Senco’s new hybrid-polymer air hose is the best of both worlds. It has the flexibility of rubber without the weight, and the lightness and durability of PVC without the ankle-grabbing coils. This hose is 40% lighter than an all-rubber hose, and it’s flexible down to –40°F. By comparison, rubber hoses lose their flexibility at –20°F, and PVC hoses are almost unusable once the temperature gets below freezing. A few hours in the freezer proved that the new hose is almost as flexible at 0°F as it is at 70°F.
However, it’s the nonmarring quality of the hose’s outermost layer, rather than its cold-weather flexibility, that impressed me most. Although I dragged it over white base trim, no marks were left and no touch-ups were required, an improvement over rubber hoses. The hose doesn’t kink, and it lies flat with no coil memory, so it’s much less likely to trip you up than a comparable PVC hose.
Even if the hose material weren’t so good, the ends of the hose would still be noteworthy. They have compression-type fittings that attach without clamps. With a pair of crescent wrenches or pliers, you can remove the hose end, cut off a damaged section of hose, and reattach the fittings in a few minutes.
Overall, I found Senco’s new hose (model PC1321, $36 for 50 ft.) to be surprisingly feature-rich for something as simple as an air hose. It’s a bit pricier than some of the hoses on the market, but as a remodeler who does lots of finish work in higher-end homes, I’d buy this hose in a minute.
Steven Smith, a remodeler in Seattle
