Changed my mind about buying a $600 ultrasonic cleaner for parts

I was dead set against spending that much on a tool I figured a bucket of solvent could handle. Then I cleaned a set of fuel nozzles in 15 minutes that would have taken me 2 hours scrubbing by hand. Has anyone else had a shop tool that felt like a luxury until you actually used it?

2 comments

2 Comments

grantw323d ago

I hear you on the "bucket of solvent" approach, I was the same way for years. I finally bought a heated parts washer, nothing fancy, just a small one that sits on a bench. It cost me about 400 bucks and I thought I was nuts spending that on something I could do with a brush and some kerosene. But after using it on a greasy lawn mower carburetor that would have taken me half a day, I realized the time savings alone made it worth it. Now it's one of those tools I can't imagine not having, even if it felt like a luxury at first.

wendyprice2d ago

@grantw32 hit the nail on the head with that heated parts washer story. Same thing happened to me with a ultrasonic cleaner I bought off Amazon for like a hundred bucks, not as high end as yours but still felt like a waste until I used it. I had a set of old carburetor jets that were completely gummed up with varnish and I figured I'd try it before tossing them. Fifteen minutes in the machine and they looked brand new, no scrubbing no chemicals just water and a little soap. It changed how I think about shop tools. Now I can't imagine going back to soaking stuff in solvent for hours. That bucket and brush method is fine until you've seen what a machine can do in minutes.