How slow should a 'slow release' jack be?

[tux850]

I've got the following Sealey 2501LE jack which I've had for six months but only really just started using it:



(Just noticed they are selling it at £265 - I paid £140 from Halfords last August!)

As per the instructions, it is 'fitted with a slow release mechanism for controlled lowering'. When the jack is under load and you open the release valve sure enough it does lower slowly... but my God - it is REALLY slow! When I first used it I didn't think it had released and I thought I'd bought a dud but then I noticed the car was actually dropping, just ever so slow. With no load it behaves differently (presumably on purpose) and doesn't lower anywhere near as slow, indeed it is reasonably quick but not dangerously so - it just lowers itself gracefully under the power of its own return spring.

Does anyone else have this, or similar, jack and can relate to what I am describing? If I get chance tomorrow I'll take a video to illustrate better what I mean. I thought that'd be useful if I were to contact Sealey too, but I can't do that until Monday and clearly being impatient I want answers *now* dammit.

It is proving to be a bit of a pain as I am having to literally wait for what feels like ages. I'm not looking for Formula 1 style instant release, indeed I like the idea of a slow release, but this slow really does feel wrong - almost dangerously so given how hard it can be to notice it is actually dropping! I haven't seen any mention of this in reviews on Halfords, Amazon and Sealey's site and I'm sure someone would've done. Perhaps I have got a dud, even if it is just down to a dodgy spring or throttle flow valve or something that could be easily rectified?

Edited by tux850 on Sunday 4th February 00:16

[Belle427]

Is it a standard rotate to realease handle mech?
Doesnt have a second position so to speak the more you rotate the handle or is it just a dead stop?

[james6546]

I’ve got this one, albeit in yellow.

It lowers the same speed as any other jack I’ve had to be honest! Definitely not slowly.

[tux850]

Belle427 said:

Is it a standard rotate to realease handle mech?
Doesnt have a second position so to speak the more you rotate the handle or is it just a dead stop?

Yeah, rotate to release. It can undo around five revolutions before coming up against its backstop - the decent speed remains the same throughout though.

james6546 said:

I’ve got this one, albeit in yellow.

It lowers the same speed as any other jack I’ve had to be honest! Definitely not slowly.

Ah okay, that's useful. Here's a video of mine in action:



This can't be how it's meant to function. As seen in the clip you have to sit there for 30-odd seconds for it to lower!

[Scrump]

That is pants!

(The only jack I have ever had issues with was a sealey jack)

[tux850]

Scrump said:

That is pants!

(The only jack I have ever had issues with was a sealey jack)

It is frustrating as I was going round in circles trying to pick a new jack as so many of them look the same - perhaps are the same just with different branding - but with so much inconsistency in reviews I struggled to settle on one. I went with this Sealey though as not only was it on offer but with spares for Sealey jacks being so widely available I figured it'd be a safe bet should it ever need servicing further down the road.

I'll call Sealey tomorrow and see what they say. Hopefully with the video to quantify what I mean by 'slow' they'll be quick to acknowledge the issue (assuming there is one, but I'm sure there is).

[E-bmw]

Is there a 2-stage release, as in fully opening the release fully counter-clockwise lowers more speedily?

[tux850]

E-bmw said:

Is there a 2-stage release, as in fully opening the release fully counter-clockwise lowers more speedily?

I've tried backing it out all the way (five or so rotations) but it seemingly has no effect...

[E-bmw]

Does it make a difference with the handle up or down?

It just seems strange that there isn't a way of speeding it up.

[tux850]

E-bmw said:

Does it make a difference with the handle up or down?

Just the same.

E-bmw said:

It just seems strange that there isn't a way of speeding it up.

Yeah, but whilst the slow-release is by design (and is arguably a good feature to have) I don't think it is meant to be this slow. I don't know what the exact mechanism is but it must just involve a particular arrangement of balls and springs (there's a parts diagram here) and perhaps there's just an issue with one of these components.

[Smint]

It was lowering issues which made me up the budget and buy Weber.

Too many cheaper jacks have not easily controlled lowering mechanisms, almost like on/off switches, due to the leverage involved twisting the large handle on a Weber gives infinitely controlled lowering.

[tux850]

I spoke to Sealey's technical support this morning (a positive experience actually - very friendly) and they confirmed that nearly all the latest versions of their jacks now have slow-release throttles in them. However, they said that from my description it didn't sound right what I was seeing, and when I followed up with a link to the video they confirmed it absolutely wasn't right and that it shouldn't be dropping so slowly. They've advised I return it to Halfords for resolution. I should've gone with my gut feeling when new and done this as they would've just replaced it on the spot, but presumably after six months they might have to send it to Sealey for inspection/repair.

Edited by tux850 on Monday 5th February 11:07

[tux850]

Just to round this one up, I took the jack back to Halfords as suggested by Sealey and the manager was happy to order me a new one and he would return this one back to Sealey. The replacement works perfectly - nice controlled lowering regardless of load and not at all slow like this one was. All's well that ends well!

[tux850]

Another follow-up; received an email from Halfords advising of a product recall for this jack due to a circlip in the hydraulic ram being at risk of failure. Heard nothing from Sealey themselves though despite having registered the product with them - I thought that was partly the point? I called Sealey though and they did confirm the recall and arranged to collect it for repair. Got it back a few days later so quite a quick turnaround but was very disappointed that despite me returning it in the original box and polystyrene packaging they discarded all that and sent it back loose inside a different box with a bit of scrunched up paper.

How I sent it:


How I got it back:


The inevitable movement in transit and being tipped up and around by the courier caused the handles to get all scratched up and foam indented by this beast of a jack moving around unimpeded inside the box.

Really unimpressed to be honest. I feel inclined to ask for my box back and perhaps new handles too. Maybe I'm just being a bit sensitive but I do like to look after my tools.

[Bainbridge]

I'd be annoyed too, but provided it still works fine I'd just live with it.

With enough use it would've got a few war wounds sooner or later.

Glad you now have a decent jack, and a safe one!

I'm looking at getting a decent lightweight jack, but haven't taken the plunge yet.

My Halfords low profile jack fits nicely under my mx5 but takes umpteen pumps to lift.

My cheapo trolley jack lifts quicker but isn't low profile.

I borrowed an old jack off my father in law which is only rated as 1.25 tons but it lifts in no time and feels really sturdy. It's dusty and dirty but if I'm not lifting the mx5 it's my go to Jack at the moment.

[tux850]

Bainbridge said:

I'd be annoyed too, but provided it still works fine I'd just live with it.

With enough use it would've got a few war wounds sooner or later.

Yeah, you're arguably right, and the fact I even kept the original box probably says as much about me as you need to know!

Bainbridge said:

Glad you now have a decent jack, and a safe one!

Hopefully at least!

Despite all my gripes, there's still an appeal towards Sealey jacks in that they seem to have very good spares availability - whether from them or third party sellers. A 'repair kit' with all the necessary o-rings, seals and whatever is a tenner or so and whilst you could source aftermarket equivalents for any jack it saves having to measure broken/swollen o-rings and all the uncertainty over whether you're fitted exactly the right part. It's what tempted me away from, say, the Halfords equivalent which whilst it had just as good reviews and the same three year warranty it'd be more of a challenge performing a repair or overhaul after 10 years or whatever.

[hidetheelephants]

Result! Even if it was a curate's egg of a result.

[E-bmw]

I dare say, if you were to have checked the serial number or mark the one for return in some way, you would find the one you got back wasn't actually the one you returned.

[tux850]

E-bmw said:

I dare say, if you were to have checked the serial number or mark the one for return in some way, you would find the one you got back wasn't actually the one you returned.

I did actually check and confirmed it was the same.

[Hereward]

Smint said:

...Too many cheaper jacks have not easily controlled lowering mechanisms, almost like on/off switches...

Exactly my issue. I have a 3-Tonne "Hilka" that has this issue. Always makes me wince as the car tyre "crashes" to the ground. Serves me right for buying cheap.