(REVIEW) large exhaust pipe expander (harbor freight) lacuna

[@glorygiftsglory2771]

brought one today and it worked great with my impact wrench and got the job done

[@ScoutSniper3124]

I'd recommend anti-seize on the threads, it works much better than grease to keep it from galling.

[@darthmal]

This thing is a lifesaver. Got one at the goodwill store for 2 bucks not knowing what it was. I replaced a pipe in my car and was able to easily expand the new pipe to go over the old.

[@67goodoleboy67]

I just used one today, I only inserted 1/2 of the expander and it flared nicely.

[@-GreeferGames]

Ive always heated the end im working on to make it more malleable, and great tip with the grease my friend has one in his toolbox and its all beaten up cause he used it straight out the package.

[@mysteriousoklahoma777]

Heat

[@Mcfly0856]

Had the same experience with the one I rented from Autozone, impossible to get anywhere without an impact or the hydraulic version.

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

PRO TIP: Take your pipe and a $20 dollar bill down to your local muffler shop and ask them if they do 'favors'. Tell them "No paperwork necessary."

[@eldianmolina4920]

Hell no mufflers charge ashit load for any little job

[@ihopness1668]

Try going to the hood, they will do odd jobs for cash@@eldianmolina4920

[@jamesmarnell934]

Funny you should say that I called an exhaust shop today to have my back box swapped onto my new exhaust just to weld it on nothing els they wanted 180 no thanks

[@chuckplainview4085]

Maybe 20 years ago they'd do that. But nowadays muffler shops are a joke. The labor always costs more than the setup you buy

[@Exit_343]

local muffler shop...wants $90/weld. 25 years ago, i could just about get any chevy truck done for $300. 350 for dual ex. chrome tips included.

[@mishmosh2000]

I've used a pipe expander successfully on an end of the pipe that had been crimped with a clamp and would no longer fit over a replacement pipe. I wasn't trying to expand it really... just get it back to original size.

[@snake_hole2886]

this was a very good and honest review, but i would add that if you have access to a press you can use it to gradually expand the tool and press it through the pipe. you can get vey good results that way. trying to expand the pipe using the screw is near impossible. setting it gradually larger and pressing it in...is easy, although a little tedious. Of course, you cant always get the pipe you want to work under the press

[@happyrootsfamily1276]

Nothing good or honest about it he absolutely didn't know how to use the tool and said it doesn't work when thousands of mechanics use them daily without any issues he should have at least tried to learn how to use it before his disastrous review and people calling him honest is a joke

[@zjedinite]

Now this is review! Great job on greasing it to give it a good shot. I usually take things apart that I feel need to be addressed before putting it to work. All my tools, even the “cheap ones” are in great condition. I know which one I can push hard and which ones need to be babied. Great job on greasing your tool! 😳😂🤣

[@caseyhetzelable]

Same here!

[@wiliiamamey5967]

It's good for videos like this to exist this is a very honest video. I purchased the same product and I'm finding it hard to get it to expand the pipe. I'm doing it on a straight pipe and I'm holding it with a pipe wrench and using a fairly decent size breaker bar. It's amazing how well the pipe wrench holds the pipe. I haven't applied the grease yet but I haven't gone absolutely bazooka with the torque either. I will try the grease. I'm also thinking it might be beneficial to perhaps heat the metal perhaps with some propane to get it into a softer state so it's more workable. Have to be careful with grease and heat. This could produce a fire hazard. I will look at more videos but I appreciate the honesty of this one thank you.

[@guesswhomartin9249]

Personally, I think it makes better sense to buy the correct size pipe, then to go through all this. Hey my opinion. I work smart , not hard .

[@threadtapwhisperer5136]

It works far better with everything greased. I just bought this thing today 10-16-22. Also, i used some scrap bits of wood to fill the inside of my pipe so i could lock it in the vise more securely. I also have removed the forcing screw and used the whole expanding mechanism in my manual hydraulic press. Remember to slightly rotate the expanding mandrel every few tightening cycles, as the pipe will end up all sorts of oblong. Unless thats what you want. I have found new pipe is much easier to expand versus the older pre-existing piping. A breaker bar plus cheater pipe is your friend, so long as your work holding method can actually clamp down on the work pipe. It is a bit of sweat equity, but i have managed an expansion of 5/8" in total, from a 2 and 1/8" original OD exhaust pipe. It does take some fiddling and some girding of the loins, though. If your vise doesnt have a plumbing/pipe vise side/attachment then you will 100% run out of clamping force before you can expand the pipe. A cheeky thrust washer on the wrench side of the forcing screw helps immensely when tightening the expansion mandrel. The thrust washer will nearly eliminate the binding force from tightening. Also, grease everything, the expanding mandrel, the inner diameter of the pipe(what fer allowing some movement as pressure us applied) and always ensure your grease is of a high pressure type. The typical ball joint/tie rod grease gun grease did not work well AT ALL compared to this red color Scharffer brand high pressure grease from my day job. The entire expanding action is achieved through the sorta tiny diameter forcing screw, lube your tool as if puberty is hitting a second stage, then make sure no math teachers are around to ask ya to the front of the class, lmao. In my case, this jank-o-matic 9000 did save me from having to buy about four 2.5/2.5 ID adapters and 8 clamps whatfer repairing my trucks Y pipe. The saved 6bucks each for 4 sleeves and 4 additional clamps was almost 2 times the cost if this expanding tool. Irony is I sought some wisdom here hoping i wasnt about to break the tool, turns out everyone sorta struggles with this thing. Oh, and 100% using an impact tool or cordless impact(in my case) will absolutely snap the forcing screw. So, dont use power impact tools, unless ya wanna buy another expanding mandrel dealy.

[@ismaelcarrillo3956]

Heating up the pipe will damage the rubber O rings

[@jonburgmann6246]

Heat the pipe area where you want to expand with blow torch let cool naturally (no dipping in water when hot that will harden the metal)every time you expand a bit till it too hard to go anymore then heat the pipe again till it starts to glow orange let cool naturally again & expand again rotating the expander to get a even circle

[@jonburgmann]

Any reshaping of metals work hardens it weather bending,expanding forcing any metal to another shape work hardens it reheat area let cool in air & go again till it gets too tight then re-heat & expand till you get the right size you need

[@WL-mt4mv]

My understanding of these expanders they are only designed to take out places where exhaust clamps have been used to get them back to the original size.

[@OxenHandler]

that's what brought me here, how else might one restore the round to a clamp dented coupling?

[@ebyers92]

Doesn't seem like its to fit to be used to expand but exhaust reshaping sounds better also its a good thing to keep a open hand when your pushing any thing towards the ground with you hands unless you want busted knuckles I been there just hiveing a lil advice to save you from the brutal ground busting good luck 👍

[@wiliiamamey5967]

It also may be beneficial to loosen up the tool rotat it into a different position and then try it again

[@wiliiamamey5967]

Okay I tried heating the pipe a little bit with propane and that didn't seem to change things much so I don't recommend that. If you do not put it in the pipe all the way put it in like halfway that reduces the amount of pressure that is required for it to work. I greased it on the inside parts by simply loosening it up all the way in greasing the threads and all the surfaces on the internal but I also greased it on the external surface too. It did start to work. The only problem is instead of creating a perfect cylinder expansion it creates more of a flared expansion is in a tapered expansion. This may not be what you expected when you bought the tool. This is the way I'm going to try it and hopefully the end result will be having an exhaust system that goes together and fits properly and properly seals. Not sure at this point in time if that will be the result but I guess I will know more when I go and try to put it together and test it.

[@zdravkomomci7570]

Try making two cuts with a grinder opposite each other on the end of pipe. Cut about 1.5inches along pipe end then heat it up and then stretch it. You can always use bigger od exhaust clamp to bring the ends together if the ends flare away while hot using the tool, slip your new pipe in and migweld the cuts shut and you won't need an exhaust clamp

[@wxfield]

I've never had any luck with these tools. I am fortunate to have a shop that can expand thin walled pipe with a hydraulic machine. If you're in MA or S.NH I can point you to who I use.

[@livefree6878]

I thought I’d be worth the good old college try. I ended up buying a Coupler pipe for 4 bucks. I cleaned up the tool and returned it to Harbor freight for someone else to try. I agree that a hydraulic press would be about the only way. It was quite a work out.👍

[@davidjohnson4304]

I'm in SNH and would appreciate info on who has hydraulic equipment for this. Thank you

[@chuckplainview4085]

I use an impact on mine. It's always treated me right.

[@scottscamaro]

Used one today with impact worked great.

[@ryelivingston7022]

I'd never heard of this tool and my son, who is a mechanic, told me to buy one. First he said like others, grease it up which I did, then use an impact hammer and go SLOW. I had an exhaust leak at the J-tubes slipping into the muffler on a 356 Porsche. I used a micrometer first so I knew the outside diameter, which was 1.49", and I expanded them to 1.52. Worked perfectly! Leak fixed!

[@travisbacon5527]

Use an impact and also a better sized tool for your pipe. Should be sbug when inserting it as loose as you can. Works a treat then and it is applying even pressure on 99% of the pipe not 70%

[@BT-cg8md]

I usually cut four relief slits along the exhaust pipe and stick this expander in the pipe and put a worm clamp around the end of the pipe to retain the circular shape

[@THX..1138]

The purpose of this tool is to fix an exhaust pipe with a dented end or out of round end, not to create a new slip joint. The confusion is understandable cuz name of the tool is kinda deceptive and they don't bother to give useful instructions for how to use it. It should maybe be called an exhaust pipe RE-exspander.

[@ScottBFree]

It say in the description on harbor freights website that it is for making new flares and fixing old ones.

[@THX..1138]

@@ScottBFree HFT will tell you whatever they think will get you to buy the tool. Flares are put in exhaust tubing with a hydraulic machine that cost thousands of dollars. That tool is only meant to restore the roundness of exhaust tubing....but if you wanna try to create a flare go for it, but have your receipt handy cuz you will be taking it back to HFT after you break it.

[@markashlock9017]

High torque impact wrench?

[@silentwarrior11six78]

Tried it, you break the expanders in half, also break the bands.

[@MarstaJNZ]

Surely heat up the pipe + impact wrench should give better results?

[@jeffblack7711]

Slide the tube over a smaller solid piece of pipe like a water pipe. Take a hammer and hit down the length you want to expand. Rotate the tube and continue hitting. The tube will expand with each rotation. Keep tapping until it is the size you want

[@arbit3r]

You're supposed to heat the metal with a blowtorch first. Helps if you use an impact and secure the pipe in a vice.

[@kevinragsdale6256]

I wonder if while stretching it if you heated the pipe with a torch it would help it stretch

[@blah-hg3cz]

You'd wind up setting the grease and orings on fire.

[@wiliiamamey5967]

Okay well I wasn't too happy with that tapered situation. Just seems kind of unprofessional. I was using a 24-in pipe wrench while holding it on the clamp on my bandsaw and turning the bolt with about a 20-in breaker bar. The tubing I bought was the standard stuff down at the auto parts store. It was .048 wall thickness also known as 18 gauge. Maybe I could have used a larger breaker bar. Perhaps this tool would work better on a thinner wall tubing or aluminum tubing. The tubing I was using was regular galvanized mild steel. I don't have any more time to mess around with it so instead I'm just going to go down to the auto parts store buy a female to female coupler and have to use an extra clamp. I just don't have any more time to mess around with this and I have to get this done. So unfortunately for me this tool did not work as well as I expected it to.

[@alanladd8031]

Have to get rid of the flower petal effect, keep rotating the tool till the opening is round not looking like a flower petal

[@anthonysoto3776]

I seen this yesterday at H.F. think you would’ve had better luck with the impact expander.

[@knolez1546]

I just bought a set of ToolPRO pipe stretchers for $80. I figured it'll be cheaper than buying couplings

[@WApnj]

You did not have to grease the contact areas between the sections. They do not touch when in use.

[@saldominguezii6436]

Damn it.. why didn't I watch this video before attempting to use it.. I probably wouldn't of ruined my 2" expander. LoL.. good video sir.

[@herbnalis3723]

Use ' tie wire ' or ' fencing wire ' to hold the expander together instead of the o-rings.

[@davissunglasses]

I just stripped all off the threads out of the nut from one I rented from autozone

[@markbrown1609]

what about applying heat? would that help?

[@johnnys1963]

I went to my local muffler shop in Visalia CA Quality muffler shop guy was cool did it for free i was given him $10 and he didn't want my money. Everyone Have a Great Blessed Day

[@billhansen6855]

what if you heated the pipe?

[@jonburgmann]

Even using hole punches the area around the hole work hardens & if you don’t re-heat that area it will form fractures leading to tearing if you press or force fittings into that hole without re-heating & softening the metal again

[@iamocoyt6515]

What about heating the pipe And band after expand?

[@nativestacker4185]

The key to it is to use a pipe vice and an impact wrench .

[@jnunez1203]

Is it suppose to be preheated at high temperature first?

[@pl5624]

You'd burn up the rubber bands....

[@transam8607]

It's probably only meant to round of a pinched pipe and who ever made the packaging Label to sell the product did it all wrong I've tried this product but I didn't use the grease and I ended up breaking it with no results. I'm sure there's something that expends pipes out there for people like us. This will probably work on pipes that wore clamp down to expend the clamp pinch on the pipes

[@JuanSanchez-ik7wx]

why the heck are you not using a pneumatic drive

[@iamher6422]

I mean, who uses a pipe expander with a ratchet..?

[@rodneyfernado857]

it must heat the pipe and do it more easily

[@owenmarshalek9537]

These reemers really only work with smaller pipes I find, like really really small ID.

[@n9wox]

maybe get some small brushes at Harbor Freight as well

[@jasondonavich2758]

I guess you could get a blow torch and heat the pipe and expand it when its hot.

[@jeremypreston5009]

What if you took a torch to the steel and got it hot before stretching? You'd probably trash the tool huh?

[@ryelivingston7022]

No need to heat it up.

[@WeekendPursuitOutdoors]

Break out an impact!.....Done!

[@jonburgmann]

Heat the end to red heat with a blowtorch & let cool naturally after each expansion as work hardening occurs each time it’s expanded heating the pipe to red hot & cool naturally in the air softens the area you are working on

[@jonburgmann]

If you try to expand work hardened metals you will end up with fracture cracking so between each expansion heat with blowtorch to re-soften the area you are working on

[@wertiaaudit5746]

ok

[@seeya205]

You will burn the o-rings off.

[@Turco949]

I always thought a tool like that would be use to straighten/round a bent or curved edge, not to actually expand a pipe that is already in its natural form. Integrity of the metal would be compromised at the very least and possibly damage the pipe itself, even if successful. I much rather go buy a larger pipe if that is what was needed.

[@joshgurney4864]

How do you think they flare one side on the part store sections you can buy? Same exact way.

[@Turco949]

@@joshgurney4864 I don't really know but I'd think it would not be with a hand tool like this. This is what people use to expand the Y or X exhaust joint when it gets crushed by the clamps during the tightening process but those pipes have bunch of slits/cuts at the end which allows the pipe to be crushed and also expanded the same way.

[@patricemaynermorin3407]

It would have if you use an impact.

[@wiliiamamey5967]

I have heard of people using impact wrenches on these and possibly breaking them. Something else I was thinking it might be beneficial to allow time for the metal to stretch.

[@jonburgmann6246]

You need to heat it up with blow torch to remove the work hardening to soften the pipe after each expansion

[@1stedfast]

tray it on a smaller mild still pipe

[@chadpreece970]

Having the rubber orings prevents from heating the pioe

[@Wheelingoffthewrench]

Remove o rings Put in pipe roll out ring continue until other ring and roll out Heat expand cool secure pieces while removing from pipe

[@shacklefordduh6849]

Impact boi 😁

[@timrivard4185]

No luck for me either. Will return tool

[@combatkiller113gaming7]

Where is ur PPE

[@81071benson]

Glad I found this video now I know not to buy that pos tool

[@Charles-lane277]

A smart option I'd say would be their telescoping ratchet.

[@bradi5050]

I had one I always did the same greased it but used impact on it so much faster

[@danielangeles86]

Is the minimum 1 1/2 ID or OD?

[@RickyGreen-t7s]

The stretching out of shape is because you have to rotate the tool

[@savvykronik4192]

You need to use power or air tools dude

[@Spiritof_76]

Two words: power tools.

[@carlor9088]

use a impact

[@guesswhomartin9249]

Either you’re doing it wrong, or this just looks too hard. Id rather just buy the pipe at the correct size. I don’t want to go through all this.

[@MyCarsandProjects]

Not suprising that a tool from China Freight doesn't work very well.

[@G.Harley.Davidson]

This reminds me of the 19 year old Latina girlfriend I once had..😢

[@siliconvalleyengineer5875]

had you preheated the pipe with a torch you would have gotten better results. if the goal was to create a slip-fit, then opening the pipe just enough for the other pipe to slip would have been what you wanted. just cranking on the pipe expander and getting a horrible result, is what happen here.

[@chris001979]

unfortunately i experienced the same issues glad i rented it and dint buy it. short of heating the pipe up with a torch or using an impact on it not really that good of a tool

[@wertiaaudit5746]

thanks

[@mercury0214]

They do work great just they advertise wayyy to large of a range the medium one should only really do 2.5 at a max when the teeth are all apart and it’s not a full circle anymore it’s useless

[@luketabayoyong3084]

I use an impact. makes it wayyy easier

[@JohnSmith-xx1lx]

How do you hold the other end of it

[@kennethflood5025]

@@JohnSmith-xx1lx in a vise

[@seeya205]

​@@JohnSmith-xx1lxYou don't need to hold it.

[@ikutiap5923]

HF quality :) nothing works there, OR maybe only once as a 1-time use tool

[@ansharahshahid3720]

How much price sir please

[@cone6052]

The problem was you are using the wrong size

[@martinfrias9825]

Que cuesta

[@sumonefromchicago]

Lmao. Ironic… you review a bad tool from harbor freight and after I watched your video. Guess what ad popped up lol

[@tonywalters5679]

Only use half

[@tankimus]

you lost me at harbor freight. i have used a kit from amazon for years, never greased it.

[@endall6783]

HEAT

[@JuanSanchez-ik7wx]

heat dude heat. get that pipe hot first.

[@johndorazio3759]

You might get a job or 2 done with this tool

[@RW-zh7kl]

Wow that thing sucks, and it has overwhelmingly good reviews but looks like it works horribly

[@dangerdavefreestyle]

Thats the last thing i want is my toolbox to be cluttered up with all these shitty tools that i only needed to utilize once and never again

[@craftsman1598]

lol. That is Galvanized pipe. Not mild steel. lol. If you would have grabbed a little propane torch and applied a little heat to it while stretching it then it would have stayed.

[@TheComrad]

For use on plastic only.

[@mrconservative833]

You need heat

[@1841handled]

You should've heated the pipe with a torch while expanding

[@ndavis80]

Dude...you are only supposed to insert the pipe expander tool half-way in...Lol. You put the tool all the way inside the pipe, making it damn near impossible. The tool is designed to "flare" the end of the pipe. You used it incorrectly. Nice try tho;)

[@watamuppet24]

That steel is too thick.

[@mercedesbenzcee6738]

WD4O 🤷

[@complexity5545]

This made me laugh.

[@barenekid9695]

Buy Cheap... Buy Twice.

[@davidcee1616]

Heat it up first

[@sonofsteve566]

heat it up

[@frankiejamescollins]

garbage !… pipe expanders only work if pipe is slotted prior to expanding !