Roger Bisby looks at the benefits of investing in an inflatable wedge which has been designed to make fixing and levelling easier.
We have looked at pump up bags fairly recently but these are called Hedgehog Easy Air Wedge from easy innovations and have a subtle difference that you can’t see from looking at them. The secret feature is a piece of stiff plastic inside the bag. This allows you to slide the bag into a very narrow gap and then, by operating the little hand pump, you can increase the gap. They were originally a locksmiths (and thieves) tools for forcing a gap in a door. Back in the day when you flicked a button to get into a car you could open a gap in the door and slip in your wire coat hanger. Before you accuse me of corrupting the nation’s youth this is no secret on the streets and a brick through the side window is now the preferred method.
The secret feature is a piece of stiff plastic inside the bag. This allows you to slide the bag into a very narrow gap and then, by operating the little hand pump, you can increase the gap.
Now the use for Air Wedges is generally more law abiding; window fitters use them for centring a window and they are also useful for carpenters putting in door liners. I used them recently to lift a bi-fold sliding door that had dropped slightly on its hinges. The amount of weight they will lift is remarkable and you can lift or shift by tiny fractions so you get exactly the right adjustment. We are talking precision here which is unusual in the building industry.
The bags are available in singles as well as sets of four and the price is very competitive even though they are very well made and tough as old boots. If you have looked at these bags in the past and not been sure if you need them then the lower price may change your mind. Quite honestly once you have them they make so many jobs quicker and easier that they pay you back almost daily. Gone are the days when you have to stick a pry bar in against that new hardwood frame and risk damaging it.