This Smith-Cooper International 168L series brass no kink hose bibb has lead-free construction for use with potable water, a T-handle, and a female National Pipe Taper (NPT) thread inlet connection, and is used to control flow (throttling) to a hose. The corrosion resistant valve body and seat are constructed of ASTM International B-584 C89550 brass alloy, which contains 0.1 percent lead for a "lead free" designation. Its inlet connection is female NPT for connecting to a male threaded fitting, its outlet connection is male hose thread, and its angle shape helps avoid kinked hose. A manually operated brass plated zinc T-handle rotates the inside screw mechanism, which lifts and lowers the Nitrile seat disk to regulate the flow between the connected pipe and hose. The valve body has packing in the stuffing box to reduce the risk of leakage around the valve stem. The valve’s maximum pressure is 125 pounds per square inch (gauge) (psig) for water, oil, and gas (WOG). This hose bibb is CSA International approved and meets NSF International/American National Standards Institute (NSF/ANSI) 61.8 standards and complies with California Assembly Bill 1953 (AB1953), which limit the amount of lead in plumbing fixtures that come in contact with water intended for human consumption. This rising stem hose bibb is a type of globe valve and is suitable for use in various water plumbing systems.

Globe valves control flow rates in a piping system by the lift of a vertical stem and disk, which must be turned to open and close the valve. A seated disc extends into the center of the valve to act as a plug to restrict or open the flow path, depending on how tightly the valve stem is turned. The stem on globe valves can be either rising (moves up as the valve opens) to indicate if the flow is on or off, or non-rising (stem height remains constant when the valve is either open or closed) for use in small spaces. Globe valves are used in various water, gas, air, and steam piping systems that require frequent throttling operations.

Smith-Cooper International distributes pipe, fittings, and valves under its SCI trademark and manufactures valves under the Sharpe brand. The company, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Commerce, CA, meets International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 9002.