This is basically a cam tightened rubber strap. Wrap it around the cylinder to be tightened/loosened and the action of pushing on the lever operates the cam which grips the work incredibly tightly, the resulting leverage allowing you to apply serious mechanical advantage to the process. When it comes to tightening the uprights on racks like the Blue Horizon PRS, the Quadraspires or Critical Mass, this tool makes it a cinch. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. Best of all, it’s cheap as chips. I’ve added a link to an Amazon offering, purely for information, but most major DIY, home improvements or auto parts stores will carry something near identical in design. The one in the photos comes from Craftsman in the US, which should give you an idea of just how available it is.
A functional variation on the Air Wedge theme (an aid to lifting and controlling otherwise unmanageably heavy components) the Door Lifter is a simple lever with a shallow ‘nose’ that can be slid under the offending object, a pivot and a long lever that allows you to lift it. Imagine an amplifier on the floor or a rack and you need to lift or unweight it so that you can adjust a spike or position a footer. The Door Lifter allows you to do so, either by pressing down with one hand (or a knee for heavier units) while performing the required task with the other. What makes the Door Lifter clever is that its ‘nose’ is slim enough to get under almost anything, while it is weighted in front of the pivot to return naturally to the ‘ready’ position, making it easy to place and employ. Again, readily available, I’ve included an Amazon link for information. If the gap below the item is too tall for the Door Lifter (or Air Wedge)? Just put a book of the appropriate height under your lifting aid. Simples…
Both tools have been added to my kit and these days travel everywhere with me. If you work on your system, I’d suggest you add some or all of them to your kit too. Sooner or later they’ll get you out of a hole and it’s so gratifying to have a solution to hand rather than having to go find it. Meanwhile, they might come in handy around the house, for tightening that pesky waste trap or retrieving that object that got sucked into the black hole beneath every fridge. High-end audio components tend to be obdurate and expensive, making working on your system challenging and risky, but the right tools will definitely ease your path.
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