The Extreme Rigs Soft Tube Test – Finished with Conclusion

1. Introduction2. Background Information3. The Comparisons Begin4. Clarity5. The Test6. View All

Introduction

Extreme Rigs Soft Tubing Test

In the last review I published on Extreme Rigs, the sole focus was on hard-line tubing, with Mayhems Borosilicate Glass Tubing being put under the ER microscope. We realize however that the vast majority of water coolers are still using traditional soft tubing because of the ease and speed in which a loop can be “plumbed up” to get a new system up and running.

With the recent release of Mayhems Ultra Clear soft tubing range it occurred to us that we should do some comparisons between it and the highly regarded Primochill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this publication a “review”, more of a quick look at the Mayhems Ultra Clear tubing followed by some comparisons before we start “The Test” from which the write up was born.

Before we delve in, we need to say thanks to a couple of our regular sponsors for providing the tubing used in “The Test”. Both companies back their tubing by supporting “The Test” and with continued support like this we can continue to bring quality articles to you our loyal readers.

Let’s get started!

Background Information

Background Information:

Some History – in no particular order.

In the PC water cooling community a lot of focus is placed on a system’s tubing, or more specifically the type of tubing used and the tubing runs that connect one component to the next in the loop. Over the last couple of years most of the “showcase” builds have incorporated hard-line tubing such as acrylic, PETG, copper and now even glass tubing which we recently reviewed. However the vast majority of water cooled systems built by end users are plumbed up with soft tubing and we believe this will always be the case because of how easy it is to install.

Hard-Line tubing is typically more difficult to install, particularly if bending the tubing is chosen over using many angled fittings.

Using hard-line tubing definitely has it’s advantages over traditional soft tubing and we’re not just talking about hard-lined rigs often having better aesthetic appearances which can be achieved from clean straight runs and uniform even corners from tube bending or the use of fittings.
No, what we are talking about are two of the flaws inherent in the traditional PVC soft tubing:

• Plasticizer Leaching
• Color/Dye Absorption

Plasticizer leaching can be seen as a white powdery build up which starts off on the inside wall of the tubing but ends up spreading throughout the cooling system.
Dye absorption is almost self-explanatory, where the tubing discolors due to it absorbing dye from the coolant.

EPDM rubber based soft tubing such as Norprene and EK’s ZMT Tube are plasticizer free but it is only available in black. This somewhat negates the effect of using colored coolant (except where the colored coolant is visible such as the reservoir and clear acrylic blocks) which so many PC builder’s love to use to match in with a theme of the build. Norprene or ZMT has been my soft tube of choice for a couple of years now where I have needed OR wanted to use soft tubing, but I admit to missing the clear tubing and colored coolant option at times.

We have seen numerous soft tubing “brands” over the years and no matter what the claims of the manufactures, all PVC based (clear and colored) soft tubing cannot escape plasticizer leaching. It is well documented already and we don’t feel the need to re-hash a topic already well covered.

Let’s move onto the comparisons between the Ultra Clear and PrimoFlex soft tubing…

The Comparisons Begin

The Comparisons Begin

For several years Primochill’s PrimoFlex Advanced LRT has been the soft tubing of choice for custom water cooling loops where colored tubing or colored coolant is going to be used. While not perfect, it has proven to be the best soft tube available to us in terms of plasticizer issues. It comes in a range of sizes to suit most fittings and comes in a large selection of colors, in addition to the Crystal Clear version.

Now a new contender for clear tubing has hit the market, Mayhems Ultra Clear Tubing which I received lengths of when the Mayhems Glass Tubing Review samples arrived.

Mayhems make a bold statement about it’s new product…

“The Mayhems ‘Ultra Clear’ product sets a new standard in transparency with our new flexible tubing and is simply epochs ahead of all the new EU standards that will soon be in effect. Our ‘Ultra-Clear’ tubing utilizes new ’Polymer Additives’ that do not leach plasticizers into the system, which can lead to fouling and blockages. Mayhems ‘ultra-Clear’ does not employ the use of Phthalate materials, which again lends credence towards a higher quality product than other types of tubing. Mayhems has liaised closely with a leading tube manufacturer within the United Kingdom in order to convey to you this high-grade product so one now longer needs to ‘take a chance’ with sub-par tubing.”

Mayhems have released their Ultra Clear Tubing in 3 of the most common and popular sizes used for PC water cooling.

Mayhems Ultra Clear (1/2 – 3/4) 13/19mm Tubing
Mayhems Ultra Clear (3/8 – 1/2) 10/13mm Tubing
Mayhems Ultra Clear (3/8 – 5/8) 10/16mm Tubing

Each size is available in 3 Meter, 5 Meter or 30 Meter lengths. There is no retail packaging and the ordered length is coiled and cling wrapped.

Before testing there is not really much to make mention of about soft tubing except the color, how hard/firm the tube is and perhaps of most interest to prospective purchasers is the clarity.

Mayhems Ultra Clear Tubing has a distinct blue tinge to it which becomes far more apparent when placed side by side with the PrimoFlex tube which has a distinct yellowish tinge.

Neither is really clear, despite their respective brand names, each has it’s own tint either side of neutral.

The wall thickness is the same on both brands, but the Mayhems is certainly holding it’s shape better than the PrimoFlex which just came from a sealed retail pack.

The Mayhems Ultra Clear has a much softer feel and can quite easily be compressed between thumb and forefinger. The PrimoFlex feels very stiff by comparison and I could only half compress it.  The softness of the Ultra Clear has me worried because generally speaking the softer the tube, the more plasticizer it has in it and more issues to deal with later on.

Time will tell if Mayhems statement about how “Ultra-Clear’ tubing utilizes new ’Polymer Additives’ that do not leach plasticizers into the system” and I decided that for now Mayhems should at least be given the benefit of doubt.

Being a softer tube means that tighter radius bends could be attempted with the Mayhems Ultra Clear Tube but the downside of trying to achieve tighter bends is the potential of kinking the tube is much higher.

Next up – let’s look at the tube clarity.

Clarity

Clarity

My initial thoughts on the Mayhems Ultra Clear tube was that it was not very clear at all.
The tube appears to have a “haze” about it and just doesn’t look clear as the name indicates. But as we attempt to bring factual based information at Extreme Rigs I used the fitting manifold again to try and show the difference in a side by side comparison.

In order Left to Right:

• Mayhems Glass Tube
• Ultra Clear 10mm/13mm
• Ultra Clear 10mm/16mm
• Ultra Clear 13mm/19mm
• PrimoFlex 13mm x 19mm

The Ultra Clear 10mm x 13mm is much clearer and less blue tinge than its larger stable mates due to having half the wall thickness.

Unable to tell if light or dark background was better, I put in both.

While again showing the color difference of the tubes, it doesn’t really show the clarity of either type. Something was needed to try and see through the tubes – I decided on some pipe cleaners which were handy at the time.

First inside the tubes.

Unfortunately the larger of the Mayhems tubes got a nasty light reflection so let’s take a look at a side by side with Ultra Clear vs. PrimoFlex.
The PrimoFlex on the RHS just has the edge in clarity over the Ultra Clear.

Now lets add some coolant, as things may change when the tubes have fluid in them.

Plain distilled water first:The glass tube on the left is obviously the clearest. Of the two 13 x 19 tubes which will be in “The Test”, The PrimoFlex on the Right still has a slight edge on clarity.  While my initial thoughts remain the same, the actual difference in clarity between the Ultra Clear and PrimoFlex was much less than I had anticipated. Placing fluid in the tubes did make a difference it seems.

Before we move on to “The Test” we might as well take a look at out tubing manifold with some colored coolant, distilled with Mayhems dyes actually.

Blood Red:

UV Pink:

UV Green:

Yellow:

Dark Plum:

Ocean Blue:

While the above images do not show it, the Mayhems Ultra Clear does in my opinion, show the colors more faithfully than the PrimoFlex which adds a slight yellow tint to the color of the liquid.

Next Up – “The Test”

The Test

The Test

To see if Mayhems “does not leach” plasticizer statement is true there is only one thing for it; a practical test, and while devising the test, we decided that a head to head was in order.

Mayhems Ultra Clear 13mm x 19mm (½ x ¾)

Vs.

Primchill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT ½ x ¾

This test was going to be a long term thing, so a purpose build rig was put together specifically for this test using bits and pieces that were already on hand.

Basically it’s a portable dual loop which consisting of the following components:
• Dual 240mm Radiator Stand
• Dual D5 Pump Top & Reservoir Combo (old version)
• 2 x D5 Vario Pumps.
• 2 x 120mm Radiators.
• 2 x 120mm Fans.
• PSU.
• ½ x ¾ Compression Fittings.

The test rig prior to plumbing it up:
The business side:

The test was going to be conducted over an unknown length of time, with the goal to show which tube stands up to the test of time in a running system. We might see plasticizer issues start to show up, clarity degradation and dye absorption of the tubing.

We decided that to inspect the tubes for these issues, we would cut out a short section at regular intervals. At the time of writing the thought is that we should cut out a 1″ section every 2 weeks for the first 2 months and see how things are progressing. We’ll be updating our findings with the pictures every time we cut a section out so check back regularly for the latest update OR subscribe to our Twitter for the shout out when we’ve cut out the latest section of tubing.

The rig has been plumbed up with 2 extra long lengths of tube to allow for the cutting out of sections for inspection.

Here the rig was tested with plain distilled – Mayhems Ultra Clear is the loop at the front, Primochill PlimoFlex Advanced LRT is the loop at the rear:
The different color tinge of each tube is quite apparent with clear fluid.

The fluid being used during testing is Mayhems XT-1 UV Blue Coolant.
For our mix we diluted the 150ml concentrate with 1.85 liters of distilled. We actually mixed 2 concentrate bottles so we have 4 Liters of coolant for the duration of the test.
Each loop took almost 1 Liter exactly so we have about half of our mix left for any mishaps when we periodically cut out the short sections of tube.

Last time in the photo studio before the rig was placed in the test location.
The color difference is subtle and to be honest is quite negligible. Still the PrimoFlex does add it’s yellow tinge to the coolant color even if it does not come through on theses photos very well.

The Blue hue of the Ultra Clear tube has made the wall of the tubes virtually invisible with the blue colored coolant.

Yesterday – 29th October 2015, the rig was moved to it’s home for the next 6 months or so – where lighting for photos is not ideal and the system was started up for the long run into the unknown.

A UV cold cathode tube has been placed which will be switched on for 3 or 4 hours each night. This may or may not show anything – but as the coolant is UV reactive we thought we’ld set it up anyway.

Both tube types allow the UV reaction in the coolant to pass through equally.

And so The Test has begun.

30th October 2015 – Test Commenced.

1st November 2015 – Added a few components to the test rig set up.
A Fan controller has been installed along with a temperature sensor for each loop.
For the majority of the time the fans are off completely so coolant is getting warmed up from the pump.
An alarm is set so when coolant reaches 40°C, which is 15°C over ambient, the fans are turned on.
When the coolant temp reaches ambient again, the fans turn off and the cycle is re-started.
This cycle is taking about 6 hours, and having warmer coolant temp we believe is better simulating the conditions in a working rig.

4th December 2015 – Update 1

Please read the text below as it contains important information about the Advanced LRT tubing used in the test !!

It’s been a month or so and we are back with our first real update of how both tubes are fairing in the test.Before we get stuck in though, it has come to our attention that the Primochill Advanced LRT tubing is not suitable/recommended for use with glycol based coolant such as the Mayhems XT-1 we are running in both loops of the test rig.
The full disclaimer is clearly displayed on the Primochill webpages for Advanced LRT tubing, however this excerpt sums it up without leaving any doubt in our minds:
“however the use of alcohols, Ethylene Glycol and as well as any other harmful chemicals is strictly prohibited and will void your warranty.“

This was indeed a large oversight on our behalf when setting up the test, and we considered abandoning the project altogether when we realized, BUT we reasoned that a lot of people still use glycol based coolant and the results for both tube types would prove useful to those of you who do.

So we decided to continue with this test, unsanctioned and against recommendations with a plan to start another round of testing with even more tubing types and using non-glycol based coolant at a later date.
Ultimately this means we can not make any negative comments about how the Advanced LRT performs and ages because we are not using it within the manufacturers guidelines.

This leaves the Mayhems tubing to receive almost all the comments about our observations at each update interval, and you the reader will be left to make you own judgements based on the comparison photos.

With all that out of the way, lets get stuck into Update 1 of the ER Soft Tube Test.

The first two pictures are of the test rig just prior to cutting out the short sections of tubing pictured further below. You can see the rig at commissioning stage by scrolling up 3 0r 4 images. Just a reminder that the closest set of tubes are Mayhems, while the rear set are Primochill Advanced LRT.

The Mayhems tubing does not appear to be discoloring in any way, let’s take a closer look.

Let’s now take a look at the sections which were cut out. Maybe we will see some discoloration from dye absorption or even some plasticizer starting to leech.

Firstly the side by side comparisons in which the Mayhems tubing is on the left and Advanced LRT on the right. A section cut at the time of setting up the test rig is in the center for each tube type, so we can see the difference 1 month of constant circulation has made. The freshly cut out sections from the test have not been rinsed at all, just had droplets shaken out.
Interestingly the Mayhems tube seems to have lost the blue tinge it had at the start of the test.

A small section was then cut from each of the Update 1 pieces and sliced in half for a look at the internal wall.

Firstly the Advanced LRT:

The Advanced LRT shows no sign of plasticizer or dye absorption, however there is clearly a  difference between new tube and the one month old tube (glycol base coolant which is not recommended)

Now let’s take a look at the Mayhems soft tube section.

The Mayhems tube has no dye absorption and is also shows no signs of plasticizer leeching. It has lost the blue tinge and while not crystal clear it is still very translucent.

From the cut out section analysis in this first update, the Mayhems tube shows some good potential for a previously untested tubing. With the next update we may venture to voice more of an opinion. Until then the rig continues to run 24/7 and we are looking forward to bringing you the next installment.

6th February 2016 – Update 2 (final)

This second (and final) update is actually a month overdue which may be somewhat of an advantage to best see how both tubes would age with long term 24/7 use. The rig has been running a little over 3 months in total and 2 months since the last update.

It’s time to conclude this test though and start fresh with different coolant which was explained in the previous update.

I moved the rig to the light room for a few final photos before draining the coolant.
Mayhems tube on the loop is closest loop and Advanced LRT at the rear.
The coolant in the Mayhems Tubing loop seems to be vibrant.

Let’s take a closer look at the tubing.
Looking closer, and for now just try to concentrate on the center of the tubes, it is hard tell tell the difference between the coolant color in each set of tubes. Having pointed that we can now look at the tube and include the side walls in out focus. The Adv LRT tube set (1st and 3rd from the top) has a yellow tinge which is most noticeable on the walls when looked side on like this.
The blue coolant has probably helped mask the side walls of the Mayhems tubing as it had a blue(ish) tint when new.

But how well to either of the tubes let the actual color of the coolant through. With hindsight I should have photographed a sample of the coolant with coolant still in the tubes, however that didn’t occur to me at the time and instead I got a photo of the coolant after it had been drained from the rig.

With the coolant from the Mayhems loop on the left and Adv. LRT on the right, it seems that neither tube were really letting the true color of the coolant show through. Why is this ?
To find out we need to take a closer look at the tubing.

Here both sets of tubing side by side after the tear down.
Mayhems Tubing is the rear tube of each length.

A short section was cut for the comparisons against the previous update and how the tube looked when the test commenced.
Mayhems on the left, Adv. LRT on the right.
Neither tubes are anything close to clear, one however has had some major discoloring and not from dye absorption either as no sign of a blue dye anywhere on either set.

Let’s now compare to our previous tube samples.

From left to right:

1. New tube at commencement of the test
2. Test samples of tube after 1 month
3. Test samples after 3 months

In the following photo the samples of each tube were grouped:
New, 1 month, 3 months.

Next, after about 12 hours drying time the final samples had a short section cut off and sliced in half.
Neither tube has any evidence of powdery material at all, so plasticizer leaching appears to not be an issue with either tube.
However both are significantly hazed over, with the Mayhems tube being slightly less translucent than the Adv. LRT. With the spatula I was attempting to scrape some material off for closer examination, but on both tubes all I succeeded in doing was kind of smear a thin film around that was on both tubes.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

At this time I must again remind readers that the PrimoFlex Advanced LRT Crystal Clear tubing is not recommended for use with the Glycol based Mayhems XT-1 coolant which was used in the test. It is the main reason why this planned long term test is being concluded now, and will be recommenced with a dyed, distilled fluid. For more info on why I will not fully comment on the Advanced LRT please see back to the December 4 2015 Update.

Neither tube has stained at all from the blue XT-1 coolant which is a great result for both tubes, as we have all seen images on the web of soft tube stained from various coolants and dyes. It’s probably one of the reasons you have been reading and following along with this test.

The Mayhems tube lost the blue tinge it had when new some time during the first month while the Advanced LRT’s yellow tinge got worse with time and is progressing to be more brownish i color.
This may or may not be because the Adv. LRT had a reaction with the coolant, but it has to be given the benefit of the doubt and I will comment no further about it given PrimoChill clearly states to not use  Adv. LRT tubing with the coolant type which we have.

Both tubes were showing considerable haziness after the 3 months of continuous use., however neither had any signs of a powdery build up which is the primary indicator of plasticizer leaching from the tubing. There was a thin film of residue on the inner walls of both tubes which just smeared around a bit and a sample of the residue was not able to be gathered for closer inspection.

The Mayhems tube was much softer when new and remained soft throughout the test period.. The Adv. LRT is a stiff soft tube, always has been, so this was no surprise. Our experience has been that softer tubing generally has worse plasticizer issues, so it is pleasing to see the Mayhems tube is still not leeching plasticizer, or at least it is not sticking the the inner walls of the tube. This may be due to the Polymer formulation in the tubing itself as Mayhems claim, but without Mayhems releasing the technical details of the tube this is unconfirmed.

I remain illogically skeptical of the Mayhems tube despite the evidence in front of me after 3 months of 24/7 use with a D5 at full speed. It reminds me of cheap tubing that is sold at hardware stores for washing machine or dish-washers drain hoses. and is priced similarly. I am in no way implying that this is the case, it’s just my gut feeling and my mind can’t seem to get past the fact that historically softer tubing has been associated with plasticizer problems.

So despite my skepticism, the Mayhems tubing offers users another good soft tubing choice at a bargain price. After 3 months of continuous use, no signs of plasticizer were evident, nor was it stained from the blue XT-1 coolant used in the test rig. It did have considerable hazing though (as did the competition) which caused a loss of clarity and slight misrepresentation of the coolant color.
At this point in time it appears the Mayhems tube is as good an option as the competition, however I will sit on the fence a while longer until we see how things go in the next round of testing before making a full recommendation of it over another.

Keep an eye out for the soon to be published 3/8 x 5/8 Mayhems Vs. Advanced LRT tubing, long term test using a NON glycol fluid. The rig was set up and commenced running yesterday, 5th Feb. 2016.