Aesthetics. I personally prefer it that way.

Listen to Jon

(He must be a genious to think of that, Right?) :p

aluminum will not corrode...

Really? Raw aluminum + copper or brass or silver = corrosion pretty darn quick.

good thinking geek

my thoughts also, but the producer refuses to anodize

and disturbed corrosion product will drop into the fluid
not good

why not make them from pp or nylon ?

Higher bling factor on metal - people like things polished up.
I'd only buy brass or copper though, or maybe stainless steel - too much corrosion risk with Al.

would you pay 2x as much for a cap if they were?

Uh, you're selling them for what? US$8?

Here in the land of Oz I could get something sized like those caps shiny nickel plated for around ~US$0.25c each in quantities of 50 and over, and I know that basic colored anodising can be done for cheaper. Silver plated they'd cost around $1 each.

I think you should consider what people are asking you and investigate the costs. Anodising, nor even nickel plating, costs anything like what you're saying. Heck, I could get those things solid gold plated for less than what you're saying it would cost just to get them anodised.

I will back that up. Had a similar request when I worked at Stamp Works. Wasn't for PC water cooling but the use was the same. Pricing turned out similar to Cathars quotes above. They ended up droping the idea and going with standard PVC caps painted in the colors they wanted.

Id just buy a plating kit and do it myself. Probably works out more expencive like that but less hassle of having to send them away to get it done.

Can you make an attractive version of THIS?

A cam pivots on threaded rod passing through rubber tube, terminates with (threaded, adjustable) washer. Tightening the cam draws the washer up, expanding the rubber. These are so easy and effective. But only available in utility or soda pop styles. Perhaps you could design a cool aluminum version for the watercooling crowd?

i'm charging enough to cover production costs and shipping costs.

these caps cost me no where near 25 cents a piece to produce.. :eek:


i'll look deeper into anodizing, most likely black anodization. i'll see what i can do guys.. it's hard as hell manufacturing in CT, where you have to fight for machine time, materials cost, and machine setup and production... and struggle to make enough just to pay the rent and bills :(

I said that nickel plating would cost around 25c, not the caps themselves.

You could get all 50 bright nickel plated, which would prevent corrosion and be shiny as all heck, for around 25c each if you got all 50 done at once.

this is the winner
with case sides . . . . . no bling bling needed

guys, i got good news. after looking around, i've found a company local to me that will be able to CLEAR ANODIZE the caps, for a lot cheaper price than i have been quoted for years, which is the same process as any other color. we're good to go :D

the other company i used to go to always had a starting price that was really high for high volume. they never did quantities <200

So what's wrong with the nylon or polypro female [EDIT]typed ' female ' 2 times - dunno what's wrong with me LOL [/EDIT] barbed connectors and caps that we've been using for the last couple of years?

http://cooltechnica.com/Merchant2/gr...ee_Cap-125.jpg

http://www.cooltechnica.com/personal...iprobe-640.jpg

am I missing something here ??

Yes, bruce, it is all about the bling factor. :D

Bruce wins on cost, SMan on bling bling;
for convience I still prefer the soda bottle stopper
my 2¢

ahh OK yes the bling bling factor LOL :)

I use a spare 1/4" NPT brass end cap I had kicking about - it's a pretty good fit for a 1/2" ID tube.

in thinking about it, the bottle stopper will strech the tubing over time = not reliable

Cooltechnia wins on cost, and reliability is a push (with hose clamps on both)
screw the bling bling, my 2¢

I ran my system for a year or so with a piece of grey artist's eraser stuck in the top of the bleed line lol. Doesn't dry out in air, didn't degrade in contact with ww, and was the closest thing to me when I set it up the first time.

people spend tons of money on making their cases look cool, and then plug it up with some junky plastic piece that ruins the rest of the look. that's my opinion, and a reason why i made a cap for myself, cause i didn't want to use all the low quality looking stuff in a rig that's top of the line, everything looking great.

come on, you work for Swiftech, if the stuff didn't look good as it performs, how much business would you lose? because there is the performance oriented who dont care for looks, there is the people who take a little of both, and then there is people who just make waterblocks that look awesome and dont have much performance..