Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-66.58.213.59-20130113030727/@comment-128.208.36.148-20130115195706

let me put it this way:

buildcraft pipes are an excellent choice for your very first automated machine when resources are limited. the basic stuff is CHEAP! and, if you really want, you can stack about 2-3 redstone engines together to make a cheaper alternative to tnt!

BUT!

redpower tubes are superior in the long run.

1. You NEVER have to worry about laggy, wastefull spillage unless you actually go and break a tube next to a filter/transposer with a million items somehow backstuffed. (this shouldn't actually happen...I think redpower has a limit on backstuffed items/filter before that filter will be prevented from so much as looking for a destination)

2. Redpower stuff simply does not explode.

3. redpower stuff is much easier to be precise with.

4.  since this is tekkit, we have the mark2 autocrafting....which is superior to the mark1 autocraft even ignoring the fact it works with both pipes and tubes, as it can handle unstackable stuff in the recipes. tubes can quickly extract everything out of those: one filter/transposer to extract, one redstone tube, and one item detector to keep signalling the filter, to drain everything out of the table from just a single input pulse.

i suppose there's one or two compactificiation arrangements, and maybe the annoying detail of the refinery, but...

Point is, i don't know of anything major that can be done with buildcraft pipes but not pneumatic tubes that does not also involve a buildcraft industrial machine like the refinary or quarry...unless you count the fact that nearly everything in buildcraft is capable of exploding.

5.  pneumatic tubes can be encased in covers to prevent interaction with nearby tubes. takes a lot of covers, but is wonderfull for compactness.