Ugh. That's my reaction from reading a lot of this.
Larry, you can not tell if two different manufacturers hoses will interchange by looking at them. My Weatherhead crimps have a tolerance of +or- .005" of an inch. Merely looking at a hose will tell you nothing. The best thing to do is not take the chance.
Wedge, the differences are many. The internet guys pay phone temps $8 an hour with no benefits to take orders and they sell an inferior product. They use fillers in their hoses rather than using a 100% nitrile inner liner like Weatherhead does. Their crimps and other fittings also don't have near the same amount of antcorrosives on them. I have seen the lab tests. There is a DHH guy that posts here periodically and he has never denied this. All my hoses carry a one year guarantee. If that hose blows in 364 days, I will make a new one free of charge and I will go to the factory for reimbursement. What happens when the internet hose blows. Do they offer a warranty? If you buy from DHH and Napa crimps it, where will you go when there's aproblem. I'm shocked that they even do it. Do you bring eggs to the diner and ask them to cook you an omelette and not charge you?
Dave, I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm the cheapest guy around because I'm probably not. There are three things about providing a service. They are fast service, low price, and quality. You can only be two, never all three. Somebody may think they can be all three, but anybody in business will tell you it's impossible. Some hose shops are none of the three.
AlanB, thanks for helping me make my point.
Here's another thing dealing local does. Young man called me with a wood splitter problem. He said he had a broken fitting and asked me what he should do. I told him bring up whatever he can and I'll try to help him. I let him borrow an extractor even though he had an extra fitting and wasn't buying anything. He called me the next day and told me that the splitter lost power gradually, it won't even dent the log anymore. I know this guy's family and he has a newborn at home and wood is his primary heat. He brought the splitter to me and I told him that it's probably the pump. Knowing his situation, I told him I would give him the pump for cost and install it for nothing. I verified low pressure with a gauge. Well before I went to change the pump, I figured I would check the suction hose first, I suspected a problem so I changed it and changed the hyd oil. Well the thing had all kinds of pressure then. End of the story is I also flushed the fluid again, installed a returnline filter, changed the suction and return lines, and charged him $40. Try getting that service off the internet.
