Maxline 1/2 Inch x 100 Feet HDPE-Aluminum Air Compressor Piping System Kit - 35-Piece Leak-Proof, Easy to Install Accessories with 100 PSI Rating | Compatible with All Air Compressor Hoses | Perfect for Automotive Shops, Home Garages & Industrial Air Tool Applications | Model M3800

I just finished our 3rd installation of Maxline in our business and at my home shop and now I'm planning an expansion in the shop. I keep coming back to the Maxline product because it works, it's economical, it's easy to install & maintain and it looks great. All of our blue lines are installed on the outside of the sheetrock where they're easily accessible and we use the optional black plastic clips spaced anywhere from 2' to 4' apart. Our CFM requirements aren't very high so we've stuck with the 1/2" pipe size which contributes to the economy of our systems. At the business, some of the air machines are over 100' from the compressor and I wasn't sure if they were going to get enough air so I had planned to put in a header tank in the distant machine room to act as a ready reserve, but it was never needed. At the home shop, the most distant tire hose reel is 80' from the source and some of the spray equipment might need higher flow, so for the expansion phase I plan to complete the loop back to the source. In this way, air can travel both directions around the pipe to wherever there's a need. The attached pic shows this manifold, which comes with the Master Kit, and you can see the available 2nd outlet on the front that's plugged off for now.Tip: Use thick Teflon tape like Maxline sells (assuming they still do) and plumber's paste on all of your NPT connections. I like to fold the tape in half (easier if you use 3/4") and then make 2 wraps nice & tight right at the start of the threads. Then apply the paste, just a bit, around the tip of the threads and back about 1/4". I use the blue paper towel shop cloths and cut them into fourths, then fold those down to a small size and use them to clean off the paste around the joint--you can refold these little pieces a few times before tossing it and grabbing another one.If I had one suggestion for Maxline it would be this: Please redesign your fittings to be less restrictive. Yes, I understand the Bernoulli principle and the Venturi effects involved, but there's still some static pressure caused whenever you have a restriction in a flow tube. I realize that the fittings must go inside of the Maxline tubing and I just wish that these bits could be a little thinner through there. In some cases this will prompt people to jump up to the 3/4" or even 1/2" option but so far we're getting good service from our 1/2" system, at least until our CFM requirements increase.You may find some frustration with straightening the coiled tubing. I've worked it on the floor with a helper after cutting it to the proper length and I've also used Maxline's beautifully made aluminum roller system straightener. The device helps but not as much as hoped and frankly I think the design of the wheels could be improved. You can build your own using a plan that's available on Maxline's website but I've not tried it although I would probably do so if I hadn't bought this one on the assumption that it would work better than it does. Eventually though, you work on the tubing enough that you're ready to settle for slight straightness errors and then you install it and it turns out to be better than expected. If you work with a helper, you can make minor adjustments after the tubing is snapped into the clips and then you stand back and realize that it looks pretty good.