Intercooler hose - cheap alternative?

I see several folks have the intercooler rubber unions for sale for about $30.
1HO145834E is p/n.

Are there any cost effective and reliable alternatives. I'd like to replace most of mine but I'm not looking to invest $180 in rubber hose.

I haven't tried the bigger hoses, but I have bought silicone hose to replace the vacuum lines from http://hosetechniques.com/

Tony

I was in a desperate need for one so I went to O'Reilly and found a 1' long 2" diameter Gates radiator hose for $15, cut it to length and it's been working flawlessly for about 2000 miles on a stock setup and now pushing 22psi.

Jon

This topic comes up so much it should be a sticky.

I used the lower hose from a chevy 1500 and its been great since 05

YEAH!
I also used a lower radiator hose from a Chevy product but do not remember which one.

It does/would make a difference if the hose you get is for the unions or the intercooler elbow since that one is a longer piece of rubber, should be more rigid and longer lasting, no?

Anyone have a chevy part number or any details leading me to a more cost effective solution.

Gates 21405 or whatever crossrefrences to it