Any reviews for ATS or AirForce Squeezers?

ATS is running a sale on their ATS PRO C Squeezer and The Yard has their AirForce C squeezer for sale also. Both are now just under $450.

Has anyone used either? Any feedback, good or bad?

This may make a great Christmas present to myself!

Thanks,

Chris

I can't give any insight to the squeezers other than the ATS one is back ordered two weeks. (I just ordered the kit that comes with the longeron yoke too) ATS has had really good customer service with me in the past so that is a plus.

IMPORTANT !

Make sure the squeezer has a release button on the side to allow the plunger to fully retract, otherwise you will either need an adjustable die holder or you will be compromised in changing dies as there isn't sufficient room normally.

Also, if it is brand new, you may find it has an annoying safety feature on the trigger which makes teasing and easy squeezing difficult. Sometimes Elfen Safety just make the job more difficult and ultimately less safe !

I ordered the ATS pro-squeezer's for Father's Day, every few months I get a mail telling me shipping is delayed. Last time I was told mid-December. It's comical they keep advertising something they don't have. Not using ATS again.

If you look on ebay you will see something that looks very similar. I decided to go for Cleaveland Main Squeezer. Expensive but very nice and they ship same day ;-)

Robert

Main Squeeze. Worth every penny.

maniago said:

Main Squeeze. Worth every penny.

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He's talking pneumatic squeezers. While I have a Main Squeeze and agree it's probably the best manual squeezer, it's not in the same league for a lot of repetitive riveting or lots of 1/8 rivets as a pneumatic.

Auburntsts said:

He's talking pneumatic squeezers. While I have a Main Squeeze and agree it's probably the best manual squeezer, it's not in the same league for a lot of repetitive riveting or lots of 1/8 rivets as a pneumatic.

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Ooops, sorry my bad. That said, I know a lot of guys like a pneumatic, but I personally have never had need for one and I'm pretty sure the mustang2 has about 1.5x the rivets you guys use, not that that means anything. I just dont use mine so much as to think a pneu is worth the cost. Of course Im assuming that one doesnt have arm issues, carpel tunnel etc, cause I get that wrt squeezers.

Whatever you are building, I think the pneumatic squeezer has to be the second best tool after the tungsten bucking bar !

There are just so many places that the P squeezer is better, whether it is nutplates, dimples, rivets, thumbnails or whatever ;-)

As I said earlier, the ability to release the die set back into the squeezer is important. I bought a refurbished squeezer from The Yardstore some years ago, but that said.......

My buddy bought one recently - a new one with no release button and the dies would not fit. Yardstore were most unhelpful in dealing with him, he solved the problem by buying an adjustable plunger from Cleaveland Tools.

I would not use Yardstore ever again - good customer service is free or cheap and helps us all, theirs was not and doesn't.

To summarise - look for a nice old refurbished unit with no safety guard, a releasable plunger and as Sergeant Phil Esterhaus always said...

Let's be careful out there !