Another needle/metering valve question

fjf888

Guru Class Expert
Oct 29, 2007
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I found a few swagelok metering valves on ebay and wanted to see if these would work. It seems Fabco, Ideal, and Swagelok for all practical purposes are the 3 best choices. Here are the links

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-SWAGELOK-1-8-...328?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2561db7d28

http://cgi.ebay.com/Swagelok-1-4-St...itu=UCC&otn=5&ps=63&clkid=8386966801602248286

http://cgi.ebay.com/Swagelok-Whitey...itu=UCC&otn=5&ps=63&clkid=8387151447618852557

http://cgi.ebay.com/Swagelok-SS-SS4...207?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0ee02da7

The last one here looks to be the best one

Anything is better than the POS clippard I have now. This is going on my victor 2 stage reg, so I definitely want quality over saving a few bucks for something inferior.

Thanks
 

Gerryd

Plant Guru Team
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Sep 23, 2007
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Fred,

You can get an ideal with a vernier handle for $90 which is the same price as the last swagelok...
 

Matt F.

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Gerryd;64315 said:
Fred,

You can get an ideal with a vernier handle for $90 which is the same price as the last swagelok...

+1 Ideal is the way to go. Hand made goodness.
 

lipadj46

Junior Poster
Apr 6, 2011
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I just ordered an ideal 52-1-12 straight from ideal for around $70 shipped. That is without the vernier dial as I'm on a budget. Whoever it was who answered the phone was like "oh yeah is that for an aquarium? you want the 90 degree model". Pretty good stuff.
 

fjf888

Guru Class Expert
Oct 29, 2007
294
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Northern Virginia
Thanks guys. I actually just bought the new Fabco one. Hopefully that should be good enough. I'll either use the fabco with the new regulator build or I will put it on my old regulator and retire that miserably awful clippard valve. If that's the case, I'll try the ideal on the new build.

I think I can get the solonoid prewired on aquariumplants.com. After that its all the little parts. My Up aqua atomizer blew up my bubble counter likely due to back pressure. I was just going purchase this, unless there's an underlying reason why I should get the jbj one.

http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/co2-bubble-counters/atomic-bubble-counter.html
 

Aces75 Planted

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Apr 5, 2011
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I just called Ideal this past Friday afternoon to order one, for a Scott 2 stage build I am working on, and the guy that answered was great, and I'm sure was the owner. I told him it was for an aquarium as well, I think he's genuinely appreciative of the business he's getting from folks in the know that read the barrreport posts. Makes you feel good to support a true american small business.
 

Tom Barr

Founder
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Jan 23, 2005
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Small guys or the larger companies like SeaChem etc, they deserve our support.
Any of them that fleece the hobbyist are scum.

You can DIY a meter tick marks on a handle BTW, just use something that will not come off and make even marks around it.
Or solder, melt etc, scratch etc
 

Aces75 Planted

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Tom ,

Agreed, large or small they both provide value in the marketplace.

Perhaps an odd question for this thread but I susect Tom's answer will be interesting to hobbyists; what are your feelings on the "Big Box" aquarium stores? To be more specific, my thought is that they do more harm than good for the hobby. The locations are very accessible, they are great at marketing, but when they get people in the stores there is typically nobody there to educate them. They then sell someone a tank, some fish, some clown puke (my hat tipped to Rex G.), and maybe some plants. Then the poor newbie goes home and has no chance to succeed which ruins his or her experience with the hobby, and we potentially lose someone that could be the next Tom Barr.