Part 1: Cheap Refrigerant Gauages R1234YF & R134a EBAY & AMAZON are they any GOOD? 

Horst Hesshaus thank you

Thank you as long as people are learning then I’m doing something OK. Just giving people information so they can make an informed decision. Hopefully after watching this video they can no longer use the excuse (“ I didn’t know “)

Thank you

Is it the right one for DIYers?

When working on residential in some commercial, I cannot even imagine sitting super heat or sub cooling without my wireless digital probes anymore. I went all digital nearly 20 years ago. Retired my old yellow jacket gauges.. I cannot imagine having the ability not being able to hit one button and print out a report or email a report to my customer showing them what was done in properly by the previous technician who was there yesterday . And then properly recharging the system, or fixing the airflow issue, because the air flow is king and will affect the superheat or sub coal, so whatever you’re reading is always wrong . Ever since I got to TrueFlow grid, it’s so fast and easy and gives you an exact airflow measurement down to the last few CFM . All the software is integrated now So myself or another technician come back to this exact same unit two years from now and download exactly what I did showing the exact operation at the time I was working on it because the files saved on the cloud and downloads right to your phone or your iPad .

That’s why I throw this information up here it’s scattered throughout all my videos a little something Salton peppered and scattered no organization no editing Just real raw information I leave all my mistakes in my video you will find me calling a condenser a evaporator or a evaporator a condenser I’ll even call a accumulator a receiver dryer when I’m making videos I leave the mistakes in there

Buy the Yellow Jacket Class 1

Yes I believe the yellow jacket analog gauges will be a better quality than your regular eBay or Amazon or harbor freight gauges even if they are still analog. But when it comes to refrigerant hoses you will wanna spend the extra money on the yellow jacket refrigerant hoses yes I know they cost almost $100 compared to a set of three hoses you could get for around $25 from China. But the yellow jacket hoses are superior.

@@coldfinger459sub0 Thanks! I'd rather spend the money on good solid tools the first time around! I appreciate it!

@@xXTECHxKNIGHTXx I wish there was somebody out there who did all this work and bought all these tools and vetted them out when I had to pick I have bought thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in different tools to end up with good ones. And I’m very unhappy with the Testo Tools made nowadays. Everybody complains of their poor Bluetooth connectivity in the ass disconnecting and drop out and lock up problems. Everyone has found hands-down the Fieldpiece tools to have better apps that stay connected in better connectivity with their Bluetooth tools. Years ago I used to be a Testo Tools kind of guy because they were made in Germany high-quality very reliable. But just like the Mercedes-Benz have become problematic low quality no better than cheap Chinese cars . My old set up for featuring cages Testo 570 were designed and manufactured inside Germany. Now it’s all China made At least the field stuff is China me but a higher quality more durable

@@coldfinger459sub0 That's why I'm eternally grateful for yall who have put in the time and money to find what is worth getting! I'll take a look at the fieldpiece tools!

I’m an old dude that’s what old guys do we talk about old crap 💩 lol 😂

@@WallStreet749 some of the cheap gauges have actually leaked up through the gauges I found some of the cheap gauges. Needles have actually have been sticky on the gauges or a lot accurate . Also had the cheap gauges leak from the valves as you turn them air bypasses the seals

Lol 😂 I guess that’s one way to do it

You can also identify the vacuum leak too.@@coldfinger459sub0

With quarter inch fittings it sounds like you source your R134 refrigerant bottle from a HVAC wholesale supply warehouse instead of a automotive supply warehouse. We’re automotive hoses and fittings for R134A the threads are half-inch ACME threads that are a very square looking cut thread. If the hoses were intended for the new refrigerant R1234YF they will still be half inch ACME threads but with left hand thread cut There’s a lot of cheap poses you could use if you’re a do it yourself person who does not rely on them as a professional making money or doing other peoples cars because they fail often they leak they cannot hold a good deep long vacuum to perform a vacuum decay test they are definitely not for extreme high pressure for commercial use eBay and Amazon has tons of cheap hoses. The hoses I choose and recommend are not cheap there by yellow jacket or JB or Accu tools, or Appion

If the R1 34 come from an automotive source like grand auto or O’Reillys or AutoZone it is a acne quarter inch right hand thread If it is YF refrigerant and it is acne quarter inch left hand thread

@@nathanield.4527 yes I have those hoses with stainless steel braiding on the outside. I did a video about a month or two ago.. They still have to attach to the couplings

Since you probably have nitrogen because I see if you use R 22 everybody and HVAC has nitrogen. I just put a squirt of 99% alcohol in my refrigerant yellow charging hose fill it up. Hook it up to the nitrogen twisted up to five or 600 psi Leaving the ends open on the high and low side and thoroughly secured bust open the nitrogen because it will become dangerous lethal flying around hose ends if you don’t secure them And then throw it on a vacuum pump to dry out the hoses and decast them. That’s what I do between exchanging from one system to another

@@coldfinger459sub0 Thanks so much!!!

If you’re gonna go old-fashioned old school analog gauges. You can even get the old R12 gauges and get the conversion fittings to attach the service adapter couplings. But I always recommend everybody unless there a DYI person can use the cheap stuff off eBay or Amazon. But if they truly are a professional in the automotive trade they should just bite the bullet catch up with the times and get some thing like the Fieldpiece SM480V four part manifold with a built-in micron gauge. I have not and many other technicians have not used analog gauges in over 15 to 20 years. A good analogy Do guys still change tires on the ground hitting them with hammers and using too long priva bars to break the bead and slip off the old tire from the rim and put on the new tire the way my grandfather did when he was a teenager. Then why are there guys out there who actually work in shops that are supposed to be professionals still using three port analog gauges ?. Do we still start cars by cranking them over by hand and pack wheelbearings by hand and set dwell and timing and ignition points. We have these old dinosaurs still in our trade handing down misinformation from 50 years ago. Remember to purchase a very accurate scale if you’re using a 30 pound or 10 pound drum of refrigerant. My first recommendation is the NAVAC Bluetooth refrigerant scale. My second recommendation is the Fieldpiece Bluetooth wireless refrigerant scale.

@@coldfinger459sub0 that makes sense. Do you recommend a whole new and separate recovery machine and vacuum pump just for servicing the 1234yf? Since I use those all the time on the r134. Don’t want to cross contaminate

@@omega200k5 you can. But I also use 99% alcohol a little squirt through the yellow hose and then I crank my nitrogen at the 600 psi and let it blow out through the red and blue hose to flush it out if I switch refrigerant or oil types it’s quick fast and easy. I have multiple pressurized flush bottles for solvent. When is always filled up with alcohol. So It’s always instantly available to me I just pick it up stick it in the yellow hose give it a quick squirt it’s pressurized to 100 psi That instantly does the alcohol flush in the 600 psi of tri nitrogen chasing behind it instantly flushes that out and cleans in blows everything else. And then the vacuum pump does the rest. Of course dedicated recovery machines are best. But if you do switch to recovery machine between refrigerants allow the recovery machine just to suck air through it as you change it from recovery to perch two times and now what you just did was completely flush air through the recovery machine so they’ll be no refrigerant in the recovery machine. Then when you hook up your refrigerant gauges you turn on the recovery machine first and that will draw the internals of the machine and your vacuum gauges all the way down into the micron level like you see in my videos after I pull a recovery do you see my micron gauge is usually always down around 900 µm or less. But if I was in a shop not mobile I would just have my recovery machine a tank of vacuum pumping gauges either all around on a push cart permanently hooked together just like a big machine or on a dolly / hand truck

Horst H Get quarter inch caps for all the brass fittings to the hoses and only use one hose to your vacuum pump. We want to take all the hoses valves connection seals out of the equation. Leave it on a vacuum for a few hours and then close off the valve on the hose to the vacuum pump you only want to test your manifold not your hoses at this point. If it still bleeds down look for my video on rebuilding the S man Fieldpiece manifold taking apart the Pistons and using silicone grease behind the grooves of the two O-rings that are on each piston

Horst H I have a question what hoses did you purchase

@@coldfinger459sub0 CPS HP5A Anti Blow Back. Included with the SMAN.

Horst H The thick brass ones with the swivel knobs I think I know what you’re talking about I don’t like those because sometimes they leak and they have a short life if you use them often. And when they go bad you lose the whole holes because they’re permanently attached. I will take that snap ring apart in the back take it apart put some silicone grease in where the O-ring grooves are Inside if you have like a dental pick and you can get the inner O-ring out put some silicone grease back there and then put the O-ring back in do not damage the O-ring otherwise it will leak. But there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to pull a vacuum well below 100 µm Were they the hoses made by a yellow jacket or made by Hill more I don’t like products made by Hilmore too many failures

The hoses that have permanently built in ball valves have a high failure rate if you use them often. And then you lose the whole entire expensive hose. So if you like ball valves you get the little tiny extension hoses that have ball valves built into them so if they go bad you’re only replacing that small extension that’s 6 inches long or 12 inches long. Nearly every manufacturer makes for port gauges. And every manufacturer makes either three hose or four hose combinations in kits Usually the third Will be black back in my dad‘s day when I use my first four port manifolds the fourth hose was white And upgrade the fourth hose for vacuum will be three8s inch hose instead of quarter inch hose. And if you really want to upgrade your four port manifold with three8s inch vacuum port and instead of vine refrigerant rubber hose do you purchase the blue Acc-u-tools silicone vacuum hose.

@@coldfinger459sub0 awesome.. thanks for the info! I think I'll skip the valves for now.

@@Ochi2000 this is where you go online to Google or eBay or Amazon and look up the 134 coupler that has the adapter on the end for a quarter inch thread to go to your hoses

@@coldfinger459sub0 Ho man THANK YOU. spent 2 days researching but couldn't get a straight answer. Simple, 1/4 inch thread. Now we're cooking with oil.

Horst H A little 99% or 98% alcohol and if you have access to dry nitrogen Or if you weld and you have argon gas also a dry inert gas that you could use to blow the alcohol through your hoses and manifold to clean it out. Congratulations on your purchase don’t forget to download the Fieldpiece app

@@coldfinger459sub0 thank you for your reply. Yes, I got the Fieldpiece Joblink App and the Fieldpiece JL3RH Psychrometer to get good TSH. Done the Temp calibration and will do the vac test next. Beautiful tools!

Horst H congratulations you’re walking through the door way to the next level of Heating & Air Conditioning 👍 For every question you discover the answer to you or discover 10 questions you didn’t even know about.

@@coldfinger459sub0 I just want to increase my knowledge, to know what I'm doing, and to know why I'm doing it. Good enough is not good enough. It's got to be right. That is a commitment, which is clearly reflected in your videos, and I'm sure in your job. Thank you t tech for your contribution.

Yes yellow jacket is some of the best hoses out there sadly they are some of the most expensive to. As for couplings yellow jacket in master cool I’ll ride up there with the least amount of problems probably the longest life. Over the past two years I have been experimenting with cheap Chinese eBay or Amazon couplings some good some not so good. Mostly OK nothing I can complain about too much I use them several hundred times in just a couple months so for them to start developing leaks after two or three or four months is to be expected But if you seen my video about locating and ensuring leak free couplings even if they do leak by using NYLOG. Because of how abusive I am with my gauges and hoses in how much I use them every day anywhere from 6 to 10 times a day in and out of my vehicle folded up straightened out folding up repeatedly and I don’t hang them nicely in the back of my vehicle I throw them in there and the hose is kind of get crunched sometimes. I made one video about adding thermal shrink wrap tubing using the different colors yellow blue and red and black because I have a four port manifold with four hoses. Completely lathering on a thick paste of dielectric grease or silicone grease around the hose. This is to protect the hose from exposure to oxygen in the air with the grades the rubber and addition of the shrink tubing keeps the ultraviolet light from light from the grading to rubber. It also helps in the ability to pull a slightly deeper vacuum if you have a vacuum pump capable of that operation But most importantly because these are $100 a pair for hoses and I usually damage them within three months four months is the best they ever get out of them by adding the silicone grease in the shrink tube around the hoses it looks like my Sarah hoses are going to last me easily a year and they still have not started leaking yet. When it comes to refrigerant hoses any day of the week I’ll easily spend $100 on yellow jacket refrigerant hoses instead of the $20 or $30 eBay hoses or Amazon hoses. Those cheap hoses always had short lives some of them leaked either under vacuum or pressure brand new right out of the bag. But inside somebody’s garage or shop environment or even when I was a technician in an automotive garage with my hoses and gauges hanging on the wall one set of hoses would last me many years because they were not constantly being bent and twisted being thrown in the back of a vehicle

@@coldfinger459sub0 ill gladly pay extra for the quality...I too am a bit rough with my equipment since I do some mobile repairs at times. I ended up getting a vpx7 vacuum pump by fieldpiece and ill be using my jb platinum as a backup, also got a 1/2 charge hose from pump to gauges, Im debating getting the digital fieldpiece gauge set but not sure if I should get 3 way or 4.

@@MrSuperchargedv8 my very own first personal four valve refrigerant gauge was a TIF Large diameter gauges glycerin filled anti-flutter 2% accuracy. back in the 1980s It had a side glass and later I modified it with a fifth port captain to the side to a clear oil container with a valve for injecting oil under vacuum customer modification. And my father taught me by the age of 12 the importance and convenience of a four port manifold. Having that extra port for a vacuum pump and the other port for your refrigerant tank never having to switch back-and-forth was a convenience. And it was an extra step of not disconnecting something and having the potential to contaminate with air and moisture well disconnecting and reconnecting hoses. And then later when they started introducing the larger 3/8 of an inch for support for vacuum what is the nice edition

@@coldfinger459sub0 what's your fluid of choice to flush out hoses on auto ac?

@@MrSuperchargedv8 99% isopropyl alcohol when it could be found. 98 or 97% will do. Just a few minutes longer vacuum time to remove the moisture content out of the rubber of the hoses. Because the lower you go on percentage the higher the water percentage.

giubaca Good question I believe it is my nitrogen regulator which could be used on other gases that are inert goes up to 1000 psi because on my commercial VFR heat recovery units I pressure test them during commissioning to 660 psi. For 24 hours

Under 60 seconds if my hoses are clean and dry. Usually I get it down to under 100 µm That’s just a hoses engages only not connected to the system The system all depends if it’s used if it’s old if it’s contaminated with my moisture If it’s a clean dry brand, new system, under 500 µm under five minutes If it’s an old your system, and somebody had the lines open exposed to the air in a POE oil is contaminated with a high amount of moisture from the atmosphere. It could be an hour and you’re still not below 500.. Because the Oilers junk completely saturated with moisture

@@coldfinger459sub0 Hmm, all right, so his time seems to be within the "OK" range. Thank you.

@@yxcvmk yes, his time is it in OK range. I think the only reason it took him a little longer, and his vacuum was a little higher. What is the hoses he was using

One of Fords worst ideas using 3/16” after I lost my last adapter I just do use the high side. I permanently cap it off with red lock tight sealant After complete recharge by weight of refrigerant. I use a temperature clamp @ the liquid line & PT charts to get the pressure.

@@coldfinger459sub0 I am learning how to service this myself since no one in L.A. (is SoCal in your future?) wants to touch this. Instead of getting the entire Mastercool 58490 kit, I am trying to figure how to piece this together for just the high and low side.

I’m a refrigerant geek. And nerd about everything that have to do with thermodynamics I also have 13 vacuum pumps I got issues OCD when it comes to Aircondutioning and heating

@@coldfinger459sub0 LOL they are colorful and tempting, but O my lord. I've had few collecting weaknesses myself throughout life journey. Ties, Guitars, synthesizers, bows, guns bla bla bla . my strangest one was multimeters, those were hard to explain to wife, but I've managed to control it after a few or moved on to something else. You should charge admission :-)

@@WV591 LOL 😂 I could understand the guns and the bows me to, And I also got into the multi meters Hewlett-Packard 6 1/2 digit lab . I don’t need it but I dream about getting a 8 1/2 digit multimeter bench top unit made by Hewlett-Packard one of the old boys Where I could match my resistors and my MOSFETs and J fets for building my mono block amplifiers and preamplifiers class A

No , Teflon tape good for water, oil, thick stuff like that. Not small molecules like. Refrigerant. The way the end fittings work refrigerant leaks past the gasket back up the metal tube part between the threaded twist barrel part It’s the gasket type of material the cheapest ones used, On the gauge mount threaded parts there is a special liquid sealant special made for refrigerant.

@@coldfinger459sub0 ahh okay this makes so much sense. Thank You!

Yes it is totally ok for a DYI person to do it them self . And many times they do it ok and it works that is the happy story’s. But the there is the other half of the story were people don’t know they have one of the cars with a vary sensitive compressor that will not survive long been over charged. End up with a $2000 or more repair bill. I feel dory for them because they listen to a neighbor of a guy on RU-vid. Or even worse they go to what we call a hack shop or butcher and pay 💰 to a ( “so called professional “). Who is uneducated, no training and dose the same thing and causes the same results by topping off refrigerant. Topping off refrigerant many times ends up unsuccessful and causing damage. With these new cars with veritable displacement compressors or electronic compressors that started showing up over 30 years ago. It too easy to under or overcharge with refrigerant. A good technician knows the only 100% way to not get it wrong is to 100% remove the refrigerant and fill it back by weight only to the manufacturer specifications. So long as the customer is correctly educated and told if the topping off is accidentally done incorrectly what would it cost to completely repair their system that may have burnt out. For example the new Prius prime with the heat pump system if you burned out a compressor where all the oil is contaminated in Burnt 🔥 and metal Flake in the system it’s over $6000 to repair The new Audi or the Mercedes or Volkswagen vehicles with the heat pump system are over $10,000 to repair Automotive shops have no training and no experience with the new heat pump systems and most customers are not aware what they are how they exactly operate and what added expense and complexity. I feel very sorry for the average consumer who may have a neighbor who says I can do it for you because I did my car and they do one of these vehicles who is going to pay that Repair bill ? I get to see all the sad stories results nobody talks about either too embarrassed or ashamed. Or even worse yet when it was a professional automotive mechanic supposedly talked off the system and causes it to burn out and he is clueless and doesn’t even know that he was the cause of the burn out that is the worst case scenario. Then that automotive mechanic turns to the customer and says Mr. customer you need a compressor it’ll be 2000 and $4000 thank you very much . And the customer just takes his word on it and pays over the money to him.

gorlier jerome you would not want to do that. R1234YF is less efficient then R134a. They had to modify the parts of the ac system to make R1234YF word as good as R134a. More fins and tubs on the condenser and evaporators plus in some cases they had to add IHE (hot liquid line was made to run inside the cold vapor suction line to cool the liquid to increase efficiency. Just like the same back when we changed refrigerant back in 1994 from R12 to R134a they found out later they have to increase the efficiency of the parts to make R134a work good.

@@coldfinger459sub0 OK thanks for your answer

Exactly it’s been so hard for me to get this point across you would not believe how many people do not understand this and still after I show them still don’t get it. Analog gauges were great and my grandfathers day. Just because we used to be able to crank cars to start the engine with a hand crank in the front of the car doesn’t mean we should still be using that today lol 😂 And even when I was young and my father was teaching me my father was using a analog micron gauge which was extremely accurate. It look like a volt meter I used about six or eight D-cell batteries it came in a leather case it had a very large sensor that could get damaged very easily and it was $360 if you damaged it with any oil or you dropped it or got any water inside of it. It would take 10 minutes for it to heat up and then you have to go through a five minute calibrating process to zero and get it accurate. It was sensitive to temperature changing ambient around it and it was sensitive to barometric pressure changes as if you started in early in the day and it was nice and clear and then clouds moved in and it was going to start the rain just the pressure difference of the clouds can be read and throw the meter off a little bit but nothing we would be concerned in the type of readings that we need for Automotive. The lack of knowledge in the ignorance in the automotive industry amongst his peers who don’t even know what they don’t even know because they’ve never had any formal education is just disgusting. And my father was taught by older gentleman than himself when he was a young man before I was born with all the same knowledge and equipment so it’s pretty pathetic that still to this day this seems like overkill and rocket science to automotive technicians we’re going into the 21st-century and they’re still trying to make wheels out of square stones.

REFCO hoses is a brand name

@@coldfinger459sub0 yes. brand name. Good quality?

Digital gauges do all the calibrations for your math formulas for your superheat and sub cooling simultaneously because the pressures and temperatures are continuously changing Do you no longer have to run to the outside unit take a temperature of the air entering the coil then you have to run over to the return duct tape the temperature they’re going to the air handler go to the supply see what the temperature coming out have to look at your gauges for the pressures by the time you did that the temperatures and pressures of something already changed and you write down your calculation and it is wrong With that digital wireless Bluetooth it’s doing all the calculations in real time instantaneously so you’re actually looking at your truly superheat and sub cooling as you are making a refrigerant adjustments or your airflow adjustments . Analog cannot compete . That’s like saying, I miss the old cars for you had to stick a crank into the front of the engine and crank it by hand every morning it’s better for you because you get exercise Same analogy

@@coldfinger459sub0 All good points. Thank you. Did you ever come across digital Elitech units? I wonder what I can buy as a hobbyist and at least have the potential of avoiding all the leaking issues you show. Hard to justify the top-shelf equipment & price... HughesMan HVAC is using it, and he seems to be pleased, but he might not have testet the unit as you would to ensure it's actually performing as required. This is his Video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lV1Ic5A-NQk.html

@@yxcvmk I have not worked with them personally, but I have seen reviews on RU-vid and get both good and bad out of that cheaper Chinese brand ELITECH one technician in the shop, purchased the remote probes for pressure like the ones I have from Fieldpiece and he let me use them for testing. It was basically a waste of time. Oh, it’s definitely nothing they could ever use in a professional garage if you want to speed, reliability, or usefulness . I got to use that brands. Refrigerant leak detectors did not work very well.

@@coldfinger459sub0 Man, you are a great technician. I am always happy if I see somebody interested only in the highest quality of service. Am so tempted to get Fieldpiece (or Testo) equippment. Not sure if for my Hobbyist approach that's justified. However: "A good man required good tools". That's been my own maxim for years 🙂

@@yxcvmk as a hobbyist or a homeowner just stick with one of the cheaper brands. You’re not going to be beating this thing up in the back of a truck dropping it off a ladder like I do you’re not gonna be leaving it outside overnight where might get missed it on or rained like I do. You’re not gonna be pushing the buttons and turning the knobs six 8, 10 times a day or more So whatever piece of equipment, you get, read the instructions thoroughly how to measure, superHeat and subcooling for your own air conditioning on your house Watch some of Fieldpiece videos on how to read superHeat and subcooling using their equipment and you could apply it towards the equipment that you buy Because most likely, the cheap Chinese stuff won’t have a good videos if any at all Watch HVAC School’s RU-vid videos about using the equipment It’s not difficult, and if your hobbies, do you have all the Time in the world to teach yourself I have seen hobbyist or automotive mechanics do better work, then professional, HVAC technicians who have 10 years experience .

I don’t make money off of any of the things that I recommend. And if they’re not high-quality items I prefer not to recommend them myself or make money off of them. If I had a big enough channel and wanted to get into sales I test out the equipment that I have been using for years in brand names like the Fieldpiece SM480V refrigerant manifolds that is a very high quality tool accurate durable and dependable that I would stand by and put my name behind to provide a link if I was going to make a commission off of it.

Yes there is you can change leaking valve course on the vehicle that is filled with refrigerant and it seals and replaces the valve core without losing any of your refrigerant charge. It’s exactly the same as the one for R 134 You can look it up online made by Murray valve core replacement tool and you’ll see a kit a little bit expensive if I last can remember somewhere around $150 I think it’s been along time since I looked up that tool kit

@@coldfinger459sub0 okay sounds good I just thought 134a had different fittings then 1234yf I'll look up the kit thanks for the help and fast response

@@anthonywoolf9087 r1234yf fitting adapters are different even on the core removal tool and they do have some different cores but they also share some same cores depends on manufacture. www.mastercool.com/product/universal-r1234yf-master-kit/

I have gasket assortment, The problem is some of these cheap eBay who is in the internal dimension that receives the gasket is not a standard size off-the-shelf. You could go down to any commercial HVAC or refrigeration warehouse and on the shelf they have assortment of gaskets which I have all of them. But when you try to slip them into these overseas knock off cheaply made components you will find out they are not a perfect fit. Sometimes they will not fit at all Other times you’ll find yourself freaking out a razor blade trying to trim down your gasket to make it fit inside the receiving tube chamber at the end of your hose. The same goes for the internal dimensions inside the refrigerant manifold they’re not your standard size yellow jacket or JB tools large mass produce company gasket sizes were O-rings

Grumpy G some information meant for do it yourself backyard people. Some information meant for professionals who need to know what to stay away from.

Yes I have the whole three hose set up with all the extra adapters and the big blue case and the Accu tools BluVac micron micron gauge and probably another $800 in just brass and stainless steel adapters and aluminum This trade is not for sissies that’s for sure it’s no joke if you’re serious about it. Just the big white vacuum pump is 3K

@@coldfinger459sub0 I hear ya! I've got Testo gauges and Appion G5-Twin etc etc. I was going to comment on that monstrous vacuum pump but I was afraid it might elicit a "that's what she said" reply!

@@DayClanTribe And that’s exactly what she said lol 😂. Big pumps in big hoses Let’s not forget a lot of lube for the vacuum pumps of course

It’s so easy to be guilty with out formal education in hvac and no apprenticeship under someone with 20 or 30+ experience, who also had a formal structured education in automotive engineering and hvac. Not just a guy learning on the job making mistakes and saying he learned that way. Yes I got my masters ASE when my first Job when they said you get a $.50 raise for each ASE you get. I got six my first time it was so easy and I was a D and F student in school who could never pass test, I would freeze up, double guess myself and change answers right to wrong. I was the slowest reader on earth 🌍. I was the first one finished at the ASE TEST and I took six. I thought something was wrong. I was never first in a test always last or never finished because I was only half way finished and time was up. I was actually embarrassed that the ASE test was that easy they were made for people with down syndrome. They did not want to discriminate when they made those test and just let anybody pass.. I remember the look on her service manager’s face when I handed him six ASE test. I was the new hire guy lowest paid my first job in automotive 19 years old.. Service manager said “ I cannot give you a three dollar raise nobody ever get a three dollar raise. All the guys out in the shop at 12 to 20 years past experience and none of them has ever done six test. This would not look good. We have to spread it out in raise overtime.” The ASE L series test drive ability are the only ones that at least made you think a little bit. In the body shop, ASE test were embarrassingly easy to it was a disgrace that they even call them test. I was forced forth generation technician. All uncles and grandfather and great grandfather owned body shops and automotive shops. At 12 years old, my father made me start reading Ford, Chevy and Chrysler factory training, manuals, and service manuals, performing procedures on family and neighbors and people from the church cars for repairs. My father also taught me commercial and residential HVAC and refrigeration.. At the time I did not know I thought every father did this to their kids. What a surprise I got when I took my first job and found out I knew more of the detailed technical stuff then guys who had 20 years experience. I just didn’t have the experience.. They should have me write the ASE test, and it would also include hands on. Pass or fail . There is a big difference in someone formerly educated under an apprenticeship with hands on plus book learning schooling at the same time under a mentor who is formally educated through a structure learning process, not just making mistakes in the field. I did not know this when I was a kid.. 40 years later I definitely see the difference night and day. In the paid nine month automotive technician institute schools are a joke. There’s way too much information that cannot be taught and absorbed in nine months..

Yes a few I’m always looking for the better tool right now it’s the Fieldpiece SM 480 V

What would be your recommendation for a weekend warrior like myself who wants to diagnose, repair and potentially recharge his fridge? It doesn’t need to be the cheapest thing on earth as I don’t mind spending some of the money I would otherwise pay someone else.

MWTC excellent question. The word (“All”) is a very strong and definite defining word. let’s just say there’s nothing I would use in a business that had to uphold any reputation. Let me also say I would not give any of the cheaper pages for my technicians to use in a service shop on my customers vehicles. And one thing I do for the automotive shops that I do business with for the past 30 years. I always volunteer to ask them to let me test their gauges for accuracy and whether or not they can properly hold a deep vacuum and high-pressure nitrogen decay test. And still to this date I have not had one shops gauge passed the test they all failed that were either the cheap Amazon the cheap eBay the cheap harbor freight or wherever they got their imitation refrigerant gages from. For the backyard do it yourself person if money is an issue then that’s all you can get and you just have to make do and be satisfied with cold air because you were able to squirt some refrigerant through refrigerant manifold gauge set. But then again you could accomplish the exact same thing with just a single hose with far less likelihood of leaks at multiple junctions seals or fittings. Define their purpose for use the difference between a backyard mechanic or a do it yourself person who just wants to inexpensively get some cold air blowing out of there - the cheap gauges will do the work. For a dedicated air conditioning specialist who does nothing but HVAC from the minute he wakes up in the morning until his drive home at night seven days a week 24 hours a day 365 days a year you would never ever want to use one of those cheap gauges to do diagnosis with. Your gauges have to be able to accurately represent and record a deep submicron reading and record it and hold it accurately. They also have to accurately be able to hold and display a high pressure dry nitrogen pressure decay test for many hours without leaking themselves giving you a false diagnosis of a leak.

I try to be otherwise life would be boring

Toys , it’s a hobby I don’t work. I just get to play.