Favorite tubing?

**LTD** · 10-04-2010, 03:13 PM

I pulled a bunch of points on the Schott I picked up. Seems to melt faster.... No pieces finished yet, will report back tonight.

**hashmasta-kut** · 10-04-2010, 04:57 PM

all i use i think has been schott. pretty consistant, no complaints really. fumes nice.

**LTD** · 10-05-2010, 11:57 PM

I am amazed at how much faster the schott melts than the simax!! I love it. Not going back. I will try the new kimble, but damn I am kicking my self in the ass for not using schott sooner. Used a few cases years ago and did not notice the difference.

**CripSkillz** · 10-06-2010, 08:54 AM

you sure thats just not your new torch man,,, did you put a stop watch on it,, Id like to see a metered comparison on that..

**p.j.** · 10-06-2010, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by CripSkillz

you sure thats just not your new torch man,,, did you put a stop watch on it,, Id like to see a metered comparison on that..

i feel they are way different too. it seems you cant work schott a lot longer too without having to heat it up again. i just had a case of simax that i had sitting around that i broke in to(after using only schott for 2 years) and it seems stiffer and doesn't work as easy...it was weird.

**Dom** · 10-06-2010, 01:24 PM

Yea simax is stiffer and does not work as easy, you have to heat it alot more to get the same soupy consistency.

But for striking color and fume there is no substitute.

**LTD** · 10-06-2010, 06:12 PM

That comparison was made working on the phantom that I had as a loaner, same phantom I used to own and did a crap load of prodo on. Definitely melts faster. I am not sure if I agree that simax fumes easier... Did some fume comb implosions and they worked great, grew fast. Stayed very white though.... All in all I am liking the schott.

**hashmasta-kut** · 10-06-2010, 06:26 PM

he never said it fumes easier exactly. i think some people think it does prettier fume.

**glassman_5432** · 05-25-2011, 03:37 PM

As far as honeycombs go, you can get great colors Blues, Purples, Reds and non milky blue whites out of all brands of glass, even china glass makes a great honeycombs

**smolder holder** · 05-25-2011, 07:36 PM

^^1st post glassman!! Welcome. I use both simax and SBA but haven't done a side by side as mine are different sizes.

**glassman_5432** · 06-06-2011, 05:36 PM

Thanks for the welcoming post!! I basically use simax and SBA and my worker bess use china glass for cheap prodo pipes, but only 25X4 any bigger sizes they use better glass. I also use simax for our rake or punties, china is to brittle. I have some pics of some honeycombs I do just follow my link!!

**nate dubbs** · 07-20-2011, 09:27 PM

I'm in China and I can't find anyone here who will sell me less than a ton. I got a price quote for mixed sizes 1000kg. :9,300 Yuan or $1,500 . I think their glass is garbage and sampled some in the US. Schott is my favorite , but too bad I can't get it here.

**OracleGlassArts** · 02-23-2012, 06:52 AM

simax is total garbage. shit does the same things china does except its way better than china at not boiling....not worth the extra dough by any means....i <3 china glass because i could smash a hole tube and not feel like i wasted my money on "high quality glass"

**Julian** · 02-23-2012, 10:29 AM

So right! China tubing is better in Simax in almost every way, other than quality of formula, roundness, straightness, wall consistency, and likelihood of thermal shock. Of course, those are all the factors one might look for when doing quality work... but who cares about that?

**mark206nj** · 02-23-2012, 10:40 AM

^^^Now that's funny, right there. Seriously, good points, Julian (all be it very veiled).

**gn0me** · 02-24-2012, 04:35 AM

Don't forget about the scientific tolerances, likelihood of shattering with repeated thermal stress by the end user, the way it behaves around striking colors, the little extrusion ridges running the length of the tube, and all the scuzz on the glass you can't see till you work it. My favorite part is the likelihood that the mere act of putting the tube in the flame will drop 10 inches of tube broken onto the bench for no reason at all.

**STROKER** · 02-24-2012, 06:25 AM

Originally Posted by TheGanjaKru

simax is total garbage. shit does the same things china does except its way better than china at not boiling....not worth the extra dough by any means....i <3 china glass because i could smash a hole tube and not feel like i wasted my money on "high quality glass"

why exactly are you smashing "hole" tubes for anyways?

if the quality of your work calls for substandard materials then by all means china clear baby....

if you enjoy the sounds of breaking glass and the good times associated with the random acts thereof, then hell yes china is a much better choice than simax.

however, if you want a chance to get it done and still have it in one piece for the end user: i suggest simax, pyrex, or schott.

i use simax for everything and have had very , very little substandard material from their company in the 5 years i have used it.

**Dirty** · 08-31-2012, 07:40 AM

Well in my opinion, all of this comes down to the type of work you do. I use simax for all proto and even high end proto. but when it comes to certain aspects of my work i change the brand/quality. Pyrex has great clarity and good pop with fuming so i tend to use it in marbles. Simax is also good with fume. high end schott/duran and sba are fantastic for head pieces and other more complicated work, but I have used simax in this capacity as well with no problems. Using china glass is just asking for problems. I love the white rod for vacs and thats about it. I have used some of the transparent colored tubing but it is a little problematic if not handled carefully. At the end of the day everything works, it's really up to how the individual handles it and your own ability to learn from mistakes.