Craig Truglia, assistant editor

What scan tool should I buy?

Oct. 25, 2012
We take reader suggestions to figure out the best scan tools out there.

Back in the day in the Wild West there used to be snake oil salesmen. They would peddle an oil, supposedly derived from some sort of Chinese eel, that would be a magical elixir that would cure any disease or ailment that someone may suffer from.

Why did these guys only live in the Wild West as opposed to New York? There are more customers in New York, so it seems like a better place to do business. I'm not sure if this is a historical fact, but my guess is that in New York news would travel quickly that the snake oil is a scam so no one would buy it. So, the peddlers all moved out west where news traveled slowly between isolated pockets of people.

Sometimes, I feel like scan tools are sold this way. Outrageous claims are sometimes made such as, "My scan tool can do 100 percent of what the factory scan tool can do!" Yet, like the Wild West, the news travels slowly. Technicians often lack a forum in which to inform other technicians about how they feel about certain tools. So, we often make our tool buying decisions by taking a stab in the dark.

Let's put an end to that. I propose that in the comments section here we make our scan tool recommendations known.

Control for three factors in your choice:

1. Price

2. Ease of use

3. Overall ability to communicate to the most modules, on the most vehicles, and do the most with it!

Bonus points for guys with diesel experience. I plan to make your comments known in a future article in Professional Tool and Equipment News.

I look forward to reading your comments.

About the Author

Craig Truglia

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