A & E Hand Tools 4450A E-Z Grip Spark Plug Gap Gauge, Orange

This is the best tool I've found for setting the gap for my iridium tipped spark plugs. Worth the money. Well-made, easy to use.

Great for its intended purpose.

If my old car had sat long in wet weather, I might have trouble when I started home from a short errand. I replaced cables, coils, the distributor cap, and plugs. I applied dielectric grease. Still, there was a bit of a problem. I had set the plug gaps to 1.1mm because that's how they come if you buy them gapped for this model. I decided to reset them to 1.0mm, the specified minimum. I discovered that the gauge I had gave erratic results. The first time, a gap might feel too tight. If I tried it again it might feel too loose. The wire loop was so small that it seems I couldn't tell if I was holding the gauge askew. I ordered the EZ Grip. The "bottle opener" hole to pry the ground electrode looked dandy, but I didn't need it. By placing a plug in a socket with an extender, I made an assembly with much more mass than the plug alone. When I tapped with a fairly big wrench, there was enough momentum to close the gap in small increments until it was just right. I'd put the plug on the thin end of the gauge and slide it up until i felt resistance. If the 1.0 mark was at the center of the electrode, I figured the gap was 1.0. I'd wanted to check the gauge, but without a vise, I didn't know how to keep a caliper at a certain point on the gauge and keep it at right angles to the gauge while moving my eyes to a position where I could read the display. A solution occurred to me later. I'd lock the caliper at gaps in increments of 0.1 mm and see how far it slid up the gauge. I found that from 0.6 to 1.8mm, the gauge was .05mm too thick. Reading the mark at the center of the electrode would add to the error because, if the end of the center electrode is flat, it's the leading side that meets resistance. The diameter of a standard center electrode is 2.5mm, so a reading at the center would be about .04mm low. That would total .09mm too low. The gauge isn't that precise, so I'll call it 0.1mm. Now I know to look for a reading 0.1mm smaller than the gap I want. When I'd set my gaps, I'd read the gauge at 1.0, but I'd set them at 1.1. When I'd started to tighten those gaps, the EZ Grip had showed them to be 1.1mm. That means they were actually 1.2. That may well explain my "weak spark" problems. I won't trust the gauge with the tiny wire loops again. I'm confident that my caliper was correct because I've checked it with feeler gauges. If I'd used feeler gauges in the first place, I could have avoided this trouble. Well, the EZ Grip is quicker to use, and I like the "bottle opener." I'll just have to remember mine reads 0.1mm low if I read it at the center of the electrode. I can use feeler gauges to double check.

Seems solid. Does what it is supposed to do. I find these easier / more convenient than using the round ones. This is smaller than expected but works well so no complaints.

best gap tool, i have other ones but this is the one

This is 100x better than the simple coin shaped tools for gapping spark plugs and it's still very affordable and durable and made in the USA. Since the spark plugs for my car use super narrow iridium tips, I slide the spark plug along the thickness gauge until the center matches the desired gap (0.051 inches for my 2019 Ford Escape 2.5L naturally aspirated, non-turbo).

This is one of those tools that you probably won't use terribly often (unless you're a professional) but it's worth the admittedly small asking price. It's simple but functional. One side is inscribed in inches and the other side in millimeters. It's easy to open plugs with the squared off opening in at the end of the tool and then to check against the gauge along the edge. If you open your plugs too far it's definitely harder to close them but it's ridiculously easy to open and check them with this tool. I can't say that I've calibrated it's accuracy or anything but it's good enough to get all your plugs consistent. The handle is hard plastic and is comfortable enough and no rough edges. The gauge is a nice cast piece and mine did not have any imperfections that would affect it's usage. I'm glad I spent six bucks on it.

Great product but extremely slow shipping. USPS very slow to process. Plan on almost a week from time of order. Seller, please consider a quicker option. If you wish to own a "do it all" gap tool this is probably the best one.

works well

Muy buen producto, buena calidad.

Práctico la calibrar bujías

Great alternative to the ring style gapping tool. This allows you to start at a lower point, getting in to the gap without changing it, then work your way up to your desired number.

easy to use only used it once but handy little tool to have around the garage