f14av8r
Well Known Member
I'm installing some oil system products on my -4. I'm putting in an accumulator and a Half-Raven inverted system. I'm quickly becoming intimately familiar with the various types of hoses and their associated fittings. I'm also shocked at the prices some of our vendors are getting for these products. I put together a list of the piece-parts I needed from Aircraft Spruce and was horrified at the price. So, I went looking elsewhere. I found the car racing world.
Is there something so incredibly special about the types of hoses and fittings that are sold for the aircraft market that they can command such an amazing price premium? Or, or we in the experimental world just paying a premium to buy products that satisfy the requirements of the certificated world without getting any additional quality or value. I think, at least in the world of hoses and fittings, the later is true. Here's an example.
I needed somewhere between 4-6 six feet of hose, end fittings and some other adapter type pieces to hook up my accumulator. I priced those parts at ACS and then, as I said, horrified by the price, I also priced it at Summit Racing. Here's the comparison.
Summit
- #10 stainless hose price per foot - FRA-710010- $10.80 (aeroquip 601 equiv)
- #10 fittings - FRA-220110 $11 (Aeroquip 816 equiv)
ACS
- #10 stainless price per foot - Aeroquip 601 - $19
- #10 816-10D fittings - $40 each.
And, if you buy the Canton Racing Accusump Install Kit (CTR-24-800), you get six feet 601 type hose, two 816 type fittings, and a couple of aluminum adapter fittings for just $88 dollars.
The ACS hose is twice the price of the Summit hose. The ACS fittings are FOUR TIMES as expensive as the Summit hose. This is rubber and machined aluminum we are talking about here so there's no special, proprietary technology at work that I can discern.
So, what did I do? I bought the Canton Install Kit. I received it today. The hose looks exactly like another piece of Aeroquip 601 hose I already had and the fittings look just like the other 816 fittings on my plane.
What am I missing? Is there something so special about the Aircraft Spruce products / aviation specific products that would justify such a price premium?
Is there something so incredibly special about the types of hoses and fittings that are sold for the aircraft market that they can command such an amazing price premium? Or, or we in the experimental world just paying a premium to buy products that satisfy the requirements of the certificated world without getting any additional quality or value. I think, at least in the world of hoses and fittings, the later is true. Here's an example.
I needed somewhere between 4-6 six feet of hose, end fittings and some other adapter type pieces to hook up my accumulator. I priced those parts at ACS and then, as I said, horrified by the price, I also priced it at Summit Racing. Here's the comparison.
Summit
- #10 stainless hose price per foot - FRA-710010- $10.80 (aeroquip 601 equiv)
- #10 fittings - FRA-220110 $11 (Aeroquip 816 equiv)
ACS
- #10 stainless price per foot - Aeroquip 601 - $19
- #10 816-10D fittings - $40 each.
And, if you buy the Canton Racing Accusump Install Kit (CTR-24-800), you get six feet 601 type hose, two 816 type fittings, and a couple of aluminum adapter fittings for just $88 dollars.
The ACS hose is twice the price of the Summit hose. The ACS fittings are FOUR TIMES as expensive as the Summit hose. This is rubber and machined aluminum we are talking about here so there's no special, proprietary technology at work that I can discern.
So, what did I do? I bought the Canton Install Kit. I received it today. The hose looks exactly like another piece of Aeroquip 601 hose I already had and the fittings look just like the other 816 fittings on my plane.
What am I missing? Is there something so special about the Aircraft Spruce products / aviation specific products that would justify such a price premium?