Tool designation: Saferscraper
Manufacturer: Permatex
Product website: Permatex SaferScraper
How I found the product: Browsing the "sticky goop" aisle at a local Pep Boys.
Amazon reviews: Amazon SaferScraper Reviews
Amazon Price: $7.35 (at the time this article is being written)
Price I paid: $3.99+tax
What you get: One blue plastic holder and two double-sided, orange plastic razor blades tie-wrapped to a cardboard backer.
After a good bit of use scraping off old gasket and gook from a valve cover:
Today's test:
Leftover paper gasket and who knows how many years worth of not having a decent air filter:
Time to get working!
After scraping:
Closeup:
Why did I buy this?
For $4 and change, I figured I would take a chance. I've used a LOT of razor blade to clean up a lot of different gasketing materials and various engine gunk off sealing surfaces. I have injured myself doing so, and also caused cuts and gouges in surfaces. In some cases, when I had to be particularly careful, I have resorted to blunter metal objects or various plastic bits to finish scraping, and while those work, they usually lack leverage or still indent flat surfaces. I figured these plastic razor blades could improve on the makeshift scrapers that I have used, and it would be worth it to make sure sealing surfaces, well, seal.
How does it work?
I would say that the SaferScraper worked surprisingly well for most things. I didn't have to worry about tearing up the surfaces I was scraping or cutting myself. In that regard, this tool works VERY well. It excelled at dealing with gunky, gooey stuff and actually was very good on curved or not exactly flat surfaces. However, it is not a complete replacement for your typical razor scraper when it comes to really, really hard-baked on stuff. When it comes to things like that, I can recommend very fine fiber pads soaked in WD40 (some examples) to finish taking off the hard stuff, as long as you don't remove the base material.
Competitive Products:
There are plenty of competitive products on the market that end up being much better values. Here are a few examples:
Automotive Plastic Razor Holder (w/25 double sides blades)
Scraperite Plastice Razor Blades - 25 Multi Pack
Or if you already have a razor blade holder, here are some bulk blade options:
Plastic Razor Scraper Blades - 100 Pack
Scraperite Plastic Razor Blades - 25
Would I recommend this tool?
No, I would not recommend this price, but only for pricing, not for performance. I will continue to use my SaferScraper, but I cannot recommend anyone purchase it. As you can see above, there are other options that are much better values. I can absolutely recommend the concept of the plastic razor blade as a safer scraping tool, and will certainly report on other uses, strengths or weaknesses I find with this tool and any similar tools I try in the future. I do not regret buying this tool at all, and I can live with the purchase price of $4, but would prefer to have gotten at least 5 blades instead of just the two, though 2 should be enough for nearly any single job.
Leave any questions or comments below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
Thanks for reading!
Manufacturer: Permatex
Product website: Permatex SaferScraper
How I found the product: Browsing the "sticky goop" aisle at a local Pep Boys.
Amazon reviews: Amazon SaferScraper Reviews
Amazon Price: $7.35 (at the time this article is being written)
Price I paid: $3.99+tax
What you get: One blue plastic holder and two double-sided, orange plastic razor blades tie-wrapped to a cardboard backer.
Overview: The Saferscraper is a plastic razor blade and handle/holder. Instead of relying on normal and possibly dangerous razor blades, the Saferscraper aims to provide the same basic functionality while greatly increasing the margin of safety for the operator and the items being scraped.
Product photos:
After a good bit of use scraping off old gasket and gook from a valve cover:
Time to get working!
After scraping:
Closeup:
Why did I buy this?
For $4 and change, I figured I would take a chance. I've used a LOT of razor blade to clean up a lot of different gasketing materials and various engine gunk off sealing surfaces. I have injured myself doing so, and also caused cuts and gouges in surfaces. In some cases, when I had to be particularly careful, I have resorted to blunter metal objects or various plastic bits to finish scraping, and while those work, they usually lack leverage or still indent flat surfaces. I figured these plastic razor blades could improve on the makeshift scrapers that I have used, and it would be worth it to make sure sealing surfaces, well, seal.
How does it work?
I would say that the SaferScraper worked surprisingly well for most things. I didn't have to worry about tearing up the surfaces I was scraping or cutting myself. In that regard, this tool works VERY well. It excelled at dealing with gunky, gooey stuff and actually was very good on curved or not exactly flat surfaces. However, it is not a complete replacement for your typical razor scraper when it comes to really, really hard-baked on stuff. When it comes to things like that, I can recommend very fine fiber pads soaked in WD40 (some examples) to finish taking off the hard stuff, as long as you don't remove the base material.
Competitive Products:
There are plenty of competitive products on the market that end up being much better values. Here are a few examples:
Automotive Plastic Razor Holder (w/25 double sides blades)
Scraperite Plastice Razor Blades - 25 Multi Pack
Or if you already have a razor blade holder, here are some bulk blade options:
Plastic Razor Scraper Blades - 100 Pack
Scraperite Plastic Razor Blades - 25
Would I recommend this tool?
No, I would not recommend this price, but only for pricing, not for performance. I will continue to use my SaferScraper, but I cannot recommend anyone purchase it. As you can see above, there are other options that are much better values. I can absolutely recommend the concept of the plastic razor blade as a safer scraping tool, and will certainly report on other uses, strengths or weaknesses I find with this tool and any similar tools I try in the future. I do not regret buying this tool at all, and I can live with the purchase price of $4, but would prefer to have gotten at least 5 blades instead of just the two, though 2 should be enough for nearly any single job.
Leave any questions or comments below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
Thanks for reading!
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