- Brand options? Seems there are a few popular choices out there: Earls, Summit, Aeroquip, Russel, etc. Other than being consistent (sticking with same supplier of hose and fitting, etc) are there any factors to consider? Are there any to avoid or consider more closely due to quality or specific features?
- Swivel option? Many fittings are offered with a "swivel" option, I assume this means that after assembling the fitting on the hose, that the end of the fitting (i.e. banjo) can rotate relative to the hose while still maintaining a seal? If so I imagine having at least one swivel fitting on each hose would ease assembly/installation (no worries about fitting orientation/hose twist)? Or is this unnecessary in practice? I've never assembled compression collet fittings where the final orientation mattered, so no idea how hard it is in practice to get things clocked correctly? If its trivial to get it right, no sense spending the extra ~$10 per fitting to get the swivel. If it's a PITA and will take a bunch of fiddly back and forth to get things clocked however, maybe its worth it? Alternately if swivel fittings tend to be less robust and more leak prone maybe best to avoid? (that hasn't been my experience with swivel fittings on JIC/AN, but diff. applications so best to ask)
- Material? From a cost and weight savings point of view my natural instinct is to choose the aluminum options. Especially with a banjo fitting where you can remove/re-install without actually putting a wrench on the fitting itself, the extra durability of a steel fitting seems less critical. Any reason this is a dumb idea?
So yeah. Basically I'm about to pull the trigger on ordering parts to make my own brake lines, looking for some help picking out exact fittings I need (I can figure out the shape/angle etc easily enough, looking to nail down vendor, material, other options etc). Any feedback from guys who have been there/done that and can enlighten me is appreciated. Thanks!
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