Thread: Airline fittings - Which Type?

Guys,
Not sure where to put this question, so mods, feel free to move if appropriate.

When we moved over to Australia from the UK I brought my compressor and a few tools with me. All my airline fittings are "PCL" style which is the most common in the UK and have a 1/4BSP thread. A couple of the fittings could do with replacing.

My ARB compressor and fittings in my 4WD (which I bought over here) have a different style of fitting and my neighbour's rattle gun has a different fitting again. Come to think of it, I think my Bushranger compressor (again for the 4WD) had a different fitting again.

As I need to replace a couple of female fittings it would seem to make sense that I replace them all, so they are all the same type.


Id like to run 3/8 pipe around the garage (a job I have yet to do) and Ive noticed some fittings seem to have a bigger CSA than others. My main flexi pipe is the standard sort of thing with 1/4 BSP fittings to accommodate new fittings.


Question: Whats the most common type? Whats quick and reliable (may also be the most common!) and where should I get them from?

Ive heard people talk of "Nitto" but not sure what that is.

Thanks
Jon

Nitto....

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=n...w=1364&bih=672

The Nitto has one big problem in that if you snag the standard fitting and the outer sleeve slides back it disconnects. This usually happens on extension hoses when they are dragged across the floor and it is bloody dangerous if anyone is standing near the air line as it goes ape. There are Nitto fitting to prevent this but they are fairly bulky in size.

I have had Ryco style fittings on my air hose for the last 20-odd years, but just recently I've been buying Nitto fittings, a move that was prompted by 1) some cheap air hose already terminated in Nitto ends from Aldi, 2) Bunnings selling off 'we no longer stock this brand' Nitto fittings, 3) Bunnings selling AEG brand swivel-connector Nitto fittings (I could not resist $6 for two, so I have about six now!), and 4) Nitto fittings supposedly having a higher flow rate than other styles (I vaguely remember reading this in some book).

Originally Posted by ventureoverland

Question: Whats the most common type? Whats quick and reliable (may also be the most common!) and where should I get them from?
Ive heard people talk of "Nitto" but not sure what that is.
Thanks
Jon

Nitto Koki is a Japanese maker of all sorts of couplers. They are probably best known for their "Hi Coupla" range of compressed air fittings. I believe these have become the de-facto standard for general purpose small air fittings in Australia. If you buy a generic air tool in Australia, chances are that it comes with a Nitto coupling. It is a good idea to standardize for these for around the home.

Do yourself a favor: buy genuine Nitto, not "Nitto compatible" junk from C#!%a. By all means shop around for the best prices, as these can vary by up to 100% for the same item. But stay away from "compatible" look-alikes, especially those look-alikes sold by general warehouses made of color anodized Aluminium. The Aluminium dents and scratches very soon, just by dragging on the floor, and the steel parts rust soon. The real thing have bodies made of either plated steel, stainess steel, or brass (depending on price) and with high wear parts are made of heat treated steel. And the mating parts have visibly better surface finishes. You get what you pay for. I guess this comment is valid for just any type/make of air fittings, not just Nitto.

Thanks All.

CBA... You've just preempted my question and answered it!

Looks like I can now go shopping... Again

Thx
Jon

I use and run Ryco style, they have a greater air throughput then Nitto types.. I buy the Ryco style from the local Enzed shop... They are the cheapest...

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

. . . . . The Nitto has one big problem in that if you snag the standard fitting and the outer sleeve slides back it disconnects. This usually happens on extension hoses when they are dragged across the floor and it is bloody dangerous if anyone is standing near the air line as it goes ape. There are Nitto fitting to prevent this but they are fairly bulky in size.

I've never been able to just pull the sleeve back on my Nitto's without pushing the fitting barb very firmly into it's socket. Are you saying if I pull hard enough on the sleeve it will slide back?

Originally Posted by BobL

I've never been able to just pull the sleeve back on my Nitto's without pushing the fitting barb very firmly into it's socket. Are you saying if I pull hard enough on the sleeve it will slide back?

Yes, I have seen a person injured because of this problem. As an experiment hold the sliding sleeve when the line is under full pressure and slide it back, make sure you like pain first because the loose line gets ejected very hard.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Nitto....

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=n...w=1364&bih=672

The Nitto has one big problem in that if you snag the standard fitting and the outer sleeve slides back it disconnects. This usually happens on extension hoses when they are dragged across the floor and it is bloody dangerous if anyone is standing near the air line as it goes ape. There are Nitto fitting to prevent this but they are fairly bulky in size.

I've been using them for years and never had that problem, although I only occasionally use extension hoses.
The fittings I have do not come apart easily when they are under pressure.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Yes, I have seen a person injured because of this problem. As an experiment hold the sliding sleeve when the line is under full pressure and slide it back, make sure you like pain first because the loose line gets ejected very hard.

I have done this a few times and could not get the sleeve to slide back unless first I push the barb in. I will try this when I get home.

Do Nitto fittings lock in the open position when released so it is not necessary to slide back the sleeve when engaging? There are Ryco fittings that do this, but I would think they are much more expensive. Or can the fittings be just pushed together without having to touch the sleeve. We have fittings at work that are used for CO₂ and N₂ that are like this. They are much bigger than air fittings. They may be a standard for these gasses, or not.

I already have Ryco fittings on my airlines and quite a few spares so I intend to stick with them.

Are Nitto's becoming the standard because air tools come with "cheap Nitto" fittings?

I would suggest that you try each type of fitting and decide for yourself which you prefer. I agree with CBA in that buying good ones is important. Brass Ryco is an easy choice. It sounds like there are a lot of variations of Nitto's to look out for. Where I buy them, only good quality is stocked. One of the benefits of country living is that the "real" stores cannot afford to stock multiple brands and they cannot afford to sell cheap carp to agri businesses that are a long way out of town. A quick way to go out of business. In recent times I have also found them to be cost effective. Some things I have bought from EBay are cheaper locally, and good quality.

Dean

I use cejn air fittings they have the highest air flow available an will outlast any other brand, having said that they cost more than any other brand, but you get what you pay for

Originally Posted by China

I use cejn air fittings they have the highest air flow available an will outlast any other brand, having said that they cost more than any other brand, but you get what you pay for

Flow rate: what is colloquially called "the Nitto air fitting" has 7mm inner diameter. This is what limits the possible flow rate. Or more accurately, what sets the pressure drop across the coupling. The biggest restriction is the self sealing valve in the female coupler, and this is designed to handle the flow of a 7mm inner diameter. If a greater flow is required, there are larger fittings with larger ID. They cost more though, and need to be attached to thicker hose too. The purpose should dictate the size choice, you would not want to use the small Nitto for a roadwork jackhammer - nor a jackhammer coupling with stiff 1" hose for a spray gun or to pump a tyre.

Release: the Nitto coupler will simply release as the outer ring is pushed back, and only little force is required. There is no additional interlock on this type coupler. The comment that the ring can accidentally be actuated whilst dragging the coupling on the floor, is correct.

PS: the cheapest source for Nitto that I have found is... SupercheapAuto. They have the female Nitto coupling, genuine, in thick nickel plated steel, complete with ferrule, for $18. I do not recall if that was a special or everyday price. The male part is very simple and cheap.

I have always used Ryco, but am currently on the verge of switching to Nitto style couplings as they stand up to wear better and are leak free longer than the Ryco style.
I have used those CEJN fittings and they are brilliant, although I didn't have to pay for them, so I don't know what they are like price wise. They are compatible with Nitto fittings if you use the correct series I believe.
A lot will depend on your intended usage. If you want to inflate tyres and do a bit of spray painting, then just about anything will give reasonable service, but if you run air grinders or rattle guns at full capacity, then flow rate becomes more of a concern.

SuperCheap usually have a few "20% off everything" sales each year....I take advantage of that to buy things that don't usually come on special. So you could save a bit more on your (genuine) Nitto fittings at sale time!

On a similar(ish) topic, has anyone found a garden hose type fitting that won't leak or let go of the hose? I swear, if hydraulic or air lines joined with the same leak-prone-ness as garden hose, industry would have ground to a halt decades ago!