Review on Lang Tools 87 Heavy Pliers by Dee Fadaifar

This has got to be the worst and most dangerous snap ring tool I've ever used in my shop! I didn't have a snap ring tool strong enough to remove the snap ring holding the axle assembly. I bought some snap ring pliers hoping one of them would help. I bought the following. - Lang Tools 1485 External Circlip Pliers - Lang Tools Model 87 Circlip Tool - CTA 4031M Heavy-Duty Pointed Circlip Pliers. Lang Tools 1485 pliers removed the locking ring, but it took quite a bit of hand/hand to do it. Force to expand the locking ring with its pawl. It was also quite difficult to loosen the locking ring after removing it from the axle! It's a good tool, well made, but it wasn't exactly what I needed for this particular repair. A few days later I received a Lang Tools model 87 snap ring tool which we used to reassemble the axle assembly as new seals and bearings had also arrived. The Model 87 tool looks good, but looks are obviously not everything! First, the Model 87's lock ring tips are too short, making it easy for the heavy lock ring to slip off the tips and be sent through the magazine. like a flying ball! It took us at least 6 tries to get hold of the snap ring on the tool before we finally got it on the axle shaft before it broke again. We used screwdrivers and hammers to move the snap ring into its groove on the shaft. As if that wasn't enough, the Model 87 required as much force to insert the retaining ring as the Lang Tools 1485 pliers! This has to be the dumbest design I've ever seen and apparently nobody really thought of testing this tool to see if the design had any mechanical advantage over their plier style versions! You have one of the most dangerous tools I have ever come across! This tool is too dangerous to use in front of others in business! The locking ring broke loose after almost fully expanding at blinding speed, hitting the back of the shop door, rebounding and stopping at my feet (drove 25ft and hopped another 20+ft). Imagine a locking ring hitting a colleague in the face or on the head 😬 I immediately decided to bring back the Model 87 locking ring tool! All heavy-duty tools with locking rings too bad! This tool is a beast and requires little effort to expand a skid steer axle snap ring. Plus, it keeps it securely in place and won't let it fly off the ends until the tension is released! If you are looking for a heavy duty snap ring tool, this is a tool you should really consider. It won't disappoint you, I promise 😉