lbhsbz
Well-known member
I figured I post this here.
Seems no local tire shops can balance anything right, so I set off to do it myself. I've used plenty of balancers at the various shops I've worked at over the years so I'm not new at it.....but I don't have room at home for a big heavy professional unit.
Many leading names have made manual spin balancers (no motor, but still computerized) over the years, but they're older and parts are failing and support is pretty much gone for a lot of the older electronics, so I figured I go new).
I found the KATOOL KT715S on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/KATOOL-Balan...onvenient/dp/B0GQGV4CY2/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Price was within my budget, so I pulled the trigger.
For those new to using a balancer like this, you have to input several dimensions into the machine. You need to tell it:
A: rim diameter
B: location of inner bead where the weights are to be installed
C: width of rim, or location where the out weights are to be installed
This is easy on steel wheels, you use a big caliper to measure the width or distance between inner and outer weight locations, look at the wheel diameter spec on the tire (15, 16" etc) and then pull a rod out of the machine and set the probe against the inner bead or the location where the inner weights are to be installed (tape weights on an aluminum wheel) and the machine will calculate how much weight you need to add at those rings that it's established on the wheel to bring the wheel into balance. You can input all wrong numbers, and the machine will still detect a zero balance condition, but you'll be guessing at how much weight to add where.
Now that the operational theory has been discussed....
The KATOOL machine works well. The instructions are garbage....for a completely different machine with a powered spindle. There is a 100g calibration weight that was not included with mine, but they sent me one. The "distance arm", which measures the location of the inner bead, is a mechanical thing with a scale on it that you read and input the dimension with the buttons....it's a flimsy POS and mine was broken....they sent me a new one....but it's still junk. Holding the arm and holding the sliding scale gets you almost a 1" different dimension due to the flex and slop in the assembly, but it's usable. I don't think it will last long though before it's broken again.
The machine has a lot of features but requires some brain work to input all the appropriate dimensions when dealing with aluminum wheels....I haven't quite translated the chinglish instructions good enough to figure out how to do this correctly and completely yet. Steel wheels are a breeze though, and the machine is accurate and repeatable.
Its fairly small and portable, which is what I wanted. On mine, shipping damage included a big dent in an insignificant corner of the steel body / box, and a bunch of broken areas on the "weight tray" which is the whole plastic top of the machine that includes the screens/controls. They sent me a replacement, but it was wrong....and this morning I received an email saying that it would be 50+ days before they could get me the correct one. Amazon allows for returns within 30 days, so this is going back this week because after 30 days I have no recourse if they fail to come up with the correct parts.
SO....lets find a better one....I found this (must have used different search terms): by ibextronic: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Balancer-Machine-I40-PRO/dp/B0FKBCVMLB/ref=sr_1_44
First thing I like is that there is a video of someone actually using it....that will be helpful. Second thing....the "distance arm" appears to be aluminum, and pretty stout. Going further into the distance arm.....
If you go to their store, they also have this "auto arm" ... https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Balancer-I40-PRO-Auto-arm/dp/B0FTLD7H7Z/ref=sr_1_2
in the video, you see the guy plugging in the power USB and then hooking up another wire to the back of the machine.....that must be from the auto-arm.
If this is what I think it is (they call it a 2D auto-arm...so I'm pretty sure it is) ....you simply position the probe where you want to stick the weights and press a button and it should input the 2 dimensional location into the machine, which makes **** way easier with tape weights then trying to guess the diameter at which the outer tape weights will go inboard of the wheel spokes. On the KATOOL, the distance arm measured only in a single axis.....this one appears to create a 2D location. This makes for a really badass machine for $700.
I ordered one lol
Reviews say it only comes with 2 cones though....so I'll probably have to source some of those separately. Fine.
I'll review this when it shows up next month. For now, I'd avoid the KATOOL unit....while functional, if this other one is what I think it is, it will be twice the machine for the same price.
Seems no local tire shops can balance anything right, so I set off to do it myself. I've used plenty of balancers at the various shops I've worked at over the years so I'm not new at it.....but I don't have room at home for a big heavy professional unit.
Many leading names have made manual spin balancers (no motor, but still computerized) over the years, but they're older and parts are failing and support is pretty much gone for a lot of the older electronics, so I figured I go new).
I found the KATOOL KT715S on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/KATOOL-Balan...onvenient/dp/B0GQGV4CY2/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Price was within my budget, so I pulled the trigger.
For those new to using a balancer like this, you have to input several dimensions into the machine. You need to tell it:
A: rim diameter
B: location of inner bead where the weights are to be installed
C: width of rim, or location where the out weights are to be installed
This is easy on steel wheels, you use a big caliper to measure the width or distance between inner and outer weight locations, look at the wheel diameter spec on the tire (15, 16" etc) and then pull a rod out of the machine and set the probe against the inner bead or the location where the inner weights are to be installed (tape weights on an aluminum wheel) and the machine will calculate how much weight you need to add at those rings that it's established on the wheel to bring the wheel into balance. You can input all wrong numbers, and the machine will still detect a zero balance condition, but you'll be guessing at how much weight to add where.
Now that the operational theory has been discussed....
The KATOOL machine works well. The instructions are garbage....for a completely different machine with a powered spindle. There is a 100g calibration weight that was not included with mine, but they sent me one. The "distance arm", which measures the location of the inner bead, is a mechanical thing with a scale on it that you read and input the dimension with the buttons....it's a flimsy POS and mine was broken....they sent me a new one....but it's still junk. Holding the arm and holding the sliding scale gets you almost a 1" different dimension due to the flex and slop in the assembly, but it's usable. I don't think it will last long though before it's broken again.
The machine has a lot of features but requires some brain work to input all the appropriate dimensions when dealing with aluminum wheels....I haven't quite translated the chinglish instructions good enough to figure out how to do this correctly and completely yet. Steel wheels are a breeze though, and the machine is accurate and repeatable.
Its fairly small and portable, which is what I wanted. On mine, shipping damage included a big dent in an insignificant corner of the steel body / box, and a bunch of broken areas on the "weight tray" which is the whole plastic top of the machine that includes the screens/controls. They sent me a replacement, but it was wrong....and this morning I received an email saying that it would be 50+ days before they could get me the correct one. Amazon allows for returns within 30 days, so this is going back this week because after 30 days I have no recourse if they fail to come up with the correct parts.
SO....lets find a better one....I found this (must have used different search terms): by ibextronic: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Balancer-Machine-I40-PRO/dp/B0FKBCVMLB/ref=sr_1_44
First thing I like is that there is a video of someone actually using it....that will be helpful. Second thing....the "distance arm" appears to be aluminum, and pretty stout. Going further into the distance arm.....
If you go to their store, they also have this "auto arm" ... https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Balancer-I40-PRO-Auto-arm/dp/B0FTLD7H7Z/ref=sr_1_2
in the video, you see the guy plugging in the power USB and then hooking up another wire to the back of the machine.....that must be from the auto-arm.
If this is what I think it is (they call it a 2D auto-arm...so I'm pretty sure it is) ....you simply position the probe where you want to stick the weights and press a button and it should input the 2 dimensional location into the machine, which makes **** way easier with tape weights then trying to guess the diameter at which the outer tape weights will go inboard of the wheel spokes. On the KATOOL, the distance arm measured only in a single axis.....this one appears to create a 2D location. This makes for a really badass machine for $700.
I ordered one lol
Reviews say it only comes with 2 cones though....so I'll probably have to source some of those separately. Fine.
I'll review this when it shows up next month. For now, I'd avoid the KATOOL unit....while functional, if this other one is what I think it is, it will be twice the machine for the same price.