![]() I’ve also seen warnings about using those with older pipes (Our house was built in the 1930’s) as they can blow out some joints under the wrong circumstances. Any pressure tool would be likely to just push the partial blockages together creating one super blockage. With practice I can now run about 23 feet of cable down the drain in about five minutes. In my situation we had multiple partial blockages all the way down to the joint with the second drain, so in all it took about six hours of auguring to clear the drain (the good news is that the drain is now clear the whole length). With a blockage it will remain harder to push more auger down. Recognizing a blockage compared to a bend is fairly easy with a bend a few turns should send the auger end past the bend and it will “jump” around the bend. When I hit the first real blockage I repeated the procedure and after a few turns and a little more cable I pulled the auger back up. When it hit the first 90 degree bend, I tightened the thumbscrew on the canister, and with a little pressure and turning the handle the cable turned the bend (practice makes this easier). In order to insert the auger I disconnected the U-bend under the sink (use a bucket to catch the contents) and ran the auger slowly down the pipe into the wall. Our kitchen sink connects to a pipe in a wall at a right angle bend, and another pipe under the house after which it runs about 15 feet before connecting to a second drain. Neither the previously reviewed Zip-it Drain Cleaner (too short) nor the Drain King (explained later) would have been able to fix the blockage, and we ended up buying an affordable 25-foot cable auger after two doses of chemicals failed to clear the blockage. Recently our kitchen sink became completely blocked. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, but the possibilities they inspire are new. Crankbrothers do back the F15 with a 5-year warranty, which is an extremely reasonable amount of time.Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. I added a few more drops before threading it back in, and it's remained secure ever since. There was blue Loctite on it, but apparently not quite enough. I did run into one small issue after about three weeks of regular use – one of the bolts that holds the tool together began to work its way loose. The same goes for the chain tool - it's simple to use, and it'll push out a pin in a matter of seconds without any trouble. All of the bits, including the spoke wrench, fit snugly, and adjusting everything from stem bolts to B-tension screws has been hassle-free. Of course, a full size Allen key is still a better choice for regular home or shop use, but for quick fixes on the road or on the trail the F15 performs very well. Not so with the F15, and I was able perform tasks like swapping out pedals and even removing a crankarm without much effort. There are plenty of tools out there that include an 8mm bit, but in many instances it's basically useless due to the minuscule amount of leverage. The multi-tool by itself is handy, but the ability to use the F15's case for extra leverage is a nice feature to have, especially for installing and removing pedals. Once a bit is selected, the tool can be slid back into the case for more leverage. Crankbrothers also sell that tool by itself – they call it the F10, and it retails for $29.99, but I'd say it's worth it to scrounge up the extra $13 to get the chain tool/spoke wrench and metal case. That way it took up a little less room, but I could still make adjustments to the bike as necessary. I've spent a fair number of days in the bike park this season, and for those lift-served laps I usually took just the hex key portion of the tool with me and tucked it into a jersey or shorts pocket, leaving the case and the chain tool behind. The multi-tool and the chainbreaker slide smoothly into the aluminum case, with a distinct 'click' when the magnet secures them into place. The F15 isn't overly bulky, but it's also not so small that it's frustrating to use. The F15 has a similar feel – there's something about it that just feels right, and more than one rider handed it back to me with the question, “Who makes that?” after I loaned it out for a trailside repair. No, I wasn't a chain-smoking 12-year-old – my affinity came from the way the metal case felt in my hand, and how satisfying it was to open and close the lighter's cover. When I was a kid I used to love Zippo lighters. A magnet in the center of the case holds the chain tool and the multi-tool in place. ![]()
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