Which of these tank valves are better, pro and cons, or do both of them suck?
Tank fill valves on AliExpress
- Thread starter BlackICE
- Start date
I just bought more or less the top one off Amazon, iorman version looks same. Seems ok, I am filling now so I guess I will see soon if any leaks. Not premium by any means but should be sufficient.
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My gx is pumping away right now, lol. I have gone from 0 to about 2800psi in like 4 shifts because I don't want to overheat it, and was too lazy to get out the old yong heng.
Fill is via one way check valve, which I like better than my old valve where I had to open the knob manually to fill. Now you just plug in to fill nipple and when pressure overcomes tank pressure it fills.
Valve knob seems ok, not as nice as my more expensive fill valves but not bad, will know more in a day or two in terms of how much control it gives.
One thing I do like that my previous valve didn't have is a tank gauge. So it's nice to know tank pressure without dead plug.
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I purchased the top one on E-bay about a year and a half ago and really like it. I have had no problems with it at all.
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I have been using the bottom one for two years without issues. It has a tank pressure gauge and a line gauge as well plus a bleed down valve.
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The metallurgy is crude compared to a quality valve. The red handle one is a mish-mash design. The bottom one is a better design although not nearly as smooth operating as a high quality valve. It's like comparing a bicycle to a Lexus. They both get you to your destination eventually but you get what you pay for.
If you ever get a chance to use an Omega HP-3 valve or a Scandanavian Arms Tank valve in comparison to the red handle valve you'll experience the difference. Additionally, I've purchased 8 of the made in China air hoses like the one attached to the red valve set and half of them developed leaks after a few uses.
I have more respect for the quality of M18.5*1.5 threaded air tanks manufactured in China than the valve assemblies sold to use with them. YMMV.
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I've asked for your reasons, thank you, but I do not know how to translate "crude metallurgy" or "mish-mash design" into something meaningful. My unit on my CF 12 liter bottle has a nice chrome finish. It is not porous. It does not leak. The bottle valve is very smooth without any issues. The gauges are accurate and in sync with those on my Bauer compressor. Yes the whip they included did leak a bit as well as 4 others I also had from another vendor, but the reason was actually simple, the end fittings were loose on all of them. I simply tightened them and no more leaks.
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Crude metallurgy would be choosing a cheaper grade of a material to save material cost and machining costs. For example, using aluminum for a needle valve rather than brass or stainless.
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I am looking to get a small Tank. Will these thread into a say "30 Min Scuba Tank"? Or are the threads different" I always get screwed up with the different fittings.
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@Black Ice asked for opinions. I expressed mine. You are free to express your satisfaction about yours.
IMO that red valve set is an unnecessarily complex cobbled together Rube Goldberg design cheaply made. If you're happy that's all that matters. My recommendation to Black Ice is that the red valve is a hard pass. Opt for a higher quality valve to regulate the potentially lethal pressure from an SCBA tank.
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The Omega HP-3 valve must be the most expensive one sold and doesn't come threaded in a M18 1.5mm, so it requires an adapter. The Scandinavian Arms valve is more "reasonably" priced and comes in a M18 thread.
utahairguns.com
The reviews on those cheap valves from China vary, with about 70% saying there good or OK and about 10% saying they are crap, leak and the gauges are way off. I may take a chance on a 1st one I listed to see if I'm lucky. If it sucks out <$30 and a maybe a tank of air. If if it doesn't leak, but the control and or bleed valves sucks too much than I may go to for the Scandanavian Arms valve.
Are they any other M18 1.5mm quality valves with nice control knobs, don't leak with accurate gauges?
Scandinavian Arms ADJT SB Air Valve - Utah Airguns
Scandinavian Arms ADJT SB Air Valve: compact, safe, and smooth to operate.
utahairguns.com The reviews on those cheap valves from China vary, with about 70% saying there good or OK and about 10% saying they are crap, leak and the gauges are way off. I may take a chance on a 1st one I listed to see if I'm lucky. If it sucks out <$30 and a maybe a tank of air. If if it doesn't leak, but the control and or bleed valves sucks too much than I may go to for the Scandanavian Arms valve.
Are they any other M18 1.5mm quality valves with nice control knobs, don't leak with accurate gauges?
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@Black Ice, since 99.9% of DOT approved tanks are threaded .875 x 14 thread, that leaves you with either European made CE approved tanks or Chinese tanks. Try the first one on your list, at least it is a cheap copy of the Scandavian Arms valve although the build quality and smooth operation won't be comparable. Tell us how you fared after you've used it awhile.
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I haven't gotten a tank yet but am thinking of a 12L Acecare tank. As they say, "go big or go home" and "no substitute for displacement." 12L is the largest tank I found. I'm thinking of getting a large bore 0.357. It will be too slow to fill with my puny CS4 and not enough capacity in my 1.5L tank to fill more than one time. A 12L liter should be good for even an extended shooting session. The estimate to fill would be probably "only" about 40 mins if I only take the tank down to 4000 psi and refill from 4000 to 4500.
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The ACECARE 12 liter tank is the one I use with the red valve. It came altogether with the bottle directly from ACECARE. These bottles are expensive, but mine has worked perfectly for two years. Be sure to get the rubber bottle boots to protect the CF. I use large diameter hose clamps to keep them on the bottle. It is important to note that only a small volume of the bottle is ever used because once the bottle pressure drops below your minimum gun charge pressure, it is time to recharge the bottle. So the larger the volume of the bottle, the better. In that light having a tank pressure gage like the red valve does, is very convenient. Additionally, if you keep the CF bottle vertical, you have an automatic moisture filter called gravity. So once in a while turn the bottle upside down and just crack the valve to purge residual water. If you wish to do this be sure the scuba extension tube is removed from the bottle valve before use.
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On another note, the charge time of the 12 liter ACECARE bottle from 250 bar to 300 bar with my Bauer compressor is 8 minutes. Just another reason for a pro compressor. I shoot my GK1 about every day and one bottle charge allows me more than a week before I need to recharge the bottle.
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