The Cetop 5 soft switch valve does the same job as the NG6 version but at 120 L/min — and at that flow the shock a standard valve produces is far worse. If you have ever felt a machine bang through the frame when a function stops, this is the fix.

The energy in a moving column of oil goes up with the square of velocity, so a high flow circuit stopped abruptly generates a spike that can exceed relief setting by a wide margin. A damped shift spreads that over time instead.

Switching power limits assume flow in two directions. Where there is flow in one direction only, the permitted limit may be considerably lower.