I am thinking bought buying Pneumatic, what do I need? I would use them for locks, clutches (not thees http://www.robotmesh.com/vex-robotics/motors-and-gears/vex-clutch), high hang hook deploy, and anti tip pegs. This is what I am looking at, http://www.robotmesh.com/vex-pneumatics-kit-1-single-acting-cylinders.
The kits give you all the parts you need to get started. Buy a second reservoir for competition (robot mesh sells single parts, too). If you get the double acting cylinders, you have more options, including using the double acting cylinders as single acting (search pneumatics in the forums for more information). Single acting cylinders are limited, air to extend, spring to retract.
@kmmohn mentioned this but I think it’s worth stressing - I would strongly recommend that you purchase double acting cylinders if you plan on reusing these component for future robots/seasons. It is easy to convert a double acting cylinder to a single acting by adding a few rubber bands, while you cannot go from a single acting to a double acting easily. Thus, I would say the versatility is worth the small extra cost, but of course you should consider your budget and needs before making a decision.
If you are looking to buy pneumatic components our retired club has a lot of pneumatic parts I am willing to sell to you. If you are interested let me know and I can get you details and pictures! Off the top of my head we have 8 air tanks, 6 double acting pistons, 4 solenoids, and lots of other connections and parts needed.
sense Double Acting Cylinders and Single Acting Cylinders are the same price(that doesn’t make sense to me) the solenoids are the same way, so it doesn’t seem worth it to get the Single Acting Cylinders(why their is $50 difference in kits I don’t know).