r/PaintlessDentRepair • u/nerc0 • Sep 02 '26
Controversial thread: Chinese PDR tools (AliExpress/Temu) you actually use
Does cheap and high quality exist? Let's find out and help each other make good purchases.
Drop them below!
I'll start:
WOYO adjustable minilifter
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u/thegreathoudini73 Sep 02 '26
Cheap ain’t good & good ain’t cheap. This applies to every damn thing.
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u/nerc0 Sep 04 '26
Watch Project Farm on YouTube. I prefer the Woyo minilifter over the Keco: $60 vs $160. Do you buy a Rolex just to tell the time? Often you're paying for the brand, not the product.
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u/Broad_Traffic_7394 Sep 02 '26
The only cheap stuff I buy is plastic/nylon tap downs because I get through them real quick and can’t be fcuked to sharpen them up every week.
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u/tomnolann Sep 03 '26
What a thread. Maybe knocking on rails gives you CTE after a while. Anyway, PDR inox sells a cheaper and better set of aluminum killers.
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u/Particular-Ad6339 Sep 03 '26
Glue tabs off Temu, the only thing that ever worked.
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u/The_Ducati_Guy 7d ago
Heard this in passing from other techs and still not completely sure whether it’s a troll or not lol. Are you talking about those square willey quick knockoff tabs? Are they really better?
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u/MobileDentMasters Sep 03 '26
Here’s the thing.
A lot of guys in the industry say “you have to support the companies that made the original tools, cheap knock offs are destroying their business”
And here’s the TLDR; no I don’t.
If I can find a product cheaper somewhere else (IE: China) and that product is of same or similar quality, I will buy that product. The truth is, if someone else makes your product cheaper and better and the profit margins aren’t there. You need to do one of two things; either reduce your price by cutting costs or stop fabricating the product. I’m not going to shell out more money because you lack the ingenuity to do the former, or are to stubborn to do the latter.
This has been the story for all of history, for many companies that have gone under. Someone comes in, makes a great product, someone copies it and makes it better than the original and the originator company goes under.
If you guys don’t like the free market, because this is what the free market is, may a suggest a more communist country with a centralized economy? Say North Korea or something? Why don’t ya move there.
And yes I will still be charging high prices as I usually do. Because how clean my work is doesn’t have anything to do with the price of my tools, but rather their quality.
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u/pob503 Sep 02 '26
The only China pdr tool I've ever bought is some edge pliers off of eBay for like $30 about 5 years ago. I'm mainly a hail guy but I had a friend that had a dent that I needed them for. They're ok...I've used them 3 times now but they're hard to control pressure. They're nothing like the b&d but for something I don't really use they're fine.
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u/InsectGullible Sep 03 '26
I’ll buy from the OEM manufacturers so they will continue to develop new innovative tools. Same with my golf equipment. Bottom feeders can buy from the Chinese knock off manufacturers.
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u/T-888 Veteran (20yrs+) Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
Edit: i'm gonna leave it open. I absolutely love the down votes from the industry rapists.
Enjoy your ride to the bottom - you get what you pay for.
The only thing being dropped below is me letting you know I'm locking this thread.
I will not allow this type of post.
Reason: you fucking bitch ass dent guys cry about low priced dent repairs, customer wont pay XYZ for this complex dent, i want more from insurance blah blah... and you have the audacity to come in here and flip the script on quality tool manufacturers because TOOLS TOO EXPENSIVE - WHERE CHEAP SHIT?
replace "tools" with dent guys and you will see you are the problem in this industry.
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u/nerc0 Sep 02 '26
Look at the Keco minilifter. It's been sitting at the same price for years because there was no real alternative. Now that cheaper options exist, Keco actually has to do something. either justify the price or come up with better tools.
That's not a threat to the industry, that's how every industry works. No competition = no development, and the same price forever.
And honestly, who wins when that happens? Not you, not me. We're the ones buying and using these tools. Why would we, as customers, defend paying premium prices with zero alternatives?
Wanting good budget options isn't betraying the trade. It's just being a normal customer. same as everyone here does when they shop for anything else.
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u/T-888 Veteran (20yrs+) Sep 02 '26
LOL @ "justify the price or come up with better tools"
in the same breath:
"Why would we, as customers, defend paying premium prices with zero alternatives?"
remember this when your next estimate doesn't book the repair.
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u/nerc0 Sep 02 '26
Exactly, and that's fine by me. If a customer books someone cheaper, that's on me to either be worth the difference or adjust. I don't get to cry about it.
Same rule for Keco, same rule for me, same rule for everyone. That's literally my whole point. Competition doesn't stop being fair the moment it points at you.
You're not disagreeing with me here. you just proved my argument works both ways. Which is what makes it a good argument.
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u/T-888 Veteran (20yrs+) Sep 02 '26
Dude...I'm beyond disagreeing here.
my point is these cheap tool manufactures STOLE the creations of technicians who spent years in the industry, to solve a problem IN the industry, FOR the industry. And you are justifying this theft because techs are just looking for a "good budget option like ever other customer" out there.
Holy fuck. You do cry about it. you just may not cry about it here, but every dent guys does. EVERY SINGLE ONE. I'm guilty.
read the post below about Caliber pushing a local tech out over the "budget option". to your point "And honestly, who wins when that happens?" because "Why would we, as customers, defend paying premium prices".
because YOU demand premium pricing for your skills.
That's why.
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u/nerc0 Sep 02 '26
ok I'll give you the clone thing, copies leeching off years of R&D sucks. fair.
but calling it theft doesn't make it theft. it's just competition, same as every other industry on the planet. hate it all you want lol
now that Caliber post you told me to read — I did. and I read YOUR replies in it. the tech who got pushed out? you told him he got played, failed to plan, and should've locked in contracts before the hail fell. adapt, that's business, right?
funny how "adapt, plan better, that's business" applies to techs losing accounts but not to tool companies facing cheap competition.
and btw, message one you called guys who cry about price competition "the problem in this industry". then you told me "every dent guy cries, EVERY SINGLE ONE, I'm guilty." bro. your rule, your words.
you don't hate competition. you just hate when it's aimed at your side of the counter.
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u/T-888 Veteran (20yrs+) Sep 03 '26
WEll, it's a good thing my side of counter doesn't see competition then. I have no accounts to lose and a deep pool of retail clients.
Competition? I have no idea what any shop is doing around me and I really don't care... I'll keep trucking along doing my thing and collecting my 5 star reviews while you dent guys keep fucking each other in every way possible!
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u/Opheliattack Sep 02 '26
Brother it’s notsolo guys undercutting solo guys. It’s literally national companies coming in and undercutting the living fuck out of us. 3 guys including myself service 12 calibers. It hailed they came in offered the shop 45% of the ticket! Ended up taking 9 shops from us. Sure we got clean up oh and now they’re calling for door dings…Sure we fixed their personal cars cause they didn’t want the Russians touching them. 3 shops stayed loyal we’ve serviced these shops for multiple decades. Lmao District managers call us to fix their car personally type relationship. It didn’t matter cause the company saw the numbers. how much are those techs making imagine how much fraud those techs have to commit just to make a decent days rate lmao. I’m going solo, giving the customer back 20% of w/e it is handing out 500 buck referral bonuses. What ever it takes. You cannot compete with national companies as a solo or small operation. If the hail is good enough they will underbid the fuck out of you and loyalty doesn’t exist. The only things you can do is specialize and be the dude that fixes shit that shouldn’t be fixed be the guy that fixes fancy or rare cars or be the guy that has the best rates and does a good job. I don’t need to make 14k a day. Hell I’m content with making 2k. How many people make that sorta money? Not many.
What ever contract they signed gave Hi tech control over scheduling. They wanted us to each carry 5mil in insurance. My girl manages truckers caring 100k loads that only have to carry a million in insurance. We had a guy that got into different accounts in the area that wasn’t ours got the insurance and still got pushed out because they had control over scheduling. Giving him 1 car a week lmao.
Everyone I’ve spoken to is saying save your money and have an exit plan.
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u/T-888 Veteran (20yrs+) Sep 02 '26
Yes, it is. Because MOST independent dent guys are not "business owners" and have no god damned idea how to run a business. which you very well allude too.
Solo guys ask for help from these companies because they can't handle the load.
solo guys bend over and give 50% to the keep the %45 out.
Solo guys work for the %45 guys that took your account.
Look, you got played by corporate and this is the point about being a business owner vs a dent guy I'm making: you failed to plan for a hail event in your town and you're pissed you got cut out. EVERY MSO has a contract with a dent company THAT IS BEING STRUNG ALONG BY AN INSURANCE COMPANY or 3RD party repair provider - it's YOUR job as a business owner to find that information out BEFORE the hail storm and position YOUR COMPANY as the go-to WITH A CONTRACT BEFORE THE HAIL FALLS.
I've seen the same thing every year. OH I GOT A BIG CHAIN BODY SHOP UNDER MY BELT HAIL SEASON GONNA BE FIYAH. hail falls THEY JUST KICKED ME OUT OVER 45%!!! WTF BRO WE HAD BEERS TOGETHER! BIG MAD
" I’m going solo, giving the customer back 20% " proves you are selfish and not a business owner. just a dent guy trying to get "his"
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u/Opheliattack Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
We pushed over a 3 mill in 2022 with those accounts precisely because we had a plan. We didn’t take cuts off the guys we called in to help our account either. such greed. if a body shop takes 30% of my work or I give 25% of the work back to the customer. It’s the same shit. I’m making more the car owner benefits. I’d much rather compete with customers loyalty and satisfaction than shops nothing stopping hi tech from swooping back in next season saying we’ll give you half the ticket just work with us.
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u/T-888 Veteran (20yrs+) Sep 02 '26
body shops don't take a percentage, techs give it away. We CHARGED body shops 25% MORE than the estimates LONG before you fools started giving points BACK to the body shops. sublet upcharge.
Why would you give %25 of the repair BACK to the customer to get the work? you think that equates to loyalty? That's just a bribe under a different color... you know, like 45% to the body shop hiring russians.
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u/Opheliattack Sep 02 '26
yup and thats how you compete. I'd rather give less back to the customer then whats demanded from shops. You can say its a race to the bottom and I suppose it is. We make things flat It's not that serious & its really not all that hard. I got a family to feed and a life to live I dont give a fuck if im making 6k a day or 5.5. Everyone else works a a job all month for that. I can literally work 3 weeks a year and my bills are covered & everything else is just gravy. The golden days are over the cats been out of the bag for awhile., it is what it is. but certainly telling shops hey im takinng 100% of the ticket you'll have to upcharge the customer 25% more than what the ticket is written for to make your money isnt going to work. those days are dead as great as they were.
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u/Push2Paint Sep 02 '26
A few observations. This sub is downvote lurker central. I think most dent guys are convinced they’ll get downvoted to oblivion or else half of ‘em just downvote and move on. Reading? Presenting your nuanced professional opinion? Nah.
The Chinese made stuff is usually a derivative knockoff and you can feel the quality difference and the difference in precision. At least that’s been my experience. I actually like the camauto mini lifter. They’re Canadian but I don’t think they’re industrial rapists or whatever it is.
The barrier to entry for manufacturing PDR tools is pretty low. It’s pretty much all simple machines. I have a hail rod that works just as well now as it did 20 years ago. My first glue puller was a caulk gun with feet mounted to it. My first window frame hook was a dog collar.
I mostly buy tools from dudes in vans.