Customer Reviews

McPherson MacPherson Strut Coil Spring Compressor Tool

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been procrastinating in switching out the rear struts on one of my cars until recently I felt it was unsafe to drive. Amazon has about three different types that look about the same as this particular unit, but 2 to 4 times the price so I thought what could be the difference. After using the cheap two clamp strut tools that are super dangerous I wanted a reliable tool that could keep me safe. After doing some research and reading that that they are made from steel so I gave this one a try. After using the unit I would have to rate it a 10. It was safe to use and I pretty much was able to clamp most of the spring with out a tool, but used one anyway to make sure I hade enough clearance.

For the price it was great for home use but I would check your local harbor freight on this unit since the seller sold me a harbor freight exclusive tool I felt I could have got it even cheaper if I would have used a Harbor Freight 20% coupon.

This tool is not right for the job.

It is heavy making it hard to position in place according to the diagram in the owner's manual.
It is cumbersome, because you need more than two hands to position all four grips. As you go around, the grips you just hooked to the spring come undone. The safety pins too have a mind of their own and slide in and out at will regardless of the spring loaded chrome ball that is supposed to keep them in place.

It is dangerous because despite compressing the spring to the maximum the tool allows and according to the safety directions the coil was not completely compressed. When I removed the strut mounting bracket the coil sprang open. I did not expect that. Needless to say I had to make a quick trip to the local auto store to get an additional spring compressor kit of a different design. Otherwise I would not have been able to reassemble the struts. The coil was not compressed enough to clear the threaded shaft.


As you line up the grips with much difficulty with the axis of the coil, the position slides out of alignment as you compress the coil.

To sum up, It took me 45 minutes to take apart both struts out the car, 4 hours to replace the struts that entailed compressing the coils, and another 45 minutes to put the new struts back in the car.

Do yourselves a favor, if you do not want to spend 4 hours compressing and changing the coils over to the new struts, you need to get a different tool. It should have taken me no more than an hour to compress both coils and re-assemble them on the new struts. This design uses a 2 point approach. In hindsight the only way to do this right, is to use a 3 point design. That is the only way to compress a coil safely and properly without having any of the safety and slipage issues I encountered.

I did the work on a Honda Odyssey, and this tool alone will not compress the coil sufficiently to disassemble and re-assemble the struts using an 8" maximum opening according to the directions and closing the tool to the maximum allowed ( with safety spacer in place).

I would not even lend this tool to a friend or a neighbor.

I bought this same item from the national chain mentioned in the other review. I like the design quite a lot. I previously bought and used the "two sticks" type of spring compressor (Advanced Tool Design ATD-3054) from Amazon and wanted an upgrade in strength and safety.

When I opened the box, the first thing I did was take the nut which engages the main drive screw and started to spin it down the whole length of the screw. I only got about 5" down the drive screw when the nut bound up. A close inspection revealed that the drive screw thread had been damaged, presumably in transit from overseas. I feel the packaging was at fault here, as the main drive screw was just lying unprotected in the bottom of the box, and the diamond-shaped accessory steel yoke had apparently been banging on the screw threads. If the drive screw had been packed with some foam around it, the damage wouldn't have occurred.

I probably could have fixed it by buying a die and chasing the thread to clean up the damaged area. I chose not to do that and returned the item to the store for a refund. You shouldn't have to fix a new tool before you can use it.

I really do like the general design. So much so that I've ordered the OTC 6494 clamshell compressor from Amazon, which is a very similar unit but quite a bit more expensive. If that compressor lives up to my expectations I'll write up a review on it after I've used it.