Broken Stems On Airlocks

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I prefer the three piece airlocks because they fit better in my cooler fermentation chamber. They are also slightly easier to clean. The plastic they are made out of is the brittle kind though and the stems break when I pull them out of my stoppers. Is there a source that has the kind of plastic that is used with the S type airlocks, but is the three piece type? Or does someone have a method to keep the stems from breaking. I use the molded stoppers. Not silicone, but maybe nitrile. These stoppers break less of my air locks, but still do.

 

[day_trippr]

lol. I have 6 s-locks (gave away the three-piece versions) used with universal silicone bungs and I think almost all of them have cracked the webbing between the stem and the rest of the body.
I'm pretty sure it's the same acrylic plastic used for both types of locks.

When I remember to rub a film of keg lube on the stems they tend to not crack...

Cheers!

 

[RPh_Guy]

I prefer breathable silicone airlocks.
In my opinion, they're better in every way except price.