20 Best Valve Spring Compressor (2022 Updated)

Used about 100psi in spark plug holes to keep vaves up and this unit is perfect for removing seals and springs safely. had one or too keepers stick and the tool would push valve down but only because the keeper was slightly stuck to the valve assembly.

A slight tap if a rubber mallet and they let loose. This tool is a life saver and I changed all 16 valve seals on my 383 stroker in about 3 hours. No more exhaust smoke or oil leaking!!!!!!! Also, go with Viton seals as they are much more durable and your only spending about $2 a seal.

I also had the inner springs as I upgraded my cam and no issues at all with removal tool. As many have mentioned just slightly bend the area that is to lay flat on the springs if needed. Also, I took the bottom lockingr Nut off when I did mine as it would occasionally line up on the spring and make not line up perfect.

Beats paying someone 1-2K to tear your heads off! highly recommend.

Nice tool. As others have said the fork angle did not match the valve spring retainer angle. Simply clamped the fork in a vise and took the angle out a little at a time until it matched. No big deal.

Had a stubborn keeper that wouldn’t release. Applied a bit of pressure to the tool – just enough to unseat the valve, then a light but sharp hit to the fork with a steel hammer freed. One other tip – place super magnets on each side of the fork to help keep your keepers.

I bought this tool to compress the valve springs on a SBC, heads still on the engine and still in the vehicle, an ‘89 K5 Blazer. First off, the tool is very clunky to use and has quite a lot of moving parts flopping around to try and get it onto the stem and then onto the spring.

Second, as others have said, I had to bend the forks to have the correct angle to compress the spring correctly to be able to get to the clips. Otherwise the spring compresses against them so they won’t come out.

Finally, this will NOT work for all 16 valve springs if the engine is still in the vehicle – even a huge engine bay like the K5. There is too much stuff like the master cylinder in the way. I ended up with the twist type valve spring remover (photo attached) which worked way, way better for my situation.

This tool might work very well if the motor is out of the car but I still can’t get past the need to modify the forks and the floppy-ness of the tool overall.

This compressor is really cool and really easy to use. I had no trouble getting it onto the springs, but getting it properly adjusted to the height that would make the keepers become exposed was often a trick and took multiple attempts.

The one issue I saw was that it had some issues with double valve springs. I managed to get it to work, but I wouldnt be too sure that I didnt just get lucky. The little tabs on the spring hooks don’t quite extend in far enough for really positive engagement of that inner spring.

In terms of durability, this thing is tough. I really reefed on it a couple times and had no metal deformation.

Tool quality is good. It did not work for my application, a two cylinder motorcycle head. There wasn’t enough clearance between the casting and the spring.

Garrett R. Hohn stated it a 3 star because he personally couldn’t keep the teeth on the spring, sounds personal. I Used these item fine and flawless. I am rebuilding my 289 HiPo 64 1/2 mustang and I clapped these puppy on the springs and have a 9/16 and hammer to knock out the keepers and these thing moved maybe half a cm, SO Garrett R.

Hohn needs to have self control bc this item is fine you just turn the handle around to get right tension to put on the spring hook the teeth on and pull it closed and pull it off. Easy has 1 2 3 and installing is just as easy.

Youtube even has a ten second video to prove how easy.

I am one of those that reads all the reviews before buying an item but never leaves feedback. This tool saved me so much time doing motorcycle heads that I felt like I needed to leave a review. This tool is so easy to use and makes pulling valves almost effortless.

The review I read that said the lever is NOT for compressing the valve is the one that made me purchase the tool. Turning the “T” lever to compress the valve is effortless, just be sure to oil the threads.

Would buy this again in a heartbeat!.

I bought this to disassemble my Olds 455 Ga heads off an engine I bought off an older gentleman. Now, I’m not sure I can blame the tool itself more than myself, but I absolutely COULD NOT get those things to budge.

I’m not sure how tough those Olds springs are actually supposed to be, or if they were aftermarket at some point (hard to tell, from buildup and discoloration). I’m a pretty strong guy, but I met my match, and I think part of it is HOW the tool clamps, and the lack of leverage available by the short stubby handle.

Luckily I bought one of those spinner ones that have the springs with the clawed legs, cinched it down with safety wire to stop the legs from spreading and I got them off, and even with the advantage of the constant downward compression of turning a threaded sprocket, it still tore my hands up.

Aches, cuts and sore everywhere. Weird enough, this tool works like a charm on smaller v8, v6 and four bangers, from what I’ve used it on so far. Oh well, right tool for the right job, sooner or later, it’ll still be the go-to for anything that’s not an old big block haha.

I am a pro diesel mechanic. I was accustomed to using a similar tool by another manufacturer similar to the SnapOn model. This tool is stronger, easier to use, and better design. All the competition uses a separate adapter for recessed springs making them ideal for easily accessible valves but difficult for hard to reach valves.

The OTC design threads the adapter directly onto the tool eliminating the need for three hands. In short I have used pretty much every type of valve spring compressor and if you are servicing cylinder heads off the engine this is by far the easiest to use and the fastest tool on the market -.

I have a good USA made valve spring compressor that I tried to use to disassemble a set of SBC circle track heads with, compressor would bend and twist. I used to build performance heads for a living and had a better and stronger compressor than I do now, this one is better yet.

Started looking for a compressor that I would not be afraid to put my fingers near with the springs compressed and purchased the Proform HD. This is the lighter duty of the two they have and if this is the lighter one I can’t imagine what the next level is like.

It compressed the springs with ease with no twist or flexing of the frame and locked into place with confidence. It has a square tube frame that provides the strength and resistance to flex and twist.

This is not a USA made tool but is well engineered, the fit and finish welds could be better but I trust the tool.

I have an old one that that just couldn’t get the job done. WOW. This thing is amazing. no effort to compress the spring, it locked into place. There is no click or lock, it just goes past center and stays there.

Its well made with no flexing less than 5 minutes to get all the springs on both heads. Wish I would have bought this a long time ago. Well worth the money.

In my 45 years of automotive mechanic experience, I will say this is one of the best value spring compressor tools I have ever used. For those who are complaining about it not locking when the spring is compressed, I will say you don’t have the tool properly pinned in the correct hole.

When it is set properly, the handle will break over and stay locked in while you remove the valve keepers. See my picture below.

This seemed like a heavy duty well made device however. I used it on a 4 cyl head to compress the springs and I literally bent the bolts on the device to compress 2-3 stubborn springs. Now you could say made they were rusted or whatever but they were not.

The device kept slipping cause some nicks to my aluminum head (not happy about). This was due to the 2 prongs that can be tighented or loosened to fit the spring kept slipping. They slipped cause where there is one bolt there should be 2.

The one bolt hole is drilled too far away allowing the prongs to slip or stretch apart. The bolts are of piss poor quality I doubt grade 5 which is pretty standard. I had to replace 4/5 with grade 8.

When I told to Home Essentials Direct they nickled and dined me on any sort of reimbursement for the replacement hardware and my time. I think I managed to barely get $10 back which didnt even cover the hardware.

I didn’t feel comfortable returning due to I had used it for the whole job and I had fabricated/ beefed it up so it would work better. Recap: built better then most and if your springs aren’t stuck either by rust (mine was not rusted) or oil baking on the tappets then this will work fine otherwise spend more money and get a better one.

For a one time job it’s hard justifying the price but time is money and a machine shop cost wayyyy more. I thought Home Essentials Direct should of reimbursemed me at least $25-$30 no questions asked.

Hope this helps some people out.

Easily compressed the valve springs on my Chevy 350 V8. At first I was worried about the tool maring the valve face. But that was not a problem since the valves are hardened, and the part of the tool that contacts the face is relatively soft steel.

This tool is the one you want if you want to invest in a quality tool. It compressed our double spring’s on the small block Mopar without issues or complaints.

Does the job. Depending on retainer profile, it will allow the spring retainer to move as spring is compressed causing issues placing valve locks; Ill use my single spring compressor next time. Just my opinion.

No flex in the pedastal and the working hardwear and finish is quality, just not my favorite.

Removed stock springs just fine, but when I went to install my BTR. 660 dual valve springs it was purely profound. The tool is sloppy, and overall poorly designed for ANY application beyond stock. The bolts it features are 2x 1.

25x8m grade 10. 9 that cannot handle compressing any aftermarket springs. Due to my attempt to compress my aftermarket springs in my ported and decked 317’s, the spring pressure on the the tool seated on the rocker arm pedestal actually damaged the surface significantly, so I hope that doesn’t cause any problems.

Ontop of this, the cheap grade 10. 9 bolts snapped off inside of my threads due to the bend they acquired from spring tension. My heads are currently in the machine shop (I don’t want to try myself to extract the bolts and damage them more), and I will be surely going with the Texas Speed tool next time.

WOULD NOT SUGGEST.

The tool is very well built and works great. Very happy it has a lockdown feature so you can work with a holding the handle. Had no issue at all pushing down heavy duty racing springs. Glad I spent the extra money to buy this tool versus others.

It works better than expected. It took very little effort to install new springs on my hyd. roller BBC. I believe that it would also work well on solid roller springs. I wish that I had purchased this tool a long time ago.

Highly Recommended.

The tool has a good quality and it compressed my stock springs with ease. However it’s on car capabilities can be limited at times if near heater boxes, brake boosters, etc. For me It would have been perfect for valve spring work with the engine out of the car.

Approximately 4 valve springs were space limited for this tool and I ended up using one of the cheap pry-bar type of tools that worked perfectly in tight spaces.

This compressor is difficult to use, despite what you might read in other reviews. You must rotate the handle where it doesn’t line up with the frame or it will not go over center and lock in position.

The frame in way of the retainer and keepers is built making it difficult to install the keepers as the room is very minimal. And when you don’t get the keeper in place it of course falls off, but on this compressor the frame is open ended at that area and the keeper will fall into requiring you to fish it back out with a magnet before you can try it again.

It contained no instructions in the box. I will modify the areas described to make it easier to work with.

I am currently building a Chrysler 493 cid big block. I’m using a solid roller camshaft with 800# of open valve spring pressure. My current toolbox did not have anything that would compress and SAFELY handle these valve springs.

After looking at several compressors available throughout the marketplace I settled on the Pro-Form part # 66764 compressor from Summit Racing. It will do anything I need to do on this and future engine builds.

It also has 2 additional inserts for different O. D. valve springs. When you pull the handle down to compress it, the handle stays in place which is a big plus in my book. because some don’t. I definitely recommend this product to anyone that wants to get the job done!!!!.

Pro form valve spring compressor 66764 handled my 1. 625 670# roller cam valve springs effortlessly. It is by far the best one I’ve ever used. As I always do, I used a stick type magnet to install the valve locks easily and keep my fingers clear so as not to experience what another user had complained of, not enough room for fingers.

Quality product!.

I bought this tool because comp recommend taking innner valve springs out for cam break in. I have stock gm iron heads from a old 89 gm crate engine that i am rebuilding. 2 piece rear main block. The tool does not fit on stock sbc iron heads the rocker arm studs are to short.

I like the design of the tool so i cut about half inch of the bottom of the tool so it would mount on my heads like it should. Tool worked good after that. This tool in its design is for after market sbc heads.

Works very well, and nice to do two valves at once! Solidly build. I find it funny that the spring compressor came with cam and lifter lube, while my actual cam and lifters did NOT come with lube. haha! The only down side is that if you’re using raised push rod guides, you’ll need to remove the guides (which means removing the rocker studs and putting them back on again).

Not a deal breaker, and I’m sure if any other style compressors will work with raised guides installed either.

I have used rental spring compressors from the parts store before and they are ok with stock springs, but with high pressure aftermarket springs they fail. I broke one several times before deciding to buy this one.

I refused to buy one that was clamp or lever style. I wanted one that required simple tools and held in place on its own. This one allowed me to do two springs at once and it was so easy, did an entire head in less than 15 minutes! Highly recommend this one due to great materials and simple design.

This is an excellent tool. It compresses valve springs at the turn of a handle. literally. Seriously, this LSM Compressor is well made and extremely strong. It’s kinda spendy but death is not lurking at every compressed spring like on some of the other cheaper versions.

I can’t believe I waited this long and then I look at the price and remember why. but WHY did I wait so long. It is a great tool. Worth every penny!.

Very well made. Easy to use. Had no problems compressing 320# seat pressure springs. Very little effort required.

I was a little concerned that this would not work on my air cooled VW heads. My heads have large chevy style springs and the cheap spring compressors just want to bend and flex while trying to service the heads.

this tool had mo problem compressing the springs and holding them down to get the keepers out. Well worth the money.

Original otc is few dollars more would not sit all the way against cams hits the lobs maybe if widen a little more or grinded in between forks I did not attempt because it felt as if forks would snap if I tried.

Overall not impressed i have orginal otc cam phaser holder and metal is of better quality.

Seeing what this tool does, I wouldn’t trust any of the cheap ones! Wouldn’t be good to have a 30.00 tool break at the wrong time and drop the valve Into the engine

have been a mechanic for 45 years and this tool is of as good or better quality than anything OTC has. worked so easily and without a single slip

I bought this tool to change valve springs on a 2000 Z28 LS1 and was surprised at how well it worked. Especially since half of the engine is under the windshield on the Z28! Definitely place a rag around the pair of springs your changing each time, to avoid having the keepers or the washers of the tool drop into the motor.

A pen magnet worked well for retrieving the keepers from the retainers each time. I pressurized each cylinder to hold the valves up. This was a must. It took longer to put the air fitting into the spark plug hole than to change springs with this great tool.

It comes with a pair of copper/bronze thrust washers but they will be galled up by the time you’re on the last cylinder. I would suggest to just use a pair of regular washers. Excellent tool for LS1/LS6.

Another product that sys it supports all LS engines, but it doesn’t. I bought this to use on an LS3 and it does not fit. Mounting holes don’t line up at all.

Like it says in the title if you have dual springs to change/ install don’t mess around with the other style of spring compressors. You will just get frustrated and wind up buying this one to do the job.

The two other tools I had were adequate for single springs but when you tried the dual springs you couldn’t keep the spring centered enough to get the locks on. I am sure it’s great with single springs also.

Quality piece.

Quality material. Worked well on Mercedes M278, Chevrolet 5. 3 and many others. Safer and faster than screw down compressors (obviously when used properly). I dont think Ill ever have to buy another one, unless I lose parts to this one.

Very satisfied.

Decent tool, does the job. I was replacing valve stem seals on a 2. 0 Jetta. (AEG) while the tool performed acceptably, there are few things that could drastically improve performance. The first would be bushings.

The joints of the tool are loose, allowing for fairly significant “slop”. I had the tool twist out of alignment and pop free, releasing the valve springs and launching the keeper lock into the netherspere.

The second would be to make different options for the hook side.

I was trying to decide between a 3 or 4 star review as the tool seems to be decent. However, I didn’t get to use it. I bought it to do the intake valves on an Audi/Volkswagen 2. 8L 30 valve V6. The intake valves are really small and the smallest adapter in this kit was too big.

I returned it. So, don’t buy it for a 5 valve head. It would likely work well for other applications though.

I was doing heads on a gm 3. 6 and there was not enough leverage with just using the handle. Added an extension worked great. Pesky dual overhead cam engines. Also summits handling charge is ridiculous.

I came here to support them because they support you tubers but after a few purchases I am reevaluating my decision.

Great tool with plenty of ways to attach it. My first project was rebuilding a GM 2. 2l ecotec cylinder head and it worked great. The space on the cylinder head is very tight and this tool allowed for great access.

My second project was a cylinder head on a 2011 Toyota Corolla 2ZR-FE cylinder head and the tool attached well but i found a more effective tool for the job. This tool works well on valves that have multiple groove keepers but to me there are more effective tools for single groove keepers.

Moral of the story is it works well but may not be for every valve train. I also have only worked on cylinder heads that have been removed from the engine block.

Great kit. I worked on my first head with it last week. It would be great to be able to lock down the lever so one can work on the valve retainers but for the money use of quick clamps is an acceptable improvisation.

There’s not much to say about this. I used the first and last cam caps to hold down the end brackets. The metal bar slides in the holes, and use the handle to push down! Well worth the investment IMO I used this on an Nissan SR20DET head without any issues.

This tool was not up to what it was supposed to do. I bought this valve spring compressor to remove valves from a 8hp Kawasaki one-cylinder. The problem is that after you select one of two sized forks to slide under the valve spring, that fork has to bolt on with a flimsy bolt and nut arrangement, slightly supported by a thin metal flange on the fork, to hold it at a 90 degree angle.

Even after cranking down really hard on the nut, when I tried to lift up the valve spring, the fork started to bend down and also bent the flange with it. I couldn’t get the spring up high enough to remove the retainers, and eventually the flange broke off.

At this point I welded the fork on so it couldn’t move and then the tool worked fine and the valves could be removed. But now I cannot use the other (smaller) fork because the larger one is welded in place.

I give this tool 3 stars because after welding the fork in place, I was able to get the job done with it. But it is a bad design and I do not recommend it to anyone. And it doesn’t reflect well on JBTools that they sell something of poor quality like this.

I had to tweak it. It is not robustly made, yet adequate. Quality control came up short in their trimming of the frame. When the forked tailpiece was attached, it was fixed at well beyond 90 degrees and the tool did not provide enough clearance and would slip off the valves of my Kohler 25hp small engine.

I had to insert some sheet metal trimmed to a narrow width and folded once into the gap between the too-short fork and the forked tailpiece. It then held a better angle and I was able to remove the old and seat the new valves.

I used the tool on a Ford Model A engine that I could not use the normal tool for that engine on because of some damage. I then used it on an old lawnmower engine and it worked in both cases. The tool is sturdy enough to compress the valve springs on the model A engine that are significantly higher stiffness.

It treated the old lawnmower engine valve springs like they were not there. I would recommend this tool for its intended purpose.

Very good tool for on car valve spring removal. It would be nice if it had a bit of a “shoe” to keep the tool from wandering off center. When compressing the springs on the rear cylinders, you tend to pull a bit from the side when you reach around the hood springs/hinges.

It’s completely doable, but you need to be a bit careful so the tool doesn’t move too much to the side. The TF240 retainers are a bit rounded which didn’t help. Not a knock on the tool, just something to be aware of.

Overall, it did make putting the inner springs back in a fairly simple process. Satisfied.

Purchased to do springs on my 1968 dodge 440 engine. This thing works well. I’m used to easy but slightly tedious LS valve spring tools. I could get used to this old engine stuff! Much easier/faster to work across a whole head.

Used a generic/universal valve spring compressor to remove inner valve springs for cam break-in on a BBM – what a nightmare. Once the cam was broken in, I started looking for a better solution for putting the inner springs back in, and found this tool.

So worth the money! I highly recommend buying this if you need to remove, install, or replace valve springs on a big block Mopar.

This thing works great once you modify it for your application. The angle of the forks does NOT match a Pontiac 400 (et. al. ) spring retainer. I’m sure this will be true for most engines. You will need to bend the forks on the tool to the appropriate angle to match the spring retainer angle.

Screw the tool onto a stud, gently push the forks down until they touch the top of your spring retainer and you will see that the heel of the forks touches long before the toe of the forks. You’ll have to bend the forks to be flat with the spring retainer.

Otherwise the spring will be compressed off center and you will NEVER be able to get the keepers where they need to be to stay on when you release the spring compressor.

Worked excellent ! I replaced the springs on my 66 mustang 289 , used a nylon rope in each cylinder to stop the valves from dropping down. Tool worked perfect, you can switch sides on the stud thread shaft to meet your needs of your size stud, has two different sizes !.

I left the foot hand tight so I could adjust it per cylinder, also there’s no problem with the foot angle like a lot of people were writing about how they bent it to match bla bla bla , this thing works perfect and locks down so you can use both hands on keepers removal and replacement also leaving foot hand tight allows you to adjust which direction you want the arm to pull so you don’t hit anything and have room.

Super good deal !!.

Was dreading replacing valve seals until I ran into this tool. So so so much easier to disassemble and re assemble valve train with this tool than to use a universal valve spring tool. Even easier than the c-clamp style compressor with the head on a bench so long as you can get air in the cylinders.

Very rigid tool, will keep forever.