Zinc Die Cast Vs. Steel Fittings

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With pricing the way it is, can someone point out the advantages of switching electrical fitting buying from zinc fittings to steel fittings?
 

ramsy

Roger Ruhle dba NoFixNoPay
Location
LA basin, CA
Occupation
Service Electrician 2020 NEC
I've been working with two types for the several weeks, the 3/4 cast aluminum (zinc?) couplings have cracked and even split apart under stress, which never happens with the steel ones.

Also, unless directly on top of it, the phillips tip bit driver always slips before it gets real tight, forceing me to put down my screw gun and use my common tipped Kline reammer to torque down the fittings.

While the steel fitting screw heads fit the bits of my srew gun well enough to torque sufficiently at different angles, they also strip out and the screw heads have sheared off entirely, where the cast aluminum (zinc?) fittings never do this.
 

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
Steel is vastly superior to zinc. I'll take a steel fitting any day of the week. The company I work for only buys steel fittings now. What a shame. ;)
 

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
Besides quality, the contract document specs.

Roger
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
For quality go with the steel. I've noticed that manufacturers now a days seem to use screw heads that are designed for about 20 different types of drivers. (OK so I'm exaggerating) but the only driver that fits really well into the screw seems to be the Square drive .
 

JohnE

Senior Member
Location
Milford, MA
Steel fittings are far superior and traditionally were higher priced. For whatever reason, die cast prices have risen so much, that steel fittings are cheaper at my supplier now.
 
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