If your workshop hose lives in a tangled heap on the floor, a reel will change your life. It can be rewound easily to keep the floor clear and minimise Trip Hazards. Wall, Floor or Ceiling mounted with slow retract, for safety, and auto locking every metre.
This is what most garages and workshops use day to day, and for good reason. Rubber hose is tough, doesn’t kink, and keeps working in the cold when PVC has gone stiff. Available with or without fittings.
Lighter on the wallet and lighter to carry. PVC hose is a solid choice for lighter jobs where you’re moving around a lot and don’t need the heavy-duty stuff.
Sometimes you just want to plug it in and get on with the job. These come ready to go with fittings already fitted – no messing about.
Handy where space is tight. Coiled hose stretches out when you need it and springs back when you don’t. Whip hoses are essential when using any percussive impact air tool. They greatly reduce vibration and offer better flexibility.
Not quite the same thing as air hose, though people often use the terms interchangeably. Tubing is sized by the outside diameter (O.D.) rather than the internal diameter (I.D), and is designed to work with push-fit fittings. It’s typically used in industrial settings and for distributing air around a plant or facility.
We stock two types:
Not every job can be done with a standard hose. Our high temperature in-booth hose is built for body shop applications and heated spray booth ovens, handling temperatures from -40°C up to 100°C — silicone free, anti-static and ready to go. Out dust extraction hoses are anti-static and can be supplied as ‘Dust Only’ or ‘Dust & Air’ with an integral air supply hose, available in standard & custom lengths, please call the sales office to discuss.
Sometimes you just need to move water from A to B. We stock a range of water hoses built from tough, UV-stabilised PVC — so they stay flexible whatever the weather, resist kinking, and don’t fall apart when left out in the sun. Whether it’s the garden, the farm or a washdown bay, we’ve got something that’ll do the job.
Go by the bore size – that’s the internal diameter, not the outside. The bore of the hose can determine the air FLOW, at the required pressure needed for the application. Again if you give us a call and let us know what size compressor & what type of tool or application we can recommend the correct hose size.
Here’s a rough guide for UK setups:
If you’re not sure, go one size up. A slightly bigger bore never hurt anything. A slightly smaller one is what people ring us about after they’ve already bought the wrong hose.
Gary’s take:
Honestly, the number of times someone’s told me their compressor is rubbish and it turns out to be the hose… just get the bore right first. It’ll save you a lot of frustration.
Long enough that you’re never pulling against it. If the hose is on tension, the couplings are taking the strain instead of doing their job, and that could lead to inadvertently pulling the coupling out of the hose.
Need an odd length? We’ll cut it for you. Ring us on 01932 348777
Short version: rubber is tougher and handles the cold better, PVC is cheaper and lighter. Here’s the full picture:
| Rubber Air Hose | PVC Air Hose | |
| Durability | Tough – handles rough treatment well | Fine for lighter use |
| Weight | Heavier | Light and easy to carry |
| Cold weather | Works fine to around -20°C | Gets stiff and awkward below -5°C |
| Best for | Garages, workshops, anything daily | Lighter jobs, portable use |
| Price | More expensive | More affordable |
Still not sure? Just give us a call and tell us what you’re doing with it. We’ll tell you which one to get.
Yes, we do this all the time. We keep hose on big reels in-store at the Byfleet shop and can cut to any length you need. We can also put the end fittings on for you. Ring 01932 348777 or email sales@metrosales.co.uk
Not standard rubber or PVC — that’s for sure. Spray booth ovens get seriously hot and you need hose that’s rated for it. Give us a ring and we’ll make sure you’re speccing the right thing.
A whip hose is the short coiled piece that goes between your drop hose and the air tool itself. It soaks up the vibration and movement from the tool so your main hose connection doesn’t take a hammering every time you use it. If you’re using impact air tools such as an impact wrench or ratchet – these are a must!
Your couplings need to match across the whole system, otherwise nothing connects to anything. The main standards you’ll come across in the UK are:
Not sure what you’ve got? Bring in one of your existing fittings or describe it to us and we’ll match it up. We keep thousands of couplings and adaptors in stock, so we’ve almost certainly got what you need.
A little bit, yes – but the bore matters far more. A narrow bore hose will kill your pressure regardless of length. A long hose on a decent bore in a normal workshop setup is usually fine. If you’re running 30+ metres on a high-demand tool, it’s worth calling us to check the spec. But for most garages and workshops, sort the bore first and the length is rarely an issue.
We’ve been doing this for over 35 years and there isn’t much we haven’t seen. If you tell us what you’re trying to do, we’ll tell you exactly what hose and fittings will sort it. No upsell, no waffle – just the right answer:
