I was supposed to do Fins and Things (again) today, but I felt like sleeping in, so today turned out to be a rest day. I ended up going to the Old Spanish Trail Arena to check out the vendor booths. I had one item on my shopping list.
Since EJS 2021, I’ve been using a MORRFlate Quad tire hose kit to air up my Jeep tires after a trail ride. If someone is inflating all four tires with a kit that has neon green hoses, it’s likely a MORRFlate kit. The product has been durable and reliable, but over time a few annoyances started to set in.
This year I noticed a number of people using an EZ-Flate HyperFlex, which uses orange hoses. Talking to those folks, some switched from MORRFlate, and some were first timers. I realized the product resolves the issues I describe below. While I’m not sure if any patents are involved, the EZ-Flate product seemed like a version 2.0 of the MORRFlate product.
MORRFlate
The MORRFlate Quad kit comes with two 13’ hoses connected to a manifold (gauge, connectors, and a lever), and each of the 13’ hoses has a coupler attached to the end. Each of the two 13’ hoses also has a T splitter connected to a 3’ hose which also has a coupler at the end of it. So each of the two 13’ hoses can fill two tires on either side of your Jeep.
Their couplers require you to pull back a collar, push the coupler onto the tire’s Schrader valve, then push the collar forward. Easy to do when it was new, but became harder to do over time. Not sure if corrosion set in, or if some maintenance is required, that customers aren’t told about. It’s a fairly new product so maybe MORRFlate wasn’t aware this is happening.
The T splitters used for the 3’ hoses make coiling the hoses for storage unnecessary difficult. I always felt like the hoses were going to get damaged from kinking it to fit into the carry bag. This made the carry bag bulkier and harder to store in my Jeep.
EZ-Flate
EZ-Flate eliminates the 3’ hose. Each of the two 13’ hoses have a T splitter with an attached coupler. So no need for a 3’ hose. Brilliant simplification of the MORRFlate design. Make the whole unpacking, attaching, detaching, and packing process a lot easier. Their carry bag is significantly smaller, and since the hoses can be easily coiled, it’s easier to stow in the Jeep.
EZ-Flate uses a different coupler design. No collar to pull back on, just press the coupler onto the Shraeder valve and move on to the next tire. Attaches cleanly, no second guessing if it is sealed properly. Once you’re done inflating your tires, grab the coupler body and pull back. The couplers closes once they are disconnected, so no air is lost, same as couplers MORRFlate uses.
Summary
Two good products. EZ-Flate has the design edge. Let’s hope MORRFlate is working to refine their product. Competition is good for everyone.
PS thanks to all who were happy to discuss their thoughts on the EZ-Flate product.
Overlander at large 