Yahoo Autos We Put 7 Mechanic's Creepers to the Test to Find the Best
- 1/11
We Put 7 Mechanic's Creepers to the Test to Find the Best
A vehicle lift is typically the centerpiece of our garage sanctuary. Not everyone's garage can fit one and not everyone's budget can afford one, however. So what's the next best thing? The ever-handy creeper.
Every mechanic knows how irritating (and dirty) it can be to crawl under a vehicle on their hands and knees. These portable nap-mobiles allow you to roll under a car on your back, decreasing knee pain (and unintelligible grunts) tenfold. We brought in a few different styles and put them through the Gear Team gauntlet to help you decide which creeper is right for you.
Our Top Picks
Things to Consider When Shopping for a Car Creeper
Where you'll be working: When you're in the market for a creeper, the number-one thing to consider is your floor. If your garage or workspace floor is as smooth and clean as a showroom, consider a creeper that's low to the ground for maximum room to wrench underneath the car.
But if your workspace floor is bumpy like a driveway, littered with air hoses, or covered by a textured floor covering, consider a creeper with larger wheels that can traverse the ground without getting hung up. These won't be able to get as low to the ground as creepers suited for smooth floors, but there's nothing more irritating than getting stuck in a rut or on a loose bolt while you're on a creeper.
Functionality: There are many creepers on the market (and in our test) that double as stools via some nifty fold-and-lock mechanisms. Some creepers also have backs that tilt up like a recliner, which can unlock even more angles to work. The caveat to these is added weight and more pinch points.
Comfort: Do some research on the cushion quality of the creeper you're considering. Some of the plastic varieties just have a foam headrest and sculpted indents for the body—lie in them at your own risk. We measured the cushion depth for each creeper to help you choose which one fits your needs.
Ease of assembly: Some creepers come pre-assembled, while some come in pieces, lacking the necessary tools to assemble them. It's a minor consideration but something to keep in mind.
Our Test Vehicle
We tested these creepers alongside our car ramps test. We used Car and Driver's long-term 2022 Kia Sorento SX and were able to roll underneath with the creepers while the SUV was up on our ramps.
How We Tested Automotive Creepers
For our creeper test, we had a little fun, including running each one through a little obstacle course. In total, we tested each creeper based on these parameters:
- Comfort
- Cushion depth and length
- Adjustable features
- Smoothness and speed
- Ability to traverse bumps, cracks, air hoses, and an assortment of loose nuts and bolts
- Ease of assembly
Comparing our notes on each of these parameters, we were able to decide which creeper was best for certain situations and which ones just missed the mark. Here are our picks for the best mechanic's creepers.
Gannon Burgett - Car and Driver - 2/11
We Put 7 Mechanic's Creepers to the Test to Find the Best
Gannon Burgett - Car and Driver - 3/11
Omega Z-Creeper
Omega Lift Equipment
amazon.com
$179.69
For excellent versatility, look no further than the Omega Z-Creeper. Via a series of pins and locks, the Z-Creeper can transform into both an upright chair and a stool—meaning you'll have mobility working on just about any job alongside or under the vehicle.
Now, this isn't the only creeper we tested with these versatile options, but it was the best. Ranking toward the top of our comfort test and plowing through loose nuts and bolts with ease, the Z-Creeper is our pick for the Best Folding Creeper.
Gannon Burgett - 4/11
Bestool Mechanic Creeper
BESTOOL PROFESSIONAL GARAGE TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
amazon.com
$84.97
Plastic creepers are desirable for their durability, and the toughest one we tested is the Bestool Mechanic Creeper. Don't let the cushion-less construction fool you—it scored a respectable 2.5 on our comfort scale. It does have a love-it-or-hate-it reputation—it's apparently uncomfortable if your neck is particularly long—but most reviewers found it pleasant.
Those shiny magnetic trays seem great—if they actually worked. Perhaps we got a defective unit, but while the trays do have magnets on them, they're just not strong enough; nuts and bolts rolled around regardless. They're handy while lying down, though.
For a durable, comfy plastic creeper, Bestool is the one to buy. It's quite affordable too.
Gannon Burgett - 5/11
Icon Professional Creeper
ICON
harborfreight.com
$139.99
If you need a rugged creeper that excels at conquering rough surfaces, the Icon Professional Creeper is our pick. Boasting monstrous wheels, this thing aced our obstacle course, rolling over nuts, bolts, and air hoses with ease.
It ranked highest on our comfort scale too—reaching an outstanding 2.7 out of 3. However, these off-road capabilities come with a cost—it's heavier and higher off the ground than the other creepers. We measured 6.0 inches from the bottom to the top of the caster, which can hurt your ability to slide under low-lifted cars.
But if your garage floor or driveway has moguls like an off-road park, this is the car creeper for you.
Gannon Burgett - 6/11
Performance Tool W85005
Performance Tool
amazon.com
$61.45
Sometimes you don't have the ability to get your car super-high off the ground. This is where a low-profile creeper comes in handy. The Performance Tool W85005 is our pick.
At the expense of being low, it didn't rank very well on our comfort scale; larger mechanics might get squeezed with its raised side rails. It did come pre-assembled, which we liked, but it struggled to get over nuts, bolts, and air hoses.
Gannon Burgett - 7/11
Pro-Lift C-2036D Z-Creeper
Pro-LifT
amazon.com
$48.12
The Pro-Life Z-Creeper is another entry that folds into a stool for dual-purpose comfort. It just didn't do it as well as the Omega we tested. However, we did like its comfort level.
You will need a 14mm wrench to assemble this unit, but it went together smoothly. The Z-Creeper plowed through nuts and bolts, but struggled against the air hose. If you can score this creeper on sale, it's a fine choice.
Gannon Burgett - 8/11
Pro-Lift Mechanic Plastic Creeper
Pro-LifT
amazon.com
$80.55
No matter how similar it looks to the Bestool plastic creeper, this Pro-Lift creeper ranked lower on the comfort scale and lacks removable trays. It did plow through our obstacle course easily. For plastic creepers, we found this was the lesser of the two we tested.
Gannon Burgett - 9/11
JEGS 2-in-1 Folding Creeper
JEGS
amazon.com
$73.49
The JEGS 2-in-1 Creeper—another folding entry—tied for last on our comfort scale, struggled against our obstacle course, and was a challenge to assemble. We had high hopes for this one because of its decent Amazon ratings and reviews, and the price point is attainable. But it simply couldn't compete with the rest of these creepers in our test.
Gannon Burgett - 10/11
How We Tested Creepers
We wanted to test these creepers in a real garage environment, so naturally, we chose the Car and Driver garage. Before we ran them through our obstacle course, tester Katherine Keeler unboxed and assembled each one, taking notes about this process on fitment, tools included, and overall ease of assembly.
Next, we had members of the Car and Driver staff try out each creeper. We tallied up their rankings on comfort, adding them to a chart; 3 was the most comfortable, and 1 was the least comfortable. We averaged each creeper's comfort rankings to come up with a "Comfort Score," and took that into consideration.
In the garage, we tried to roll each creeper on our textured vinyl floor, through a pile of loose nuts and bolts and over an air hose. We took notes on how well each creeper rolled over these challenges. We also sent each creeper down a pair of our vehicle ramps, marking the distance on how far it traveled as a metric of smoothness and speed. And after a final ride on each out in the parking lot, we gathered our findings.
Photo Credit: Gannon Burgett - Car and Driver - 11/11
FAQs
Are mechanic's creepers worth it?
Absolutely. These handy tools prevent you from crawling on your hands and knees under a car—which typically isn't the cleanest place. Being able to move and pivot on a creeper also allows you to complete the work easier and faster.
Why is it called a mechanic's creeper?
A creeper allows a mechanic to scooch around on their back freely, without needing to get up and down constantly. While working, wrenchers can disappear in the blink of an eye and reappear somewhere completely different—like a creepy-crawly. It's magic, frankly. And not a redundancy.
What are the other names for a mechanic's creeper?
Creepers go by many names, but they all mean the same thing. Mechanic's dolly, garage creeper, under-car roller, car creeper, and automotive creeper are just a few.
Can you use these while on your belly?
Have you ever gone sledding face first? Imagine hitting a bump with the front—except without any soft snow to cushion your faceplant.
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Gannon Burgett - Car and Driver
