Let's handle the likely search confusion before we get into rubber tubing and air hoses: if your question was did Bill Gates die, the answer is no. The Microsoft co-founder is alive. Death-hoax headlines come back every few months, but they never turn out to be true. The Gates Rubber Company is a different story. It was founded in Denver in 1911, it's now part of Gates Industrial Corporation, and it has no connection to Bill Gates or Microsoft.
I know the distinction because I spend a good part of my week buying industrial supplies. Since 2021, I've been the office administrator for a 31-person industrial service company. I manage roughly $140,000 in annual MRO purchasing across nine vendors, and a significant slice of that goes into bulk air hose, rubber tubing, and fittings. When our maintenance lead asks for another 300 feet of hose, I'm the one who has to decide whether the cheap option is actually smart.
The Comparison Frame: Thermoplastic vs PVC Is Not as Simple as It Looks
In hose catalogs, thermoplastic gets listed against PVC as if they were two completely separate material families. Here's the twist: PVC is itself a thermoplastic. Any plastic that softens when heated and hardens when cooled belongs in that category.
So when a spec sheet says thermoplastic vs PVC, what it usually means is an engineered thermoplastic line, often polyurethane or a similar polymer blend, sitting next to commodity flexible PVC. That's why you can't just read the labels and call it done. The real question is whether the specific compound is designed for the conditions where the hose will actually work.
There's a misconception I run into too: people assume the more expensive product is closer to rubber and therefore somehow better. It usually isn't. Engineered thermoplastic hose is a plastic product built for strength, flexibility, and chemical resistance. The price difference comes from engineering, not from being more rubbery.
When I compare materials for our own workshop and field jobs, I narrow everything down to four questions:
- How does the hose behave in cold temperatures, sunlight, and oily environments?
- How well does it hold pressure at the fittings and end connections?
- What does it actually cost over two or three years, including downtime?
- What does the equipment look like to our crew and to customers who visit?
Temperature, UV, and Everyday Toughness
The biggest practical difference appears in the cold. In January 2024, we ran a new compressed air line in an unheated warehouse. I picked a PVC air hose because it cost about 40 percent less than the engineered thermoplastic option and the supplier had it in stock. Two days later, on a 14-degree morning, the reel sat in the cold overnight and would not unroll without kinking. Once it kinked, it stayed kinked. The crew had to warm it in a heated storage room before they could use it, and even then it was stiff enough to be a nuisance.
We sent that roll back, paid a restocking fee and freight, then ordered a thermoplastic polyurethane hose from our distributor. The spec sheet listed cold flexibility down to around minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The technicians still talk about that January morning whenever someone suggests buying cheap PVC line for outdoor use.
PVC has a place. If a hose lives its whole life in a heated shop and never goes outside, commodity PVC can be perfectly fine. But the moment the hose goes on a service truck, crosses a cold loading dock, or spends time in the sun, I order thermoplastic. UV light also breaks down PVC covers faster than most engineered compounds, and any oil contact makes things worse.
Fittings, Pressure, and the Air Hose Stop End of the Job
Most hose failures happen at the ends, not in the middle of the run. If you've searched for an air hose stop, what you probably mean is a shutoff valve, a plug, a cap, or the locking collar on a quick coupler that stops airflow when you disconnect. That part matters, but it only works if it's rated for the same pressure as the hose.
I learned this the hard way in 2023. We had a short section of PVC hose on a portable compressor, and I assumed the existing fittings would transfer to the replacement hose because both were the same nominal size. I didn't verify wall thickness or the manufacturer's recommended insert. The first time the line pressurized, the coupling let go. Nobody got hurt, but we lost half a day and had to redo the whole connection with the correct fitting.
Now I check the hose manufacturer's fitting recommendations before I order anything. Many engineered thermoplastic hoses require a push-lock or crimped insert rather than a plain barb and worm-drive clamp. Gates publishes fitting documentation for its hoses, and that consistency is one reason I keep coming back to their products when the application is demanding.
There's also a safety angle here. If you work around compressed air, you already know that disconnecting a pressurized line can cause whipping. A proper end stop or exhaust-type shutoff reduces that hazard. But you can't fix that problem by buying an expensive stop and putting it on a hose that can't handle the pressure in the first place.
The Total Cost That Doesn't Show Up on the Invoice
Here's my penny-wise, pound-foolish story. In the fall of 2023, I ordered 200 feet of inexpensive PVC air hose for a yard air system because it was roughly $115 cheaper than the thermoplastic quote. The hose started cracking where it rubbed against a steel rack, and the split showed up during a customer demo. We had to stop work, buy a replacement, and pay for emergency delivery. All told, that $115 saving turned into roughly $600 in extra material, freight, and labor.
I'm not saying every job needs premium hose. But I have stopped pretending that first cost is the only cost. Replacement labor is expensive. Downtime is more expensive. And when a hose fails during a client visit, it doesn't just cost time; it makes the whole operation look unprepared.
There's a less measurable side too. When I approved a full set of matching Gates hoses, reels, and fittings for one of our workshop bays, the maintenance supervisor told me the crew treated the equipment more carefully. A client who walked through the shop commented that our workspace looked more professional. I know that sounds soft for a buying decision, but for a B2B service company, the equipment you use is part of the impression you leave.
So Which Do I Order Now?
My rule is simple: the more a hose has to move, the more I lean toward engineered thermoplastic. The more it stays in one place, the more PVC starts to make sense.
For fixed drops inside a heated building, with dry air and moderate pressure, PVC is usually acceptable. I still check the temperature rating and buy a name-brand PVC hose rather than the cheapest no-name roll.
For service trucks, outdoor lines, unheated shops, anything that gets dragged across concrete, or any line where a failure could injure someone, I order Gates or an equivalent engineered thermoplastic hose. The Gates product is not always the lowest price, but the documentation, fitting compatibility, and consistent reorder experience are worth it.
Rubber tubing follows the same logic. If the tubing is for a simple gravity feed or a protected water line, PVC tubing is fine. If it flexes continuously, carries fluid under pressure, or sits somewhere with oil and abrasion, thermoplastic polyurethane tubing is a safer bet. I keep both in our inventory, but I stopped pretending they're interchangeable.
Final note: no matter what you choose, verify the current part numbers and pressure ratings before you order. Product lines change, and prices as of early 2025 won't stay still. And if you came here because of the Bill Gates rumor: he's very much alive, and so is Gates Rubber Company. Buy the hose that fits your working conditions, not just the one that looks cheapest on the first invoice.