Comments on: Cheap-Ass Tools: Camel Tire Repair Kit

By: Don

Don — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:37:33 +0000

I agree, partially, with the single use comment.
I keep a plug kit in my truck along with a 12v compressor.
I also keep several *unopened* packs of the plugs themselves because they dry out once you open the pack.
Its very difficult to force the plug into the tire properly but I’ve found that if I roll the truck forward a little so the hole is on the side rather than the top I can lay on the ground and get leverage to push it in. The rasp is a must in order to roughin up the hole so the glue will bond properly.

By: J.R. Bluett

J.R. Bluett — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:13:20 +0000

Jon,
In that case you might take a look at some of the slightly more expensive versions of the same thing. I’ve seen some that a refill pack of 24 lasted more than a year, we ran out of the strips before they went bad. (A riding lawnmower and a honey locust, big thorns.)

By: Jon

Jon — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:46:16 +0000

Single use. I usually need at least three tries to get the rubber strip in the right place without ripping it to shreds. Then the solvent in the cement evaporates before I need it again.

By: ambush27

ambush27 — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:32:27 +0000

It wouldn’t work on a bike tire because they use tubes underneath the tire.

By: aaron

aaron — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:59:06 +0000

arg, i need to get one of these. every time i see it in the store I tell myself I should, yet somehow dont. last time i had a flat, i went to the nearest service station and the guy pulled out one of these kits and fixed it in about 1.35 minutes - including pumping it back up to pressure. it’s been fine since (~8 months).

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:40:45 +0000

I hate these things. About 50% of the time the stupid plug is slowly “slurped” into the hole immediately after installation for some unknown/frustrating reason…

By: A1cntrler

A1cntrler — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:08:02 +0000

I have the “money’s no object” version of this kit. Has proves quite useful and paid for itself in time saved several times over. Even though Sam’s Club (where I bought my tires at) does repairs for free, it is often 2+hours at my club to have something as simple as a nail/screw removed from a tire and patched/plugged. With the kit, 5 mins in my driveway is all I need to fix it, and I have never had a problem with a plug backing out or leaking air. Teh rasp is necessary at times as well. In order for this to work properly, you need to have a hole all the way through the tire, and sometimes, if you hit a shorty nail or tack, it doesn’t penetrate all the way through, but dies just enough for a leak. The rasp is pointy enough that with a few whacks from a hammer or even a good press of the hand, it can create the hole you need to put in the plug. Good to keep around for lawn mower tires, wheelbarrow, etc.. I have never used on a bike tire though, but I guess it would work…