OEMTOOLS 25550 Macpherson 10.75 Inch Strut Compressor | Set of 2 Universal Spring Compression 9.75 Inch Maximum Safe Opening | Easy to Use Suspension Tool, Blister Pack

These are good quality. Set I got from a competitor (PTools) for about same price had a weak safety pin that bent--had to hammer it out, which caused me not to trust integrity of the set.Accordingly, I bought these in addition. I used these together with the other set--using four spring compressors--and got the job done, to alleviate a stupid mistake on my part--the spring bulged. Couldn't have done it with only two and I was stuck.Four also provides a greater sense of security than only using two--as I tightened, I was wondering what would happen if one of the compressors suddenly broke (when I was only using two) and what could I do--can't run since there would be no chance, and with it being also so close to my lap, would I get killed or seriously injured, or wind up speaking in a shrill tone of voice? Glad I got the four--it is only money, better to spend more to be safe than to be sorry later.Springs are dangerous--can really see how easy it would be to get hurt or killed. A spring with coils almost as thick as a figure under compression is as, if not more, dangerous than a loaded gun--imagine being hit with one when a compressor breaks. Shudder!The other brand, although it was inferior, came with a very nice storage box. BTW, the other brand is sending me a replacement safety pin. Being a DIYer, not using it every day, a storage box would be really helpful until the next 30-60-90,000 miles when the struts need to be replaced. :-)

So far I have used this compressor on the front struts for a BMW 325i and the far smaller rear coil-overs on a Miata. And the tool fit both. There are two features which make this compressor safer than many of the designs of a decade ago. The most visible of these features is the retaining pin which captures the spring into the 'hooks' of the compressor. This is a nice feature. More subtle is the fact that the hooks themselves are far deeper than those of many previous versions of these tools, and are therefore far less likely to slip.Because of the depth of the hooks this compressor has to be used in a slightly different way from the way the previous generation of compressors was used. In order to install or remove the hooks, especially on the smaller springs of a Miata, it is often necessary to REMOVE the threaded bolt from both hooks in order to rotate them sufficiently to install them on the spring. Once the hooks are installed, the bolt can be reinserted, and the compressor used normally. Often the bolt must removed a second time to rotate the hooks sufficiently to remove them from the spring.The fact that it is necessary to disassemble this tool to install it on the spring means that the spring is held far more securely when the tool is assembled. For someone who only uses a compressor once in a while, the time lost to this additional assembly-disassembly operation is unimportant. For me personally the increase in safety over other, older designs is VERY important.

I have used this set 6 times and had no problems with it. I'm familiar with this type of compressor since the local parts store loan this type. But they are always so beat up. The last loaner I got had very damaged safety pins, practically rendering them useless and unsafe.So I knew having my own set that I will take care of would be worth it. Remember to regularly oil the threads and use it properly, and it should last a long time. By using properly I mean to set them up as near 180 opposed as possible and alternate tightening side to side often as you compress.At this price point, using it once more than pays for itself. And I like the convenience of not going to the parts store twice for each use of a loaner. Thinking about getting a 2nd set as there have been times where one set did not quite compress it enough to get the strut nut started.

So I picked this up to remove the spring pack from my 2011 sliverado. It came next day thanks to amazon prime. I pulled them out of the cheap plastic packaging to put them in use immediately. They compress springs with the help of a impact gun well. There was no bending of the thread rod like some rentals. The only thing I will say not so great about them is the pins they dont fit over all springs. I dont think this honestly matters to much and I think they will fit over most cars springs. I also needed to compress the brake pistons of my front caliper. I just slapped the old brake pad against the pistons and put one of these bad boys on the pad and the caliper and it squeezed the pistons right back in. If you do use these to do this please go slow!!!Overall great product I wont be buying again because these will last years!

I own a '92 Honda Prelude and, after 136K miles, it needed new struts but parts and labor were quoted as somewhere about $1000- $1200 so, I decided to do it myself. Replacing struts is a fairly straightforward process but compressing the spring on the assembly was something I wanted to do carefully since any failure here can cause serious injury. Not wanting to simply use the rental from the local suto parts store, I was looking for something decent - and not expensive - and found this OEM had numerous favorable reviews here. The price was right and I did as some reviewers suggested in coating the bolts on both the threaded and non-threaded areas with anti-seize compound beforehand and compressing the springs was probably the easiest part of the process. These units were easy to use with no nasty surprises and the only downside to using them is that the anti-seize is hard to clean off your hands afterward. The only improvement I might suggest is a case to store them but they work magnificently for the purpose being such an inexpensive product. This is a 5 star product, IMO.(For the record, let me also note that, if you are contemplating this DIY job, you should also get an impact wrench since the most difficult part of this process was removing the nut from the top of the strut piston after the springs were compressed but, that's another product and another review.)