You don`t have to change the connectors,i had a leak in one of mine and had no spares,they were going to take 4 days to get here and i had 3 jobs to do so i got pirtec to change the quick change connectors on my hose ,lances and fsc to one i could buy in the uk,it was only buttons,the original brass one arrived from te usa but Hal sent them free anyway,when you order your gear tell hal to send you some spare connectors and o-rings.I use the closed end connectors now,they have been great,don`t drip etc.if you just buy the machine you won`t get stung that heavy on the duty,you`ll still be well in,i had extending pole,lances,hoses, honda machine,fsc the full monty and only paid about £350 on the lot.good luck dan.what e-mail address did you use for hal?