Mechanic’s seats mini test

Minitest

OURPICK Clarke CMUS3 Mechanics’ Utility Seat

RATHER than the shrunken-bar stool look of the Hilka, Clarke has made a seat that looks like a small mechanic’smechanic’s tooltool chest.chest. OnOn thethe toptop therethere isis a a largelarge paddedpadded areaarea toto keepkeep youyou comfcomfy,y, whilewhile fourfour largelarge wheelswheels keepkeep thethe boxbox stablestable andand helphelp thethe ClarkeClarke move easily, even on rougher concrete floors.

TheThe mainmain bodybody ofof thethe boxbox containscontains threethree tooltool drawers, which glide out on roller bearings, so theythey aren’taren’t fazedfazed byby heavyheavy spanners.spanners. TheyThey emergeemerge from the side of the chest so you don’t have to stand up before you can open them.

AtAt thethe frontfront therethere isis a a traytray toto holdhold otherother toolstools oror partsparts takentaken offoff youryour car,car, andand thethe backback featuresfeatures three cup-holders, which are designed to take aerosol cans, but work just as well with a can of soft drink or a tall coffee cup.

There’s no denying the Clarke is expensive for a seat, but it is good value for tool drawers. Combining both makes it our winner in this contest. THE Hilka seat finishes second, but it has some key advantages, which may make it more suitable for you. The most useful is a gas spring, which allows height adjustment from 400 to 520mm to make working on different parts of your car easier.

The well padded top is a large 38cm in diameter and having five castors on a wide base makes the seat stable. However, the smaller wheels struggled more on rougher surfaces than the Clarke’s.

There are no drawers, but a shelf on the base will hold bigger tools or parts, while a smaller half shelf is best for keeping fixings and often-used tools safe.

The Hilka has had a £10 price rise since we last featured it. It does a good job and is almost half the price of its rival, but it no longer seems good value.

Price: £94.80 Rating: Contact: machinemart.co.uk

Clarke’sClarke’s newnew seatseat rollsrolls inin to take on Hilka champion

Tom Barnard ONCE you’ve got a mechanic’s seat in your garage, you will wonder how you managed to survive without one. Bending down to clean wheels or work on the lower half of your car can literally be a pain, while kneeling on the floor is never comfortable either.

Being able to sit comfortably makes all the difference, especially if your seat also includes castors to make it easier to move around, and storage so you don’t lose precious parts or constantly have to make trips to the tool box.

After our last multitest we crowned the Hilka Pro-Craft as our favourite and it’s still a great product, with comfort and height adjustability. But a price increase means it’s no longer such great value. Clarke’s new rival costs more and does the job differently, but it feels like a much more substantial and useful seat. It takes a narrow win here.

“Being able to sit comfortably makes all the difference when working on a car” books, games & apps

Britain’s Motorways

Mark Chatterson (Amberley, amberley-books.co.uk) Price: £15.99 Rating:

A QUICK guide to all Britain’s M-ways. This should contain at least a fact or two to make even the most experienced drivers think next time they get on one of our multi-lane expressways. But it’s quite a compact book – it feels like the author could have easily given more.

Traction for sale

Bill Munro & Pat Turner (Earlswood Press, earlswoodpress.co.uk) Price: £54.99 Rating:

EVER wondered how the Jensen FF (the first four-wheel-drive road car) got its name? It’s from Ferguson Formula – Ferguson (of tractor fame) was the company behind it. This book gives a history of the system, its development and use on and off the road (and track) plus the story of the company’s founders. Well worth a read if you’re interested in four-wheel drive for the road.

Hyper Drift!

Available for: iOS, Android Price: Free Rating:

TESTFAVOURITE Hilka Pro-Craft Mechanics’ Seat

Price: £49.99 Rating: Contact: screwfix.com CLEARLY pumped out with little thought to physics or gameplay, this drifting game might be enjoyed by kids, because it’s very easy – but be careful they don’t accidentally click on any dodgy ads. You at least get a few rounds between ad breaks, although the courses are all very samey and the cars behave identically no matter which one you unlock.

Appoftheweek

Cushty

Available for: iOS, Android Price: Free Rating:

THIS is a fairly simple MOT and vehicle tax reminder app that lets you add your cars to a virtual garage. It’s very feature-lite – but those it does have work pretty well and the interface is clean, attractive and simple to navigate.