex is the popular make on this forum). Do NOT buy the LP 300psi stuff - like what is found in the do-it-yourself kits from companies like 32*. Pros of macro are ease of use and push-connect fittings.

SS is usually rated to 3000 psi WP, which means a burst of 12000! This far exceeds the pressure of the common NPT end fittings, elbows, and QDs used in markers. High grade grease hose is also popular, at the same WP. However, there are makes of SS with lower WP, I've seen as low as 1000psi, so be careful who you buy from (they're NOT all created equal). SS has been reported to blow-out too, but occurances of this are far rarer than with macro, and no post I've ever read regarding stainless blowing up has included details as to who installed it, how old it was, and whether the owner had twisted or kinked the line. Pros of SS are durability.

Whatever you buy, whoever you decide to believe, just make certain that the hose you buy is rated to withstand the air pressure from your bottle - probably 850psi on the high end with preset HPA, 1000psi on the high end with CO2, and around 650psi on the low-end with an adjustable reg on a Mag. You might also want to consider how close in relation to your hand and face the air line is going to be - high pressure air isn't something to fool with.

Macro can be used safely, but far too many people are following a trend and applying it to the wrong application. Remember, working pressure means working pressure. :)

Final note, exceeding the working pressure, ambient air temperature, and internal air temperature (e.g. CO2) will accelerate the time before failure of the line and lower its burst point.

[USAF-Flyboy with a Mag]

I originally started with macro line on my xmag. I was using a pmi pure energy tank fixed at 850psi. It worked fine except for one inccident that I believe was a freak accident. The actual fitting (not the line) burst apart. I have since switched to an AGD Flatline tank and I run my pressure upwards of 1k. I didn't want to take the chance of the macro bursting, so I have switched to SS. No problems as of yet. I valued my eyes more then I valued the ease of macro line.

[Skoad]

Macro line rules. I'll never do SS hose again.

As far as it blowing, I had the same piece of macro line on my classic mag for a few months. Then when i got my emag i cut that same piece down a little shorter and stuck it on there. Used that same macro piece for probably a year and a half, no blowing.

Now i have 2 friends also running macro and both used co2. No problems yet!

Always a good idea to have an extra piece or 2 with you anyway :P

[edweird]

im in the same boat as flyboy... and if the idea of steel braded scaring up your marker is messing with you just get some of that pimp Automags.org printed shrink wrap to cover it up with.

Um its in the dealers forum HERE (http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=130829)

[Gadget]

Originally posted by Dryden
Hoses are graded with a working pressure (WP), and have a burst pressure normally 4 times the WP.

Macro typically comes in two types, 300 WP and 500 WP. If you go with macro, make absolutely certain you get the thick walled, 500 WP stuff (Parker Parflex is the popular make on this forum). Do NOT buy the LP 300psi stuff - like what is found in the do-it-yourself kits from companies like 32*. Pros of macro are ease of use and push-connect fittings.

It's not just the macro line itself which can be a cause for concern - the fittings themselves vary in quality and I've seen a number of people have macro elbows explode (retaining collar ripping out of elbow body).

In the UK someone was concern enough about this to source hose and fittings which are actually designed for the pressures that they are expected to operate at.

This thread: http://www.p8ntballer-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24651&highlight=pressure shows the kind of pressure that they can take.

With the hose having a WP of 900psi it offers all of the benefits of macro without the dangerous potential side effects.

Only downside of them is that currently they are only available in parallel threads and use a surface sealing o-ring. This is great for flat surfaces (Angel AIR reg etc) as no loctite or tape is needed, however curved surfaces (mag valves) need a taper to parallel adapter.

The supplier has offered them for sale on here (http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118936) and if safety is important to you, I recommend them.