I received a comment from one of our readers about the post I did last week talking about "Hose Clamps Done Right". It's worth sharing and with a little bit of explaining. First the comment:

Ed,

In this day and age of easily available non-perforated hose clamps, like those from AWAB, or t-band clamps, it is hard for me to accept "clamps done right", as a whole, when the clamps used are cheap perforated hose clamps. While the installation & metallurgy is done correctly those clamps scare me. Customers spending 200k+ should get more for their money.

I have a box full of perforated clamps that have failed, through a variety of failure modes. I share these with customers when they complain that a hose clamp cost them $3.69 vs. $1.09.

As an ABYC technician I can no longer find piece with installing perforated hose clamps, for below water applications, such as a seacock or packing gland.

Your point on the installation is spot on! I just wish more builders would take below water line hose clamps more seriously than they often do.

Thanks, RC

The clamps RC is referring to look like these:

AWAB:

T-Band: 

I did a little checking and the pricing works out to approximately 3X over the cost of a conventional clamp for the AWAB type, the red tail piece is extra. The T-band type work out to approximately 4.5X the cost at a local distributor (Jamestown Distributors).  

RC, thanks for the comment. I don't disagree that either the AWAB and T-band clamps would be a better choice. All I was attempting to illustrate in the photo I used was the reverse bias of the clamp screws. Also, the fact that the clamps be made entirely of stainless and not the garden variety automotive units with stainless bands and cadmium plated screw mechanisms that are guaranteed to rust out in a marine application.

But, I'll tell you that in the real world of production boats, a 3X or 4.5X increase in cost over a product that has decades of reasonably trouble-free service such as the all stainless clamps shown is not going to happen in most cases.