Huben HB35 hand pump

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sactargetshooter

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Feb 24, 2024
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Sacramento, CA, USA
Just received it from Ares Airguns Tactical today. I left the GK1 at about 260 bars after the last session, just so that I can test the HB35 for filling it back to 350 bars.

I have tried this with my Hill Mk4. The Mk4 can barely fill to 250 bars. There is no way that it can fill to 350 bars!

The Huben HB35 is marketed for Huben guns only. As such, it comes with just a fill probe for the K1 and the GK1. I have read that this is also the same fill probe for Diana Bandit/Stormrider (aka Artemis PP800(R), etc.). Great, as I have a PP800R that will be *so easy* to pump to 200 bars!

After inserting the fill probe insert, I only had to hand tighten the fill probe to the hose, no tools! Read the instructions about how to lube the pump. It mentioned the use of Magnatec engine oil. I looked that up, it is a Castrol engine oil. Hmmm. Maybe Huben knows something that I don't, but using engine oil in an HPA situation seems counter-intuitive to me due to two reasons: o-rings and self-detonation. Maybe this is a synthetic oil that is engineered to work well o-rings, and maybe it has a very high self detonation temperature. At any rate, I don't have any, so I used regular silicone oil, instead. Another source, Airgun 4 Patriots, suggests any non-detergent SAE 30 engine oil.

Looks like HPA hand pump lubrication is a rabbit hole.

Anyway, back to pumping. I can say for sure that this pump is capable of pumping to 350 bars and beyond (just don't!). I weigh 190 pounds, but not muscular. I have a desk job, not a health nut, and I still don't have a problem pumping. Sure, the GK1 has a tiny air cylinder, as with most of my other guns. But the point is that the HB35 is designed to pump to 350 bars.

Will I pump a 500 cc tank gun from 150 bars to 250 bars? Probably not, unless it is an emergency. However, pumping my micro-carbines (Leshiy classic, PP800R, Brocock Ranger XR, etc.) is a total yes. I am saving the Mk4 for up to 200 bar pumping. The HB35 is mostly for the GK1 and Artemis guns with the same fill probe.

Now, back to the rabbit hole of pump lube!
 
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MrP said:
I’ve been wondering about this pump. thanks for posting your experience.
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Sure thing! I think it is capable of pumping to 3500 psi due to a very thin 3rd stage cylinder. This means the volume per stroke may be less than other hand pumps. Given the smaller air cylinders of the guns that I intend to pump, this is not a major issue.

The HB35 is also surprisingly light, and the base is milled for more efficient heat sinking. I think this pump is more refined than the Hill mk4, and also more field suitable due to the folding stand and handle bar.
 
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dflo said:
So roughly how many pumps are we looking at to go from 200 to 350 bar on GK1? And how many for 300 to 350 bar if we use a 4500psi compressor first?
Thanks for the review. I didn't see this type of comparison and experience on this pump anywhere else, but it does sound like it might be worth the asking price.
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I just got some GTO pellets today and I just ran a chrony session. Perfect timing to check out the number of strokes to pump the GK1 back up!

I shot the GK1 down to 200 bars. It takes 5 strokes to fill the hose to 200 bars. It took about 20 strokes to fill to 250 bars. Then 14 more to fill to 300 bars. Then 18 strokes to 350 bars. 5+20+14+18=57 strokes. I shot exactly 3 clips for 57 shots at a little more than 13 FPE per shot. It boils down to 1 stroke per shot, on the average.

Since I took time to write down the numbers, there were some short pauses at 250 and 300 bars. The outer tube felt slightly warm, while the base was still cool. This was after all 57 strokes. If a compressor takes it to 300 bars first, then the extra 18 strokes should not bother the pump in any way in terms of heat!

The GK1 air tube has a volume of 85CC in case someone wants to convert the number of strokes for an air reservoir with a different volume.
 
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I hand-pump all my airguns and have been intrigued by the Huben pump for some time, but unwilling to spend the $ without hearing enough to know whether it would be significantly better than the two generic Chinese pumps I use now. Your review is greatly appreciated. I have a few questions:

1. Does it the hose that comes with the pump need an adapter before it can be used with a foster fitting?

2. Does it come with any spare parts and/or instructions for rebuilding if necessary?

My pumping needs are pretty modest: FWB air pistol, Crosman Challenger, and Leshiy Classic.
 
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sactargetshooter said:
I just got some GTO pellets today and I just ran a chrony session. Perfect timing to check out the number of strokes to pump the GK1 back up!

I shot the GK1 down to 200 bars. It takes 5 strokes to fill the hose to 200 bars. It took about 20 strokes to fill to 250 bars. Then 14 more to fill to 300 bars. Then 18 strokes to 350 bars. 5+20+14+18=57 strokes. I shot exactly 3 clips for 57 shots at a little more than 13 FPE per shot. It boils down to 1 stroke per shot, on the average.

Since I took time to write down the numbers, there were some short pauses at 250 and 300 bars. The outer tube felt slightly warm, while the base was still cool. This was after all 57 strokes. If a compressor takes it to 300 bars first, then the extra 18 strokes should not bother the pump in any way in terms of heat!

The GK1 air tube has a volume of 85CC in case someone wants to convert the number of strokes for an air reservoir with a different volume.
Click to expand...
Thanks! This doesn’t sound bad at all for the little GK1 reservoir. I will probably get one of these as backup to my cheap compressor and to top off to full power.
 
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Offhand said:
I hand-pump all my airguns and have been intrigued by the Huben pump for some time, but unwilling to spend the $ without hearing enough to know whether it would be significantly better than the two generic Chinese pumps I use now. Your review is greatly appreciated. I have a few questions:

1. Does it the hose that comes with the pump need an adapter before it can be used with a foster fitting?

2. Does it come with any spare parts and/or instructions for rebuilding if necessary?

My pumping needs are pretty modest: FWB air pistol, Crosman Challenger, and Leshiy Classic.
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  1. The thread is M10x1mm, male on the hose, female on the probe. This appears to be a fairly common size for foster quick-connect fitting, Amazon has it.
  2. Yes, the package includes a full rebuild kit. I contacted Huben before purchasing to make sure additional rebuild parts can be purchased. Check with Ares and see if they can sell additional parts to rebuilding. The O-ring sizes are all published in the manual.
As a side note, if none of the airguns need to be filled to 350 bars, the Huben HB35 pump may not be necessary. My Hill Mk4 is sufficient for everything up to 200 bars, easily. That said, I also have had two cheap pumps, one Benjamin pump, one older Hill pump, and currently a Hill Mk4 pumps. The Huben pump beats every single one except for the Hill Mk4 for "apparent quality and workmanship." However, the Huben pump beats the Hill Mk4 by engineering.

I like how the handle bar and foot stand both fold on the Huben pump, this makes it easier to transport. Nothing on the Hill Mk4 pump folds. The Mk4 weighs 6.5 pounds, the cheap Chinese ones weigh about 4.5 pounds, as opposed to the 3 pounds of the Huben pump. These are not from specifications, I just weighed all of them! If your application is stationary, then the portability makes no difference. I intend to bring mine to the field and carry it all day.

In summary, if pumping beyond 200 bars is a must, then the Huben HB35 is a nice upgrade. If portability is required, the Huben HB35 is also a nice upgrade. I suspect that the HB35 is also easier to pump below 250 bars compared to the Hill Mk4 or the cheap Chinese ones. In other words, the HB35 is also an upgrade if effort to pump is a factor.

Hope this helps!
 
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I bought a GK1 and HB-35 together but on my first fill of the GK1 the HB-35 popped the opening valve seal. Luckily in the spares part #15, 3-level Piston Seal, seemed to be the same as the band like seal on the opening valve assembly. On the opening valve assembly I found that band like seal slightly mangled and when I took it off there was a small o-ring left that was under it centered under its width. I used silicone grease and pump oil and the spare #15 slid over in place of the band like seal on the opening valve assembly and the o-ring that i discovered under it. The entire reason I joined this forum is to locate a source for more of the #15 spares since if they are interchangable the spares bag only has one spare (that I used) when the pump is using 2. So I want to replenish the spare. Both the Opening Valve Assembly and 3-Level Piston Seal are sealing on the same tube and ID spec. My pump works great all the way to just under 350 bar because I leave it with that pressure at times and if it got warm... It pumps to 350 bar just fine too after using spare #15 on the opening valve assembly. I used silicone grease and pump oil while putting the HB-35 back together. Any help on locating HB-35 Handpump parts?? Any help would be a huge relief - what a waste of money if you can't find parts. I think it may very well have been a fluke that this seal blew on the first use around 300 bar and I have filled the GK1 a few times since putting the HB-35 back together so I feel that the pump is working well now and want to believe it was only a rare fluke.

new air pump.png


View attachment HB-35 Manual.pdf
 
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I e-mailed the manufacturer directly. They responded copy and paste next,

Dear Miles,
Sorry for the delay reply!

Frankly speaking, I don't have such detailed information of all seal parts, all the needful parts we put in the spare parts package with each handpump. 15# to replace 8# is correct, if you need more of this part, you could purchase it through our Spain dealer, they have shipment every month, pls kindly note! Thanks!

Have a great weekend!

Best Regards
Jacky
Huben Hong Kong Co., Limited
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hubenairguns.com
YouTube: Huben Jacky
Facebook: Huben Jacky
WeChat: Huben - Jacky

And since sending the email I have found pretty detailed parts list. Still waiting for some glimmer of hope in being able to locate and buy the seal that i used out of my spares bag. The response did help with me being pretty sure what I used the spare #15 for was OK.
 
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You're welcome!

I also found that it is more effective to apply 30 weight silicone oil directly on the 3rd stage rod and the inner portion of the first stage tube. Dropping silicone oil via the air intake hole does not seem to lubricate as effectively.

To lube like this, only the top part (handle) needs to unscrewed. That will provide access to the 3rd stage rod and also the inner surface of the outer tube (1st stage). R/C car shock oil seems to work well.
 
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Tisimo said:
I have this pump and am happy with it: lighter operation then my Hill MK5, and seems to be more durable as well. doesn't seem to have any air filtration or de-humidification though, does anyone know if there is a good solution for this?
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Yeah, if it's made for pumping in the field, filtering air is kinda important. I'm not sure how effective it would be, but maybe an inline filter?
 
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