Taps Tails / Flexi's - HQ vs cheap

[Leonardo]

Hi all,

WRAS approved Tap tail's (flexi's) - how do you distinguish the high quality ones from the crap ones.

What do you look for? What are the signs?

Then - where can I source HQ ones?

Good to be back,

L.

 

[WC1]

Wras approved all seem similar quality to me. Personally i feel the lifetime of a flexi depends mostly on its environment. Splashed regularly with soapy water and they die quickly.

 

[king of pipes]

Wras approved will have it stamped on them I agree environment has a big part to play had a few bursts and it can be costly if not caught and sorted out quickly . Kop

 

[Leonardo]

I think we need to keep in mind, that many fake poor quality products, imported into the U.K, have CE stamped on them at the factory/packing stage.

Especially the fakes.

I'm pretty sure - that on many poor quality/fake, mass-imported flexi's, wras/wras I.D can easily be stamped on them too.

Whats left is to, first - develop insight on how to examine a pipe & gage quality, then second - ensure you are buying from a supplier that controls its supply chains - and is likely to have done due diligence.

Surely there is someone out there that can teach us what to look for when examining these staple plumbing parts?

 

[WC1]

A good flexi generally has a bit more "chunkiness" to it, they haven't shaved off every gram of brass and steel.
I'm not sure that the market for flexible plumbing connectors is big enough to attract the attention of the fakers (yet.)
Its surely much more profitable and lower risk for someone so minded to just make very cheap nasty flexis and sell lots of them rather than faking a wras accreditation.
It's only conscientious professional plumbers who would even know to look for a wras mark when purchasing.
But it is something we should bear in mind, I'm sure I bought a fake "metabo" bench grinder a few years ago.

 

[king of pipes]

Buy from a reputable merchant plumbcity , city plumbing , Wolsey , shouldn't have a issue . Kop

 

[Leonardo]

For me its really quite straightforward.

If I knew how to distinguish between the better (wras) & poorer (wras) unit's - I'd happily spend a few extra quid on superior variants.

Especially when you look at the costs associated with one leaking/bursting (if not caught at the earliest).

It is really puzzling me - that my question seems to be such a difficult one to answer, especially given how many of us install these things - day in & day out.

With such a staple product, you'd assume that theres loads of wisdom & experience on this topic.

Open to any further input on this.

 

[techweb]

Although an old thread, it seems that most taps sold by Bristan and Grohe have factory fitted non-removable flexi tails. Of course one would expect these to be high quality but still I would prefer not to have them.

 

[TaylorWard]

Hello, I am new here, and having some doubts. Can I ask a question?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Hello, I am new here, and having some doubts. Can I ask a question?

Yes but please can you make your own thread / topic eg use the below link thanks

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