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(More customer reviews)Now that all my paintings and carvings are up, my arm no longer resenting my tool chest, it's time to properly amend this to explain the problems I was having (my initial review) and the solutions I found are most foolproof AND fail-proof with the least risk of damage (literal amendments).
I give up using Ooks on concrete in particular. The pro Ooks for non-masonry walls--though they've started being a bit shoddy in quality control (irregular/not reliable)--do what they say for the most part, though cheap drywall still can be easily destroyed by even those tiny nails when the weight is put on (the wall's fault but they are misleading and for regular home use, the choices could get really confusing between the plastic hooks with 4 pins, the giant Hercules hooks, and the many nail versions and whatnot!)... I do suggest reading a bit about them before getting them so you are sure you get what you need--the packages are very minimal in their information and the print is literally 2.5pt font.
So these concrete/brick ones I bought in sets of 3 for the 30lb ones (at Home Depot for a a few bucks per set), sets of 2 for the 50lb ones--I'm not about to hang any 100 pound items, let alone the 200lb drywall option! I also got a "complete" set with a wire, 2 hook things to screw in on a frame, and the 30lb hook and nail, and Ook has apparently just gone WAY downhill, from REALLY awful screws for the frame to these "bendless" nails that most certainly bend, which they didn't used to do in my experience.
I'm adding a picture to show the result of trying to get this "minimal damage" option in the wall. True, only about 1/3" around the nail has chipped off--that's not the issue, really, as I can always fill it in when I move... the issue is that where those rings are on the nail... you can still see 3 of them (the other 2 hidden by the hanger)... they just ARE NOT going into these old concrete block walls, not without drilling a hole big enough to make it wobbly. I spent over an HOUR with them and let a big tough repairman try, too, before moving to drill plus Ook. In hammer-only attempts, the first bent at the end like the very tip of a fish hook (not a dramatic J on the whole nail, more precisely like the sharp pointed tip), the next "sorta bent" but more of a slant than a strong bend, and the last just sat there mocking me til I went for the drill bits--so much for the Ook's claim that all you'd need is a hammer, flaw number one. Flaw number 2: Two of the holes for the nail SPLIT, one with just hammering, one with hammering after drilling. Flaw number 3=even aiding it with 2 sizes of masonry bits--getting just slightly smaller than the Ook in the larger and having to use the busted one as a guide for the bit (they don't go straight into the wall, after all, the whole reason they can hold a bit more than nails straight in) still ultimately left too much concrete for it to "move"--brick may be a bit more lenient, but I wouldn't bother trying! Real, dense concrete, the kind in old buildings, the kind you HOPE holds your walls up, is too much for these.
Another point I'll make: These are really only shaped to suit WIRES or flat bars that jut from a frame. If the back of your picture/mirror/etc has something round, keyhole-shaped, or triangular, these are a small nightmare (need you ask how I know?)--whereas a round screw (ie a concrete anchor or the screw that screws into a wall driller kind of anchor) will hook into those keyhole types perfectly and allow the triangles (all I've had are rounded anyway) to perfectly balance with the perfectly round screw neck, having the flat hanger's - in /\ leaves it both scraping and hard to get level compared to * in /\ . Basic geometry.
This alone ITW Brands 24155 Tapcon Phillips Concrete Anchor is what I ended up using for all but one of the myriad of carvings and paintings I hung on concrete. The only concrete wall that I used an Ook for was solely because the carving I was hanging had tiny hinged triangles to attach to the wall--they came from a showroom so I had to adapt them a bit. For that, the Tapcon anchor (the screw) was too big to slide the tiny triangle on and off, so I hooked it onto the skinny-though-awkward tip from a *50lb Ook* that is shaped like the YMCA Y--solid across the top--with a triangular cutout between its TWO nail openings, which is where I put the anchor through. This way I can take it down FAR more easily and safely for the art than screwing an anchor through what connnects to the art (I would worry about the vibration/force pulling it out of the art over time). That can hold 1460lbs of force for pull-out and 990lbs vertically for breakage... Now, in case you have something that's 700lbs, it does say that "A safety factor of 4:1 or 25% of ultimate pullout/shear value is generally accepted as a safe working load." If you're going to hang over 250lbs, use more than one anchor (and show us a picture of what on earth you're hanging!) :)
Disappointing, but oh well, live and learn--hopefully someone learn from my VERY SORE and very frustrated 3-trips-to-the-store adventure! (Forgive the photo's odd angle--a camera on a cell phone standing on a stool holding things as still as possible=none of the photos look "straight." The point should be clear enough, though!)
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Ook 50035 30 Lb Concrete & Brick HangerOok 50035 30 Lb Concrete & Brick Hanger Features:; Hanger uses bendless nails; Ideal for concrete and brick walls; Manufactured with a special finishing tip that easily penetrates hard wall; Holds up to 30 lbs; Brass plated; Carded
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