Reddit reviews Thermaltake Pacific DIY OD 16mm (5/8") x ID 12mm (1/2") Water Cooling PETG Hard Tube Bending Kit CL-W093-AL00BL-A

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|mobo|$290|AORUS Z390 Master|
|:-|:-|:-|
|gpu|$700|AORUS 1080 ti Xtreme|
|ram|$360|G.Skill TridentZ RGB 4x8 3200 Mhz|
|cpu|$360|Intel i7 8700k 5Ghz OC|
|psu|$156|Corsair RM1000i Gold|
|nvme|$138|Samsung 970 EVO 500GB 2280 SSD|
|case|$150|Corsair Obsidian 500D|
|fans|$56|Corsair SP120|
|rgb fans|$110|Corsair LL120 RGB|
|cables|$105|CableMod PRO ModMesh C-Series RMi|
|240 rad|$66|EKWB EK-CoolStream SE 240 Slim Dual|
|360 rad|$90|EKWB EK-CoolStream PE 360 Dual|
|gpu wb|$165|EK-FC1080 GTX Ti Aorus RGB - Nickel|
|gpu bp|$47|EK-FC1080 GTX Ti Aorus Backplate - Nickel|
|cpu wb|$72|Phanteks Glacier C350i|
|kit|$60|Thermaltake PETG 16mm OD Bending Kit|
|pump|$100|EKWB EK-D5 PWM G2 Pump|
|res|$126|Watercool HEATKILLER Tube 200 D5|
|res top|$21|Watercool HEATKILLER Multiport Top 200|
|stand|$19|Watercool HEATKILLER Stand (Long)|
|riser|$27|Thermaltake PCI-E x16 3.0 Riser Cable 200mm|
|coolant|$56|XSPC EC Opaque White Coolant (qty 2)|
|fittings|$54|Thermaltake Pacific 90 Degree Adapters|
|fittings|$110|Thermaltake Pacific 16mm Compression Fittings (qty 2)|
|fittings|$26|Bitspower 5mm Male to Male 4-Pack|
|fittings|$20|Barrow Stop Plug 4-Pack|
|fittings|$15|Thermaltake Stop Plug 4-Pack|
|fittings|$14|XSPC Ball Valve|
|tubing|$40|Thermaltake 1000mm V-Tubler PETG 16mm 4-Pack|
|paste|$40|Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut|
|isopropyl|$18|NTE Isopropyl 99.9%|
|bottle|$11|1000ml fill bottle|
|foam|$13|1/4 inch thick foam insulation|
|heat gun|$25|Furno 300 Heat Gun|
||$3649||
||||
|mouse pad|$26|Reflex Lab XXXL 36" x 18" Mouse Pad|
|chair|$175|Techni Mobili RTA-5004-BK Rta-5004-Bk Office Chair|
|arm pads|$18|Aloudy Ergonomic Memory Foam Arm Covers|
|monitor|$900|Acer Predator x34p Ultrawide QHD G-Sync|
|stand|$100|AmazonBasics Premium Single 25lb Monitor Stand|
|cable|$18|Accell DisplayPort 1.2 Cable 10ft|
||$4886||
||||
|mouse|$50|Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum RGB|
|keyboard|$110|https://www.amazon.com/MODEL-Corsair-Gaming-Mechanical-Keyboard/dp/B00N2ROO2S|
||$5046||

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First off... I know my bends are fucking putrid. Shamefully disgusting even.
I seriously didn't think I would suck so bad at bending PETG.

Some of the mistakes I made was:

1. Buying this kit that was made for 16mm tubing, when I was using 12mm tubes.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-PACIFIC-Water-Cooling-Bending/dp/B01BX3EZUI
   
   
   
2. Using 12mm tubing (I think 16 would look better).
   
   
3. Not having enough 90degree fittings
   
   
4. Not buying more PETG. - You would think that 3 meters would be enough right? Wrong! Not with all the fuck-ups I made.
   I really want to go back a re-do the piece that goes to the GPU and the one that goes from the GPU.
   
   
   
   
   
   Anyway, some things that I am VERY happy with:
   
   
5. Mayhems Pastel blue pre-mixed coolant. Even though my bends look disgusting, I just love staring at that blue coolant.
   
   
6. Even though they are useless when using pastel coolant, I bought these UV LED strips... And I was shocked to find that they were'nt just crappy "UV colored" LED strips.
   https://www.mayhems.net/collections/5-5-leds/products/darkside-5-5-14cm-darkside-connect-dimmable-rigid-led-strip-uv

You need petg (or acrylic) compression fittings along with a heat gun (to bend the tubes), a rubber piece (to put in the tube to you can bend them properly), a cutting tool, and some people use a tool so you can shape right angles or certain degree angles. Something similar to a set like this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01BX3EZUI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1523146049&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=petg+tubing+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=41S475EAcuL&ref=plSrch

(I am NOT promoting this kit! But those are tools you need, or tools similar that do the same thing). Best of luck!

Single bends are fine, it's just two bends on a single tube which can take a lot of trial and error.

Not sure what you got in tools yet but I kit similar to this( https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01BX3EZUI/ ) would help alot. I didn't have the silicone tube when I did mine and trying to bend the tube without it collapsing was a PITA. You will also need a heat go though, you can generally pick one up a a hardware store reasonable cheap.

Grab this kit:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BX3EZUI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you're cutting into something like PETG I would recommend a kit like this, especially if you're new to rigid tubes, cutting and bending. https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-PACIFIC-Water-Cooling-Bending/dp/B01BX3EZUI (it comes with several useful tools including a well-made pipe cutter, silicone insert, mandrels to help with bending, and a reamer to clean the edges of the tubes). It's a bit pricey but worth it imo.

Yes, I did. I used a jig to create the right angles. Takes a bit of practice and feeling the tube. I used this tool set Thermaltake I recommend you buy extra PETG(hard tube) and try to make a bend on the shortest tube you'll need for the loop so if you mess up it's not that big of a deal. Watch How-Tos for tips of making bends on PETGs on YouTube.

Your bends are perfect. Are you just an experienced builder (well obviously you have to be to produce something of this caliber) and eyeballed them; or do you use a tubing bending kit?

I'm just about to embark on my first WC foray and I wanna know if the cost is justified for 90°/135°/etc. guides like these. Seems to me it's a bit expensive for the physical value, but it does seem like a good idea.

I appreciate the kind words and am flattered by the idea of being a source of inspiration having been inspired myself. I think that the attention to detail came from a prioritization of form over function. There are subtle hints to this fact scattered throughout the build, the most obvious of which is using the GPU waterblock outlet as the inlet. While the reverse flow through the block will probably cost me a degree or two in terms of performance, it also allowed me to shorten up my runs and stick to the minimalist aesthetic.

As for your questions, the tube cutter and chamfer tool were part of a hard tube bending kit manufactured by Thermaltake. I originally got it for the bending mandrels, but the radii on the bends were too wide and I ended up getting tighter bends doing it by hand. I do live Stateside so most of the loop components were ordered through Performance PCs, MAINFrame Customs (EKWB vendor), and Amazon with the exception of the GPU waterblock and backplate which came directly from EKWB. While I can't speak to the quality of Cablemod cables, I can say that Ensourced provides artisan quality paracord sleeved cables. Based on my observations over time, they seem to be held in high regard and their price seems to reinforce the notion of premium quality.

I'm probably gonna use this, do you think it will help a lot?

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Pacific-Cooling-Bending-CL-W093-AL00BL/dp/B01BX3EZUI?th=1

The straighter the better. That looks close enogh though. Also depends on your fittings. I prefer a tubing cutter. Perfectly square every time.
https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Pacific-Cooling-Bending-CL-W093-AL00BL/dp/B01BX3EZUI/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=thermaltake+tube+cutters&qid=1571101945&sr=8-1