Malco FST2 Fin Straightening Tool

I initially tried a metal fin straightening tool from Lowe’s (also sold under different brands on Amazon), but it was a total disappointment. Within five minutes of use, it fell apart. The small wire pieces meant to straighten the fins kept getting misaligned, and it was clear that the metal pieces weren’t properly crimped. I returned it as defective and decided to do more research before trying another tool.I came across this new tool and watched a few YouTube tutorials, which was crucial. A tip I found helpful was to avoid forcing the fins. Instead, gently slide the tool up and down in both directions, taking your time. Be patient on damaged/bent fins and work from the edges toward the center, focusing on one section at a time rather than diving straight into the middle of the bent fins. If you encounter resistance, don’t push too hard as you might tear the fins. If the tool doesn’t go through in one direction, try approaching the fin from the opposite side. Sometimes a damaged fin can block your progress, but by alternating directions, you can straighten everything up to that damaged point.This tool worked much better for me, and with a little patience and technique, it got the job done without causing further damage to the unit.I attached a photo with before and after pictures. The before pictures are on top and the after pictures are on the bottom.

I had an air conditioner (a/c) with mashed in fins that needed straightened. This tool enabled me to straighten them. Where the fins are mashed the hot exhaust air can’t escape.A few observations. The fins didn’t come out as straight as original, but straight enough to function properly. Also, it was a little more difficult than it appeared to align the tool teeth to the a/c fins. I had to gingerly adjust the position across the fins to get the tool teeth to align between the fins. If I inserted the tool before doing that, I would end up with more bent fins. Once the tool was inserted correctly, I had to pull straight down fairly hard to get it to straighten the fins.So that aspect was more delicate or intricate than I anticipated, but not difficult once I got up to speed with the tool nuances.This tool has four different tooth densities: 16, 18, 20, or 22 teeth per inch. From my experience it is essential that the tool tooth density matches the a/c fin density. If it doesn’t match, you can’t get the teeth inserted between the fins and I think you’re just going to mash in more fins. So having these tooth density options is good, it wasn’t too hard for me to count the fins per inch on my a/c to know which part of the tool to use. Still, I ended up putting Dymo labels on the outside of my a/c units identifying how many fins per inch. I don't want to have to count fins with a magnifying glass and a ruler again in the future if I can help it.This product is advertised as having a “resilient nylon comb” to avoid damaging the a/c aluminum fins, but I can’t help but think I might prefer a metal toothed comb. I think metal teeth, if they were thinner, might have been easier to insert and straighten more effectively.*** edited 7-10-24A year later I can't find my comb so I bought another, same product. I used the new one and some of the plastic comb teeth bent. Now for sure I wish I had a metal comb, but the Amazon descriptions of similar products are poor. Most don't indicate the material, even fewer indicate the teeth density. On many of the items the Amazon summary states "Recommended for hair, hair styling." I guess I'll make do.

I bought this to straighten fins on a window air conditioner. The teeth are soft plastic and have almost worn out doing one radiator- to the point where they are abraded and fuzzy and it’s hard to start them into the fins of the next pull. I thought I was spending more for a quality tool, it looked like it was a white metal casting- but it’s just a piece of junk.

Take your time with this. Have patience and it works just fine.Some deep punctures or badly damaged fins cannot be fixed.Great tool all in all