There are a few things to think about if you are deciding whether to go down the plastic path or all-metal alley when picking out an air horn. The first thing to look at is the type of plastic the air horns are made of, this makes a huge difference. The preferred type of plastic is called ABS. ABS is a very durable as opposed to some other weaker plastics that will normally not last very long.
A quick note about ABS: ABS stands for Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, which I’m positive doesn’t mean anything to anyone, but it is used in many applications for its good shock absorbance and performance at a wide temperature range. This means that air horns made of ABS will remain durable whether they’re in a hot engine compartment in the middle of an Arizona summer or on the outside of a truck in the middle of winter in British Columbia.
Ok, so let’s assume you are comparing a train horn that has ABS trumpets to a similar style train horn with metal trumpets.
Just for the sake of comparing apples to apples we’ll look at the Kleinn 230
train horn (Black ABS trumpets) and the Kleinn 630
train horn (Chrome plated copper trumpets).
I’m going to break it down pro & con style and you can decide whether a plastic train horn is preferred or not.
PRO: ABS plastic train horns are priced lower than their metal counterparts. With prices of metal on the rise, ABS train horns are a great lower cost alternative without sacrificing quality
CON: Metal train horns will have a little different sound than plastic horns. The metals that these aftermarket train horns are usually made of are not as rigid as the plastic, so the sound resonates after the blast stops. ABS train horns will not have that vibration.
PRO: The extra rigidity of ABS can also come in handy, if a train horn is under a truck and a rock comes up and hits it while driving, the ABS trumpet will hold its form and the rock will just bounce off. A similar occurrence with a metal trumpet may cause a dent or a ding depending on the size of the rock.
CON: The extra vibration of the metal trumpets can help the sound output. Metal trumpets will usually be a smidge louder than their plastic counterparts because of that extra vibration they get when the air hits.
So, as you can see there are benefits and draw backs to using plastic trumpets. As long as they are made of a good quality plastic they can work just as well if not better than metal train horns. Just to be clear, having plastic trumpets, as long as the diaphragms and trumpet backs are metal, will not affect the sound quality of the horn.
Please feel free to comment and tell me what your experience has been with plastic air horns.
