Arc Barb-Spout on Gravity

[ebliese]

Is there any advantage to moving to the new arc barb-spouts if you are on a gravity system? I do believe this spout was designed with vacuum in mind but we are on 5/16 drops into buckets. My initial thought would be maybe more sap since the spout barrel is shorter upon looking at some information (see the link below and click on "more information' under the 5/16" arc barb-spout).

https://middlevalleymaple.com/services/

[buckeye gold]

I just installed 100 on 3/16" tubing and I will tell you in March if they were better. I liek the idea of more exposed sap wood and less flow restriction, but real world trials will soon tell us if it's better. They were a fair price and I think they are well made, so I am giving them a go. I wouldn't hesitate to try them on the 5/16 gravity. I still have 50 taps on two laterals with the old 5/16 x3/16 DG spiles for comparison

[ebliese]

Buckeye gold, how did you like tapping with the new arc-barb spouts? For me it seemed that the traditional "thunk" when the tap is seated wasn't as evident. We had a couple spouts also break off the back end where the hammer lands. Maybe we just hit it at an odd angle. Overall, we found it easier to tap with the other spouts we have-the regular ol' 90* black 5/16 spouts. It could just be user error on our part and not being familiar with new (to us) product.