Astro Tools 658 Stubby Slide Hammer

[theamcguy]

Does anybody know anything about this tool? It is a pneumatic slide hammer tool number 658. Last Fall Astro Tools released it, there were some reviews on YouTube and then **** gone. I have tried contacting Astro Direct crickets, PMed Astro Tools here crickets, nothing it is like I dreamed this tool existed. All I want to do is buy one and I can find nothing about it. Anybody? Are they waiting for a new shipment? Are they discontinued? What's the deal?

 

[NYBODYMAN]

While I haven't gone to the lengths you have, I am also interested in one of these. All sites I see show Out of Stock, except this one which shows "Available on Backorder."

Astro Pneumatic Stubby Air Slide Hammer – Techs Choice Tools & Equipment

Features and Benefits: The markets 1st true air slide hammer puller, delivering up to 185 hammer blows per minute with the pull of a trigger Compares to a 4.5-6lb manual slide hammer depending on air supplyCommon 5/8”-18 threads for use on the majority of slide hammer attachments to pull everything…

techschoicetools.com

@Astro_Pneumatic_Tools and ideas of what's going on or when this will be available? Thank you.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

I've got one - truth be told i bought it thinking I would never have to break out the manual hammer ever again. It has the blows of an air hammer feel but you do not get that heavy shock hit like you do with a slide hammer.

Think like you are breaking a frozen tie rod, and the air hammer just wont cut it, so you break out the sledge and it gives away with one swing. Same sort of deal.

All I use it for is that one situation when you are in a super tight spot and cant fit the big stuff in or get good leverage for a pull. Other than that just sits there.

Having said that I think Astro is smart enough to realize maybe it wasn't the best and pulled the sku for a re-design etc. Which is really smart of them!

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I've got one - truth be told i bought it thinking I would never have to break out the manual hammer ever again. It has the blows of an air hammer feel but you do not get that heavy shock hit like you do with a slide hammer.

Think like you are breaking a frozen tie rod, and the air hammer just wont cut it, so you break out the sledge and it gives away with one swing. Same sort of deal.

All I use it for is that one situation when you are in a super tight spot and cant fit the big stuff in or get good leverage for a pull. Other than that just sits there.

Having said that I think Astro is smart enough to realize maybe it wasn't the best and pulled the sku for a re-design etc. Which is really smart of them!

Thanks for the review. I had a feeling it wouldn't hurt be as strong as a regular air hammer but for that right situation I'm sure it's a life saver.
Hopefully you are correct and they are making an.improved version.

 

[mikey03]

Astro is kind of a weird company. Chris is a good dude that I seen his posts here alot. There website is pretty ****. I think they have one part time guy working the website that works one week every few years and then takes off again. They got alot of stuff on the site that’s apparently discontinued and missing anything new. Honestly maybe they just forgot the password to login to update there own site and never bothered to reset it

then if you want to buy anything don’t even try Amazon it’s twice the price of anywhere else but the other places are all out of stock. So idk weird company like I said

 

[dnschmidt]

I am a BIG supporter of Astro as I personally know the owner, Steve Fisher, the president, his son David Fisher and of course Chris Pettit the product manager. That stated this particular tool seems to be a dud. Many years ago I set up Eric O. of South Main Auto with Chris to be their new product tester/breaker as I knew if Eric couldn't break it then it's indestructible. This relationship has been mutually beneficial for both Eric and Astro. Sadly, Eric's take on this pneumatic slide hammer was, as they say, less than enthusiastic. To quote him, “It just doesn’t have the beans” needed for the rusty **** he routinely works on.

 

[gizardlizard]

I bought one right when they came out. It’s definitely not for heavy duty pulls but works great on other stuff.

 

[Astro_Pneumatic_Tools]

It's been sold out nationally from simply not making them fast enough, so I wouldn't say it's a dud, haha. If you're idea of a slide hammer means exclusively hub pulling in the rust belt, it might not be your tool. It's a stubby slide hammer, not a sledge hammer replacement.
That said, we're working on a more powerful model and new reinforced handle tooling to support that.
Eric told us it wouldn't pull a rust hub, but he's also one shop and one field tester out of dozens we use. So we decided to make it anyways and its been selling out each shipment, so that was the right call. It's an order of magnitude more force than a Texas Twister in a much smaller form factor, so the idea that if a slide hammering tool can't slam hubs out then it won't be useful is just a social media/internet fixation to see cool stuff.
But we also see there's demand for something that can do more difficult tasks, so we're not resting on our laurels either.

Astro is kind of a weird company. Chris is a good dude that I seen his posts here alot. There website is pretty ****. I think they have one part time guy working the website that works one week every few years and then takes off again. They got alot of stuff on the site that’s apparently discontinued and missing anything new. Honestly maybe they just forgot the password to login to update there own site and never bothered to reset it

then if you want to buy anything don’t even try Amazon it’s twice the price of anywhere else but the other places are all out of stock. So idk weird company like I said

Simply put we do most of our business designing and developing tools for other brands. It's why you wont see Astro in any form of advertising, or commercial spot, or sponsorship or the like. Our customer brands appreciate a lower profile especially if we're going to have similar tools.
So since our website doesn't sell anything and isn't retail, its got info we need to have on there and not a lot more. We prefer to let the tools do the talking, the people who know - know and that's been growing every year.

 

[Buckgnarly]

After dealing with cotter pins on a Fisher plow today I thought about this. Doesn't have to be unit bearing of a Subi strength to be useful, just enough to slam **** in a small area. There have been MANY times I would have traded Paschalis (my first and only born) for just something to yank a cotter pin. Doesn't have to be .498 strength l, just gotta tappa-tappa **** out.
Still considering this...........

 

[dnschmidt]

It's been sold out nationally from simply not making them fast enough, so I wouldn't say it's a dud, haha. If you're idea of a slide hammer means exclusively hub pulling in the rust belt, it might not be your tool. It's a stubby slide hammer, not a sledge hammer replacement.
That said, we're working on a more powerful model and new reinforced handle tooling to support that.
Eric told us it wouldn't pull a rust hub, but he's also one shop and one field tester out of dozens we use. So we decided to make it anyways and its been selling out each shipment, so that was the right call. It's an order of magnitude more force than a Texas Twister in a much smaller form factor, so the idea that if a slide hammering tool can't slam hubs out then it won't be useful is just a social media/internet fixation to see cool stuff.
But we also see there's demand for something that can do more difficult tasks, so we're not resting on our laurels either.

What do you guys from California know? I guess just about as much as us desert dwellers in Phoenix with respect to the evil rust; which of course we've only heard about but never personally deal with. Eric's recent videos show the snow in Avoca which is causing me PTSD from my time in Pittsburgh, PA. Oddly, I DON'T MISS IT. You just had to bring up the infamous "Texas Twister" which gets the prize for the biggest tool dud of the last five years. THAT STATEMENT WAS OF COURSE ACCURATE BUT NOT VERY NICE.

 

[scooby074]

After dealing with cotter pins on a Fisher plow today I thought about this. Doesn't have to be unit bearing of a Subi strength to be useful, just enough to slam **** in a small area. There have been MANY times I would have traded Paschalis (my first and only born) for just something to yank a cotter pin. Doesn't have to be .498 strength l, just gotta tappa-tappa **** out.
Still considering this...........

Plows ****.

 

[mikey03]

Simply put we do most of our business designing and developing tools for other brands. It's why you wont see Astro in any form of advertising, or commercial spot, or sponsorship or the like. Our customer brands appreciate a lower profile especially if we're going to have similar tools.

so you guys make tools for other companies to stamp their name on like how snap on got blue point? I heard the vim guys say they do that alot but they are real tight lipped I guess contracts make it so you can’t tell people who you make stuff for?

i always wondered since guys on GJ love your stuff but it’s so hard to buy at a reasonable price. You already said Amazon sets the prices not you guys. But then I see the same tools for half Amazon price at JBTools or Summit Racing but always sold out.

it makes sense if your making stuff that’s rebranded as the biggest part of your business that you aren’t easier to get your in house stuff

 

[Astro_Pneumatic_Tools]

so you guys make tools for other companies to stamp their name on like how snap on got blue point? I heard the vim guys say they do that alot but they are real tight lipped I guess contracts make it so you can’t tell people who you make stuff for?

i always wondered since guys on GJ love your stuff but it’s so hard to buy at a reasonable price. You already said Amazon sets the prices not you guys. But then I see the same tools for half Amazon price at JBTools or Summit Racing but always sold out.

it makes sense if your making stuff that’s rebranded as the biggest part of your business that you aren’t easier to get your in house stuff

You're likely looking at sold out items. Try looking at something multiple retailers have in stock currently, and the pricing is probably pretty normal looking across many websites.
This is how it happens.
We get shipment in and send to warehouse customers. Customer A sells to retailers or puts on their own tool selling websites, they may also sell to/through Amazon and update their stock as positive there too.
It could be $49 on their website and $49 on Amazon.
Tool is popular, we didn't make enough or demand is greater than our production capacity (Taiwan isn't China in many ways).
$49 is the lowest price, which Amazon makes the default listing, sold by A. It sells out, with no inventory left, Amazon moves to customer B who they have it listed at $51 to make whatever arrangement they have make sense.
That sells out too.
Warehouse customer C at $55
Warehouse customer D at $59
E
F
G
H
I
Warehouse customer J still has inventory from 4 months ago, because they are asking $80. People are either not willing to pay $80 or feel it's a rip off compared to all the websites showing $49. Problem is, Customer A showing $49 on their website already promised all their inventory, so they show it as backordered, but still list at $49.


This happens each time we ship out a batch and the cycle repeats itself. Stuff we have an extra 2,000 pieces of in inventory ready for customers to re-order, the prices across platforms stabilize. Unfortunately (in some ways), a lot of our newer items have been massively popular, so a lot of our stuff is yo-yoing more than usual. The solution to this is MAP pricing where we enforce a (usually higher) minimum price on every retailer selling our stuff, and cut off sources who don't play by the rules. Astro chose, probably before I was born, to not do that.

 

[mikey03]

This happens each time we ship out a batch and the cycle repeats itself. Stuff we have an extra 2,000 pieces of in inventory ready for customers to re-order, the prices across platforms stabilize. Unfortunately (in some ways), a lot of our newer items have been massively popular, so a lot of our stuff is yo-yoing more than usual. The solution to this is MAP pricing where we enforce a (usually higher) minimum price on every retailer selling our stuff, and cut off sources who don't play by the rules. Astro chose, probably before I was born, to not do that.

thanks for writing that out that’s real interesting. I always hated MAP but now I see the other side and MAP doesn’t look so bad

what I’d really like to see and I’m sure you guys are busy making money hand over hand anyway but I’d like to see some kind of recommended or retail pricing listed and also if something is discontinued and why it was discontinued. Was it discontinued because it wasn’t selling? Or because it had failures or because your releasing a new model soon?

if the $40 tool is $80 and discontinued I might wanna pay $80 before it’s gone for good but not if you stopped because it failed alot or a better version 2 is coming out next week for $40.

im real confused by the dual drive ratcheting wrenches in this way I think you guys keep selling out but then discontinued some like one that had two ends for two drive sizes.

 

[Astro_Pneumatic_Tools]

thanks for writing that out that’s real interesting. I always hated MAP but now I see the other side and MAP doesn’t look so bad

what I’d really like to see and I’m sure you guys are busy making money hand over hand anyway but I’d like to see some kind of recommended or retail pricing listed and also if something is discontinued and why it was discontinued. Was it discontinued because it wasn’t selling? Or because it had failures or because your releasing a new model soon?

if the $40 tool is $80 and discontinued I might wanna pay $80 before it’s gone for good but not if you stopped because it failed alot or a better version 2 is coming out next week for $40.

im real confused by the dual drive ratcheting wrenches in this way I think you guys keep selling out but then discontinued some like one that had two ends for two drive sizes.

I don't believe with our model we can list MSRP, as since we don't police pricing we'd just make some of our long time customers look bad when they all just have different business models. Some are independents on a tool truck servicing mechanics at work and will hand you a replacement in warranty in person same day, others are just selling on Ebay with zero customer service, not even a phone number to call.

I doubt you'll find any tool brand listing on their website why something is discontinued. You can ask me here and I'll answer if I can, but I've never seen it before. But I'll mention about the "replaced by" suggestion, to add more of those.

We have over a dozen outside hex Nano tools including the wrenches, and we've only ever discontinued one. But people get it a bit backwards about the timeline.

- We introduced the dual flex head 78300 and simply no one bought it. I designed it and signed the payment for tooling on it to be made from scratch, and it just never sold.
- We then discontinued it. It was discontinued before anything else ever happened.
- 78318, 18" nano ratchet for 3/8" drive nano sockets was pitched, including Fedwrench here said we should make a long handle 78300. We had a 6-24mm 3/8" set coming out and this made the most sense, do all the sizes in 1 wrench, since 1/2" sockets only went to 24mm as well. Almost no one was one board with this here, it seemed like a good way to double down on a bad idea - something that was discontinued and we were still sitting on inventory for. And again required new tooling.
- Luckily I head up the department and I just said whatever, this thing looks cool, we're going to make it.
- The combo of that impressive looking long ratchet, our already popular nano sockets and the new 6-24mm set had a doubling, tripling effect on people and it snowballed.
- The 78318 went out of stock despite making a ton, many times. Still to this day. The popularity of 78318 made people find 78300, especially while 78318 was out of stock. People bought them up. Our customers still had 78300 inventory (this a year removed now) because it was a dog, it never sold. When those all dried up people asked us why we discontinued it, but we hadn't made a single piece in ages at that point.
- To make a 78300 again it would have displaced production of other wrenches for nano sockets that at this point were backordered in the 10's of thousands, so we'd be taking away people's owed tools in order to ramp up an old tool no one originally bought.

We've been making outside hex Nano sockets since 2016, one discontinued product within the line ain't shabby - but I have one here. $500, I know what I got

 

[mikey03]

I doubt you'll find any tool brand listing on their website why something is discontinued. You can ask me here and I'll answer if I can, but I've never seen it before. But I'll mention about the "replaced by" suggestion, to add more of those.

Tekton does both on their outlet page but honestly I look up alot of tool sites and Tekton is maybe the best one so don’t feel bad there Michael Jordan and everyone else is middle school basketball you can even pull every measurement of every single socket and wrench on there site

- 78318, 18" nano ratchet for 3/8" drive nano sockets was pitched, including Fedwrench here said we should make a long handle 78300. We had a 6-24mm 3/8" set coming out and this made the most sense, do all the sizes in 1 wrench, since 1/2" sockets only went to 24mm as well. Almost no one was one board with this here, it seemed like a good way to double down on a bad idea - something that was discontinued and we were still sitting on inventory for. And again required new tooling.
- Luckily I head up the department and I just said whatever, this thing looks cool, we're going to make it.
- The combo of that impressive looking long ratchet, our already popular nano sockets and the new 6-24mm set had a doubling, tripling effect on people and it snowballed.

what’s fedwrench’s cut

- The 78318 went out of stock despite making a ton, many times. Still to this day. The popularity of 78318 made people find 78300, especially while 78318 was out of stock. People bought them up. Our customers still had 78300 inventory (this a year removed now) because it was a dog, it never sold. When those all dried up people asked us why we discontinued it, but we hadn't made a single piece in ages at that point.
- To make a 78300 again it would have displaced production of other wrenches for nano sockets that at this point were backordered in the 10's of thousands, so we'd be taking away people's owed tools in order to ramp up an old tool no one originally bought.

is it a bad tool or did nobody buy it because back then they didn’t have dual drive sockets yet?

We've been making outside hex Nano sockets since 2016, one discontinued product within the line ain't shabby - but I have one here. $500, I know what I got

Best I can do is 350

 

[mikey03]

@Astro_Pneumatic_Tools chris man can you please make one of those adapters that let’s you put a dual drive socket on a regular wrench that don’t got the retaining ring? There’s a few threads here of people making those and honestly I keep waiting for any tool company to make one because it has to be coming and is so simple.

Just a square anvil with a flat round back so you can secure the socket in any wrench without resorting to paper towels. make a 3 pack in 1/4 3/8 and 1/2

would be handy to use with different types of wrenches like deep offset or XL box end where you need to get past a recess. You guys are the dual drive master so get on this before I have to dremel apart HF swivel adapters and give myself cancer with gun blue

 

[theamcguy]

Thank you all, this has been real interesting info. Any idea when the more powerful model will be introduced?

 

[WhataTool]

Tekton does both on their outlet page but honestly I look up alot of tool sites and Tekton is maybe the best one so don’t feel bad there Michael Jordan and everyone else is middle school basketball you can even pull every measurement of every single socket and wrench on there site

That's equivalent to them saying "item has been replaced by" not a reason an item was discontinued like you're asking. I doubt you're going to find a "these kept breaking too easily" or "no body bought these"
Tekton's a retail site that sells direct to the end user and even runs holiday sales and promotions, i think that's the point being made here. They're going to have more features and interactives than someone that mainly makes tools for others or through traditional multi step distribution like Williams-industrial.com, I'm sure there are other examples.
I don't remember the last time i needed to go to a tool brand's website in order to consider a tool

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Thank you all, this has been real interesting info. Any idea when the more powerful model will be introduced?

Agreed. And also looking to see when the new improved version will be released.

 

[dnschmidt]

This is why I like Astro and enjoy working with Chris. They aren't trying to screw anybody. Honest people selling good to great products at a fair price. Thankfully, they're a private company since I'd never consider buying stock in any company with such radical ethics. To make money I invest in Snap-On.

 

[toolenthusiast]

for that right situation I'm sure it's a life saver

Bodywork might be that “right situation”, especially if they make a bigger one. It might kill two birds with one stone, stress relieving and bumping similtaneously

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Bodywork might be that “right situation”, especially if they make a bigger one. It might kill two birds with one stone, stress relieving and bumping similtaneously

Among many other uses. I'm looking forward to the new and improved version.

 

[dnschmidt]

Another plus for ASTRO. If something isn't living up to expectations they listen to their customers and make a change. A good example of this is the Thor impact. Many disliked the two stage trigger so they went back to the drawing board and came up with a much improved continuously linear trigger. Thus the G2 Thor. Few companies today react to customers. Each time I've made a recommendation to improve one of their spray guns they have at least tried to do so. I appreciate that.

 

[Steve_P]

I don't remember the last time i needed to go to a tool brand's website in order to consider a tool

Have you ever tried to find out anything from the Proto website? It's TOTALLY useless for everything I've ever looked at for over a decade. Basically: it's a plier; or a wrench; or a socket set. That's it.

While Tekton's website isn't anything earthshattering, it's just basic stuff, they have WAY more info than anyone else I've seen in the tool universe. Even if you're a mechanical engineer, they pretty much tell you everything you want to know 95% of the time.

 

[mikey03]

Have you ever tried to find out anything from the Proto website? It's TOTALLY useless for everything I've ever looked at for over a decade. Basically: it's a plier; or a wrench; or a socket set. That's it.

While Tekton's website isn't anything earthshattering, it's just basic stuff, they have WAY more info than anyone else I've seen in the tool universe. Even if you're a mechanical engineer, they pretty much tell you everything you want to know 95% of the time.

Yea idk if Tektons site is real amazing or if everyone else just *****

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I think Tekton has the best website for purchasing any product I've ever come across, regardless of industry. Easy to navigate and they include damn near every spec a person could ask for. I guess the same can be said for McMaster, although that's like Tekton's on steroids......

 

[dnschmidt]

I think Tekton has the best website for purchasing any product I've ever come across, regardless of industry. Easy to navigate and they include damn near every spec a person could ask for. I guess the same can be said for McMaster, although that's like Tekton's on steroids......

I consider McMaster-Carr to be in a league of its own. Their Website is a work of art. As much of a critic as I am, and as hard as I try, I can't find a single thing about it that I'd improve. I do miss the joy of getting the big Yellow Catalog every year. It was like Christmas when that showed up.