To really understand what a rivet nut tool is, you need to understand what a rivet nut or rivnut is.
A rivet nut is a threaded insert that is designed to be installed on thin sheet of materials like metal, fiberglass or plastic, when these materials are too thin to be tapped (threaded), or when you can’t weld a nut on on the material for a bolt to go through.
You use these rivnuts when you have a piece of material like a sheet of metal or plastic that you want to put a bolt through, but you can’t weld a nut on the other side of the material due to the nature of the material.
So, you simply drill a hole through the material and install these (already) threaded inserts through the hole. And they provide a solid threaded anchor or hole for you to install the bolt.
That’s what these rivet nuts or rivnuts are.
A rivet nut tool or rivnut tool on the other hand is the tool you use to install the rivnut or thread insert. It’s the tool you use to anchor the rivnut in the material so you can put the bolt through it.
There are 2 main types of rivet nut tools.
The manual/hand rivnut tool type and the pneumatic rivnut tool.
When To Use A Rivet Nut
Like I said above, rivet nuts are used when you want to bolt a material but you can’t tap or thread it, and you can’t weld a nut on the other side to thread the bolt through.
It can also be used when you simple can’t access the other side of a material to weld a nut on it.
So, you simply drill a hole through one side of the material, and use a rivet nut tool to install the rivet nut. Then, you can install your bolt securely, and it won’t go anywhere.
Rivet nuts have lots of construction applications. They’re used in metal fabrication, car bodywork, aerospace and aviation, and even furniture assembly.
You can use them to repair stripped threads in a car body or frame. You can use them to install aftermarket parts like fenders, roof racks, bumpers and skid plates to your car.
You can use them to assemble composite furniture made of wood, plastic, sheet metal and other materials.
The applications are just endless.
The Best Rivet Nut Tools For Your Projects
We’ve taken the time to test out some of the finest rivet nut tools out there, in order to sort out and list the best ones here, so you can choose the right one for your projects.
Astro Pneumatic PRN1 Rivet Nut Setting Tool
A pneumatic rivet nut setting tool like this one from Astro pneumatic offers you more power to set nuts into harder, thicker materials that takes a lot more effort and work when you use a hand powered unit.
With a pneumatic unit like this, you’ll set the nuts easily, and you’ll set them faster.
This particular Astro Pneumatic unit uses both SAE and metric mandrels, which means you can use whatever types of bolts or threads you have, without having to get another rivet nut tool.
There are 8 mandrels all together. 5 metric mandrels and 3 SAE mandrels. The 5 metric mandrels include the M4, M5, M6, M8 and M10 size mandrels. While the 3 SAE mandrels are in the following sizes – 1/4 inch, 5/16 inch and 3/8 inch.
It has a very large rear wheel you can use to unthread the nuts once it’s set in place.
Even though we didn’t have it for a long time, the build quality is very good. It’s well constructed and should definitely last for a long time.
Pros
- It uses both metric and SAE mandrels
- Quality construction
- Comes with 8 different mandrel sizes
Cons
- You need an air compressor machine to use it
Related: The Best Air Needle Scalers for Metal Surface Preparation
Kiaruo Pneumatic Rivet Nut Tool
The Kiarou pneumatic rivet nut tool is a pistol style air powered unit that uses SAE sized mandrels. It uses the 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 inch mandrels.
One of the main things I like most about it is that it’s very compact. You can hold it with one hand only without any difficult, and it’s also very good for tight spaces.
It’s also one of the only pneumatic rivet tools where you can adjust the speed on the tool without needing to adjust the compressor pressure.
You can adjust how fast it tightens the rivnut against the material using a knob right on the tool.
Pros
- Very compact
- Easy one-handed operation
- It’s very powerful
- Quality construction
Cons
- Uses only SAE mandrels
Related: 10 Different Types of Nail Guns for Your Projects
AOBEN Long Handle Manual Rivet Nut Tool
The AOBEN rivet nut tool shown below is a manual handheld tool with 14 inch long steel handle and double compound hinges that increases your leverage and makes it very easy to install any size of rivnut you want to install.
It comes with 6 pieces of mandrels and 15 pieces of rivnuts for each mandrel, to get you started. The tool and all included accessories come enclosed in a compact case so you can carry them around easily without losing any piece.
If you’re looking for a hand powered rivnut tool, this is one of the best units I’d recommend you get.
Pros
- Long steel handles makes it very easy to install the rivnuts
- The mandrel is not fixed. It’s interchangeable
- It comes with 90 rivnuts (15 for each mandrel) to get you started
Cons
- It’s got long handles which is good for leverage, but makes it bigger and not suitable for tight spaces
What To Consider When Choosing A Rivet Nut Tool
If you have to use rivet nuts for any particular project, you need to choose the right rivet nut tool to install the rivet nuts.
Here are what you should consider when choosing your rivet nut tool:
Nature of the material you’re working with
When choosing a rivet nut tool, you want to consider the type of material you’re working with.
If you’re working on a light, thin, soft or flexible material, a manual or hand rivet nut tool can get the job done easily, because the material is very thin and you can easily install a rivet nut in it without a lot of effort.
On the other hand, if you’re working with thick, harder materials, installing a rivet nut in it will require a lot of effort.
For that, you need something that can supply a lot more power like a pneumatic unit.
Thread Size
The thread size the rivet tool is able to install is also very important. Most of the latest kits come have interchangeable mandrels.
That means you can use them to install different sizes of threads by simply replacing the mandrel on the tool.
So for me, I’d advice that you get one with an interchangeable mandrel. Even though you only plan to use a certain thread size, you never know when you’ll need to install or use another thread size, maybe for another project.
Hence, with a tool with an interchangeable mandrel, you can use install and use whatever thread size you want.
Build Quality
No matter what type of tool or equipment you’re buying, you always want to check the build quality.
For rivet nut tool kits, you want to make sure you get one completely made of metal, and you want the mandrels to be made of hardened steel, because that’s the part that wears down the most.
