Here’s the list of products reviewed. More details in the video description. Thank you! McGard: amzn.to/3KINVgI Gorilla (Free Spinning): amzn.to/3Zq7azE Gorilla (Small Acorn): amzn.to/3ZwtCaw Dorman (Free Spinning Collar): amzn.to/46sUlrt Tavaski: amzn.to/3kAGm0P White Knight: amzn.to/3ZtHGBp Advanced Wheel Lock System: Available online at the manufacturers website Handheld Welder: amzn.to/3A3uXuH
Thanks for the kind words. I watch all of your videos… and, in fact, earlier today I was using two products that I bought based solely on your testing (Venom Steel gloves, and DeWalt step drill). Your videos are really valuable to DIY folks like me. 👍
Venom Steel gloves were my favorite until they switched to "one size fits most" instead of offering different sizes. Now I go with Grease Monkey "Gorilla Grip" gloves
After watching your review I ordered the Advanced wheel locks. I just got off the phone with them checking on my order and they are now back ordered two weeks thanks to you. She said they were averaging a few orders a week and thought they may have to go under since they are a Mom and Pop company. Thanks to you they received hundreds of orders and she said you pretty much saved the company. She could not say enough good things about Project Farm. Bravo Project Farm you guys ROCK.
Im so high asf I was imagining (and somewhat predicted) a whole ass story line about that company being a mom and pop shop, and that they were gonna get hella purchases after this video 😭
Always great to hear that a small business is doing great by making a very good product. With any luck, they will expand their int'l market too, with this youtube video.
I love how he doesn’t waste anytime, he starts right off with the main point of the video and doesn’t waste any time. 10 minutes of nothing but good information, I absolutely love it
No doubt that this man has saved thousands of people time and money by completing his unbiased reviews…. Like others, I confirm first if he has a video on a product I’m interested in purchasing….even going back to 4 year old videos 😂…Thank you Todd!!
@@Mega1oklolno, he even addressed this.Nothing shown here would be new information. Wheel thieves have a whole array of tools and tricks and have it down to a science.
Love all the methods tested here! The winning design was quite simple, yet the cone shape and hard metal proved to be extremely effective. I love simple designs that just work.
Thank you- I’m installing the Advanced wheel locks AND the gorillas on my vehicle. That’ll be a sufficient pain in the arse to dissuade most thieves! Glad to hear I’m supporting a small business!!!
@@kent100ss The donut guys? The company called them out on the video in the video's comments. I purchased advanced wheel locks after reading that post. Hi Donut Media. Thank you for taking the time to review our locks. Your video has achieved many more views than the "infomercial" we filmed in our suburban garage. You guys are very entertaining, but we have some questions about your testing methods.
1) Why did you order ball seat locks for a Miata? Miata’s all take cone seats. A ball seat will never torque down properly in a cone seat. 2) 2) Why did you list our price as $135? While our prices do vary based on what kit you purchase, the set you tested is $90 (we have your receipt to prove it). 3) If you had aftermarket rims, why didn’t you order our locks for aftermarket cone seats? They are designed to fit the smaller diameter lug holes that most aftermarket wheels have (and would have saved you the effort of swapping the wheels out). 4) Why choose McGuard after they easily failed your removal attempts? There is a “Includes Paid Promotion” notice at the start of the video. Is this a paid ad for McGuard disguised as an honest review? As a small American business, we stand behind our products. Though we have not posted a video showing our bolt extractor tests, we have tested them and had other independent tests of our locks against extractors. All removal attempts failed when the correct lock is installed to the correct torque.
Call us and we can send you the right set to fit your Miata free of charge. Try the extractor on that set. We have a feeling the results will not be the same.
My buddy parked his corvette at a gas station in flint. Walked inside and as he was walking out not 2 minutes later there was a truck with 2 guys in the back flying out of the driveway. His car was on blocks. Even an extra minute or 2 can make all the difference.
Hmmm. Parking a Corevette in Flint seems inadvisable, although I can definitely understand running out of gas. Hopefully your buddy wasn't stranded too long!
@@VintageCars999 Gas stations are good targets of opportunity. Some people start the gas pumping and walk in while it is running, others use the restroom. If you sit long enough and have a spotter they can signal when someone is entering the restroom and target that vehicle. Same thing with Sheetz when you see someone ordering food at the kiosk.
One thing to add if you are using work locks: They generally come in kits of four, and it is intended you use one for each wheel. Buy more than one kit, and use more than one on each wheel. If you use only one, kids will remove all the other lugs, and use leverage with the bar to break the stud off that has the wheel lock. I have seen it many times. I am a police officer for reference.
Packs of 20+ are more common these days for that reason. I got locks on every stud, unfortunately they are the gorilla ones so probably won't do much much good anyways lol.
Bought the advanced wheel locks almost two years ago for my ram 1500’s chrome wheels while i lived on the outskirts of Mexico City for a couple of months and i never had a problem with my wheels being stolen or messed with. I did end up missing two of my regular lug nuts but the wheel locks never moved. I highly recommend them.
Which advanced lug nuts did u get ? I'm curious if it's worth buying them. If a thief is going to get them, they will. Alarm, security cameras, motion detector, dogs, firearm and a can of whoop ass seems all we need to protect from thieves.
Wheel Lock Set M14x1.5, 42mm Tall, Cone Seat from advancedwheellocks is what i got for my truck and they worked great. And yeah if a thief wants something bad enough theyll get it, but this way at least they’ll have a difficult time getting them and it’ll give me some time to hear them and rightfully respond.
Already new the outcome because Advance wheel locks are the only brand I use based on my research and experience, but still had to watch since it was you that made the vid.
@@skylined5534 yeah, they are a deterrent from the average opportunity crime... If someone wants your wheels and has the time they can get the wheel locks off.
I never knew such welders even existed. I'd love to see a comparison/test video on these suckers, assuming there is a range of quality and they are not all disposable crap. Excellent video on the lug locks -- Those $90 are probably worth it if your wheels are expensive
Welders can be pretty small these days. My flux core from harbor freight is the smallest welder i have ever seen and it can weld 3/16 plate pretty comfortably. It's a little smaller than a cinder block I would say.
@@Arweris I totally agree with you on the HF Titanium welder, tiny but mighty!!!! I have welded one thing 1/4" just for trial purposes, and it did the job just fine (liftgate bracket on a box truck) once you get your settings just right.
If the wheels are expensive enough to warrant almost 100 dollar wheel locks, you probably have a garage and a good place to keep the car. If you also have nice enough wheels you probably wouldn’t want some security but ruining the wheel as you probably have some nice colored ones or even titanium nuts as they look nice to some people
This is the only youtuber that I actually have to slow down the video speed to absorb all the info haha. No wasting time begging for likes and subscribers and no shilling. Excellent video as usual and making my dollars work for me better.👍🤠
I love it when some of my favorite youtubers all are open about watching each other, PF, LPL, Demolition Ranch. One of these days would be great to see you guys make a video together.
Great test! Decades ago, I had a set of McGard wheel locks and lost the key. I went to a garage, asking what it would take to remove them. In a matter of seconds, he used a socket (as you showed) and removed it. Seeing the trivial level of security they offered, I've never since bought wheel locks. But those 'Advanced' locks look like a worthy exception (providing I don't lose the key again).
Advanced wheel locks give you the option to buy an extra key when you order. Ive never heard of advanced until i saw this video. I will be buying a set for sure.
@@gregparrott its a little harder to see the guy under the car than the guy banging away crouched next to the wheel, from across the parking lot. makes some feel exposed.
Bought myself a set of advanced wheel locks 3 yrs ago on my new car and i never regret it. Even my mechanic said that is a tough one to beat. Best investment ever!!! But one advise, DO NOT use impact driver with their keys. Even though they said it is impact rated but i broke mine and had to pay $50 to replace it. Todd thank you for the video❤
Considering the cost of my OEM wheels, I bought the Advance Wheel Locks. I was looking for the perfect lock nut and you gave that to me and for that I thank you!
In addition to the 4 great points you made, when it’s time to purchase wheel locks or any lug nut/bolt, there is a very important 5th thing to consider. The seat of the nut/bolt must match that of the wheel. Wether it is flat (very rare nowadays), conical, oval, or any number of the numerous ball seats, making sure the lock/nut/bolt matches the wheel seat is critical for safety and proper functionality.
@@user-mi4yc7pr3x The seat is the part of the nut or bolt that actually makes contact with the rim and is the surface all the clamping load is applied through.
@@user-mi4yc7pr3x Yep, car brand wheel design and so on. If your changing wheels out at the same time, not only do you need to make sure the flange/seat of the bolt matches the wheel but you also gotta make sure it’s the right length. A lot of aftermarket wheels have much different depths when it comes to where the lug bolt/nut bottoms out in relationship to where the face of wheel that sits against the hub is. Too short and the bolt might strip, break, pull threads and so on. Too long and you might contact something on the backside of the hub and cause damage there while leaving the wheel still loose.
Can vouch for this from personal experience, about 20 years ago I removed my aftermarket wheels and went back to the stock steelies but used the lug nuts from the aftermarket wheels. Snapped multiple wheel studs before I learned why, one time I snapped 2 of the 4 studs on one wheel about 2 miles from my house as I turned onto my road.
“The use of locking pliers to hold a chisel can prevent hand injuries” Those are the words of a man who learned from experience. Hope your fingers are okay!
Wow, I never would have thought to make a video like this. Great concept, especially because at least once per car a mechanic removes a lock without using the key I gave the guys in the shop. Thank you!
Something to consider with locking wheel lug nuts is how durable the "key" is. I had a vehicle years ago that had locking lugs on ALL of the lug nuts, so 24 in total. The key-socket thing that fit them broke on the second lug nut, I managed to get the other 22 off with an EZ-out, which to date has been the only time an EZ-out didn't make things worse.
@@skylined5534 The gorilla stuff has always been quality and held up for me. Beware the nonames. I too have had many crack or deform from poor metal, or often poor design.
I had this same problem. The first time I removed the locking nuts to rotate tires I could see the metal beginning to fail and didn't put the locks back on.
Former LE officer here, most wheel theft rings carry around a bag of common wheel locks. The ones that are keyed differently tend to be the ones we saw much less of. Can't say I ever saw a case of someone carrying a welder around though but I guess anything is possible!
Aren't they stealing catalytic converters now and not wheels? I haven't heard or seen anything on wheel thefts in years. I live in the wheel theft meca of California, too.
ปีที่แล้ว +5
No it's gotten bad now here in Ohio. They are stealing factory rims nows.
Always top content. Not in my "wheelhouse" but I imagine your testing is gold to someone in fleet management in addition anyone with premium tires or rims.
The one thing you left out that i would want to see is how much torque the lock keys can handle. I got stuck out in the desert one time with a flat because the lug nut key broke on me. I don't suppose you would consider a bonus episode testing that this week?
Been a fan for a long time now You put alot of time and effort into your videos. We all have mad respect for you -Radiator leak sealants -Belt sanders -Jig saws battery vs 120
@@Hallowsaw Sure, if you don't mind dropping several hundred dollars. If there's a much cheaper kit that can significantly prolong the life of a windshield, then I'm going to go with that.
@@reverse_engineered i said that out of experience. I have done the professional just patch repair and it eventually just gets worse and you have to replace it anyways
An idea for a collaboration video between yourself and the lock picking lawyer is which padlock (keyed and combination) is the best. You'd be able to test the locks for the usual wear and tear and the lock picking lawyer can test the ease of picking before and after being abused by yourself.
Good idea -- I don't test any of those plastic ramps. I think a far safer ramp could be made easily from wood, whether stacking plywood pieces or 2x4s, etc. I suppose cut a profile into several pieces of plywood, and screw or bolt them all together until it's wide enough to drive on. If you just want oil changes to be easier, get a Top Sider oil extractor. Especially if you can change the oil filter without jacking the car up. Make sure to get one that's large enough to handle the amount of oil in your particular engine. I actually get MORE oil out of my engine with this thing, than using the drain plug, so ignore any theoretical nonsense (and yes, you should warm up the engine for a minute so any particulates will be suspended, rather than sitting on the floor of the oil pan).
Nice idea. I recently helped a guy who had metal ramps that kept sliding along the floor instead of making the car drive up the ramp. Also, I have seen ramps that have a very poor flat spot on top that wouldn't allow the car to be stable without using the e-brake. (Yes, you should always use the E-brake with ramps as a second layer of safety, but the car should not be trying to roll off when the wheels are on the top flat) There could be some really good tests for this idea! (And I love the idea of including homemade ramp designs from 2x4s)
I love your videos. Unbiased, No fluff or spiel. You outline the experiment and get to work. It’s scientific enough for someone to make an informed decision without confusing them.
When I worked as tech at Ford, we kept the master lock set for all these in case the customer forgot theirs. The only benefit I can see is if they're used on wheels with deep centers to prevent locking pliers or similar tools to allow easy access.
@@abbashaider8668that’s awesome! I was wondering why thieves wouldn’t simply purchase a set of their own. Individual customization is certainly worth the $90. I wonder how many different keys they made.
@@WontSeeReplies Yeah I didn’t know that either. If someone was so inclined they could just purchase a few OEM brand wheel lock keys and they’d be able to steal stock rims off of basically any car from the brand.
It's worth mentioning that the "small diameter Gorilla lock" isn't actually intended to be a wheel lock. It's a spline drive lug nut for aftermarket wheels that have less space for a lug nut. You'll often see them in 6 spline or 7 spline variants depending on wheel stud size.
Yep. That's right. I use them on my three-piece wheels that have very deep-set lug nuts. They would be a major pain to remove without the special socket that comes with them.
Thanks for your video. It helped me remove the wheel locks with a 20mm piece. A mcguard that at a tire shop they damaged and did not want to repair. I have been following you for many years.
And of course the most important thing to remember is … to not loose the key / wrench to unlock them ! Many people do loose or miss place them and then find out when it’s needed !
It has been quite a few years, I wonder if there are enough new options to do a new rechargeable battery test? I found those videos extremely helpful. Also, some LED lightbulb brands just seem to die when I put them in enclosures (due to heat). Would be nice to see which brands actually last in extreme environments.
None of the comercial LED bulbs are designed to work in closed enclosures. In fact, they are designed to work in upright possition in a socket. Just get the ones from OSRAM, Philips or General Electric and hope for the best. Also, make sure not to buy economy/value models, because they will not last as long. You can also drill a coupple of small holes in the enclosure, to provide airflow to the bulb.
Meh, you probably come out ahead just buying the cheapest bulbs and replacing when they die. I've only ever replaced one LED bulb in my life, and yes it was in an enclosed fixture. It was only upon replacing it that I noticed the "do not use in enclosure" sticker. I just try to be mindful of minimizing the use of that one now.
The new ceramic substrate ones work better with heat I find. My biggest issue with LED's is the inconsistent color temperature, and worse, the lack of a full spectrum.
I have had Advanced wheel locks for 2 1/2 years, as I do a great deal of traveling, and stay in hotels. Rim replacement would be over $3,000 plus tires and labor, or close to $5,000. The cost of the locks in my opinion, are well worth the lost time and hassles of attempting to obtain new tires and rims. I've not had any attempts made trying to steal my rims, inspite of traveling thru some sketchy locations in California. Well worth the more premium cost of the wheel locks. This is a deterrent, but apparently a good one. Very good review. What is peace of mind worth to you? One must not forget, that once your wheels are stolen, there can be a good amount of down time lost, before your up and running again.
Another excellent video. I recall taking my FJ to a shop that managed to lose my McGard key. They were able to get them off and perform the maintenance anyway. Time to order some Advanced Wheel Locks. Thanks again!
Great topic to do a video on thank you. I think that while the Advance Wheel locks are more expensive then the rest of the pack, it is still Pennie’s if they help prevent very expensive wheels from being stolen.
Good video. What my take away is, don’t park in the seedy end of town and make sure your wheels are covered by insurance. Because a seasoned thief is barely going to be slowed down by these wheel locks.
Which is why I went to the Acura dealer on Saturday and bought four regular Lugnuts for my 2012 TL. This tells me that most wheel locks are useless junk and just wind up being a hassle when removing the wheels.
A very thorough comparison. I’m about to take delivery of an exotic car in super-high demand. I now know which wheel locks to buy, and I’m hoping they come in black. Thanks!
A tip about the McGard wheel locks. Dodges come with them from the factory as OEM locks (when that option is selected at all). So a would be thief will have a bunch of keys, specifically for Hellcat wheels, Scat Pack wheels etc. So, they will not slow down a thief all that much if at all. Those conical ones though, are interesting, I would remove/reinstall them every year or two to prevent seizing.
It seems to me that it wouldn't be too difficult to make an impressioning tool for those advanced wheel locks. It's a lot like a tubular lock, except that you know exactly what the proper depth is just by bottoming it out. Basically, something like that universal socket, but designed specifically for those locks with large pins and maybe a collet to lock them in place once all the pins are bottomed out.
Yeah, but then what? A thug with a 90 IQ is going to take it home and cast a lug key in his garage foundry? That sounds exactly like WORK, and people steal because they don't want to work.
ive had some success with those universal sockets but ive also broken about 10 of them trying, (im not a wheel thief but mechanic) if the bolt isnt over torqued and theres not much corrosion they sometimes work!
When using locking pliers, to take the subjectivity out of how tight you are able to clamp down by hand, it might be a good idea to explore using the hex hole on the back of the adjusting screw. Using that and a torque wrench should help in getting the same amount of clamping force each time you use the locking pliers. But, maybe I'm wrong in that assumption; testing might be in order.
Back about 2 million years ago, before Harbor Freight, there were "back of the truck" tool sales. I bought a set of tools that would defeat most wheel locks, but the portable welder method is particularly interesting.
Fantastic video! I realize winter is almost over, but maybe think about windshield covers or methods of removing/preventing ice and snow, especially with high wind. Thank you!
“We’re gonna test that!” Great catch phrase! Love this channel. The only person wheel locks ever keep from taking off my wheels is me when I loose the key.
Wow, I think Catalytic Converter thefts are a much bigger problem out here. Maybe do a video on the best security device for them. Thanks for the great info.
IMO the absolute best solution to cat theft is to buy an aftermarket bolt-on cat for about $75 (the cheap ones don't have much precious metal inside, so nobody bothers to steal them), and swap it with the original one. Store the original at home (in case you need it for DEQ, or selling the car). I had this idea, but failed to implement it before my cat was stolen. Ironically, the $75 cat passes emissions testing just fine, with no check engine light even a year later. Any other 'security device' is just a waste of money. A battery powered sawzall cuts through them in 30 seconds.
@@CanizaM The police will arrest you for the smell, escort you immediately to inspection and if they find out that the cat has been intentionally removed or replaced with a less efficient one : - The vehicle is seized - Registration is canceled - Expect at least 1 to 2000 bucks in fines - The "replacement" cat or cat delete will be removed and destroyed by the authorities at your expenses - Your car will have to be towed to a workshop to reinstall an OEM cat (sometimes they ask for proof of purchase, so even if you already have an OEM cat, they force you to buy a second one) - Then the car (which is now unregistered) will have to be towed back to inspection so you can register it again. And you pay for everything of course. It's not France that I'm talking about, but the country of cheese and banks. They don't mess around here.
I've always found locking studs to be weaker, more prone to snapping. It would be good to test the breaking point vs OEM if ever you test studs in the future
Again a very interesting topic to think about. Not that I ever had, or will have, a car with rims & tyres worth stealing, but anyways a nice piece of knowledge, while being entertained at the same time! Love it! Nice you mentioned the lockpicking laywer, he's one of my other favourites here on YT.
Long time listener, First time caller lol would love to see a video of trailer anti-theft devices such as coupler locks or wheel chock locks. Thanks! love the channel!
Seriously, God bless you Project Farm, I doubt I'll ever buy half the products you review. But your videos are so well made, I can't help but watch them to appreciate them. Seriously, we need more people like you in this world.
LPL said it all. Great job dude. You're amount of thorough approach to your projects really make the difference. Like racing a GT500 against a stock GT you really are careful to compare apples to apples and be clear about the differences. Love the channel.
You can get a lot more gripping force by using the locking pliers correctly. You can tighten them greatly using a hex bit on the bottom of the tightening mechanism.
I definitely think the $90 locks are worth while if you have some really high end performance racing wheels, but for OEM or minor upgrades, the cheaper ones are probably sufficient. Great testing as always!
No, spend the little extra money on the Advanced wheel locks. You don't want to miss a few days of work, and some insurance companies are not paying for stolen wheels amidst widespread car theft rn. The McGard and Gorilla locks can also be defeated, trust me.
This is your blanket advice? So, it doesn't matter what type of vehicle a person drives, what kind of wheels they have, nor where they live? Just dump that extra $60+ on "the best"? Even though the Gorilla X2 set is damn near as good for OEM wheels? Interesting.@@mattf2535
Excellent testing as usual. MGuard has always been the gold standard (though all are defeatable), the choice of many OEM's. An American company based out of Buffalo, NY. With pretty good customer service, have dealt with them over the years for replacement keys etc. Hold onto that card with the ID number that you get with your set or from the dealer.
My McGuard wheel locks were defeated in about a minute per wheel when my wheels were stolen earlier this year. Their customer service let me return the extra key & but I bought though after the theft, so I agree they have great customer service.
Back when I worked in a hardware store, customers shopping for door knobs typically asked "What's your most secure lock?". I'd usually answer with "Depends on your least secure window".
And the truth is, almost every one of those door knobs had the same shitty lock. Rarely would they have any kind of security pins or bump resistance. I'd be more concerned about how long the thing would last before it wore out.
Look forward to your videos every week! A fishing line video would be cool. Mono vs. braid and testing how accurate the test poundage is for different brands. Keep up the awesome work!
Just got off the phone with Advanced, I had to get wheel locks for my Prowler, and they are some of the nicest people!! Run don't walk to Advanced Wheel Lock!
That's the worst part about wheel locks is the key... Come in for tires or brakes, key isn't in the customers car... Call customer, they don't know where it is and the car is a mess, not spending time looking past the common areas.... Either find it and come back later, or pay to get them removed.
Love the content! Most of the time I end up having to remove these wheel locks because customers lose the keys. I have the Maddox set and the shop has a steelman set that is similar to the Napa one you tested. For the money the Maddox brand is great for most locks. If people start coming in with the Advanced Wheel locks I will quit lol.
I always find it interesting that there is such a desire for cheap security. If I had a several thousand dollar set of wheels, I would definitely choose the best wheel lock - a $90 investment to secure $1000+ wheels seems very affordable. I'd love to see a test of commonly available pad- or combination locks! Maybe trigger locks for guns, too!
I noticed the extractor used on the advanced wheel lock was chromed and black for the other wheel locks can you try with the black extractor please and report back. Thank you
It might have been nice to see which keys were most durable. I attempted to change a friend’s flat tire once and the key snapped immediately. I guess the shop used it with an impact which weakened it and I finished it off :)
A rule of thumb I always heard was this. "Locks are meant to keep honest people out of your stuff. Cause if someone really wants what's locked up, the lock only slows them down."
@@Deckzwabber That's really what it's about. Given enough time and motivation almost anyone can figure out a way into anything. The idea behind any kind of lock is to either make them choose against your property or slow them down to the point where they don't want to risk their neck stealing it.
Luckily, wheel locks and theft deterrents in general don't have to be perfect because thieves will not want to spend too much time stealing your wheels, so anything that can sufficiently slow them down will cause them to look elsewhere for easier pickings. That advanced wheel lock is very clever I must say!
Since my kids starting driving,I’ve had a few wheel locks to remove. The ones that are on a Ford Fiesta with snowflake alloy wheels were the toughest to remove. No room round the lock at all. McGard were a walk in the park to remove. Hadn’t thought about a stud extractor
@@DashCamSerbia oh I'll do you one better. I live in the middle of nowhere where people leave their keys in the ignition and the engine running while they go into the store to grab a soda and sandwich for lunch. People don't lock their doors. Everyone knows everyone, everyone notices out of place characters, and everyone has a more likely than not chance of carrying a sidearm or having one close by. We had the wild west, now I'm living in the mild east
@@colbywood1785 Yes, because escalating from attempted theft or theft to aggravated assault, attempted murder, or second degree murder is so much better.
Thx to this man and the helpful tips contained in this video I now have a successful wheel stealing business iv made over 2k in just the first week alone ty project farm I'm quiting my normal job tomorrow
I've only had 1 truck and it's a 25 year old handmedown with crappy Walmart tires.. it had never occurred to me that people would try to steal them LMAOOO Maybe now I need this video to determine the proper extraction tools to go for an upgrade!
@@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co listen. It may be a shitmobile. But I love my old clunker. Cuz it's been with me since I was a teen. And I put all type of elbow grease into it!
I watched his video for pressure washer, bought the Stanley, I watched his video for water filter, bought the zero water. Now I finished watching this video and ordering advanced wheel locks! 😁😁😁 this channel is my decision making channel for the tools and stuffs!
Another great video! Would love to see you review some of the TireMinder, B-Qtech, TyMate, and other aftermarket wireless tire pressure systems for trailers. Lots of neat options out there
@@ksavage681 glove box, or the trunk with the spare or center console. Yet somehow that's not how people's brains work. Now I can understand if you bought the car like that but don't get mad if we tell you we have to rip em off
Another excellent review! This was thorough and creative. I had to laugh when the welder was brought out, that is truly extreme. I did not know how many techniques were used to defeat wheel locks, it was very alarming. I have $500 tires on $200 wheels so I believe a set of Advanced Wheel locks will be ordered. Thank you for this great review.
![[1457] Donut Media Challenge: Pick $450 Wheel Locks (Desmo Core)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5HC9YFu19D0/mqdefault.jpg)
Here’s the list of products reviewed. More details in the video description. Thank you!
McGard: amzn.to/3KINVgI
Gorilla (Free Spinning): amzn.to/3Zq7azE
Gorilla (Small Acorn): amzn.to/3ZwtCaw
Dorman (Free Spinning Collar): amzn.to/46sUlrt
Tavaski: amzn.to/3kAGm0P
White Knight: amzn.to/3ZtHGBp
Advanced Wheel Lock System: Available online at the manufacturers website
Handheld Welder: amzn.to/3A3uXuH
Thanks for the kind words. I watch all of your videos… and, in fact, earlier today I was using two products that I bought based solely on your testing (Venom Steel gloves, and DeWalt step drill). Your videos are really valuable to DIY folks like me. 👍
Two of best youtubers with no unnecessary information straight to the point. I can understand that you like eachothers videos.
Comments like this remind me that it's a small world after all....
For work I order the "Raven" gloves, and they're very good. I'll get Venom Steel when I go through my free Harbor Freight gloves.
Venom Steel gloves were my favorite until they switched to "one size fits most" instead of offering different sizes. Now I go with Grease Monkey "Gorilla Grip" gloves
Project Farm gets a better review from LPL than 99% of all locks.
After watching your review I ordered the Advanced wheel locks. I just got off the phone with them checking on my order and they are now back ordered two weeks thanks to you. She said they were averaging a few orders a week and thought they may have to go under since they are a Mom and Pop company. Thanks to you they received hundreds of orders and she said you pretty much saved the company. She could not say enough good things about Project Farm. Bravo Project Farm you guys ROCK.
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
Im so high asf I was imagining (and somewhat predicted) a whole ass story line about that company being a mom and pop shop, and that they were gonna get hella purchases after this video 😭
Think I'm gonna order a few sets soon for all of my cars but will probably wait till they aren't too busy with all the orders they currently have
Oh wow
Now thats a story!
Always great to hear that a small business is doing great by making a very good product. With any luck, they will expand their int'l market too, with this youtube video.
I love how he doesn’t waste anytime, he starts right off with the main point of the video and doesn’t waste any time. 10 minutes of nothing but good information, I absolutely love it
Do I ever agree!
10 minutes is the perfect length to make full money from a video on TH-cam.
If I owned a manufacturing company, I would have offered him a high-end position in product development. 🙂
I take it you're new here. Mr. Farm doesn't take the piss in any of his 1000s of vids
@@Dave-kq7gv I’ve watched this guy for years now and I’ve never seen a video I didn’t appreciate
No doubt that this man has saved thousands of people time and money by completing his unbiased reviews…. Like others, I confirm first if he has a video on a product I’m interested in purchasing….even going back to 4 year old videos 😂…Thank you Todd!!
You are welcome!
also this can give ideas to thief how to actually remove this type of nuts...
@@Mega1ok ....Trust me bro....Nothing shown in these videos is new to thieves, and if you think otherwise, you have led a very sheltered life!!
@@Mega1oklolno, he even addressed this.Nothing shown here would be new information. Wheel thieves have a whole array of tools and tricks and have it down to a science.
"Cousin Eddie is very concerned his Buick wheels are in high demand"
hahaha
Solid humor by Project Farm.
lol. I love a good laugh! Thank you!!
I loved that!
Hey man, I could use a set of those for my buick
Also note that the Advanced Wheel Lock are probably more expensive than the Buick wheels.
Cousin Eddie is the only one concerned about his Buick wheels...anywhere
Love all the methods tested here! The winning design was quite simple, yet the cone shape and hard metal proved to be extremely effective. I love simple designs that just work.
Thanks!
Yeah, he doesn't talk about his dog, neighbor, what he eat, or or story of how he bought one of the part took forever.
Awesome , Advance Wheel Lock for me , Thanks Project Farm 😊
@@dantedanis yeah he could do a little More talking. I think there was 22 seconds of breathing
Thank you- I’m installing the Advanced wheel locks AND the gorillas on my vehicle. That’ll be a sufficient pain in the arse to dissuade most thieves! Glad to hear I’m supporting a small business!!!
Exactly what I was thinking! I may even use two sets of the advanced, along with a set of the spinning Gorillas!!!
As an owner of Advanced Wheel Locks, I highly recommend this product‼️ 10/10
Thanks for the feedback.
Unfortunately, I just found a video on youtube how they defeated Advanced wheel locks.
@@kent100ss The donut guys? The company called them out on the video in the video's comments. I purchased advanced wheel locks after reading that post.
Hi Donut Media.
Thank you for taking the time to review our locks. Your video has achieved many more views than the "infomercial" we filmed in our suburban garage.
You guys are very entertaining, but we have some questions about your testing methods.
1) Why did you order ball seat locks for a Miata? Miata’s all take cone seats. A ball seat will never torque down properly in a cone seat.
2) 2) Why did you list our price as $135? While our prices do vary based on what kit you purchase, the set you tested is $90 (we have your receipt to prove it).
3) If you had aftermarket rims, why didn’t you order our locks for aftermarket cone seats? They are designed to fit the smaller diameter lug holes that most aftermarket wheels have (and would have saved you the effort of swapping the wheels out).
4) Why choose McGuard after they easily failed your removal attempts? There is a “Includes Paid Promotion” notice at the start of the video. Is this a paid ad for McGuard disguised as an honest review?
As a small American business, we stand behind our products. Though we have not posted a video showing our bolt extractor tests, we have tested them and had other independent tests of our locks against extractors. All removal attempts failed when the correct lock is installed to the correct torque.
Call us and we can send you the right set to fit your Miata free of charge. Try the extractor on that set. We have a feeling the results will not be the same.
Just bought them 5 min into video. Problem will be solved 🤛
My buddy parked his corvette at a gas station in flint. Walked inside and as he was walking out not 2 minutes later there was a truck with 2 guys in the back flying out of the driveway. His car was on blocks. Even an extra minute or 2 can make all the difference.
4sswipes! I hope he was insured and moreover I hope the scumbags got caught!
Great point!
Hmmm. Parking a Corevette in Flint seems inadvisable, although I can definitely understand running out of gas. Hopefully your buddy wasn't stranded too long!
Wow, they would have to been following or waiting for an unsuspecting victim.
@@VintageCars999 Gas stations are good targets of opportunity. Some people start the gas pumping and walk in while it is running, others use the restroom. If you sit long enough and have a spotter they can signal when someone is entering the restroom and target that vehicle. Same thing with Sheetz when you see someone ordering food at the kiosk.
One thing to add if you are using work locks: They generally come in kits of four, and it is intended you use one for each wheel. Buy more than one kit, and use more than one on each wheel. If you use only one, kids will remove all the other lugs, and use leverage with the bar to break the stud off that has the wheel lock. I have seen it many times. I am a police officer for reference.
Thanks for sharing.
Good point -- they can just grab tire and bend it back and forth until the stud breaks.
Defense in depth, use two different types at least.
Packs of 20+ are more common these days for that reason. I got locks on every stud, unfortunately they are the gorilla ones so probably won't do much much good anyways lol.
Wouldn't that damage the rim?
Bought the advanced wheel locks almost two years ago for my ram 1500’s chrome wheels while i lived on the outskirts of Mexico City for a couple of months and i never had a problem with my wheels being stolen or messed with. I did end up missing two of my regular lug nuts but the wheel locks never moved. I highly recommend them.
Thanks for the feedback.
Which advanced lug nuts did u get ? I'm curious if it's worth buying them. If a thief is going to get them, they will. Alarm, security cameras, motion detector, dogs, firearm and a can of whoop ass seems all we need to protect from thieves.
Wheel Lock Set M14x1.5, 42mm Tall, Cone Seat from advancedwheellocks is what i got for my truck and they worked great. And yeah if a thief wants something bad enough theyll get it, but this way at least they’ll have a difficult time getting them and it’ll give me some time to hear them and rightfully respond.
Holy moly Mexico City, them thieves there will steal almost anything even your underwear from under you if you stop blinking
It can be removed with a bolt extractor socket. Watch video from Donut.
Already new the outcome because Advance wheel locks are the only brand I use based on my research and experience, but still had to watch since it was you that made the vid.
Thanks for watching!
I am always amazed at your ability to devise a variety of testing procedures for just about any product.
Thanks for sharing!
I have never thought wheel locks are worth their cost. This will be interesting. Hopefully cousin Eddy finds his solution.
Thank you!
They're more a deterrent than the last word in wheel security. Worth having if you fit expensive wheels and/or tyres!
@@skylined5534 yeah, they are a deterrent from the average opportunity crime... If someone wants your wheels and has the time they can get the wheel locks off.
@skylined5534 as LPL says, locks keep honest men honest. I guess this is a similar concept.
@Richard Cranium Any thief who's never been caught, is an "honest" man.
I never knew such welders even existed. I'd love to see a comparison/test video on these suckers, assuming there is a range of quality and they are not all disposable crap. Excellent video on the lug locks -- Those $90 are probably worth it if your wheels are expensive
Thanks for sharing!
Welders can be pretty small these days. My flux core from harbor freight is the smallest welder i have ever seen and it can weld 3/16 plate pretty comfortably. It's a little smaller than a cinder block I would say.
@@Arweris I totally agree with you on the HF Titanium welder, tiny but mighty!!!! I have welded one thing 1/4" just for trial purposes, and it did the job just fine (liftgate bracket on a box truck) once you get your settings just right.
Definitely would like to see that.
If the wheels are expensive enough to warrant almost 100 dollar wheel locks, you probably have a garage and a good place to keep the car. If you also have nice enough wheels you probably wouldn’t want some security but ruining the wheel as you probably have some nice colored ones or even titanium nuts as they look nice to some people
This is the only youtuber that I actually have to slow down the video speed to absorb all the info haha.
No wasting time begging for likes and subscribers and no shilling. Excellent video as usual and making my dollars work for me better.👍🤠
Thanks!
I love it when some of my favorite youtubers all are open about watching each other, PF, LPL, Demolition Ranch. One of these days would be great to see you guys make a video together.
And Torque Test
Thanks!
I srcond that!
LPL??
He’s got a new tool to add to the covert companion!
Great test! Decades ago, I had a set of McGard wheel locks and lost the key. I went to a garage, asking what it would take to remove them. In a matter of seconds, he used a socket (as you showed) and removed it. Seeing the trivial level of security they offered, I've never since bought wheel locks. But those 'Advanced' locks look like a worthy exception (providing I don't lose the key again).
Thanks for sharing!
Advanced wheel locks give you the option to buy an extra key when you order. Ive never heard of advanced until i saw this video. I will be buying a set for sure.
@n325aej So you quietly steal the car and remove the rims elsewhere.
@n325aej That's nothing compared to using a power saw on catalytic converters.
@@gregparrott its a little harder to see the guy under the car than the guy banging away crouched next to the wheel, from across the parking lot. makes some feel exposed.
The amount of research Todd must do while making a video is impressive. Amazing video, as always.
Thanks so much!
I wonder how long he worked on a rim stealing gang to do the research for this video. 🤔
Bought myself a set of advanced wheel locks 3 yrs ago on my new car and i never regret it. Even my mechanic said that is a tough one to beat. Best investment ever!!! But one advise, DO NOT use impact driver with their keys. Even though they said it is impact rated but i broke mine and had to pay $50 to replace it.
Todd thank you for the video❤
You are welcome!
they should have ship u a free one / replacement.
Considering the cost of my OEM wheels, I bought the Advance Wheel Locks. I was looking for the perfect lock nut and you gave that to me and for that I thank you!
You are welcome!
The time and money you spend on these test is amazing. Thank you for your hard work.
Thanks and you are welcome!
In addition to the 4 great points you made, when it’s time to purchase wheel locks or any lug nut/bolt, there is a very important 5th thing to consider. The seat of the nut/bolt must match that of the wheel. Wether it is flat (very rare nowadays), conical, oval, or any number of the numerous ball seats, making sure the lock/nut/bolt matches the wheel seat is critical for safety and proper functionality.
What's a seat. I'm not native
@@user-mi4yc7pr3x The seat is the part of the nut or bolt that actually makes contact with the rim and is the surface all the clamping load is applied through.
@@2down4up ah yeah it's slightly different depending on car brand
@@user-mi4yc7pr3x Yep, car brand wheel design and so on. If your changing wheels out at the same time, not only do you need to make sure the flange/seat of the bolt matches the wheel but you also gotta make sure it’s the right length. A lot of aftermarket wheels have much different depths when it comes to where the lug bolt/nut bottoms out in relationship to where the face of wheel that sits against the hub is. Too short and the bolt might strip, break, pull threads and so on. Too long and you might contact something on the backside of the hub and cause damage there while leaving the wheel still loose.
Can vouch for this from personal experience, about 20 years ago I removed my aftermarket wheels and went back to the stock steelies but used the lug nuts from the aftermarket wheels. Snapped multiple wheel studs before I learned why, one time I snapped 2 of the 4 studs on one wheel about 2 miles from my house as I turned onto my road.
“The use of locking pliers to hold a chisel can prevent hand injuries”
Those are the words of a man who learned from experience. Hope your fingers are okay!
Thanks, they are!
@@ProjectFarmwhere to buy the advance wheel lock from ? I’m looking for the product website
@@corneliushills-ym8fvon their website
Yea an older guy told me about that, while I was leaking all over the shop one day. Now its a standard practice.
Great timing as always, PF! I was planning on having my rims stolen tomorrow, but thanks to your extensive testing, now I know how to prevent it!
Thanks for sharing!
Anyone with that kind of DUMB luck should buy a lottery ticket.🤪
Wow, I never would have thought to make a video like this.
Great concept, especially because at least once per car a mechanic removes a lock without using the key I gave the guys in the shop. Thank you!
Thank you very much!
@DontReadMyProfilePicture.0 a scammer account..... get lost.
Something to consider with locking wheel lug nuts is how durable the "key" is. I had a vehicle years ago that had locking lugs on ALL of the lug nuts, so 24 in total. The key-socket thing that fit them broke on the second lug nut, I managed to get the other 22 off with an EZ-out, which to date has been the only time an EZ-out didn't make things worse.
Non factory locking wheel nut keys can be shockingly bad!
The renault and bmw stuff I've used for example though is incredibly durable.
Thanks for the feedback.
@@skylined5534 The gorilla stuff has always been quality and held up for me. Beware the nonames. I too have had many crack or deform from poor metal, or often poor design.
I had this same problem. The first time I removed the locking nuts to rotate tires I could see the metal beginning to fail and didn't put the locks back on.
I had to replace the oem because they were way short. Got splined lugs that you still can't get anything like vice grips on.
Former LE officer here, most wheel theft rings carry around a bag of common wheel locks. The ones that are keyed differently tend to be the ones we saw much less of. Can't say I ever saw a case of someone carrying a welder around though but I guess anything is possible!
Thanks for sharing.
Aren't they stealing catalytic converters now and not wheels? I haven't heard or seen anything on wheel thefts in years. I live in the wheel theft meca of California, too.
No it's gotten bad now here in Ohio. They are stealing factory rims nows.
Always top content. Not in my "wheelhouse" but I imagine your testing is gold to someone in fleet management in addition anyone with premium tires or rims.
Thanks!
The one thing you left out that i would want to see is how much torque the lock keys can handle. I got stuck out in the desert one time with a flat because the lug nut key broke on me. I don't suppose you would consider a bonus episode testing that this week?
Good point. The only thing my locking lugs have ever prevented was ME getting the wheel off.
This is BY FAR the most useful channel on all of TH-cam. Keep going friend! We love you.
Thanks, will do!
Been a fan for a long time now
You put alot of time and effort into your videos. We all have mad respect for you
-Radiator leak sealants
-Belt sanders
-Jig saws battery vs 120
Thanks so much! Thanks for the suggestions.
GREAT video as always! Would love to see a fillet knife test or windshield chip repair kit! Thanks for the tests 🎉
Thank you for the video ideas!
Window chip repair kit. Replace window
@@Hallowsaw Sure, if you don't mind dropping several hundred dollars. If there's a much cheaper kit that can significantly prolong the life of a windshield, then I'm going to go with that.
@@reverse_engineered i said that out of experience. I have done the professional just patch repair and it eventually just gets worse and you have to replace it anyways
An idea for a collaboration video between yourself and the lock picking lawyer is which padlock (keyed and combination) is the best. You'd be able to test the locks for the usual wear and tear and the lock picking lawyer can test the ease of picking before and after being abused by yourself.
I dream of a collaboration like this between these 2.
Well there is none as you can see from lock-picking lawyer there's no lock that can't be pick through within 3 minutes
@@Manatee360Phototography I hi hi hi hi y😅😅😅❤I'm ¹18th 💓 😂¹
A comparison of car ramps would be very informative and helpful I hear a lot of sketchy things about some of them
Nice idea! The cheap steel ones slide out from the car when you reverse off them and the car can be damaged when it falls on them.
Good idea -- I don't test any of those plastic ramps. I think a far safer ramp could be made easily from wood, whether stacking plywood pieces or 2x4s, etc. I suppose cut a profile into several pieces of plywood, and screw or bolt them all together until it's wide enough to drive on.
If you just want oil changes to be easier, get a Top Sider oil extractor. Especially if you can change the oil filter without jacking the car up. Make sure to get one that's large enough to handle the amount of oil in your particular engine. I actually get MORE oil out of my engine with this thing, than using the drain plug, so ignore any theoretical nonsense (and yes, you should warm up the engine for a minute so any particulates will be suspended, rather than sitting on the floor of the oil pan).
Thanks for the suggestion.
You can make a quality set of ramps out of just a couple of 2x6s or 2x8s and a hand saw.
Nice idea. I recently helped a guy who had metal ramps that kept sliding along the floor instead of making the car drive up the ramp. Also, I have seen ramps that have a very poor flat spot on top that wouldn't allow the car to be stable without using the e-brake. (Yes, you should always use the E-brake with ramps as a second layer of safety, but the car should not be trying to roll off when the wheels are on the top flat) There could be some really good tests for this idea! (And I love the idea of including homemade ramp designs from 2x4s)
I love your videos. Unbiased, No fluff or spiel. You outline the experiment and get to work. It’s scientific enough for someone to make an informed decision without confusing them.
Thanks!
When I worked as tech at Ford, we kept the master lock set for all these in case the customer forgot theirs. The only benefit I can see is if they're used on wheels with deep centers to prevent locking pliers or similar tools to allow easy access.
The type of people stealing wheels etc are usually opportunists. Anything to hamper them is a win and will usually put them off... usually.
Thanks for sharing.
The Advanced Wheel Locks are unique to each customer so 1 master key isn’t going to work on any other model
@@abbashaider8668that’s awesome! I was wondering why thieves wouldn’t simply purchase a set of their own. Individual customization is certainly worth the $90. I wonder how many different keys they made.
@@WontSeeReplies Yeah I didn’t know that either. If someone was so inclined they could just purchase a few OEM brand wheel lock keys and they’d be able to steal stock rims off of basically any car from the brand.
I love seeing new products like the Advanced lug nut. Thank you!
Thank you! It's a great product for sure!
It's worth mentioning that the "small diameter Gorilla lock" isn't actually intended to be a wheel lock. It's a spline drive lug nut for aftermarket wheels that have less space for a lug nut. You'll often see them in 6 spline or 7 spline variants depending on wheel stud size.
Thanks for the feedback.
This is true. Once they are used on the type of wheel they are made for you won't get getting anything like the locking pliers in to them.
Yep. That's right. I use them on my three-piece wheels that have very deep-set lug nuts. They would be a major pain to remove without the special socket that comes with them.
That's correct. I use them on my enkei wheels I have on my Honda.
True, but still fairly easy to drive a socket over them in all but the narrowest lug nut openings.
Thanks for your video. It helped me remove the wheel locks with a 20mm piece. A mcguard that at a tire shop they damaged and did not want to repair. I have been following you for many years.
You are welcome! Thanks for being a long time follower!
I had a set of nice OEM rims stolen. They used the socket method on the factory wheel locks. The Advanced locks look awesome!
Thanks for sharing.
And of course the most important thing to remember is … to not loose the key / wrench to unlock them ! Many people do loose or miss place them and then find out when it’s needed !
JFC your grammar, man.
A lot of people throw them in the glove box, which is one of the first places thieves look.
Keep a spare at home. If you're travelling out of town have it somewhere hard to find in the car like behind a trim panel or something.
It has been quite a few years, I wonder if there are enough new options to do a new rechargeable battery test? I found those videos extremely helpful.
Also, some LED lightbulb brands just seem to die when I put them in enclosures (due to heat). Would be nice to see which brands actually last in extreme environments.
None of the comercial LED bulbs are designed to work in closed enclosures. In fact, they are designed to work in upright possition in a socket.
Just get the ones from OSRAM, Philips or General Electric and hope for the best. Also, make sure not to buy economy/value models, because they will not last as long.
You can also drill a coupple of small holes in the enclosure, to provide airflow to the bulb.
Meh, you probably come out ahead just buying the cheapest bulbs and replacing when they die. I've only ever replaced one LED bulb in my life, and yes it was in an enclosed fixture. It was only upon replacing it that I noticed the "do not use in enclosure" sticker. I just try to be mindful of minimizing the use of that one now.
Thanks for the suggestions.
The new ceramic substrate ones work better with heat I find. My biggest issue with LED's is the inconsistent color temperature, and worse, the lack of a full spectrum.
@@DashCamSerbia ... and I'm still waiting for my stash of CF bulbs to fail so I can buy LEDs. I have some CFs that are well over 10 years in use.
I have had Advanced wheel locks for 2 1/2 years, as I do a great deal of traveling, and stay in hotels. Rim replacement would be over $3,000 plus tires and labor, or close to $5,000. The cost of the locks in my opinion, are well worth the lost time and hassles of attempting to obtain new tires and rims. I've not had any attempts made trying to steal my rims, inspite of traveling thru some sketchy locations in California. Well worth the more premium cost of the wheel locks. This is a deterrent, but apparently a good one. Very good review. What is peace of mind worth to you? One must not forget, that once your wheels are stolen, there can be a good amount of down time lost, before your up and running again.
I have them too. $90 to save $2000 in time and tires is a no brainer.
Thanks for sharing.
Another excellent video. I recall taking my FJ to a shop that managed to lose my McGard key. They were able to get them off and perform the maintenance anyway. Time to order some Advanced Wheel Locks. Thanks again!
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.
Great topic to do a video on thank you. I think that while the Advance Wheel locks are more expensive then the rest of the pack, it is still Pennie’s if they help prevent very expensive wheels from being stolen.
You are welcome! Good Point!
Good video. What my take away is, don’t park in the seedy end of town and make sure your wheels are covered by insurance. Because a seasoned thief is barely going to be slowed down by these wheel locks.
True, but he'd be slowed down a lot less with standard nuts, although shooting him in the nuts would slow him down better than security nuts.😂
@@R.Sole88109 45 ACP is very effective.
@@jamesplotkin4674
Hell yeah👍🏻
Yes they will.
Which is why I went to the Acura dealer on Saturday and bought four regular Lugnuts for my 2012 TL. This tells me that most wheel locks are useless junk and just wind up being a hassle when removing the wheels.
Thanks for the feedback.
A very thorough comparison. I’m about to take delivery of an exotic car in super-high demand. I now know which wheel locks to buy, and I’m hoping they come in black. Thanks!
You are welcome!
A Toyota Corolla?
A tip about the McGard wheel locks. Dodges come with them from the factory as OEM locks (when that option is selected at all). So a would be thief will have a bunch of keys, specifically for Hellcat wheels, Scat Pack wheels etc. So, they will not slow down a thief all that much if at all. Those conical ones though, are interesting, I would remove/reinstall them every year or two to prevent seizing.
Thanks for the feedback.
Thank you, i got to change the front tires soon, might as well replace the wheels with some fancy ones 🙂
You are welcome! Thanks for the feedback.
It seems to me that it wouldn't be too difficult to make an impressioning tool for those advanced wheel locks. It's a lot like a tubular lock, except that you know exactly what the proper depth is just by bottoming it out. Basically, something like that universal socket, but designed specifically for those locks with large pins and maybe a collet to lock them in place once all the pins are bottomed out.
Yeah, but then what? A thug with a 90 IQ is going to take it home and cast a lug key in his garage foundry? That sounds exactly like WORK, and people steal because they don't want to work.
Thanks for the feedback.
ive had some success with those universal sockets but ive also broken about 10 of them trying, (im not a wheel thief but mechanic) if the bolt isnt over torqued and theres not much corrosion they sometimes work!
With yard mowing season in full swing, can you retouch some of the best yard mowing equipment? Thank you.
Great suggestion!
When using locking pliers, to take the subjectivity out of how tight you are able to clamp down by hand, it might be a good idea to explore using the hex hole on the back of the adjusting screw. Using that and a torque wrench should help in getting the same amount of clamping force each time you use the locking pliers. But, maybe I'm wrong in that assumption; testing might be in order.
Maybe a conventional hack saw blade comparison .
Not all locking pliers have that feature but a coworker used another pair of locking pliers to tighten the adjusting wheel even tighter.
I literally was doing research for weeks for best brand and thank god you finally made a video for it.
Glad to hear!
Back about 2 million years ago, before Harbor Freight, there were "back of the truck" tool sales. I bought a set of tools that would defeat most wheel locks, but the portable welder method is particularly interesting.
Thanks for the feedback.
Might be pricey, but I'd love to see welder comparisons. Do I need an expensive one or will the harbor freight welders work?
I second this one good idea
Thank you for the video idea!
+1!
Fantastic video! I realize winter is almost over, but maybe think about windshield covers or methods of removing/preventing ice and snow, especially with high wind. Thank you!
Thanks! Thanks for the suggestion.
“We’re gonna test that!” Great catch phrase! Love this channel. The only person wheel locks ever keep from taking off my wheels is me when I loose the key.
Thanks!
Wow, I think Catalytic Converter thefts are a much bigger problem out here. Maybe do a video on the best security device for them. Thanks for the great info.
IMO the absolute best solution to cat theft is to buy an aftermarket bolt-on cat for about $75 (the cheap ones don't have much precious metal inside, so nobody bothers to steal them), and swap it with the original one. Store the original at home (in case you need it for DEQ, or selling the car).
I had this idea, but failed to implement it before my cat was stolen. Ironically, the $75 cat passes emissions testing just fine, with no check engine light even a year later. Any other 'security device' is just a waste of money. A battery powered sawzall cuts through them in 30 seconds.
The best cheat is putting a test pipe in place and saying no to the catalytic converter. Can't steal what ya don't have.
@@cavalierliberty6838 Depends on where you live. Your car gets seized by the authorities if you do this in my country (western Europe obviously).
@@Gabbbble you mean "if you get caught". Keep the original one and swap it in only when you need to go for an inspection.
@@CanizaM The police will arrest you for the smell, escort you immediately to inspection and if they find out that the cat has been intentionally removed or replaced with a less efficient one :
- The vehicle is seized
- Registration is canceled
- Expect at least 1 to 2000 bucks in fines
- The "replacement" cat or cat delete will be removed and destroyed by the authorities at your expenses
- Your car will have to be towed to a workshop to reinstall an OEM cat (sometimes they ask for proof of purchase, so even if you already have an OEM cat, they force you to buy a second one)
- Then the car (which is now unregistered) will have to be towed back to inspection so you can register it again.
And you pay for everything of course. It's not France that I'm talking about, but the country of cheese and banks. They don't mess around here.
I've always found locking studs to be weaker, more prone to snapping. It would be good to test the breaking point vs OEM if ever you test studs in the future
Again a very interesting topic to think about. Not that I ever had, or will have, a car with rims & tyres worth stealing, but anyways a nice piece of knowledge, while being entertained at the same time! Love it!
Nice you mentioned the lockpicking laywer, he's one of my other favourites here on YT.
You'd think that, but OEM wheels for many cars are quite desirable and not cheap, leading to theft.
Long time listener, First time caller lol would love to see a video of trailer anti-theft devices such as coupler locks or wheel chock locks. Thanks! love the channel!
Thanks! Thanks for the suggestion.
Man I'm so happy to see all these honest reviews by you! Thank you!
I love this channel! I've bought a couple of tools based on Todd's findings and never been disappointed !
My pleasure!
Your videos are the best, honestly! 😀 It's very fascinating to watch your process and how thoroughly you perform multiple tests. Thank you! 🙏
Thanks and you are welcome!
Another thing to consider when getting these to match your wheels is the contact surface shape. Some will be conical, while others will be domed.
Thanks for sharing!
I read this as "Some will be comical, whle others will be doomed" !
@@5-minute-witness356 DOOOOOOOOMED!
Seriously, God bless you Project Farm, I doubt I'll ever buy half the products you review. But your videos are so well made, I can't help but watch them to appreciate them.
Seriously, we need more people like you in this world.
Thanks!
LPL said it all. Great job dude. You're amount of thorough approach to your projects really make the difference. Like racing a GT500 against a stock GT you really are careful to compare apples to apples and be clear about the differences. Love the channel.
Thanks!
You can get a lot more gripping force by using the locking pliers correctly. You can tighten them greatly using a hex bit on the bottom of the tightening mechanism.
I definitely think the $90 locks are worth while if you have some really high end performance racing wheels, but for OEM or minor upgrades, the cheaper ones are probably sufficient. Great testing as always!
Thanks! Thanks for the feedback.
No, spend the little extra money on the Advanced wheel locks. You don't want to miss a few days of work, and some insurance companies are not paying for stolen wheels amidst widespread car theft rn.
The McGard and Gorilla locks can also be defeated, trust me.
This is your blanket advice? So, it doesn't matter what type of vehicle a person drives, what kind of wheels they have, nor where they live? Just dump that extra $60+ on "the best"? Even though the Gorilla X2 set is damn near as good for OEM wheels? Interesting.@@mattf2535
I like your product testing a lot. You get right to the point from the beginning to the end without beating around the bush for TH-cam.
Excellent testing as usual. MGuard has always been the gold standard (though all are defeatable), the choice of many OEM's. An American company based out of Buffalo, NY. With pretty good customer service, have dealt with them over the years for replacement keys etc. Hold onto that card with the ID number that you get with your set or from the dealer.
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.
My McGuard wheel locks were defeated in about a minute per wheel when my wheels were stolen earlier this year. Their customer service let me return the extra key & but I bought though after the theft, so I agree they have great customer service.
Acura/Honda using them as well for all there vehicles.
Great video as always! Have you ever considered doing a test on Folding Shovels? They are a great tool to keep in a truck at all times.
Thanks! Thanks for the suggestion.
And with sharpened edges it makes them multi-purpose😉
Good old US Army E-tool is my go to. That's a good suggestion because there are a lot on the market.
@@ProjectFarm Please do! and test the E-tool.
@@tankerd1847 I really like that one. I also really like the Swedish Military one... however, that one isn't a tri-fold, it just folds at the spade.
Back when I worked in a hardware store, customers shopping for door knobs typically asked "What's your most secure lock?". I'd usually answer with "Depends on your least secure window".
And the truth is, almost every one of those door knobs had the same shitty lock. Rarely would they have any kind of security pins or bump resistance. I'd be more concerned about how long the thing would last before it wore out.
Youve probably broken more tools than many people own. Its great. Keep it up.
Thanks, will do!
I was literally just shopping for a set of these and then I saw the TH-cam notification 😂🙏🏾
Thanks for sharing.
Me too!
You have such professional tests.
Thank you very much!
This guy is a millionaire just from TH-cam alone. I'd expect him to lol
No problem.
Look forward to your videos every week! A fishing line video would be cool. Mono vs. braid and testing how accurate the test poundage is for different brands. Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks! Thanks for the suggestion.
Just got off the phone with Advanced, I had to get wheel locks for my Prowler, and they are some of the nicest people!! Run don't walk to Advanced Wheel Lock!
Thanks for sharing.
Cool :) I had my safety lugs stuck cause a not so good mechanic lost the keys , another had to weld and take them away
Great point on the key getting lost. I bet it happens quite often.
That's the worst part about wheel locks is the key...
Come in for tires or brakes, key isn't in the customers car... Call customer, they don't know where it is and the car is a mess, not spending time looking past the common areas.... Either find it and come back later, or pay to get them removed.
Love the content! Most of the time I end up having to remove these wheel locks because customers lose the keys. I have the Maddox set and the shop has a steelman set that is similar to the Napa one you tested. For the money the Maddox brand is great for most locks. If people start coming in with the Advanced Wheel locks I will quit lol.
Thanks for sharing.
I always find it interesting that there is such a desire for cheap security. If I had a several thousand dollar set of wheels, I would definitely choose the best wheel lock - a $90 investment to secure $1000+ wheels seems very affordable.
I'd love to see a test of commonly available pad- or combination locks! Maybe trigger locks for guns, too!
Thanks for the suggestion.
have each lugnut a different wheel lock over torque the wheels is far more effective... it will take at lest 3 people to do one lug nut
@@punker4Real Over-torquing lug nuts is the best way to BREAK THE STUDS OFF -- good luck changing a flat tire.
I noticed the extractor used on the advanced wheel lock was chromed and black for the other wheel locks can you try with the black extractor please and report back. Thank you
It might have been nice to see which keys were most durable. I attempted to change a friend’s flat tire once and the key snapped immediately. I guess the shop used it with an impact which weakened it and I finished it off :)
Thanks for sharing!
A rule of thumb I always heard was this. "Locks are meant to keep honest people out of your stuff. Cause if someone really wants what's locked up, the lock only slows them down."
Good Point!
As long as you're locking up your stuff better than the stuff next to yours, a little delay might be enough
@@Deckzwabber That's really what it's about. Given enough time and motivation almost anyone can figure out a way into anything. The idea behind any kind of lock is to either make them choose against your property or slow them down to the point where they don't want to risk their neck stealing it.
Luckily, wheel locks and theft deterrents in general don't have to be perfect because thieves will not want to spend too much time stealing your wheels, so anything that can sufficiently slow them down will cause them to look elsewhere for easier pickings. That advanced wheel lock is very clever I must say!
Thanks for the feedback.
Since my kids starting driving,I’ve had a few wheel locks to remove. The ones that are on a Ford Fiesta with snowflake alloy wheels were the toughest to remove. No room round the lock at all. McGard were a walk in the park to remove. Hadn’t thought about a stud extractor
Thanks for the feedback.
It's all about making it take long enough that the risk of being caught goes up to deter a criminal
Good Point!
Locks are for keeping honest people honest
@@JasonNaughton then that's like having no locks on your house at all since only bad people will break in regardless of a lock....
Donut Media actually did a video on this a few months ago. Excited to see the more diverse spread of product options and test methods
Yeah! They got the advanced off pretty easy.
Thank you!
Just get comprehensive insurance for your car, and you don't have to mess with any of this.
@@DashCamSerbia oh I'll do you one better. I live in the middle of nowhere where people leave their keys in the ignition and the engine running while they go into the store to grab a soda and sandwich for lunch. People don't lock their doors. Everyone knows everyone, everyone notices out of place characters, and everyone has a more likely than not chance of carrying a sidearm or having one close by. We had the wild west, now I'm living in the mild east
@@colbywood1785 Yes, because escalating from attempted theft or theft to aggravated assault, attempted murder, or second degree murder is so much better.
Thx to this man and the helpful tips contained in this video I now have a successful wheel stealing business iv made over 2k in just the first week alone ty project farm I'm quiting my normal job tomorrow
Would love to see side by side testing of electric bug zappers.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Wow! Great idea for a test!
Thank you very much!
I've only had 1 truck and it's a 25 year old handmedown with crappy Walmart tires.. it had never occurred to me that people would try to steal them LMAOOO
Maybe now I need this video to determine the proper extraction tools to go for an upgrade!
Great point! My old vehicles are unlikely to have the wheels taken.
Now imagine you own a Corvette.
@@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co listen. It may be a shitmobile. But I love my old clunker. Cuz it's been with me since I was a teen. And I put all type of elbow grease into it!
I watched his video for pressure washer, bought the Stanley, I watched his video for water filter, bought the zero water. Now I finished watching this video and ordering advanced wheel locks! 😁😁😁 this channel is my decision making channel for the tools and stuffs!
Thanks for sharing.
Another great video! Would love to see you review some of the TireMinder, B-Qtech, TyMate, and other aftermarket wireless tire pressure systems for trailers. Lots of neat options out there
Thanks! Thanks for the suggestion.
This actually will be helpful at work because people forget their wheel lock keys all the time
Awesome! Thank you!
Thank you!
The key should always be kept in the glovebox.
@@ksavage681 glove box, or the trunk with the spare or center console. Yet somehow that's not how people's brains work. Now I can understand if you bought the car like that but don't get mad if we tell you we have to rip em off
Thanks so much!!! I’ve been wanting lock videos for a while!
Also you can test the strength of different lockpick companys steel.
Thank you for the video idea!
Another excellent review! This was thorough and creative. I had to laugh when the welder was brought out, that is truly extreme. I did not know how many techniques were used to defeat wheel locks, it was very alarming. I have $500 tires on $200 wheels so I believe a set of Advanced Wheel locks will be ordered. Thank you for this great review.
Thanks and you are welcome!
At some point, it becomes easier to steal the entire car.
Great point! Unfortunately, I've had that happen to me!