Sharkbite flex hose

[Giwatcher]

I am considering a sharkbite flex hose 3/4 to connect a water heater. I have seen braided steel and corrugated steel options. What is the difference?
I have seen pictures and complaints about a SB flexhose braided with the inner liner deteriorated and showering debris downstream. Is this a valid concern or "fake" news?
When I look inside the braided steel hose, I can see black. Inside the corrugated hose it seems clear, but there must be a liner, right? Perhaps the corrugated hose is not intended for a water line, but it seems to be in the same area of the DIY store.
I even tried customer support email to SB, but got no reply, so I hope someone has experience with the products.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

you are better off to stay away from the liner type hoses
because w e had troubles with them in the past... made by brass craft..

I would install the solid stainless steel type connectors and
use shark bite male adaptors on the pipes

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

Like Mark, I don't install braided supply lines on water heaters.
I install either corrugated copper or stainless.
I do remove a lot of the braided supplies that others have installed.
At the water heater, I prefer at least 18" of metal before connecting anything like PEX or CPVC.
I normally use 24" corrugated flex, as it's easier to get a good round bend with it.

"Fake News"??

We try to let people know what we find to work best, and of course doing something thousands of times my seem a little silly, but it does become routine after awhile.
I can put on a copper or stainless corrugated supply line and it last as long as the water heater.
I pull off the braided stuff quite often. I'm not a fan of it. Not where it's so close to something that is heating water.

And anytime I pull a braided supply line for a lav or toilet, it gets tossed and a new one installed.
"Real Deal News" doesn't matter how you voted, it's just plumbing.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

Terry, I have never had a problem with braided lavatory lines... as long as they had the
brass shank in them and not the plastic connectors at the ends they seem to last forever for us..

We installed the black brass craft braided lines to water heaters for a few years and
have found that they broke down.... most are now over 10 years old but still nagging me
in the back of my mind....

you should try the Brass Craft SS supply lines to the heaters.....I was gonna go to the copper
ones like you use but found that the SS ones were actually very good and dirt cheap compaired
to the copper.....