Orange Seal Regular sealant review

Orange Seal regular sealant has the greatest puncture protection claims within the range of sealants the company offers. With claims of being eco-friendly and suitable for all styles of riding, it is also one of the more expensive options. But just how good is it when compared to the mainstays of best tubeless sealants category?

Orange Seal Regular Sealant – Technical details

Orange Seal has three formulas within its sealant range: the Regular (pictured here) that claims to give the best puncture protection, an Endurance version that is longer-lasting, and Subzero for the coldest weather conditions.

All versions are latex-based, feature particle fibres within the solution to seal punctures and are suitable for use across all disciplines. The fluid is quite thin and the fibres within it are also small, with Orange Seal suggesting it is suitable for use in tubeless tyres, inner tubes and tubular tyres. The Regular is claimed to last only 30-45 days, making it the formula within the Orange Seal range with the shortest lifespan (this may be due to there being no ammonia within the fluid). It should remain liquid and functional down to -11 degrees Celsius (11 deg F) and Orange Seal claims it can seal holes up to 6.3mm (1/4”) and slices to the tyre carcass up to 19mm (3/4”), which is a bold claim.

The Regular version is available in four bottle sizes, including 4oz (118ml), 8oz (236ml), 16oz (473ml) and 32oz (946ml). Recommended quantities range from 1-2oz (30 to 60ml) for road bikes to 4oz (118ml) for 29-inch mountain bikes.

Orange Seal Regular Sealant – Performance

To test sealant performance, we created a standardised puncture test to assess each contender. The same exact tyre on the same rim for each sealant. The tyre used was a Halo GXC, measuring 47mm. Tyre sealant was added in the amount suggested by the manufacturer, and the tyre was inflated to 40psi. This pressure was chosen to give a realistic tyre pressure for all areas of off-road riding. A digital tyre pressure gauge was used to ensure that the pressure was identical on each test. After that, the tyre was rotated sufficiently to ensure that it was distributed evenly throughout the tyre. The tyres were all punctured by driving a 3mm nail through the carcass. The wheel was rotated to assess if the sealant had successfully sealed the hole. If the sealant worked, the test was repeated using a 5mm diameter nail, and if successful on the larger hole the remaining air pressure was measured with a digital pressure gauge and the result was recorded.

During the test, the sealant was effective at sealing smaller 3mm holes, with no loss of air and minimal sealant released. For the larger 5mm puncture the tyre required several revolutions to seal, with some air loss. The pressure remaining was 37.6psi.

Despite Orange Seal suggesting the sealant will only last between 30-45 days, there was still some liquid in my test tyres after four months; the particles were also still visible. There were also big sections of sealant that had stuck together, present both across the width of the tyre and also in smaller sections. Testing was carried out during winter and the colder average temperatures would have helped increase its lifespan. After attempting to clean and remove all the sealant from within the tyre, there was a section of dry sealant that was very difficult to remove, even with a metal scouring cloth.

Orange Seal Regular Sealant – Verdict

Orange Seal Regular is priced from £9.99 for the smallest 4oz refill unit, £16.99 for the 8oz, £22.99 for the 16oz and £42.99 for the largest 32oz bottle. This puts it at the expensive end of the pricing spectrum. Joe’s Racers Elite is cheaper, with the 8oz bottle priced at £15, and the larger bottle is also more than £30.99 Stans No Tubes Race. There are several non-latex-based options that are even cheaper and some with better performance, such as WTB TCS Sealant, which is only £25 for the largest 32oz (946ml) bottle.

With very similar puncture performance as sealants including Stans No Tubes Race and Joe’s Racers Elite, the performance is acceptable but does not stand out against some of the newer, high-performing options. The sealant lasted longer than Orange Seal's claims, but this is still comparable to synthetic-latex solutions.

The puncture tests show that Orange Seal is effective at sealing both smaller, and larger punctures but it is priced higher. The lifespan is also on a similar level to some others, but there is nothing that make it stand out against the rabble of sealants that we tested.