CKAuto Valve Stem Puller/Installer with Rubber Boot

TL;DR: Good, reasonably priced valve stem puller that works well.I ordered this puller to use in the situation I describe below. I was a little worried about the quality based on some reviews I read, but overall it seems well made. In particular some complained about the rough finish on the tool, but I think that’s just because the end of the tool is made of cast metal. In my experience that may make it a little more brittle and prone to breaking , but you shouldn’t be applying THAT much force to this type of tool. And so far it’s worked well. Here are details of my experience with the product. The attached pictures go along with my description below. I have a utility cart I pull behind my lawn tractor. The cart has a fairly small 4.80/4.00-8 tubeless tire that had gone flat. I filled it with air and found that the only leak was from the valve stem which had rotted and cracked on the side. I pulled the old stem out and confirmed the rim had a standard 0.453 inch diameter valve stem hole. I found a five-pack of BHock valve stems on Amazon and ordered them to try to fix the tire myself, even though I had never done this previously. I figured “they just snap in, how hard can it be?” When I pulled the old valve stem out, the back part of it fell inside the tire, so I had to separate the tire bead from the rim to get the old piece out. I also figured I would need to do that to push a new stem in, although there are tools that allow you to push them in from the outside. When I received the valve stems, I tried just pushing one in from the inside of the rim, but this didn’t work. I then looked online and found that you are supposed to use tire lube on the stem and also use it when you reseat the tire bead. I found a jar of recommended but not too expensive Pro Bud’s tire lube on Amazon and ordered some. The company also had a video on tire changing tips. When the lube arrived, I tried lubricating the stem and pushing it in again, first with my hands, and then with channel lock pliers. But I couldn’t really get a good angle to press it in. I looked online again and found you are supposed to use a valve stem puller tool to screw onto the stem and then use its lever against the rim to pull the stem through the hole. So I found a reasonably-priced CK Auto valve stem puller on Amazon and ordered it. When the tool arrived I first tried to leverage it against the rim. But it seemed the tool was at sort of a bad angle when it was against the rim, maybe because this is a fairly small diameter tire. I put a small wood block between the tool and the rim, and I then easily pulled the stem through the rim hole. I then put some lube on both tire beads and the rim edges, fired up my compressor, and tried to inflate the tire. Of course, since I had loosened both beads in the process of fixing the tire, the air just leaked out all around the tire. I looked online again and found you need to compress the tire around its circumference with a ratchet strap to push the bead against the rim. Luckily I already had a ratchet strap, so I wrapped it around the tire circumference and tightened it until the tire beads seemed to be pressed in place. I was then able to inflate the tire successfully. I then left it overnight to make sure it held air, and I finally installed it back on the cart, as shown on my final picture. So my inexpensive valve stems now became a little pricier when you add in the tire lube and stem puller. And I probably could have just taken the tire to a repair shop and gotten it fixed for less. But now I have the experience and tools to do this easily myself in the future.

If you have a shop and/or do tire repair I highly recommend getting one of these tools. It's perfect for valve core and stem repair. The head swivels 90 degrees and the tool rests on the edge of your rim to easily install valve stems. On the opposite end it has a core extractor to easily remove and replace valve cores. Also works great for inner tube installation.

This is a sturdy and well designed valve stem puller. It does the job well and looks good doing it. I especially liked the wave that allows for a reliable grip.

I wish more vendors aimed to make tools for people who not only use tools, but people who LOVE good tools. The finish on this roughly sand-cast product remains rough... no amount of uneven chrome plating and rubber dip, is going to overcome the fact that whoever made this thing - doesn't love tools. You'd think that in 2024 we'd be capable of machining tools that don't look like they were sand cast in a kitty litter box.

Must have tool for valve stem install. Provides a no mar installation on aluminum rims. Handle gives you advantage of a good leverage angle so there's no real effort during installation of your valve stems.

Well made. Worked perfect

They are pretty good

perfect to install new valve on rims.