EK Water Blocks launches quick disconnect couplings

EK Water Blocks has announced that it is making its quick disconnect tubing couplings available as a standalone item, following their introduction in 2015 as part of the Predator all-in-one family.

When EK Water Blocks announced its Predator all-in-one liquid-cooling platform back in 2015, it offered an extra feature to those buying the top-end model with 360mm radiator: a matched pair of quick-disconnect linkages in one of the two coolant tubes, which allowed users to quickly open the loop and add in additional hardware without having to drain the loop to prevent leakages. While a neat feature - and one which was not to blame for a leakage problem in early Predator models - its usefulness was sorely limited by EKWB's decision to keep the devices to itself, meaning only the company's own quick-disconnect-equipped accessories could be added in to the loop unless the necessary parts were sourced elsewhere.

Now, EKWB appears to have seen the error of its ways and is making its quick disconnect system available to purchase as a standalone item, meaning anyone with a Predator 360 with Quick Disconnect or other compatible cooling loop can add in third-party hardware without having to go elsewhere for the necessary connectors.

The EK-QDC couplings, which are resold off-the-shelf OEM parts from the Colder Products Company (CPC), accept soft tubing with a 10mm inner diameter (ID) and 13mm or 16mm outer diameter (OD), with clamps for both tubing sizes provided in the pack; rigid tubing, meanwhile, is not supported. At a price of €29.46 for a pair (around £25 including VAT), the devices go up against rival quick disconnect couplings from Koolance and Alphacool.

More details on the EK-QDC couplings are available from the official product page.