My attempt to make a better hose coupler

[Stedlin]

I installed and tried out one of my QuietPlugs on Saturday...and found that it wouldn't lock into my brass Dixon push-to-click coupler. Have you run into this?

My educated guess is that the Dixon coupler you are using is either Aro style or TruFlate style.
You probably should have ordered our QuietHose fitting instead.
You might want to call us and arrange a swap.

 

[GirchyGirchy]

The ones I have are 2DF2-B.

My compressor has two outlets - one has a filter plugged in with the Dixon on the outlet, the other is stock, so I plugged the QuietPlug into it and it worked fine.

Good point on the QuietHose instead. I placed an order yesterday for a Quick Coupler and an Orbital Coupler, would you mind holding off on shipping for now?

 

[Stedlin]

The ones I have are 2DF2-B.

My compressor has two outlets - one has a filter plugged in with the Dixon on the outlet, the other is stock, so I plugged the QuietPlug into it and it worked fine.

Good point on the QuietHose instead. I placed an order yesterday for a Quick Coupler and an Orbital Coupler, would you mind holding off on shipping for now?

It seems that one run of QuietPlugs was pushing the limits of fit tolerance. This is the first case I know of and it will be corrected immediately.

We would be happy to swap them all out with QuietHose fittings at our expense. Just give us a call or email at [email protected]

 

[GirchyGirchy]

We would be happy to swap them all out with QuietHose fittings at our expense.

Getting it taken care of - thanks! Do you want me to ship the QuietPlugs back so you can take a look at them?

 

[Stedlin]

Getting it taken care of - thanks! Do you want me to ship the QuietPlugs back so you can take a look at them?

You don't need to ship them back, thanks.
I did just check the dimensions on some of the plugs from that lot and they do fall within the ISO 6150b specs. I'm not sure what the issue is exactly so I ordered a Dixon coupler like yours and i will see whether it might be the culprit.

Would you like me to send out your order with extra free QuietHose fittings?

 

[GirchyGirchy]

Would you like me to send out your order with extra free QuietHose fittings?

I gave you guys a call and talked to Deb, I think we have everything worked out. Thanks for your help!

 

[Stedlin]

I was able to reproduce the problem.
The Dixon coupling will not lock properly if the width of the plug raised section is more then .045".
However the ISO specification allows for this to be more then .05".
In my opinion, the Dixon is out of spec.
The vast majority of plugs are .045" or less and will work in the Dixon coupler.

 

[Stedlin]

In case you're interested, I tested the Dixon coupler as I do all the couplers I have.
Pressure drop at 32CFM = 23 PSI
Plug insertion force at 100 PSI = 27 pounds.

For reference:
Stedlin Quick Coupler:
Pressure drop at 32 CFM = 10 PSI
Plug insertion force at 100 PSI = 10 pounds.

 

[Stedlin]

I was recently reminded that my prototype air compressor has been sitting on the floor in my office for over two years.
I've been meaning to convert it back to a single stage but haven't found the time. It is amazingly quiet when set up that way but pretty darn loud as a two stage.

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[Stedlin]

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Quick couplers are not supposed to be connected directly to air hammers which is why I connected ours directly to an air hammer with an aluminum plug.

 

[Qualitytools]

I see on your site a comment that reads "It is NOT compatible with Stedlin Couplers. Provides exceptional noise reduction compared to other highflow plugs." for your high flow plugs. Are there any future plans to make a high flow coupler? Thanks for your time

 

[Stedlin]

I see on your site a comment that reads "It is NOT compatible with Stedlin Couplers. Provides exceptional noise reduction compared to other highflow plugs." for your high flow plugs. Are there any future plans to make a high flow coupler? Thanks for your time

The answer to the question you asked is "We already are making a high flow coupler".
We are not however making a coupler that is compatible with the current plugs marketed as "high flow" such as the "V style".
I explained my reasoning here
Our current couplers only have a 10 PSI pressure drop at 32 CFM when used with our QuietPlugs compared to 6 to 9 for current "high flow couplers" and plugs that are significantly harder to connect and more dangerous to disconnect.

 

[Qualitytools]

The answer to the question you asked is "We already are making a high flow coupler".
We are not however making a coupler that is compatible with the current plugs marketed as "high flow" such as the "V style".
I explained my reasoning here
Our current couplers only have a 10 PSI pressure drop at 32 CFM when used with our QuietPlugs compared to 6 to 9 for current "high flow couplers" and plugs that are significantly harder to connect and more dangerous to disconnect.

Thank you for your reply! I may have to PM you what I am trying to accomplish in order to get a better idea as to which of your products I can use.

 

[Stedlin]

We are having a 20 percent off sale this week that runs through Sunday.
Coupon code is Garage Journal.

 

[jptbay]

We are having a 20 percent off sale this week that runs through Sunday.
Coupon code is Garage Journal.

Thanks for the discount. Ordered some orbitals. Love the orange!

 

[Stedlin]

Thanks for the discount. Ordered some orbitals. Love the orange!

Thanks for the order.

 

[Stedlin]

I was recently informed that we were going to have a visit from a local robotics club and that it would be a few students and their teacher and mentor.
I was taken aback when about 20 students and 10 adults showed up.
I wound up giving a long dissertation on how I went from developing a beach glass automatic drilling machine into manufacturing compressed air fittings.
I only wish it had been recorded.


20 percent off all Stedlin products through the 28th of April.

 

[Stedlin]

Our 20 percent off sale ends tonight at midnight.
Coupon code garage journal.

 

[JonnyC]

I tried your couple for the first time last night. My only other coupler has been a Milton "M" style, but holy cow connecting and disconnecting is sooo much easier.

 

[Stedlin]

I tried your couple for the first time last night. My only other coupler has been a Milton "M" style, but holy cow connecting and disconnecting is sooo much easier.

Since I started this thread over 2 years ago I have noticed a trend of air couplers getting even harder to connect. I recently purchased a portable compressor that had two brass push to connect couplers on it. I could barely engage the plug with a lot of effort. I measured the force at over 35 pounds at 120 PSI. Ridiculous! I of course replaced them with Stedlin Quick Couplers.

 

[ChrisLS8]

It seems that one run of QuietPlugs was pushing the limits of fit tolerance. This is the first case I know of and it will be corrected immediately.

We would be happy to swap them all out with QuietHose fittings at our expense. Just give us a call or email at [email protected]

This is fantastic customer service. If I still had a compressor I'd be swapping all my fittings out after seeing this

 

[Stedlin]

This is fantastic customer service. If I still had a compressor I'd be swapping all my fittings out after seeing this

Thank you.
We recognize that our most important asset is our customers.

Current 20 percent discount on all our products ends tonight at midnight.
Coupon code garage journal.

 

[aczr2k]

It was mentioned over the weekend by my dad that we should get a couple of these couplers for our other shop... perfect time for the 20% off! Thanks Frank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Stedlin]

It was mentioned over the weekend by my dad that we should get a couple of these couplers for our other shop... perfect time for the 20% off! Thanks Frank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My thanks to you and your Dad.


I have decided to extend the 20 percent discount through today, April 30th.
Coupon code garage journal.

 

[Stedlin]

I earlier wrote that our sale is good through Monday April 30th.
Change that to Tuesday April 30th.

Coupon code garage journal

 

[Stedlin]

I recently bought this portable compressor for my home garage since it was on sale. It came equipped with two push to connect couplers. While I was in the store I noticed that all the compressors that had couplers seemed to have this exact type.
I tried to connect my air hose and had quite a bit of trouble so I replaced one of them with one of my Stedlin Quick Couplers. I made this video to demonstrate the difference.

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[All]

My wife looked over my shoulder as I was watching this video and she about died laughing.

The drama detracts from the credibility. She is 5'2" tall, petite, and will be 70 years old soon. She disconnects and reconnects my air compressor hoses all the time. I sent you photos of my 3/8" couplers. I don't use 1/4". My hoses are 100' long, each, on reels. Lots of stored air to release. Lots of stored energy.

I've always supported you, and contributed answers to your many questions when you were developing your couplers, and want you to succeed. I admire all that you have accomplished.

I think the visual of the LCD digits on the force coupler instrument alone, without the grunting, would adequately demonstrate the distinctive difference between your product and the stock coupler on the Makita compressor.

If you deleted the audio from your video, it would have more credibility, and be less humorous to my wife. Although it would also be less funny.

 

[noid]

My wife looked over my shoulder as I was watching this video and she about died laughing.

The drama detracts from the credibility. She is 5'2" tall, petite, and will be 70 years old soon. She disconnects and reconnects my air compressor hoses all the time. I sent you photos of my 3/8" couplers. I don't use 1/4". My hoses are 100' long, each, on reels. Lots of stored air to release. Lots of stored energy.

I've always supported you, and contributed answers to your many questions when you were developing your couplers, and want you to succeed. I admire all that you have accomplished.

I think the visual of the LCD digits on the force coupler instrument alone, without the grunting, would adequately demonstrate the distinctive difference between your product and the stock coupler on the Makita compressor.

If you deleted the audio from your video, it would have more credibility, and be less humorous to my wife. Although it would also be less funny.

+1

Wonder why he got banned?

 

[scooby074]

+1

Wonder why he got banned?

X2 Must have missed some fireworks

 

[sberry]

You shouldn't have to disconnect sections of charged hose. A well designed system has 1 coupler, at the tool end of a hose or hose reel.

 

[aczr2k]

I don’t know how that’s possible unless you only work in the confines of your shop. We all don’t have that luxury I guess. Quite often I need well over a hundred feet of hose out in front of the shop. Just a dumb farmers opinion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[All]

Agreed. My 100' air hoses are coiled on manual Rapid Reel cradles, with two joined fifty footers per reel. Each reel also has a 2 foot feeder whip, with an IRAX swivel connector.

The (not so well designed?) "system" works like this:

Portable compressor > coil whip > 2 foot feeder whip that shipped with and is permanently part of the Rapid Reel, upon which 100' of 3/8" air line is spooled > identical Rapid Reel setup if necessary > coil whip > tool

Exchanging the tool is no big deal. But when wrapping up the job, after the tools are put away, and it's time to reel in the hoses, the air has to be released from them. Sometimes, after turning of the compressor, I will attach a blow gun to expell the air in the lines, simultaneously blowing the sawdust or chips off of the tools.

But sometimes, I don't have a blow gun with me, or I'm doing one thing and she is doing another, and there is 100 psi of air in 100-200 feet of air line that needs to be put away. So we call out "Disconnecting air line" and pop em open one section at a time.

Thirty years ago, I fitted SpeedAire safety ball valves to my old SpeedAire portable compressor, but I stopped using that compressor due to tank fears, and the newer portable compressors purchased since have all been pre-configured in such a way as to make hanging a safety ball valve (that releases the air in the line as the handle is turned) awkward for transport.

So we deal with it, because it isn't that big of a deal.

I'm curious what a "well designed system" for compressed air looks like for portable on location deployments outdoors in construction?

 

[sberry]

I have a reel with 100 ft reaches out front. You can bleed them off before disconnecting sections, its a good idea. I am mostly talking about fixed systems and routine use, I can certainly add sections to hoses if I need to but try to design and tailor the system so I don't have to.
User doesn't have to move hoses from one hydrant to the next. There happens to be a qc connecting the reel in pic 4 (been remodeled a bit since) but the user doesn't use it in normal service.

 

[All]

SBerry... I like the Rapid Reel on the old CRT computer monitor swing arm. That's pretty cool. I've been looking at photos of your shop for not quite 20 years (since 2002 I think, and on a different forum) and I don't recall seeing that photo before.

Yes, you are talking about a fixed situation, where I'm talking about mobile deployments. I should get more safety ball valves to decompress each reel, but my entire point was that there really isn't a need. The 2 foot whips really limit any travel of the line, and with the 6 or 8 ball bearings in the Milton 3/8" couplers I use, the effort to pull back the sleeve is minimal, and manageable by a grey haired little lady.

To All (except me of course)...

All the same, I still support Frank's efforts, and am sorry to see Stedlin "banned". It is especially sad since the Stedlin company and product was "incubated" by discussions begun by Leveleer on this very forum, in this very thread. The Stedlin company is a success story of the power of community input... a feather in Garage Journal's cap. I do not know the reasons why Ryan sees it differently, and it isn't my place to know... as this website is Ryan's to control how he sees fit.

This isn't a democracy. I've noticed a couple of my posts in a different thread were deleted wholesale, without a trace. If I want the forum to be run differently, I can go start my own forum. But I can't imagine doing such a thing, so I live with the rules entirely subject to the ruler of this forum. There does not have to be a rhyme or reason. Fairness and equity are not required.

All that notwithstanding, I'd be delighted to see Stedlin reinstated. I consider Stedlin a success story in the history of Garage Journal, and even if I don't see a personal need for Stedlin products, I hope and wish for Stedlin to attain the highest levels of success... for an American born and bred business, finding a need, and filling it.

 

[scooby074]

So what happened to get him banned? I never saw any real problem with his posts, other than some overly dramatic acting in some videos... Was it advertising related? I imagine this will be a big hit to his business as hes trying to get it off the ground.

 

[The Cobbler]

not sure, but I know he posted in a thread asking questions about the best couplers... I didn't read them, then they were gone, with another poster thanking the Mod's for the clean up .
yes, it's too bad, I do like his product .

 

[thehighwayman]

Maybe the infomercial business was more lucrative?

 

[davethorik]

He sounded at times like a really condescending ***** in his posts. Maybe I was reading too much into it but that's how he came across to me just reading some of his posts. Seems counterintuitive to try and push a product like that and not be ready to kiss the public's ***. Also weird to switch user names.

Maybe he acted condescending to the wrong person who then tattled to Ryan...

 

[kctyphoon]

And to think - people have been connecting air hoses without getting hernias for decades..

I’ll never understand why people that make genuinely good products resort to bad advertising..

There's no reason to be overly dramatic, in a forum filled with "tool people", when you have a good enough product (like he created) that can simply be shown and would stand on it's own merit. Another demo of his I believe didn't even have any commentary - and honestly - his product didn't need it.

That said - I’m sure he’s not getting rich from making hose couplings. I hope the guy wasnt banned from the site.. people should be allowed to have a voice, unless something extreme happened.

 

[scooby074]

not sure, but I know he posted in a thread asking questions about the best couplers... I didn't read them, then they were gone, with another poster thanking the Mod's for the clean up .
yes, it's too bad, I do like his product .

Guess we'll never know .