I'm about three years out from retirement so im buying things ill need but might not have the extra cash for. I frequently do auto repair for myself and i help others with theirs. Old, rusted fasteners can be a pain and i want to buy one of the inductive bolt heaters.

If you have one, give me your feedback on them. Im going to buy one made in USA, but even if you have a chinesium knockoff, let me know your thoughts on it.

I own a pretty busy auto repair shop. I bought a mini-ductor 2 from Induction Innovations a few years back. It is fine, and I want to emphasize, just fine, if you have a relatively small nut, not bolt, in a confined space where you really don't want to use a torch. It is FAR from a replacement for an acetylene torch, and I bet we have successfully used it less than a dozen times. Its just too slow, and doesn't have the power for professional use in my opinion. If you have 5 minutes to heat up a nut, it might work for you, but a torch is a cheaper and better option.

Additionally, if your heating doesn't work, or the nut is damaged too far to use conventional tools on, you can cut the nut off without damaging the stud below it with the torch. This is something that you will certainly not be able to use the inductive heater for.

I retired before getting a chance to use any, but these have their place. Sometimes you can't use an oxy-fuel torch for fear of melting or setting afire adjacent parts for example, a wiring harness and the floor pan of the car right next to the shock nut I needed to heat. A DIY/home mechanic might not want the expense or have the storage space for a torch, fuel and oxygen tanks.

Worked on a fleet of 2010 to 2022 F250s. The mini ductor worked well for things Ford used red lock tight on. Rear spring shackles, anything with captive nuts (body mounts, fuel tank rock shields, etc.). It was in a corrosive environment at a mine.
Just enough heat to soften the lock tight, there is a duty cycle on them so it takes a while to get something red hot. Don't expect miracles with excessive rust, nice to have around but a torch will work better in most cases.

I used a Bolt Buster to heat the body mounts bolts on my Superduty. It heated the bolt heads to red hot in about a minute. I was very pleased with the tool. It is well built. I saved a good amount of money doing the body mounts myself.
https://boltbusterinc.com/

Thanks, I do not have a torch and do not plan on getting one. I realize its use (inductive heating) is limited but in the past I could have used it to save time and effort. Living in South Texas I do not see the amount of rust and corrosion that those up north do, but I have had to deal with rusted fasteners before and I will most likely be purchasing an older truck to use in retirement so I will surely get soem use out of it.

Thanks for the feedback.

quote:

I used a Bolt Buster to heat the body mounts bolts on my Superduty. It heated the bolt heads to red hot in about a minute.

It still takes a little longer to travel up the length of the bolt and reach the threads. But all you need to do with those is soften the thread locker.

Speaking of which, the stuff they use is actually stronger than the metal. If this is not softened up, the bolts can actually break off, or in the case of body mounts, break loose and spin the caged/captured nuts in the floor. I wish I'd had one when replacing an engine mount on a Fusion.

You can get a LOT of other uses out of an oxy-acetylene torch, I'd be shocked to find a shop of any real usefulness doesn't have one.

but for your specific ask, Boltbuster is my preference.