Cobra Products 400 Zip-It Drain Cleaning Tool
by Cobra Products
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List Price: Our Price: $2.09 You Save: $1.30 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Buy Used: from $1.99 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Cobra Products 400 Zip-It Drain Cleaning Tool
Customer Review: Works...And Reusable....Like They All Are...Read
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw an ad on TV for the "turbo snake" that got me hunting down something similar here on Amazon. First up, don't buy the turbo snake from its online site, or on the phone. Like all these pitchman products they slaughter you with the S&H, and you can do much better here on Amazon. The turbo snake, like this product and many other variations on Amazon are basically a thick flexible nylon or plastic strip around 18" long that have some kind of teeth at the end designed to grab and extract the hair and gunk that gets caught in the trap of bathroom sinks and tubs. Most of the products you will see here on Amazon,(including the turbo snake) claim they are for one application only. (Something they fail to mention at all in their infomercial). Be advised this is a gray area. ALL the products of this type can be used more than once if you have a strong stomach, or are just plain cheap. The reason why drain cleaners such as these tell you to toss it out after each use is because the prickly system of teeth employed at the business end that is responsible for grabbing the hair and gunk is very hard to clean. The teeth tend to hold on to its yucky prize most tenaciously. You will be forced to use your fingers diligently to dislodge the crap, which a lot of folks will cringe at. And in the course of the cleaning you may get carried away and break a few of the sensitive teeth, thus making it a little less efficient each time. Still however, if you're willing to do this, and or feel that a little disgusting chore comes about easier than $$$, you can accomplish it and use each of these tools at least a couple of more times. The other reason why products such as these tell you to throw them away is because after each use the flexible rod gets bent and twisted a little, thus a tad harder to operate. Not impossible or greatly damaged, but a little misshapen. Certainly not does it get so bent out of shape after one application that it becomes useless to be sure. One has to decide for oneself if they want to use this tool once and buy in multiple units, or perform the disgusting deed. As for the tools effectiveness, let me say first off that I have owned 3 different versions of this type of unclogger and have found them all to be of great use in getting to the clog and effectively extracting the crap. There is only a very small or moderate difference in all of them. Mainly in the design of the teeth. All of these tools are designed for clogs at the trap, and very close to the sink or tub. That means they are unfortunately a little short, around 18 to 24 inches, and designed only to turn the corner of a bend in the sink and that's it. If you suspect your clog is a little deeper, you will either have to purchase a longer snake, or call a dreaded professional. Other than that, this product, and all of them I have tried like them are both very effective, AND reusable if you are willing and accept the terms described beforehand. I cannot recommend any one over the other since all of them seem to be equally effective despite the small differences in design. My only recommendation would be that if you are going to be one that passes up on the squeamish cleaning and use once, buy several of them at a time and make the shipping charge worth it. Trust me, these little tools work much better and are far easier than removing a trap underneath a sink or tub to get at a clog. Which for me, always and relentlessly no matter how careful I am or how much I tighten it, means they leak forever more...Customer Review: Hard to believe it's this good
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading Mike V's review, I had to give this thing a try. I also am not the best home-fix-it guy. I have not fallen through the ceiling like M.V., but let's just say that when I announce to my wife that I am about to try to fix something, it is only with the greatest of self-restraint that she can suppress a sigh and rolling of the eyes. But this time--it worked! I had been using super-pro-Drano, or something like that, on our shower drain once a year each time it clogged. But after reading more about it, I became concerned that I would soon eat through a plastic pipe and cause a true plumbing disaster. So I tried this 3 dollar zip-stick and...it worked. It is really easy to use. Just unscrew the drain cover for the shower (I expected that to be rusted shut, but no -- it was easy) or, in a sink, just pull out the plug. Stick the zip stick down and pull it up. You will not believe how much gunk and hair comes up with it. The zig-zagged edges really grab stuff. If you only had to run it through once, you'd be done in less than 10 seconds. But I found I needed to wipe off the gunk with a paper towel (easy) and repeat it about 5 more times before it stopped picking up more gunk. Man, I pulled a lot out. And..ta da..the shower drained perfectly after that. The whole thing took about 3 minutes.
Only down side? It's pretty long, but if the clog happens to be lower down than that, you will not be able to reach it. They probably should make a longer version, too. But, I would imagine that it will reach the great majority of clogged drains. I also could not use it on my bathtub drain because it is a very weird sort of thing with a central piece of iron with water draining around it. Can't get a zip-stick (or anything else) around it. But I imagine that is pretty rare. Also, you really won't want to save this when you're through. You better toss it and buy another for the next time a drain clogs. We are recyclers, but really, this is just a thin piece of plastic; no big deal to throw away. And it only costs 3 dollars.
This thing is great! I'm buying one for all my family members for Christmas! (Seriously.)
Customer Review: It works
Summary: 5 Stars
This item is one of those things that looks like it would never work.
Bizarrely enough, it worked very well on my bathroom drains, even those that have the stopper pretty much permanently attached. With some creativity you can get it down the drain and back out again without breaking any of the plastic tines. Just be patient and don't freak out if it gets stuck.
Since noticing my drains were slow, I had not used any liquid drain cleaners in the drains since that stuff is complete bunk and does not work at all...not to mention it's poison. I had some luck with an enzymatic drain cleaner, but by the time I used it I think there was so much crud built up in the drain that I would have had to use several gallons to see the problem totally fixed. Sadly, non-poisonous liquid drain cleaner options are often expensive.
This was the last step before calling a plumber. I reused one of these on my two bathroom sinks and the master bathroom tub drain. After about 20 minutes of work all three drains were perfectly free flowing again. I was so pleased I quickly bought more to have a stock on hand just in case!
The picture on the back of the package that shows a bunch of horrible gunk attached to the tines is literally what I pulled out of one of the sinks. It was astonishing.
I would highly recommend giving this little contraption a try. It is much cheaper than a drain cleaner or a plumber and it might just do the trick!
Customer Review: Fantastic item & it's made in the USA!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the money saving twelve pack and intend on giving a few to family members that live in an older home.
The Zip-It is simple to use & fixed our very slow, bathroom sink drain. We plunged the sink about once a month. Previously, we tried a chemical drain cleaner; it took a long time to get the drain clear so we decided to plunge instead...that is, until I read an article about Zip-It. Figuring it might be the answer to our problem, I bought the 12 pack.
First, you're instructed to use eye protection. Inserting the Zip-It into the bathroom drain was a little difficult because the drain is divided into 4 small sections. I resisted the urge to grab it closer to the drain and give it a push. You don't want to touch the working portion because of the sharp points that pull out the gunk. I eventually got it all the way down the drain, but couldn't twist it like one poster suggested. I moved it around the drain a bit, then slowly pulled it out. I got a massive amount of gunk which was mostly hair. Then I used it in the tub drain and got a glob of hair out of it, too. I was on a roll and used it in the kitchen sink..got nothing there. By the way, have a plastic bag or newspapers, even old magazines or catalogs handy. This thing will be messy when you take it out of the drain. The Zip-It is disposable, you're instructed to throw it away after one use.
Zip-It is made in the USA...and that makes it even better!!
Customer Review: Did the trick on my slow bathroom sink
Summary: 5 Stars
The sink in our master bathroom is odd because it does not contain any venting at the top. Unfortunately, the assembly of the drain does not allow the stopper to be pulled out without taking apart the sink, which means any clogs on the stopper create a verrrrryyyyyy slooooowwwwwwwww draaaaaiiiinnnnnn. I tried plunging the drain, using small metal utensils, and lots of hot water to get the clog cleared. No luck.
Enter the Zip It. This long flexible plastic drain snake with many barbed hooks snakes down the drain, breaking up clogs, pushing some particles down the drain while bringing up others. I ran the Zip It down each of the sides of the stopper and came up with soap, hair, grease, and other stinky disgustingness.
Then I tested the sink by filling it up and testing drain speed. By my estimate my slow drain increased to five times its speed before the Zip It.
The Zip It says to throw it away, but it wound up little worse for wear in my usage, meaning you could probably get multiple usage out of it.
Note, because of the flexible barbs, make sure that you check to make sure there is clearance for the barbs before snaking it down a drain. I tried it in my shower drain and it zipped right down, but got caught on the way up in the little drain holes, requiring much patience and a bit of strength to work it free.
Highly recommended for minor clogs.