AKKTOL Rivet Nut Tool, 16' Rivnut Tool Kit with 15 Metric and SAE Mandrels, 125-PCS Rivet Nut Assortment Kit, Rugged Carrying Case, Ideal for Sheet Metal & Automotive Work

Well-built, solid tool---with one critical thing to know:Check my first photo: note the yellow "stroke gauge"; this is crucial. Page 5 of the instructions cover it, but barely---and if you miss it, you'll join the 1-star reviewers. Don't.The stroke gauge tells the tool how much to crush the rivnut. If you try to crush a 9mm rivnut by 9mm, you'll break the mandrel bit, because *nothing* can be crushed to 0.My second photo shows a rivnut close up: flange, then barrel, then threads. The mandrel bit passes through the barrel, then screws into the threads. When you close the arms, it pulls the threads and flange together, crushing the barrel and securing the rivnut in the hole you drilled for it.The smaller the rivnut, the smaller this "crush zone". Figure about 15% of the overall rivnut height as a good starting point (or about 2.5mm for a 15mm-long M6 rivnut). Use an even smaller stroke if you're installing into solid metal (since there is less room for expansion behind the flange in that case).When you first get the tool, take the time to play with it while reading the instructions until you get the hang of changing mandrels, and especially with setting the stroke distance. Neither one is obvious, but you'll figure it out by playing with an M6 rivnut and reading the instructions. Do NOT skip this!!!Then find some scrap metal and test: using the M6 rivnut, look up the proper drill-bit size in the manual: in this case, it's 9mm or an equivalent 3/8" bit (bonus mm-conversion trick at end of review).Drill a test-hole in your scrap metal, then fully open the tool's arms and thread on the M6 rivnut as far as it will go. Close the arms until you feel resistance, then adjust the stroke-gauge to 2.5mm.Now insert the mounted rivnut into the hole, line up the flange of the rivnut flush with the surface of the test-piece, then clamp down the arms while keeping the nut flush.Open the arms again and unscrew the knob ("lefty-loosey, righty-tighty") to unthread the mandrel from the nut. You should find it quite secure; otherwise you can always crush it a bit more a second time.If you take the time to play with the tool until you figure out the stroke adjustment and then do a test like this, you'll be very happy you did and the tool will serve you well for a lifetime.*****BONUS: Easy MM to STD conversion: just multiply MM by 2.5 to get 64th's. Example:8MM: multiply by 2.5 (same as (8x2) + (8/2), or (16 + 4), or 20). So you need a 20/64ths. Divide both numbers by 2 until the top one is odd: 10/32, then 5/16. Done. It's a 5/16ths bit.With odd MM like 9, just round the result UP to the nearest multiple of 4--so in this case (9x2) + (9/2) = (18 + 4.5) = 22.5. Round that UP to the nearest multiple of 4 gives 24/64ths. Divide by 2 until top number is odd, which gives 12/32nds, 6/16ths then 3/8ths. Done! (You can do this in your head!)Last example: 6mm x 2.5 = (12 + 3) = 15 => 16 => 16/64 = 8/32 = 4/16 = 2/8 or 1/4". BOOM! (See, now you're getting scary good at this...) Hope that helps!

Good value for the money

This is my second Rivnut tool. I kept breaking the smaller mandrels with the first one. This 16" Rivnut tool from AKKTOL works well. It came with detailed instructions the other one did not have. It provides a chart that allows you to calculate the stroke length for the size of Rivnut and the thickness of the metal that you are inserting it into. I attached a PNG of the chart, to which I have done part of the calculation for one size of Rivnut. Using that value and watching the stroke gauge results in a tight compression of the Rivnut, without overstressing the mandrel. Since using this chart I have not broken any mandrel - even with the 6-32 size. The set comes nicely packaged and the set of mandrels is more complete than the other brands. One last tip - all mandrels are brittle as they are hardened - make sure you are square to the workpiece. Going off-axis is a sure way to break a mandrel as you squeeze the handles.

Great tool

Looks like pretty good material and its to easy change the differents mandrels 100% recomended

I like all the different sizes, ease of use. I wish the depth gauge was a little more intuitive but it works once you figure it out.

I usually don't write reviews unless they are excellent or crap. This tool is excellent. I have had many crappy riv nut tools over the years, I needed one for a job that was difficult to access and didn't want to have to fix f'd up riv nuts.Figure out the proper crush using the chart,Apply a little green locktite sleeve retainer around crush area and install.This tool with the crush gauge is great.BTW, I installed 30, 10-32 riv nuts on this job, 1 stroke set to 3 mm, no problems, and Mandrel still like new.And cheap enough I just billed the tool to the job.

looks good, well made. although the m8 riv nuts were missing but no big deal.

Muy útil para mí, y llegó rápido.