Need a recommendation for some "hardware"

So, I’m looking to get back into pumping. The first pump I brought a while back was a cheap piece of junk that broke after 3 uses. However, I enjoyed the pumping and gentle tugging sensation, and I certainly want more and to get insanely oversized sometime down the road! Specifically, my long term goals are to fit a bullmaster cylinder and a 2-stage cylinder eventually.

As for pumps, I’ve talked with a few other people more knowledgeable about pumping than I for recommendations, and I’ve looked around the forum a little bit as well. The Harbor Freight hand brake pump seems like a popular choice, as does the metal Dr. Kaplan pump. While both pumps have pressure gauges, it looks like they lack any sort of emergency pressure release valves, or any sort of release valves to begin with, which is certainly something I’d want to have. From what I gathered, it sounds like both of those pumps just decrease the pressure over time due to their construction. Is that correct? If not, please let me know! With that being said, are there any pumps out there with excellent construction quality, a pressure gauge, and a pressure release switch on the pump? I’ve seen some cylinders with emergency release buttons at the top of the cylinder as well, but don’t recall who makes them.

Thanks for your input!
IonCannon

Mityvac mv8000, has pressure release lever right by your first finger so you can pump and release air one handed.

Had one for about 8 years with no problems at all.

Cool, thanks for the recommendation! The release valve was what broke on my first pump, so a bit more aware of that now. Then again, it was a cheap 60 or 70 dollar pump. You get what you pay for, right?

I was doing a bit more research as well, and this is something that would be much further down the line, but eventually I do want to try and pump with a 2-stage cylinder. I was checking out the size matters 2-stage cylinder, and it doesn’t look like it’d directly connect with that miltyvac pump. Is there some sort of adapter for that, or would I need to buy yet another hand pump instead?

The standard fittings are made by the Colder Products Company (CPC). If you look closely at the fitting at the top of your pumping cylinder, it will usually say "CPC" on the metal tab. Amazon and a few other places have them online, but lately I’ve been getting mine from Fresh Water Systems in South Carolina. They’ve been cheaper than any other source.

You need a male connector on the end of your hand pump’s tubing to connect to your cylinder. This male connector is Colder #PMC2204 (Tube Fitting, Insert, Straight Thru, In-Line, 1/8” Insert x 1/4" Barb). It’s under $2. See PMC2204 In-Line Hose Barb Coupling Insert 1/4 ID Barb – Fresh Water Systems

The female connector at the top of your cylinder is Colder #PMCD1002 (Coupler, Shutoff, In-Line, 1/8" Flow Coupler x 1/8" NPT Male). It’s under $6. See PMCD1002 Valved Male Thread Coupling Body 1/8 NPT – Fresh Water Systems

You may want to add a ring washer to the female connector. These are faucet washers, also called molded rubber “O” rings. The inside diameter is 3/8 inch and the outside diameter is 19/32. The wall size (the thickness) may vary but the ones I have now have a wall size of 7/64 inches. Ones that are thicker may not work. They’re available for a few cents at your local hardware store.

The tubing is clear vinyl, 1/4” inside diameter x 3/8" outside diameter. Home improvement centers have this either by the roll or by the foot. This is typically about 50-75 cents/foot.

I have been using my Harbor Freight pump for over eight years without an issue. It has a safety release valve which I use to deflate the vacuume.

Great, thanks for the information! I did some digging on online to find what sort of generic fitting I needed for the end of the pump’s tubing and it looked like I got the right one, and you confirmed it for me! It didn’t look like I needed a female connector for the cylinder since that fixture appears to come prepackaged with the cylinder, but I guess that’s good information to have in case I need a replacement. I’m almost definitely going to get the mv8000 as my pump, and Size Matters probably has the best cylinders for what I’m after. It’ll be an easy upgrade into the Phenom 2-stage cylinder and Bullmaster cylinder once I’m ready for it.