Thursday, May 13th 2021
EK Water Blocks Starts Selling 90-degree Pre-bent Acrylic Tubing
EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is now offering 90-degree pre-bent acrylic tubing to help out liquid cooling beginners and also bring a quality of life improvement for liquid cooling enthusiasts by shortening the time and effort needed to bend the tubing and build the systems.
These pre-bent tubes come in three outer diameters (OD) - 12 mm, 14 mm, and 16 mm, the standard sizes utilized by a vast majority of liquid cooling enthusiasts. They are made from an extruded acrylic material that boasts glass-like clarity and is highly resistant to heat. Acrylic tubing is harder to bend. It needs to be heated for longer periods of time over a bigger surface compared to PETG, which makes it less popular with first-time hard-tube builders. But now, with the EK's newly introduced pre-bent tubing, the main downside for going acrylic for one's first hard-tubing loop is gone.
It comes in a length of 0.8 m (800 mm) and can be easily cut and shortened to an adequate length for any tubing run. It is mandatory to chamfer the edges of a freshly cut tube in order to prevent gasket (O-ring) damage.
Specifically chosen, the 90-degree bend is the most common angle utilized in liquid cooling. One pack contains six 90-degree pre-bent acrylic tubes. These hard tubes are intended to be used with hard tube fittings, either push-in (HDP) or compression (HDC) fittings.
Availability and Pricing
EK-Loop Hard Tube 12/14/16 mm 0.8 m Pre-Bent 90 - Acrylic is made in Germany, Europe. It is available for order through the EK Webshop and Partner Reseller Network. In the table below, you can see the manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) with VAT included.
These pre-bent tubes come in three outer diameters (OD) - 12 mm, 14 mm, and 16 mm, the standard sizes utilized by a vast majority of liquid cooling enthusiasts. They are made from an extruded acrylic material that boasts glass-like clarity and is highly resistant to heat. Acrylic tubing is harder to bend. It needs to be heated for longer periods of time over a bigger surface compared to PETG, which makes it less popular with first-time hard-tube builders. But now, with the EK's newly introduced pre-bent tubing, the main downside for going acrylic for one's first hard-tubing loop is gone.
Specifically chosen, the 90-degree bend is the most common angle utilized in liquid cooling. One pack contains six 90-degree pre-bent acrylic tubes. These hard tubes are intended to be used with hard tube fittings, either push-in (HDP) or compression (HDC) fittings.
Availability and Pricing
EK-Loop Hard Tube 12/14/16 mm 0.8 m Pre-Bent 90 - Acrylic is made in Germany, Europe. It is available for order through the EK Webshop and Partner Reseller Network. In the table below, you can see the manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) with VAT included.
- EK-Loop Hard Tube 12 mm 0.8 m Pre-Bent 90 - Acrylic (6pcs) 54.90€
- EK-Loop Hard Tube 14 mm 0.8 m Pre-Bent 90 - Acrylic (6pcs) 59.90€
- EK-Loop Hard Tube 16 mm 0.8 m Pre-Bent 90 - Acrylic (6pcs) 64.90€
17 Comments on EK Water Blocks Starts Selling 90-degree Pre-bent Acrylic Tubing
Its madness how ek price changed over several years..
And it ends up nearly the same cost as their straight tube kits but priced a little higher to account for the bending/labour. The 16mm 2x0.5m straight tubing is AU$20/m. The 16mm pre-bent kit is AU$109 for 6x0.8m, making it AU$22.71/m. That said, I have no idea how EK's acrylic tube prices compare to others since I've only dabbled with PETG before settling with ZMT soft tubing.
I call BS on this based on experience.
It might be desirable to reduce the risk of damage, but it isn't necessary.