Rigid Tubing: Acrylic vs PETG

A video explaining why I prefer to use Acrylic tubing over PETG

[@XILEmalicious]

Considering doing my first custom loop. Your insight really helped. Thanks for the video!

[@jamespaterson6140]

Thanks Anthony, good info for us beginners. Will definitely be getting a few extra lengths of acrylic for practice, great advice. love the builds you've done, can really see the detail and precision in the layouts and bends... looks awesome!

[@michaelt.4178]

When watching this vid, I was glad to find out that I am not the only one out there who prefers acrylic over PETG.

[@cancelhandles]

Objective, calm, and packed with knowledge. Dude, we need more people like you making content.

[@Smedleydog1]

One of the best explanations of the differences of the two types of material. Thanks

[@McPatoPC]

Thank you, this is a wonderful video and has convinced me to give Acrylic a shot for my first Custom water loop:) Also I subscribed to your Channel as you are very good at what you do and explaining to others as well. Keep up the great work.

[@newbheliusr]

Hey man, thanks. I realize this is an old video. But I am just going to do my first custom loop. I am going with acrylic, and thanks you your video I am glad I did. Apparently, from what I gather from your video, patience is all you need. Thank you again sir.

[@BVLVI]

I find your voice easy to listen too, vs the strung up loud guys that do most tech videos. sub'd

[@v.aesthetic3764]

Thanks!

[@gazyates5228]

Great vid👍 as I an going to throw out my AIO and build my first custom loop this has give me some food for thought thank you dude .

[@alienproductions9948]

That's awesome. Thanks. Returning my PETG for acrylic.

[@HawkFest1]

Excellent, thanks for your sound opinion

[@seanie719]

Great video. I'm a fan of Acrylic as well and I agree that visually, PETG and Acrylic, look pretty closely the same. I will add that Acrylic looks more clearer than PETG with clear fluid to me. It can be harder to tell with Color fluids. Also, I think lights reflect off the Acrylic tubing better.

[@michaelfairchild]

I use chamfer tool on PETG, then dremmel with grinder wheel on lowest speed. Nice and polished. Add some drop of distilled water and they slide in like a charm.

[@DSBsky77]

Excellent and informative video for me. First time I'm trying this and I'm going Acrylic. I don't think I've heard anyone mention those downsides to PETG and they are absolute deal breakers for me. Thank you.

[@DEATHTRUTH]

Glad I saw this video, I was going to go with PETG because of how often it is recommended. But it turns out I prefer Acrylic. Thanks.

[@Weeble_Warbles]

Would PETG be able to make slight bends in order to slide in and out of a dipstick tube on a vehicle? I'm considering using it for extracting fluids from vehicles.

[@RetrOrigin]

I'll choose durability over looks anytime. (and the difference in looks isn't that big to me really)

[@iBeLilTommie]

Sounds like you chose PETG

[@williamm200]

Would that be hardline for the petg 🤔

[@RetrOrigin]

@@williamm200 PETG is hard tubing. There's also PMMA, acrylic, copper, glass and Brass.

[@KinaRevolution]

there is one more downside about petg.. i am running 2 2080ti with EK blocks; i have 6 fans, 3 push and 3 pull.When I do overclock and the first card can get to mid 70s and the second card is in the high 60s. I start to observe that petg tubing would deform around fitting area and cause the ends to shrink which causes leak. I dont have the same problem with acylic.

[@Evil_Chronic]

I’m debating whether or not to use acrylic for my first build. I’m building in a Lian Li 011D XL, I already ordered the distribution plate for the front of the case and a FLT 360 Flat Res both by EK. The distro plate has a drain port in the front of the PC, but I don’t want to leave the ball valve in the front of the case since I might hit it with my elbow. I’ve seen other KZbinrs who add them by tilting the case when they need to drain the loop. My question is, would acrylic be wise for this kind of approach? Or should I have the valve on, and avoid tilting to add said ball valve? I was thinking of maybe using another port in the plate, because it does have a drain port on the inside, but it’ll be near my Radiator.

[@larrygall5831]

I did my first rigid (or any water cooling) system around 6 months ago, and I think it came out great. I noticed on one bend, if you looked very close to it, it looked like a crack near a bend. It wasn't.. it was just a small anomaly that looked like a straight crack.. maybe a tiny ridge as if the tube wasn't quite warm enough. It's not at all noticeable, only if you get right up to it and know where it is. I bought acrylic and an going to do some slight changes to my system, and replace the PETG with acrylic when I do. I was looking for info on cutting it when I came across this video.

[@v.aesthetic3764]

you'll need some sort of saw with a relatively fine tooth. I use my Dremel moto saw, but some companies sell little pipe saws. One of the nice things about Acrylic is you can really clean up the ends nicely after you cut it.

[@larrygall5831]

Thanks for the info. I ordered a Dremel, partly because I needed it for something else, so I'll give that a try. I'm going to get some extra tubing just in case. I actually used a pipe cutter to cut the PETG, and it worked great, but it's a no-go with acrylic for sure. Great video by the way.. you should do more.

[@mateuszkwietowicz2470]

I'm going for my first hard tubing built, and my choice was to use a 12 mm blue acrylic from bitspower. I just wanted blue tubes, and that was the option available, plus I get to have a blue reservoir also from bitspower, it's going to look nice I hope.

[@v.aesthetic3764]

I haven't seen that yet. Sounds awesome!

[@UncleGyom]

Very nice tuto. Which liquid do you use for your setup ?

[@Professionalplastics]

There are two types of acrylic tube (Cast & Extruded) & each have slightly different properties. To learn more, see: Cast ( www.professionalplastics.com/ACRYLICTUBES-CASTPLEXIGLASS ), and Extruded ( www.professionalplastics.com/ACRYLICTUBE-EXTRUDED )

[@ilasoiaf]

By the end of the video you showed footage of what I imagine to be the PrimoChill Vue fluid. If that's the case, I'd really appreciate having some feedback from you on it!

[@TheSuperduperzach]

Thank you for the help

[@NZ_Lexus_IS-F]

What temperature on the heat gun do you use for acrylic?

[@007GothAmKing]

Does Acrylic deform over time of coolant temperature hovers around 45 degree Celsius like PETG?

[@eslam7902]

What is the best material for TV screen protector Acrylic Or Polycarbonate

[@Undesired_Hero]

What size of tubing are you using?

[@beauraymond11]

I've seen a few posts around lately where petg has warped from compression fittings and has leaked. You think these are just very rare cases where temps got way too hot? Cheers.

[@v.aesthetic3764]

hard to say but it's definitely possible.

[@jetcity7156]

I'm going acrylic this winter.

[@Fuji8189]

This is the best video explaining both material.. One material is not superior than the other in the case of arcylic n petg in water cooling application. Ive seen video showing how they abuse the arcylic. Hack you wont swing a hammer in the system or twist the arcylic tube so hard you crack it.. your other component will break far earlier before you crack the tube.. It all boils down to preference.. some just cant accept preference being a thing 🤷🏻‍♂️. Petg is easier to work with than arcylic, easier to cut etc. Arcylic generally last longer than petg (less fogging and staining) but a bitch to cut using HAND TOOL. I use both material building system. I dont prefer one over the other. If you have a basic hands on skill, you can do both.

[@lkok931]

Yeah acrylic is amazing. I wish I could cut it easier like with scissors to shorten my lengths when my measurements or eye balling isn't spot on lmao but that and heat up time are about the only draw backs vs petg. Everything else is superior. Also bitspower acrylic is super nice, I like that you use it as well :p.

[@ApplePotato]

PETG is easier to cut and more forgiving when bending (lower temps needed). But acrylic (PMMA) has extremely good chemical resistance. If you don’t want to service your loop every few months, you can run anti freeze diluted heavily with water and a touch of biocide with acrylic. That will easily do 5+ years. That’s what most long lasting pre mix like mayhem XT-nuke are anyways. PETG probably is probably just another product to push coolant sales.

[@iBeLilTommie]

You can see videos of people with builds with PETG for over 2 years and Most don't look bad! I find the soft tubes to be the ones who stain and have to be replaced faster.

[@_JustBeingCasual]

@Vir1lity PC Customs, About the brittleness, I'm worried it might break in my system, let's say when removing my case (a huge The Tower 900 case), it might be that I incidently hit the ground too hard for example, will that kind of shock break the tubes? I'm worried about that. I have been suggested Acrylic, I do think it's superior and less maintanance, but the brittleness, is a bit...

[@v.aesthetic3764]

I can't see that ever happening. Acrylic still flexes.

[@praetorxyn]

The brittle nature of acryllic is extenely exaggerated by people that disibgeuously heat it, then immediately dip it in water and snap it. If you let it cool properly you won't have problems. Anything hard enough to break the tube once it's in place is likely going to break an actual component.

[@iBeLilTommie]

@@praetorxyn I'm sure he is speaking from a drop or a good bump to the desk it is sitting on. PETG wont even crack if that were to happen. I can guarantee you are not willing to say the same for Acrylic.

[@waynewarner656]

thank you so very much for the truth !!!

[@7bungo]

Nice vid. What size tube do you use?

[@v.aesthetic3764]

12mm

[@7bungo]

Wow thanks for the reply but are you in a rush? It looks a lot bigger than 12mm. Do you mean 12mm ID? If so whats the OD? If you mean 12mm OD then whats the ID? Thanks, Steve

[@kinnhem]

what do you think about glass tubing? because i saw someone actually selling these 12mm glass tubes so i just wonder how good a material glass is for water cooling. And thanks a lot for the video, your videos have always been very informative :)

[@v.aesthetic3764]

I have yet to work with glass tubing. It's tricky to cut and nearly impossible to bend, but it looks amazing.

[@RocketFoxProductions]

glass tubing is nice and looks wonderful. But its expensive, and you cannot bend it. You have to use fittings for any bends and can only use straight pieces of tubing. So it can be tricky to work with. Also, acrylic and glass look identical once installed, so its not really worth it to be honest

[@HawkFest1]

I'm currently considering copper tubing for some retro look... However the fittings would have to be brass/copper (don't mix metals), so it can cost more in the end.. But I don't care (we're not talking about a huge amount)

[@micobugija6284]

Thank you a lot

[@chanwei21]

Nice video, ppl says acrylic cracks and how would it cracks? any cause or thing to avoid?

[@v.aesthetic3764]

Acrylic CAN crack, but only under stress. I don't understand how it happens to people without them being careless.

[@YouShortz22]

I’ve never used petg. I ordered my tubing from Corsair and thought PMMA was PETG. I found out I was wrong with the first cut. But I’m glad I did. I will probably never use petg now.

[@stika1055]

how is corsairs hydro x because im thinking of getting it

[@aviajantes]

Thanks man, im Brasilian and i couldn't find the diference o Acrylic and PETG here!

[@atlblackreign5411]

Can you recommend a good acryllic tubing vendor?

[@v.aesthetic3764]

I’ve been using Bitspower

[@yougiely]

still confuse about people talked about acrylic or pmma seems like they both are different but with every available sources on internet say they are the same.

[@glytch5]

My concern with acrylic is the trouble is cutting it, and the brittleness.

[@v.aesthetic3764]

PETG is definitely easier to cut, but your Acrylic tubing should never be put in a situation to cause it to crack.

[@glytch5]

What if while installing a gpu or a CPU block, I accidentally bang the metal corner of the block into the tubing right near a bend? Isn't that enough to fracture it?

[@v.aesthetic3764]

no. The idea that the stuff is that brittle is nonsense. People act like acrylic is the same as potato chips.

[@glytch5]

hahaha! I do like how glassy clear acrylic is. What do you use to cut yours square? A saw and a block? I plan on buying some PETG but you and the guy at my local store are kinda talking me into acrylic.

[@v.aesthetic3764]

I cut mine with a dremel moto saw and then just sand it square, but a saw and block would work.

[@realponomarenko]

Hello, please tell what liquid you are using in your build here?

[@GuidoDePalma]

I think it's primochill Vue.

[@ginocapolino8102]

That is definitely Mayhem's Aurora - BUT it is not good for long term use - the micronized mica flakes that make it sparkle clog cooling fins and eventually settle out- their website says for sort term/show use - I tried to use it long term and after maybe a year I had to take apart everything and clean it - all the sparkle faded and coated the tubes etc

[@ginocapolino8102]

I actually just saw he shows the whole fluid type and process here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJ3Yf3yhpdmilZI

[@svartholstjornuson6215]

I didn't know Woody Harrelson did tech reviews.

[@Skrillfreak]

I like your videos and info thx for posting side note: you look like Woody Harrelson and Jeff bridges had a baby 😂

[@benniedonald]

Cool thanks for the information. Which one would make a bidet wand. If you have to really dig in with it? LMAO 🤣 🤣 I know that sounds like a joke but I am serious. Thanks for any helpful suggestions.

[@edweston9201]

Oh my god, more people need to see this video, I did the tubing for two builds with Petg and was wasting so much. I found it would warp so easily, the window for getting the bend in was small and any errors meant that tube was destined for the bin, or a smaller run if enough straight was left. Today I got some acrylic to try and made my first double bend measurement perfect, with 0 warping or ballooning as I have had with petg in the past. Not sure why everyone favours petg so much, is it purely the ability to cut it easily?

[@phantomflame0658]

For real you almost have to try and mess up on purpose with acrylic since you're never gonna reach the point where it bubbles. And you can work calmly and do your bends perfectly and reapply heat etc if it isn't exactly how you want. And when in a build it basically looks like glass I love it

[@zachary_smith1]

hey can someone tell me if the bistpower crystal link acrylic tubes can be used with any compression fittings? Cause it says only for use with bistpower c89 fittings... is that true or is bitspower just trying to get you to buy there fittings? cant any fittings go on acrylic tubing just like PETG? (obviously they have to be the same size OD)

[@v.aesthetic3764]

Most manufacturers will only guarantee a proper fit with their own fittings.

[@praetorxyn]

I use Singularity Computers 16mm acryllic tube and Bitspower fittings (enhanced multilink whenever it's available, be it straight, G 1/4 to 90 with rotary, or 90 rotary pm both sides etc) and have had no problems.

[@droknron]

Another drawback of PETG that I experienced personally is deformity caused by heat. If you read the specifications of PETG it says it deforms at around 65-70c but the reality is while that's true over a short period of time (few minutes under a heat gun for instance) if you expose PETG to 35-40c for a very long period of time which could happen in a water loop on a hotter climate there is the possibility for slight warping. In my case I had my rig doing a render and the water temperature hit 33c for the entirety and the ends of my tube around my GPU block deformed enough to cause a leak. I had some calipers to check the tubing and it had deformed only 0.5mm (16mm tube) and that was enough for a trickle of water to get around the o-ring. I checked all the fittings and they all showed deformities of around 0.1 to 0.5mm while the tubing I had never used (kept spare) was still exactly 16mm. The deformed tube showed 15.5 to 16.5 on the worst one, it had almost become an oval instead of a circle. This problem doesn't seem to happen with Acrylic. EK knows this issue exists as they currently sell plastic caps you can put on the end of your PETG before inserting into their fittings to maintain a perfect circular shape, it grips the tube to stop it deforming. So in my opinion, PETG isn't worth the risk for a little faster bending. I do now use Acrylic, had no problems with it, yes it takes longer to heat up but like was said in the video it is more forgiving, you have more time to do your bend, you can reheat and do some minor repairs on any bends you didn't get exactly straight and he's totally right about the bending, PETG is more springy and when you hold it in position for a bend it can be deceiving as once you let go it can tend to spring slightly out of the shape you held it in, this just doesn't happen with Acrylic.

[@rickedwards7172]

That is true about warping. I went with Primochill, but unfortunately found out that if you want to use their revolver connectors, you sort of stuck with 1/2 tubing ;-( I bought their kit for the connectors, and their inserts for their 1/2 tubing. but the downside to that again, is they reduce the ID of the tubing at the connectors. . I am setting up a dual loop in a new case, where I have a single loop now in my old case, and even though I have 2 rads, still runs hot with flex tubing I have now, since I am running an AMD 3950 chip! with a 1080i Video card. So hopefully the inserts will work.

[@thefunkybside]

As someone reading and watching too much as I embark on my first hardline - allow me to say, LETS GO BLUUUUUEEEESSSS!

[@johnthomas8969]

Gread video.

[@garyc5245]

has anyone ever just cut the tubing with a hacksaw? those blades have pretty fine teeth...unless you are needing some RPM's to make a good clean cut.

[@ooopsyantsoshadrytv-2911]

acryl is good to see the colo but it cracks easy thanks for the tops as I'm going to water cool a 1000D Corsair pc this will be a build like never see before come watch and give us tips man would be good all a big learning prosses

[@Tofilux]

was here

[@briandee98]

I go with acrylic..

[@Nathan-gj8ch]

I hate acrylic costs more, hard to work with, so brittle it can crack in your rig and leak, looks exactly like PETG in my show rigs, I have a huge bin of failed acrylic bends like 50% fail rate but i zero fails with PETG.

[@v.aesthetic3764]

Sounds like you should stick with PETG then.

[@OffTheCuff55]

Bradley cooper confirmed

[@gbxmusicchannel3836]

I can't afford the tube breaking on my 1500$ gpu so i need to use PETG i guess.

[@CS16purplePC]

YEAH OK BUDDY, cause you move your heavy ass pc around everyday.

[@iBeLilTommie]

@@CS16purplePC If you have kids or people around in your house from time to time, PETG for sure is the better option. there are plenty of videos on youtube showing how easy it is for acrylic to crack

[@CS16purplePC]

yeah but people never mention the incompatibility dogsht ass petg has with coolants, then they post on reddit "what is this stuff in my block?"

[@iBeLilTommie]

@@CS16purplePC Yeah using that coolant with that glitter shit will clog any waterblock and stain any tube. There are so many coolants and some are bacteria free and those are best for PETG. This doesnt hurt since there are many colors that they have.

[@CS16purplePC]

no one mentioned any specific coolant... petg is ass

[@RefrigeratedTP]

The only problem I had with this video was your hat. Go Hawks ;)

[@MK8R_MT_VT]

You look like Woody Harrelson gone pcmasterrace.

[@proteineggfart29]

More like Woody Harrelson on crack

[@forestR1]

i use PETG, not because ive ever considered it "superior" just a lot easier.

[@cyberblade6669]

Says he's a perfectionist beards lopsided

[@luminousfractal420]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4fLfWONg92GbdE here you go. apparently petg isnt even suitable for pc cooling (makers say its not compatible with the various liquids).

[@Elestar60]

Nice but why do you look like Jayztwocents haha

[@JAS0N_M00RE]

Just use Glass tubing it's the best 😁 heck use Chrome Tubing

[@iBeLilTommie]

isnt it harder to bend the glass tubing?

[@colinjava8447]

Yeah, just use glass, it's expensive but worth it if you're gonna keep your set up for years. I use 16mm glass and 16mm petg in the hidden parts of my build. I like how the glass just looks like one solid piece when it has water in. The chrome seems even more expensive than the glass, but I suppose it depends what your buying and from where.

[@DEATHTRUTH]

Its really difficult to cut glass safely though.

[@nerdypcbuilder]

judging by your shirt I'm assuming you have a cat 😂

[@Divinatio666]

I made up my mind... PETG!

[@ronswanson4905]

This video: I'm not telling you one material is better than the other Everyone: X is Better! Y is stupid you're dumb for liking Y! ahhhahahaha

[@tamarockstar45]

First. LGB!

[@mcoop854]

lol wow such misinfo

[@lapin-rouge]

M Coop what was the misinfo? (I'm not criticising you, I am new to water cooling and am figuring things out still)

[@Grimmwoldds]

"The only reason to use PETG is that it bends faster". This is a useless video. You are trying to justify your own bias. PETG is not brittle. Acrylic is. If you get a small crack invisible to the human eye in acrylic? It's going to expand. You are not being honest.

[@eekwibble]

Did you dribble as you typed that? 😂😂😂