Automotive Reviews

I purchased this radio new on Amazon for about 26 bucks delivered; not a bad price for any CB that is in working order, new or used! So there is value here! The first radio I received was defective; the receive section totally lost it's sensitivity after a few minutes of turning the radio on, and it was easily replaced with a fully functioning one. As one who enjoys "big" rig equipment, the compact size in this case allowed me to install it within the space beneath a removable tray in my car. Using a good quality extension speaker did the trick; but the radio has surprisingly good audio quality and volume from its internal speaker. An added bonus that NONE of the sellers; even the manufacturer ever mentions is that this rig does have an RF Gain control, a feature NEVER seen in a radio at this price point. Another thing I am impressed with is the fact that the squelch control actually works properly; set it for a particular threshold, and it will allow signals to pass selectively based on the FULL range of differently received signal strengths. It seems that the radio has some sort of "fuzzy logic" that allows a signal to break the squelch and remain received even as the signal fluctuates under the selected threshold to some degree. Most squelch circuits, even in high priced equipment, operate miserably in this regard. So with the other features presented with this radio, ease of operation, good TX & RX audio, the nice size package, and the price - you simply can't go wrong!

I have been into CB radios since they first came out. I also have 50 year experience as a ham radio operator and an electrical engineer. I have never had a better CB radio. I purchased a second one just to have in years to come as a spare. I use it every day-it has very low crosstalk from high power CB transmitters nearby on the Interstate.
Can't beat it for the $

Jay

Surprising quality for this price range, my son uses this around town to talk with his buddies and it works just fine! Worth the purchase price and then some. And it's fun with a PA horn installed under the hood too!

This CB is a very good buy. For the quality of it, the price is the best I've seen. I used it with the Cobra A1500 antenna. I found about 5 miles. Also, it is compact and fit in the console. The only problem was getting use to the squelch and RF Gain. This is my first CB and I am very happy with it.

Small in size but does a good job boardcasting.I added a good ant.Wilson Little Wil.I have a 03 Nissan Altima,it fit in the storage bin on console,great fit.The speaker does a good job.Good CB radio.

I had bought this radio at a Radio Shack store in town when we went to visit my dad in Indiana last Christmas. I had only bought it because my old Radio Shack cb I have had for about 8 1/2 years had died on me on the way there. I Bought the 520Xl and hooked it up to my SWR meter with my 3 ft Firestik antenna with magnet mount I had on the back, and right off, i never had to make an adjustment at all, because I had a SWR reading between 1:0 and 1:5. I used this radio on the way back, and was able to reach people up to 5 miles away, which was great! unfortunatly on the way back, I had to take my antenna off because everytime a semi passed us on the road, it would blow my antenna off the truck. When I got home, I took my CB to a cb shop near by and had it peaked and tuned, so now it gets 14 watts out instead of 7, and I can talk over 15-20 miles on a clear day. I did however switch antennas to a K40 3 ft antenna with adjustable sleeve that I had for years, and it works about the same. Get the radio, get you a good quality antenna like Firestik, K40, Wilson, or another good name brand. If you know somebody who can do it, get it peaked and tune, or take it to a cb shop and have them do it, and you will get somebody surely everytime you talk. Well worth the money, sorry about rambling on, but I felt if I shared experiences, it would help.

One more thing is that I know 4 truck drivers that have this CB in their trucks over a big Cobra, and they love the size and availability of the radio.

Get the Uniden 520xl, get a quality antenna, get a peak and tune if availble, and get talking!! You won't regret it.

I hope to talk to some of you soon. If you are ever on I-24 between Exit 110-121, give me a call and see if my radio is on. My handle is Hoosier in the South.

The three stars is just a warning, not a critique of the tool itself.

This might be the right tool if you use a caulk gun for a living, but it's inappropriate if you just want to caulk the trim in your house.

I've used caulk guns for 35 years and now have elbow tendonitis that makes it painful for me to grip and squeeze. After installing about a mile of crown moulding in my old house (using a Paslode finish nailer, before the tendonitis - now THERE'S a useful tool!), I wanted to caulk the gaps at the ceiling. This tool is heavy and a bit fussy for detail work when you're up on a ladder. Much better to let the elbow heal, wrap your forearm with the proper bandage and use a manual caulk gun. Or if it's a big honeydo job that can't wait, pay someone else to do it.

It ain't cheap, but it sure is well built, and it sure lets me do caulking with my injured hand. I am a rightee, and I tore a ligament in my right wrist, which wiped out my grip strength. My left hand is ok, but it lacks the control of my right hand. With this battery powered caulk gun, I can once again caulk for hours. Its only drawback is that it is heavy, and is best controlled with two hands. If you have full strength, you do not need this powerhouse. But if you have lost strength, or need to use really viscous polyurethane caulks, then this baby is a godsend - if you can afford it. For me, it is a godsend, even at 200 bucks.

I have a boat restoration business and do alot of caulking with very thick materials. For years I have used an air driven gun but no more. This far exceeds my expectations. ONly down side is heavier than an air gun, but no hose to worry about dragging in wet caulk on teak decks, battery holds a good charge and comes with a universal (milwaukee) charger. You can also buy a 14 volt battery for a 2nd one at Home Depot, and works with gun and charger.

But I didn't find it first so I bought a breaker bar (long handled 1/2" socket wrench - does not ratchet). There are plenty for under twenty bucks but mine was under fifteen bucks. A good idea added to a small twenty dollar compressor. Who really wants to change a tire if you don't have to. Just get it to a tire store.

This is a heavily built high quality tool that is finely polished, has a good feel and looks good. This is obviously not a tool someone just slapped together with light or cheap stuff, it's the real deal. I torqued a lug nut to 100 foot pounds, then used this tool to loosen it and less than 15 foot pounds was required to loosen the nut. It comes in a nice case and packaged nicely with extra sockets, extensions and adapters. The company is just as top notch as the tool is with which to deal. Truly a no hassle get the job done experience.

I received this product in perfect working condition, and its pretty easy to use. I had a question about it so I called them, and they are very helpful!

I like having a tire gauge and I like having one that fits on a key chain but it is small and delicate for getting a good reading quickly. The end must be matched up flush to avoid air escaping and I am left wondering if an "O" ring or other gasket is missing from the unit... other traditional gauges I've used suffer similar problems... hard to read at night or with even modest vision impairments.

This tiny little key chain does exactly what it's supposed to. Very small, very cheap and very good. I even checked it's accuracy. Recommend if you only need to check your tires with a very low price but accurated device.

This is an awesome guage. I work in the tire business and this guage is very accurate and durable. I have used it regularly for a year and a half and will be purchasing another when this one finally does go.

My MV-50 just arrived tonight and it worked fine, it would have made sense if it had a cigarette adaptor than having to use the battery. The gauge starts off from zero and increments by 5psi, so it is off by 5psi! The gauge reads: 0,5,10,15,20,25. At 20psi, it is showing 25psi.

The only confusion is what I found on the internet for some people paying only $25 for this and not $70 plus shipping charges.

The connector is not useful for tight spaces, like a rear motorcycle tire on my Yamaha 650 Maxim.

I think it is going to perform to my racing needs.

This little machine is capable of pulling so much current, that it would blow most fuses for Cigarette lighters, which is why the adapter isn't included. It needs to be clipped directly to the battery, and is good at filling large truck tires in a couple minutes.

I bought this compressor with the intent of airing my tires back up after a day of 4-wheeling. For this purpose, it works amazingly. It comes with an awesome carrying case, and everything else you would expect with a portable air compressor...it will air up my tires quickly--the specs state about 4 minutes to air up a 35" tire.

When running, the compressor is pretty quiet and doesn't vibrate and bounce around. The built-in gauge is quite accurate once the unit is turned off.

In short...buy this air compressor if you have ANY use for it at all. It will easily beat compressors which cost over 3 times what this unit does.

nice solid unit...unique handle allows variations in holding the unit up.

I had a body shop for twenty years. Spent more time behind a polisher than would be believed if I stated it. Polishers for automotive use were all 2400 RPM. It was either on or off, and no variable speed. When trying to feather in an area, I used to feather the switch on and off intermittently. This polisher by Makita takes it to the next level. The moment I took it out of the box and plugged it in, it was preset at one on the speed dial. I squeezed the trigger, and it crawled around so slow I couldn't believe it. Then when setting it at a higher number it gave you variable speed on the trigger. That way you had the option of adjusting by the trigger, any speed up to the preset number. Additionally, you could press in the lock on, and it would remain at a constant speed. In plain words, every option was considered, well thought out, and integrated into the tool. Leave it to Makita to make another dead on accurate tool. Add to that the built in smart electronics, which gives you just the right amount of power to keep it running at the preset speed, even when it encounters more resistance. That keeps the speed constant.
I do woodworking projects now, and was looking for a solution to give me a polished finish. The problem was that my old polishers had two speeds. Flat out 2400 or stop. Additionally they had only one option for bonnets, or cutting wheels: Large!
The Makita 9227C comes with a hook and loop 7" backing pad, and an included centering spline. Their are nice polishing wool bonnets that work with the hook and loop pad. Their are also hook and loop lambswool polishing pads that are close napped, and make for a very tight clean edge. Great for getting into those otherwise inaccessable areas. With woodwork, you may be polishing a 3 inch apron for example, right up against the underside of the table top. That requires a hook and loop backing pad, with a tight nap hook and loop pad.
Makita also has available as an option, the side handles that we have all come to know, the standard throughout the years. Those side handles are my personal choice for automotive. The handle that this 9227c comes with does not feel intuitively comfortable in my opinion. At first I thought that handle would grow on me after awhile. NOT, it is uncomfortable. I had bought the Makita 4 1/2" grinder at an earlier time from Home Depot, when they run their tool sale, just about giving it away. That side handle works perfectly on the polisher as well. So for the super cheap price, it is nice to have the handle, and the grinder.
Additionally, this polisher is available at the Makitatools.com site with the side handle only instead of the wrap around handle. The part number on that one is 9227CY. Since the side handle is available as an option, I chose to go with this one, and pick up the handle, to keep all options open.
Makita also had the standard rubber backing pad with the hex nut for the center, so you can use the standard bolt on cutting wheels, and be able to use the tie on bonnets on top of it.
If you are planning on doing the mile deep gloss level of polishing, you will need the 2400 speed range that this Makita gives you. (As well as the other speeds) The polishers that only go to 1750 is not what you want for truly incredible gloss. Especially when using high build finishes like urethanes, and well cured lacquers.
With all that in mind, that makes this Makita the top of the heap. It does share that position with the Milwaukee 5540, but that is another review. I like the Makita because it is 6 pounds instead of 9 like the 5540, and has 99 percent of the power, and 25% better price tag. The Milwaukee comes with the side handle instead of the wrap around.
All in all I am glad I bought the Makita although I must admit the Milwaukee is tugging at me as well. Highly recommended.

I recently took delivery of this machine and just can't put it down. The electronic speed control does exactly what they claim. It maintains speed even running an eight inch soft pad with sixty grit on the slowest speed setting of 300 rpm! The handle is another great bonus with a much greater combination of postions than a regular side grip. This polisher/sander maintains Makita's rep as having the lightest...but strongest polisher/sanders around, this one's a feather. It also has the standard goodies like the spindle lock and trigger hold. It's definitely the favorite in my shop.

This is a pretty good CB for a basic rig in it's price class. If all you are looking for is a no-frills CB for the car to keep in touch with others or get road information while traveling, the Pro 510XL is a nice rig. I have a cigarette lighter plug on my Pro 510 so I can easily put it in the car whenever I go on a trip. The audio from the speaker is pretty clean, and I have found that the range on the CB is pretty good for it's size. It helps to have a good antenna, such as a Wilson 1000 or something similar. One thing I don't like about the radio is that the microphone is pretty cheap. Uniden chose to use an electret microphone element in the mic for the Pro 510 and Pro 520 radios. The mic element draws about 3 Volts of power from the radio itself to power the mic element. This makes it virtually impossible to use any other mic other than the one that comes with the radio. I have been told that you have to use some sort of amplified mic, like one of the Astatic series hand mics on the Pro 510 if you want to go with a better quality mic for the radio. If you try to use a regular dynamic mic like most CB's use, the transmit audio just won't sound very good. The mic that Uniden supplies with the radio is adequate, I wouldn't say it is excellent. All-in-all, I think the Pro 510XL is a good basic CB. Uniden backs the rig with a 2-year warranty. Give this radio a look if all you are looking for is a simple CB for traveling and keeping in touch with others on the road.

I am partial to Uniden anyway, however this CB is great for a first time user or as a back up to a more expensive unit. I have been using CB for about 10 years and I always make sure I have a Uniden 510 available for a back up, or use it in a second car. It has superior range when used with a good antenna and the received audio is decent. I would suggest using an external speaker unless you have a super quiet vehicle. The anl switch cuts through static really well to improve reception, although it sometimes dulls out the audio of the person you are trying to hear. You can use it with a cigarette lighter plug with an adapter from radio shack for a few dollars. They will even show you how to hook it up. It all boils down to being a great CB at a great price. Remember a simple rule of thumb... An inexpensive CB on a good antenna will perform just as well as a high-end CB on a cheap antenna. Don't forget to tune your antenna and have fun!

THIS CB ROCKS! IT REACHES UP TO 15 MILES WITH MY TINY ANTENNA, VERY COMPACT ***** STARS LOVE IT! BUT IT NOW AND EXPREIENCE THE EMOTION OF CB

Modern cars depend on vacuum, and it there is a leak somewhere it can affect the way the car runs as well as be difficult to find. The MityVac (MIT4050) Silverline Plus Automotive Kit is their best pump coupled with their most complete kit. This pump switches from vacuum pumping functions to suction pumping with the flick of a lever which also serves to relieve the vacuum r pressure.

There are numerous adapters and plugs that allow testing of lots of different size devices, connecting to just about any size hose you are likely to run across, and more. In the first month of ownership I have used mine to test lots of vacuum devices (like the cruise control actuator, vacuum ventilation motors under the dash, DRG valve operation and more). With some creativity the device can be used for lots of things. For example: is the device leaking or is it the vacuum line connected to it that has failed? Plug one end of a vacuum line with one of the included plugs and connect the MityVac to the other and create a vacuum with a few pumps, then wait a minute to see if the line holds vacuum. Is the vacuum operated fuel pressure regulator working? Run the car and apply vacuum to it and see if the RPMs change.

This kit comes with the liquid reservoir and I have already used this to pull all the fluid out of my power steering system in preparation for a fluid change. It also comes with a device that holds an inverted bottle of brake fluid on the master cylinder reservoir so you can change the fluid or bleed the brakes in a car by applying vacuum to the bleeders on the wheels without having to continually jump up and manually fill the reservoir.

The only thing I have found lacking is that the kit does not come with a single "Tee" fitting for monitoring or evaluating the vacuum in a system that is in operation. The reservoir bottle is also somewhat small (I had to empty it four times to evacuate the PS pump reservoir). A rubber boot around the gage would also have been nice (it is supplied on a lesser model, but not this one).

The fitted case makes it easy to store, and all the accessory parts clean up easily and quickly in your parts washer.

I have been tinkering on cars for 40 years and never treated myself to a vacuum brake bleeder until now. Why did I wait so long? The MityVac far exceeds its descriptions and my expectations. The hand held pump/vacuum unit is a heavy duty, polished and machined casting. No plastic here. There are an abundance of fittings and adapters included also. The instruction manual is well worth reading as it contains tips and info on almost every situation.

I really like it. It keeps you from bumping your fender.

I received a Park Zone for Christmas about 4 years ago. My garage is on the small side and you have to cross in front of the car to get to the washer and dryer. I would have to park as far back as possible, getting as close to the garage door as I could. Sometimes it would take me three or four tries to get the car parked satisfactorily. I got the car parked precisely where I wanted it, and set up the Park Zone. It was extremely easy to set up. I just lined the sensor up with the license plate, screwed the sensor and the light part into the wall (batteries were installed) and pushed the button. Voila - perfect parking any time. I have given away about 8 since then for Christmas presents and even though some thought at first it was a rather strange gift, everyone loved it once they used it. I have had mine for four years now and have only had to change the batteries once. I highly recommend the Park Zone if you need to park precisely. One note, you cannot have any clutter in front of the sensor. It has to have a clear line-of-sight from the wall to the car. The Park Zone rocks for me!