Astro Pneumatic Tool 1450 13" Plusnut and Extra-Long Rivet Nut Setter Kit Metric & SAE

We are trying to install Plus nuts into the floor of our van so that we can install shelving units and secure them to the van floor. We had problems with the Plus nuts spinning, but this tool made installing them so simple and easy - even with spinning plus nuts! Thanks so much!

This tool installs Plus nuts and nutserts Perfectly, should have bought this tool a long time ago!

I tried the model of this tool that has the shorter mandrels for standard riv-nuts and managed to break it on my first try. I think this happens because people (like me) fail to realize how much force they are applying to the tool. I really wish a design change could be added that would allow some sort of spring loaded pin, showing how much clamping force is being applied. Of course this would most likely increase the cost quite a bit.The most important thing to realize when using this tool is that you will have to work the handle a few times to get a plus-nut to seat completely. My initial test on some scrap showed that I had to close the handles, then turn the removal device, then open the handles and close them again to continue the process. During this process, I had to make sure I was constantly applying pressure to keep the Plusnut seated into the hole (I was working on the ceiling).For installing 5/16 Pre-Bulbed Plusnuts, I had to perform this action about 5 times in order for the Plusnut to completely seat. Using it on a test piece also allowed me to gauge how much pressure on the handles was needed in order to get a nice flush fit on the prebulbed area. Since most people will be installing rivnuts and plusnuts into a situation where they can not see how the rivnut collapses, it is important to do a trial on a test piece first.I looked through Amazon as well as the manufacturer's website on how to purchase just a mandrel for just a single sized Plusnut, because I only needed the 5/16-20 unit, but could not find any. I wish the company would sell them separately. Also, I wish the manufacturer would offer a complete listing of design specs for Rivnuts, Plusnuts, and their derivatives. All of the information is available online (hole sizes required, holding force, install torque, etc.) but it is scattered about on the internet.As a final note, I purchased this because I had a lot of PlusNuts to install into my ceiling. If you only need to do a few, you can look on YouTube for a "do it yourself" system to get these things installed. It will set you back about $2.00 and a trip to the hardware store. That being said, I still have no regrets spending the cash on a solid and reliable tool.

I used this to install PlusNuts in a Ford Transit van for L track. I had the choice of using a pneumatic tool or this manual one and I used this for the vast majority of the nuts I installed. I thought this one might be a little short, but ended up being fine for my application. My tips for installing PlusNuts include spraying the tool with silicone spray to lubricate before you put each nut on and using a washer (preferably an inside tooth lock washer) with each nut.This tool comes with several sizes and worked great. I am very pleased with it.

I'm normally a happy Harbor Freight guy, but this is worth paying the extra $$ for. It's a very high quality tool with all the mandrels I could ask for.

This tool is really built strong. There is no doubt in my mind it will last a life time.With a little practice you can tell if the plusnut is seated completely. Just in case you do not get the plusnut seated enough to prevent rotalionaly slipping, you and screw in the tool and tighten further.I do not know what can be improved in this tool.

Used this tool and plus nuts to start the rebuild on our sprinter van. The tool is easy to use and performed flawlessly during operation.

This seems like a well made tool and it works well, but ultimately for as much as it costs, the design of it is not all that well thought out for working in tight spaces. It requires a very generous amount of space around the hole that you want to install a cross nut into for it to work properly. You need to not only be able to fit the tool in front of the hole you're working on, but also have enough room to swing the handles in and out. This can be very limiting when you're working somewhere like underneath a vehicle where there are any number of things that might get in the way. It would be nice if there was some way to configure the tool to work at a 90 degree angle or something like that.I also learned that if you don't have adequate room to fit this tool so it lines up squarely with the hole you're installing a cross nut into. DON'T attempt to set the cross nut. I learned this the hard way. There was a frame member blocking me from aligning this tool squarely with the hole I was working on, so I tried to use it at a little bit of an angle so I would have enough clearance, and it didn't set the cross nut properly, so it spun in the hole.Overall it feels like a quality tool and seems to work well, but doesn't seem like it was designed with real life working conditions in mind, which I would expect at this cost.