Primochill FlexSX Sealing Problems

[JM1]

On 10/10/2018 I bought six Primochill FlexSX 13mm ID 19mm OD fittings in Satin Black. The product page on my usual store's website said "PLEASE NOTE: The FlexSX range of compression fittings will only seal properly when used alongside the Primochill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT Tubing", so I bought 10 feet of the Primochill Primoflex Advanced LRT tubing 13mm ID 19mm OD in Crystal Clear.

When I tested the strength of the first seal there was an obvious problem as the tubing pulled out almost as easily as it would with no collar at all. I tested each of the fittings this way and got the same result. I tested again with a different piece of the same tubing (low probability, but at that point why not?) and had the same outcome.

I then went and managed to dig up some old EK fittings and XSPC tubing in the same size. While I was mindful of the warning on my store's site I tried the XSPC tubing, just to see if it would give a different result. It did not. I tried the EK fittings with the Primochill tubing and found they sealed perfectly, and they did so with the XSPC tubing too. To my mind the problem was confirmed as being the Primochill fittings, and it was as conclusive a result as I could test for.

I'm posting this thread with two aims:
1) That people read this and are very careful to test every seal in any build using these fittings
2) That people building new systems with these fittings will test one of them before opening the packaging of the others, so they can more easily obtain refunds.

I have nothing against Primochill, and I actually wound up using their tubing and coolant with Bitspower fittings in my final build. I might have just copped a bad batch of an otherwise good product, I don't know. I just thought this was worth sharing.

 

[AlienALX]

I used a res by Primochill that was total junk. I wouldn't recommend their stuff to any one.

 

[JM1]

I used a res by Primochill that was total junk. I wouldn't recommend their stuff to any one.

Oh man, a faulty res, that sounds like a nightmare. Thanks for letting me know it’s not just me. I just hope their tubing is better since I have a dog in that race...

 

[AlienALX]

Oh man, a faulty res, that sounds like a nightmare. Thanks for letting me know it’s not just me. I just hope their tubing is better since I have a dog in that race...

It wasn't faulty mate it was just utter junk. I will do my best to explain why...

Basically it was not threaded or anything, but a wedge fit like the fittings you describe. However, if you even so much as breathed on the two ends it would come away from the cylinder just like you describe. Eventually I got my head around the fact it may work and decided to mount it. Then I realised that the brackets that are supposed to hold all the weight were made from acrylic and very thin. My suspicions were confirmed when I tried to bolt it on but found the brackets were actually too small and I was having terrible trouble using the plastic nuts and bolts they gave me. Every time I got some of the thread through the bolt would just pull straight out. "Never mind, I will use metal bolts". Yup, way to go, then the bracket snapped in half.

As you can clearly see, it only has one bracket on.

I wouldn't have minded, but it cost as much as a Bitspower res and the quality difference? oh dear lord, it's night and day.

Needless to say it is now where it belongs (in the trash) and I will never buy anything they make ever again. What compounded it even more was the fact that when I looked on Youtube for my res they were showing it with brackets twice as thick and beefy.

 

[JM1]

It wasn't faulty mate it was just utter junk. I will do my best to explain why...

Basically it was not threaded or anything, but a wedge fit like the fittings you describe. However, if you even so much as breathed on the two ends it would come away from the cylinder just like you describe. Eventually I got my head around the fact it may work and decided to mount it. Then I realised that the brackets that are supposed to hold all the weight were made from acrylic and very thin. My suspicions were confirmed when I tried to bolt it on but found the brackets were actually too small and I was having terrible trouble using the plastic nuts and bolts they gave me. Every time I got some of the thread through the bolt would just pull straight out. "Never mind, I will use metal bolts". Yup, way to go, then the bracket snapped in half.

As you can clearly see, it only has one bracket on.

I wouldn't have minded, but it cost as much as a Bitspower res and the quality difference? oh dear lord, it's night and day.

Needless to say it is now where it belongs (in the trash) and I will never buy anything they make ever again. What compounded it even more was the fact that when I looked on Youtube for my res they were showing it with brackets twice as thick and beefy.

Ah, I understand now, it’s sad to know my experience of this Primochill “workmanship” isn’t unique. Before this build I hadn’t used Primochill or Bitspower stuff, from now on I’ll use Bitspower stuff for everything I don’t get from EK, but I’ll avoid Primochill like it’s a gassy octogenarian.