Review on Drake Off Road OTC 4525 Cable-Type Flexible Hose Clamp Pliers - Optimize your search! by Peris Holland

The tool is listed as 'Drake Off Road Flexible Hose Clamp Pliers 1725' but I received 'OTC Flex Hose Clamp Pliers 4525'. They appear to be identical so I don't understand why it has so many 4 and 5 star reviews because the one I received had so many issues I am returning it. I was able to give it two stars because on smaller clamps the tool actually worked as advertised and held all clamps securely regardless of size. However, there were many downsides: * There wasn't enough mechanical advantage to open the large radiator hose clamps, so I had to resort to using a clip on the grips to open the large clamps. * The stops on the ratchet were not correctly positioned. as the ratchet does not hold the large clamps fully open. I was able to overcome this by using the clamp mentioned above to squeeze the handles together and keep them fully closed* The anchor plate that attaches the end of the cable to bent after removing some clamps which probably reduced the tool's capabilities* The materials of the ratchet mechanism are so soft that after removing the second clamp they began to wear out* Also included was a spring cable support with a handle on the end of the cable --- see photos and videos in the product description. In fact, the packaging is specially designed for such a transport. I wondered why it was there because it was free and didn't seem to do anything useful. I eventually found that it had to be screwed into the end of the clip to protect the plastic sleeve, but by then it was too late as the sliding clip had damaged the cable housing. Although the concept is great and I would have found it difficult. If you remove at least a few clips, the quality is so poor that the tool should be withdrawn from sale.