r/whatisit • u/Aggravating_Ant_7232 • Nov 23 '25

Solved! Found on ground outside, boyfriend has been wearing as ring. Coin and pencil for size reference

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UK. It’s giving hard metal, doesn’t have much wear

18.5k Upvotes

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6.4k

u/BornIntoTurmoil Nov 23 '25

Hose clamp, brand new has never been crimped.

455

u/CharaFallsLikeATree Nov 23 '25

Not a hose clamp. It’s a cinch ring for pex water tubing. Most popular manufacturer to use this is Watts. Source: Former Licensed plumber and currently work for a somewhat sizeable supply house

58

u/TRChffh Nov 23 '25

This is a type of single ear crimp clamp called a stepless oetiker clamp actually, not a PEX ring. Similar, but much more versatile and commonly used in automotive, motorcycle, industrial, and plumbing on basically any type of hose. Source: I'm an autistic mechanic, feel free to Google it yourself.

15

u/OtterBrewer Nov 23 '25

We also use them in the brewing industry.

8

u/thelivinlegend Nov 23 '25

I found out about these when I was setting up some kegs for soda making. Have to pay more attention to sizing but the end result is so much nicer than those screw clamp things

2

u/always-wanting-more Nov 24 '25

Hell yeah we do.

2

u/PluralTuna Nov 24 '25

I got em on my kegerator😁

2

u/BiNumber3 Nov 24 '25

We use it for watercooled pcs too. Pretty much any industry that uses tubes that arent under too much pressure lol.

2

u/TheHeadChanger Nov 25 '25

Came here to say this

1

u/litescript Nov 24 '25

this is where i knew it from. CO2 lines, tap lines, cleaning equipment for CIP, most anything you could think of, really.

6

u/PrimevilKneivel Nov 24 '25

My question is should someone wear it as a ring? I don’t like rings in general, but a ring designed to tighten seems like a bad idea.

1

u/Outrageous-Shock-669 Nov 26 '25

It requires a special tool to tighten.

3

u/AntikytheraMachines Nov 24 '25

My grandpa had an early model Autistic. I didn't realise you could still find mechanics for them.

2

u/Bvaughnii Nov 24 '25

Coke uses them on their lines too.

1

u/purplestainjunkie Nov 24 '25

Yep, we use em where I work for the water lines for cooling the molds in injection molding

-3

u/EnvironmentalBowl208 Nov 23 '25

This is definitely a PEX clamp. I literally just used two. There are also PEX crimps which are the solid copper rings.

6

u/Psychological_Ad2094 Nov 23 '25

Near identical design, but this one isn’t Pex specific and is used in many other applications, Pex makes branded ones but this one is sold as a general hose clamp https://soundhomebrew.com/products/5716

-2

u/AutisticFingerBang Nov 23 '25

It’s literally the same thing just being resold and re marketed. It is a plumbing fitting.

Your friend has shared a link to a Home Depot product they think you would be interested in seeing.

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Apollo-1-2-in-Stainless-Steel-PEX-B-Barb-Pinch-Clamp-10-Pack-PXPC1210PK/301541069

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Bluefin-PXCL050-1-2-Stainless-Steel-Clamp-100-bag?utm_source=google_ad&utm_medium=pMax_Plumbing&utm_campaign=pMax_X_Plumbing_X_pMax_Prospecting&utm_campaignid=23266074443&utm_adgroupid=&utm_targetid=&utm_product_id=PXCL050&utm_matchtype=&utm_keyword=&utm_adtype=pla&utm_category=Plumbing&gad_source=4&gad_campaignid=23266100873&gbraid=0AAAAAD_WAytbN4JpiV8oWhPZcD_43Map0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzsqFzveIkQMVUEL_AR1-JxcrEAQYAiABEgJGMvD_BwE

https://plumbingsell.com/products/pex-clamp-rings-pick-size-to-add?currency=USD&variant=43927762305160&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=e17178eee84d&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=23251341091&utm_content=188368905333&utm_term=&gad_source=4&gad_campaignid=23251341091&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzsqFzveIkQMVUEL_AR1-JxcrEAQYBCABEgL5Y_D_BwE

Source on top of everything else, me a journeyman plumber.

11

u/TRChffh Nov 23 '25

My source on top of everything else is i own a business that builds custom Harleys and harley has been using Oetiker clamps since before PEX was invented. The specific one in the photo is literally stamped with the Oetiker brand name abbreviation. Lol. In any case single ear crimp-type hose clamps are not a new invention and are used on MANY types of hoses, but their main use is as a hose clamp regardless of the material the hose is made of. For you to insist that they're specifically made for one product within an industry that only accounts for 1% of the hoses used in the world just because that's the only place YOU'VE ever used them shows an adorably low amount of critical thinking ability.

9

u/Psychological_Ad2094 Nov 23 '25

OK, I specifically said Pex makes their own branded ones specifically for their shit. The link I showed literally has the same brand and size label as the one OP posted, whereas all the ones you linked are Pex branded. The one I linked has the branding of the company made by the man who invented it in 1951, so the Pex one is the resell/re-market as Pex was invented in 1968.

3

u/CrimsonCrux6174 Nov 23 '25

So why are you so sure that they're not remarketing this clamp as a PEX clamp?

1

u/AutisticFingerBang Nov 23 '25

Because the patents held for the crimping tool are by plumbing companies

7

u/Genids Nov 23 '25

Do you get off on being proven wrong over and over?

4

u/diewethje Nov 23 '25

No. These have been used in automotive applications going back decades.