Renovating for Success

— From our Manufacturing Plant to Your Office Since 1956 —

Our team, located in Arcadia, California, is thrilled to announce that our plant renovation has finally been completed. We look forward to continuously evolving our company to work efficiently to sustain and improve our services to our loyal customers.

Orders generally ship within 1-2 business days and we are committed to providing our customers with the best service possible. Determined to serve the specific needs of all of our customers we offer custom solution capabilities. If you require a part not currently listed on our website, please reach out to us so our dedicated team can work with you to designing and manufacturing the specific part for you!

Happy Browsing,

The E-Z-Hook Team

ISO 9001:2015 – Constant Improvement

It’s been over two years since we received our ISO 9001:2015 certification. Since that time E-Z-Hook has been through three successful audits.  We are proud of our ongoing improvements that are constantly being implemented across departments.

Constant Improvement | Expect Excellence

We consistently review internal and external feedback to improve our procedures and ensure our customers get not only the best service, but the best quality product.  E-Z-Hook is proud of the effort our team places on adhering and living by the spirit of the ISO 9001:2015 standard.

We like to think our products are certifiably well made – why don’t you give them a try and tell us!

Manufacturing Insulation Piercing Needle Clusters

These needle clusters are used not only in E-Z-Hook products, but sold as raw material components to many of our clients. We even sell them to “competitors” for use in their products! While we are known for finished goods, many of our raw material components are available for sale. Over 20 years ago we started making these needle clusters for our p/n 82-2.

Since then we have developed variations with 23 to 33 needles. These are hand assembled in our plant in California by the thousands.  Contact us to meet your design requirements with our needle cluster technology. This product technology is popular with our Aerospace and Defense clientele.

E-Z-Hook needle cluster products : XB, 82-2, 8507

 

High Temperature Test Hook Connectors

Both the X100W mini-hook and XM micro-hook style are available in high temperature versions.

When environments or sterilization processes require  products to withstand high temperatures we have existing options in our “standard” product offering.

In both our X100W and XM product line we offer a modified “x” version (p/n X100WX and XMX) that is molded with mineral reinforced nylon. These modified versions have been tested to support high temperatures for extended periods at 122C (250F) and short cycles as high as 150C (300F).

If higher temperatures are required then our X100WXH (available in black, white and gray) is tested to 175C (350F)  for short period and 150C (300F) for extended periods.

All of these parts can be made into high temperature test leads by using our 300 series (24 AWG Teflon Wire).

Let us know your requirements and we will always do our best to offer a product solution.

Let Us Do Your Heavy Lifting

For the past 47 years our  E-Z-Hook President has been the first person in the office. His passion for his business and his unwavering focus and hard work drive him daily. Recently his passion has found a new focus, or should we say additional focus. Don’t get me wrong, he still is the first one in the parking lot most mornings, but a few early mornings a week you will find him elsewhere.  Don’t misunderstand – he is still focused and hard-working, but even the most driven businessmen need a recreational outlet. So where is he? Is he golfing? Is he sleeping in? Having a leisure LATE breakfast reading the paper? Not Phelps. He is at the gym training, training hard and very focused for his next Powerlifting competition. And yes, his gym workout slot is the FIRST one available in the morning. Wow – some things never change.

This blog might seems a bit unrelated to Electronic Test Accessories… well, perhaps that is true. But I think it’s relevant because it  shows the E-Z-Hook spirit, energy and can do attitude as exemplified by the company President.  As a company we pride ourselves in being different, trying something new to make a product work, believing in ourselves. That comes from somewhere. This is part of the company culture.

In April of 2015 Phelps felt unsteady walking up the bleachers to his grandchildren’s baseball game. He decided at 79 it was time to go to a gym, perhaps do some stretching and stability exercise. Mind you, Phelps had never been a member of a gym…as I mentioned earlier, his focus was his business. The gym experience proved positive and today you can still find Phelps at the Mission Fitness gym in San Marino at least two times a week, more if he is training for a competition. At age 79  Phelps set state age group (75-79) and weight class (181lbs and under) records for all three powerlifting disciplines which include deadlift, bench press and squat. At age 80, and in a new age group, Phelps has continued to set state records and even added a national record for deadlift to his resume.  Now that takes focus, dedication and drive. Way to go Phelps – keep lifting…

Test Leads and Kits for the Automotive Market

Blog3_16In 1980 E-Z-Hook entered the automotive sector with our XJL insulation macro-hook connected to a lead with a standard alligator connector on the other side. This product 619XJL was offered in a black and red set of 18″, 36″ , and 60″ standard lead lengths. Today, 36 years later, this product can still be found in most automotive jobber trucks (think Matco, Snap-On, MacTool, etc). We have sold thousands of this product, which single handedly helped us enter the automotive after market for repair and testing.

Today the 619XJL remains a staple, and one of our most popular automotive leads. Variations of this test lead set include a straight banana plug connector or a shrouded right angle connector. All of these products work with most standard Digital Multi-Meters. For environments that require a higher heat resistance and more durability than our standard PVC wire provides, we do offer all test leads with silicone wire if requested.

In the early 90’s we introduced our XEL piercing hook into the automotive market. This narrower hook has an angled front to navigate through wire bundles, as well as a v-shaped design for grabbing and centering the wire or cable prior to piercing. It was introduced as an alternative lead set combination to the XJL options. In addition we designed it to be available without a factory installed lead. This XEL version offers a shrouded banana socket on either handle side, allowing easy flexibility to use with any standard banana plug lead. Much like our XJL versions, the XEL has become a popular staple in most auto repair and test mechanics tool boxes.

So, what next? As we spoke to distributors and automotive jobbers we realized that the automotive repair and test aftermarket really lacked in the “accessory” area. For most equipment companies the test leads and components were an after thought – and often not well designed or manufactured products. Automotive technicians would purchase fabulous multi-meters but the test cables supplied with these were often junk, couldn’t carry a proper signal, and needed replacement within a year. At E-Z-Hook these test leads, test cables, and connectors are our specialty. That is what we focus our manufacturing quality on so we could easily compete with great replacement products and test kits.

That is exactly what we have continued to do in these past 10+ years. Today in addition to our standard XJL and XEL test lead sets we offer various banana plug lead sets and individual leads specifically designed for automotive use. One of my personal favorites is our 9183-144BLK banana plug jumper test lead. Why do I like it – because while learning about our products for this industry I asked why in the world would we make something so long? 144 inches? 12 Feet? I was reminded that this length (the approximate length of a car) would allow a technician to be on one side and connect to something on the other. Made sense to me, and obviously to a lot of automotive test and repair technicians. Due to it’s popularity in the field we now bundle this test jumper in with many of our automotive kits. It can be purchased individually or is part of our popular 3519 and 3520 test lead sets. In addition to leads we offer various kits including our insulation piercing hooks as well as alligator clips, back probe needles and other connectors. All kits include various lead options and are offered with either our XJL or XEL piercing macro-hooks or the 8064 needle back probes which we just introduces to the market in late 2015.

Testing was never so easy. Over 35 years of PROVEN EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD.

Backprobe Connectors

8064_RBThe 8064 back probe is now available in red, black and yellow. These nifty little needle probes are the perfect electronic accessory when a quick test connection needs to be made. The one side has a banana socket and accepts most standard banana plugs. This part can easily be connect to most standard banana plug test leads.

Versatile for multiple industry applications we find these particularly popular in the automotive testing and repair fields. Pick up a set to add to your toolkit today!

Photo shows the 8064R/B set.

Making Products the Old Fashioned Way

Since 1956 E-Z-Hook has been making quality test products and accessories. Sure we have changed, grown, and added product lines. As required we have altered our manufacturing process to ensure our product line adheres to regulations such as REACH, ROHS, and the Dodd-Frank Conflict Mineral Act. We no longer operate out of a personal garage in Kentucky like we did in 1956, but in our own 24,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Arcadia, California. Instead of one person designing and making the products, we have a team of employees, many with over 25 years of experience.

WE HAVE CHANGED. WE HAVE GROWN. WE ARE DIFFERENT………

OR ARE WE REALLY JUST THE SAME?

It caught my attention while I was filing away old marketing materials that our marketing message was the same. How funny. In hearing this you might think, yikes, 60 years and still saying the same thing? Yes, in fact, 60 years and we are still saying the same thing. It’s not because our marketing department has been lazy, or ineffective, or void of fresh ideas. It’s because 60 years ago our marketing focus was on the attributes of our products. Those product attributes haven’t changed, and we are proud of that!

Connectors Built To Last

Easy to UseQuality Construction – DurableSaves TimeSaves MoneyEfficient – Connectors that Stay On

MarketingOld2 MarketingOld_1MarketingOld_3 MarketingOld4

Thinking Outside the Box

IMG_2342IMG_2338E-Z-Hook has a long history of working with clients who need assistance developing a custom product to fulfill their needs. From the outside the solutions was simple – a box. It was the inside components, which included fuses and switches, that made the little box more complicated.

Working closely with the client E-Z-Hook developed 3 separate prototypes that could work with the clients test jumper applications. The final solution addressed the clients’ needs for a Test Jumper Junction Box. The finished product used both standard and custom components. The design included a toggle switch or momentary switch that allowed fuse capabilities to be switched on or off with the various test applications.
In the end, the solution was “in the box”, a small plastic box. The device allowed the customer to supply their technicians with a simply solution which allowed them to easily amplify their testing capabilities.  A single custom solution provided a complete kit.

 

82-1 Harness Board Connector Makes Wire Testing E-Z!

In response to many customer inquiries, E-Z-Hook has developed a new product allowing for quick release of wires after testing.  This new design, our 82-1 series, is based off our popular 82-2 product line.

The 82-2 product has a bed of piercing nails allowing for testing of wire connections without requiring any wire stripping.  The clamp or lever holds the wire against the bed of nails, forcing the needles into the wire so that contact can be made through the insulation.

In many customer applications, the wire being used was already pre-striped. While pre-striped wire can be used with the 82-2, we recognized that the same “insulation piercing” needle bed wasn’t a requirement for positive connectivity. In talking with clients using pre-stripped wire an important feature was easy wire removal after testing. The 82-2 piercing design requires the clamp to be opened or released to free the wire and disengage from the nails. For pre-striped wire ends the nails aren’t needed to create a connection. The individual wires tended to get caught or stuck in the bed of nails, which lengthened the time requirements for the testing process.

“Voila,” the flat pad 82-1 product! We listened to our customer feedback and recognized we could provide a better solution specific to environments using pre-stripped wire. We designed a “flat metal pad” harness connector. This flat metal pad provides contact with the striped wire once the clamp is closed. Unlike the bed of needles, the wire removal from the connection is as easy as simply pulling on the wires. The clamp or lever does not need to be lifted to free the wire. When multiple  wire connections are being tested this new design saves valuable time.

The new harness board connector, 82-1, will be available at the beginning of January, 2016.  Picture coming soon!