Lisle 52750 Stethoscope Kit

It's a well made product and it works exceptionally well. I had to return a cheaper stethoscope that was made using cheap materials. This one has comfortable ear pieces and the hollow stainless steel tube with a little horn on the end is ideal for tracking down mystery noises in the vehicle. In addition to the hollow tube, a solid rod is included with a transducer to let you track down engine mechanical noises. Indispensable tool! Yes, this costs a few dollars more than the cheapest of the cheap stethoscopes out there. This one is a quality product that will save you diagnostic time. It's a great value.

The ‘scope works like a champ! Was able to track down an arcing electrical contact under the hood with the engine running. While searching, I used the closed attachment and was able to hear fuel injectors firing, fuel and air running through hoses, mechanical items, etc.In the end, I used the open attachment to track down the arc, then the closed attachment to pinpoint and verify the component.This scope works beautifully! I previously bought and returned an amplified version because all I could hear through it was ambient engine noise. This mechanical one from Lisle works much better for a LOT always money.Others have complained about one of the ear tubes being blocked, but mine were both fine.Now on to the “hatin’” :) I read a lot of complaints that, now that I’ve used this item, are frankly ridiculous. Honestly, you’d have to be dim to not get how this item works.1) “it hurts your ears” - the ear pieces are drawn together using a strip of spring steel. It was little tight on my head out of the package - 3 seconds of bedding the “spring” outward and what do you know - no more pinching! Personally, I would prefer a smaller ear tip, but I could easily accomplish that with a little sanding.2) “no instructions” - wow. There is a closed-ended rod with an “amplifier” that is used for sound conduction by touching the item you want to test. There is also an open attachment with a “funnel” on the end that is used to track down vacuum or pressure leaks, or to isolate a sound prior to pinpointing it with the other attachment. The attachments slip into the end of the pickup tube. That’s it.Honestly, if you can figure out how to use this ‘scope, or how to bend/shape the earpieces to be more comfortable, or how to drill out one of the ear tubes if it’s blocked (which definitely is a defect), then you just don’t need this device - any problem you might be able to track down with it would definitely be beyond anything you should be attempting to repair yourself. If these issues seem difficult to deal with then please take your car to a repair shop!!Anyway, this is a great tool that works as advertised and exceeded my expectations. Any reasonable DIY’er should be able to understand and customize this tool for their individual purposes/comfort.

We had a couple of lawn sprinkler zones that where the valves would only open enough to let a trickle of water past. The valves had been buried before we bought the house, and we had no idea where they were. Trying to trace the control wires sounded fraught, and we were looking at having to either start digging or hire a professional until I found mention of a mechanic's stethoscope as a way to listen for the struggling valves.After disconnecting the control wires from the sprinkler system timer, I got some help energizing the valves using a 24VDC bench power supply (though I read that three nine-volt batteries in series would have also worked, and there are devices designed to cycle the valve for just this purpose). The valve would be cycled about once every two seconds, so all I had to do was listen for it.Ultimately, I found one set buried in the far corner of the yard, and with the stethoscope I got to within six inches of where it was, so when I started digging I found a pipe and followed that. The other set was closer to the water supply under some brick pavers which was a whole other adventure, but at least I knew where to focus to avoid digging up too much.All in all, it worked out nicely.Some caveats:These are hard on the ears. The earpieces are extremely uncomfortable after only a minute or two, and it took twenty minutes of probing around before I found the first set of valves, so by the end of the exploration my ears were really sore. Next, it is important to be gentle putting the probe to the ground as that can be LOUD. It also took a while to distinguish between the distant clicking of a valve (having a regular beat to listen for really helped) as opposed to the shifting of grains of sand directly under the probe.For one of the valves, I could probably pick up the sound from several feet away from one (listening at or around the sprinkler heads helped), but for the other I needed to be within a couple of feet. I think that it had to do with how long the wires were; the voltage drop to the remote valves surely reduced the power delivered to the solenoid which made it quieter.So, not a bad investment, though I'm not sure when I'll ever need these again.

I needed to replace my old mechanic's stethoscope, and this one is a great replacement. The Lisle 52750 Stethoscope Kit is a practical and reliable tool for mechanics and DIY enthusiasts alike. Designed for diagnosing mechanical and air-induced sounds, this dual-purpose kit is highly effective in pinpointing issues in engines, transmissions, bearings, and more. One of its standout features is its versatility. The kit includes a black diaphragm chamber and a screw-in metal probe for detecting mechanical sounds, while the vinyl hose and funnel assembly are perfect for identifying air-induced noises like vacuum or exhaust leaks. Its ergonomic design and lightweight construction make it easy to handle, even during extended use.Overall, the Lisle 52750 Stethoscope Kit is a valuable addition to any automotive toolkit, offering excellent performance at a reasonable price.

Product received and works as intended.