I need a teeny strap wrench, what to get?

[AaronM]

Well, the title says it all. I need a pair of small strap wrenches to rip into Surefire pocket lights. What's the very best for this task? Where do I get them?

Is this a good item?
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...renches&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

 

[Coaster]

I've never pulled a Surefire apart so I don't know if this will help or not.

I seem to have good luck on lights that seem to be too tight to turn by hand just wrapping a little masking tape around both parts then trying it again. The tape really improves your grip, lights that seemed impossible before magically turn easily.

Might save you a couple bucks on a strap wrench.

 

[BIGIRON]

A couple of times, I've been able to use whatever I could find for strap and vise-grips.

 

[Black Rose]

I've had some luck using blue nitrile gloves on items where grip was less than optimal. Not sure how well it works on smaller lights though.

 

[LukeA]

A couple of times, I've been able to use whatever I could find for strap and vise-grips.

I agree with this. Something to prevent marring and something to grip really tightly. Strap wrenches, especially the small ones, don't grip all that well.

I like wooden v-blocks with leather or rubber in each side in a vise to hold the light steady and vise grips with leather to turn by hand.

 

[Blindasabat]

I have had good luck with strap wrenches, but they take some patience tightening them enough so you have grip. It has still worked better for me than boiling in a bag.
It helps to put some rubber cement on the light first. It provides much better grip. Sometimes you can use just your hands and partially dry but still tacky rubber cement. Apply the cement as thinly as you can so the cement itself won't shear and slip.

 

[LukeA]

I have had good luck with strap wrenches, but they take some patience tightening them enough so you have grip. It has still worked better for me than boiling in a bag.
It helps to put some rubber cement on the light first. It provides much better grip. Sometimes you can use just your hands and partially dry but still tacky rubber cement. Apply the cement as thinly as you can so the cement itself won't shear and slip.

Boiling in a bag never worked well for me either.

The rubber cement is a good idea :thumbsup:

 

[thegeek]

I've opened 2 KL4's, a KL1 and a KL5 by throwing them in a ziploc bag and then boiling them. I have some of those rubber gardening gloves (blue on the palm and fingers, REALLY good grip). After boiling I just twist them good and they have all come open. Sometimes you really have to twist. The KL1 was the most difficult. YMMV.

 

[MWClint]

if you wrap the light with a few strips of cloth Hockey grip tape(goopy on both sides), then those crasftman blue strap wrenches work really well.

 

[BIGIRON]

Those little pad things to open jars , etc, that are often given as promos are also very handy in the shop.

 

[tanasit]

The strap wrench works best with large diameter ones, like the bezel of the FM head from Fivemega. Small body should only require what the others mentioned above. Sometime I use what looks like a tool drawer liner from K-mart which is less than $2.00 a roll and you can even use it to hold your cell phone on the dashboard, stick like magnet. :twothumbs