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New ICON coolant pressure tester

Hakeem

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Jan 22, 2024
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Chicago
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At $400 for the pressure test kit and $120 for the vacuum filler, it’s not cheap. Much less than the tool trucks, but then again—what isn’t. About twice the cost of the Astro kit, but with all-metal construction, i suppose it’s reasonable. Disappointing to see a 1-year warranty.

Above all, it’s nice to see HF continuing to release new tools for professionals and serious DIYers.
 
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Fedwrench

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Dec 9, 2007
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Valley of the sun
I agree that it's great to see new products released but, I'm on the fence about these. The price seems a bit high at first until you count up the cost of all of the individual adapters. Then it's a bargain if the adapters are decently made. The vacuum filler set lacks seals or adapters and really isn't a stand alone unit without the adapters included in the pressure test kit unless the vehicle you're working on uses the old style radiator cap. There's a lot of competition and variety in this market segment. Time will tell if this set is a hit or a miss. :dunno:
 

Astro_Pneumatic_Tools

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Oct 30, 2013
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South El Monte
There is demand for the all metal type caps, and i suppose people like them. Though I'm unsure fully why or if people think the metal parts are doing the sealing. The seal mainly comes down to the gaskets & o-rings mainly, and the quality of thread engagement regardless of what its made from - could be bronze. But its easier to form consistent bur free non overly sharp threads in nylon than steel and aluminum. And nylon seals against plastic, composite and nylon easier than metal does.

People will unscrew the composite cap on their overflow tank that's been leak free for 150k miles and look for a steel and aluminum adapter to thread onto the same tank to test it for 5 mins out of preference for unknown reasons to me.
You also can't get them as tight, as they are round you just turn them. If seal IS an issue for you, the set that has recessed dimples in the top of caps and a wrench that fits it, I'd imagine you'd go that route.
If you are cross threading caps often enough to damage adapters, you'd prefer the adapter to take the hit than use metal to do so on the customers car.

We've had the opportunity to offer them a few times, just haven't found a reason to charge 1.5-2X to our customers on caps that hold vacuum the same 24+ hours as our current ones (the good metal ones, there's poor all metal sets that hold vacuum for about 15 mins)
 
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Hakeem

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Joined
Jan 22, 2024
Messages
1,327
Location
Chicago
I agree that it's great to see new products released but, I'm on the fence about these. The price seems a bit high at first until you count up the cost of all of the individual adapters. Then it's a bargain if the adapters are decently made. The vacuum filler set lacks seals or adapters and really isn't a stand alone unit without the adapters included in the pressure test kit unless the vehicle you're working on uses the old style radiator cap. There's a lot of competition and variety in this market segment. Time will tell if this set is a hit or a miss. :dunno:

The vacuum filler definitely was intended to be an add-on, which isn’t a huge deal to me. A decent move might be to buy the vacuum filler and then buy the adapters from Snapon individually as needed. I think they’d sell more of the vacuum filler if they had the universal adapter like the Airlift…but then they might sell less of the coolant adapter kits.

Looking at it again, the biggest issue I see is a lack of a shop-air pressure tester. Pressurizing the system by hand *****. I have the Astro shop-air pressure tester and it’s amazing. Maybe they’ll be coming out with that in the future.

There is demand for the all metal type caps, and i suppose people like them. Though I'm unsure fully why or if people think the metal parts are doing the sealing. The seal mainly comes down to the gaskets, and the quality of thread engagement regardless of what its made from - could be bronze. But its easier to form consistent bur free non overly sharp threads in nylon than steel and aluminum. And nylon seals against plastic, composite and nylon easier than metal does.

People will unscrew the composite cap on their overflow tank that's been leak free for 150k miles and look for a steel and aluminum adapter to thread onto the same tank to test it for 5 mins out of preference for unknown reasons to me.
You also can't get them as tight, as they are round you just turn them. If seal IS an issue for you, the set that has recessed dimples in the top of caps and a wrench that fits it, I'd imagine you'd go that route.
If you are cross threading caps often enough to damage adapters, you'd prefer the adapter to take the hit than use metal to do so on the customers car.

We've had the opportunity to offer them a few times, just haven't found a reason to charge 1.5-2X to our customers on caps that hold vacuum the same 24+ hours as our current ones (the good metal ones, there's poor all metal sets that hold vacuum for about 15 mins)
Very reasonable. As a consumer, metal just *seems* better, even if there is no real performance benefit. For what it’s worth, I have your pressure tester kit and it’s been great for me.
 
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mikedodge

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Jun 27, 2017
Messages
2,921
What market are they aiming for with that? It's high for a DIYer and most professionals wouldn't be buying a tool like that from HF. It would be nice if they had the tester with a couple of the standard attachments for a better price.

The plus about plastic is ones is the metal ones can corrode over time and stop working properly.
 

drokihazan

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Joined
Apr 8, 2018
Messages
318
I'm curious if the Icon adapters fit the Snap-On pressure tester I've been using for years, I think made by Stant. I've thought about buying one of these big kits from a different brand just for more adapters rather than paying Snap-On prices for tools I won't use frequently and probably work exactly as well from any brand.
 

Sumboodie

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Joined
Mar 20, 2021
Messages
10,951
Location
AK
I have a ~$90 kit off Amazon that has worked for my needs. Recently pressure tested a TDI Jetta and OBS F350 to find tiny leaks that I couldn't find otherwise.
 
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