Shown here is a Winbag inflatable air shim.
More specifically, it’s a durable inflatable air wedge that’s made from a fiber-reinforced non-marking material.
It’s as flat as 3/32″, allowing it to slide into narrow spaces, and can be inflated to up to 2″. It can lift up to 300 pounds, per Winbag.
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The Winbag air shim is said to be useful for installing doors, windows, cabinets, appliances, and all kinds of other fixtures where you might need to make careful height or spacing adjustments.
Have you used one? What kinds of things have you used it for? Don’t have one? What kinds of applications might you use this for?
Price: ~$15-20 each, depending on store and quantity
I’ve heard lots of good things about the Winbag, and can see a few things I’d use it for (such as installing anti-vibrational pads to a washing machine that’s already installed and blocked in place).
This demo video, although a little infomercial-toned, shows what the Winbag can do:
There’s a competing brand, the Air Shim by Calculated Industries, which can sometimes be found for less money.
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They also offer a larger version, the XL 500.
Cr8on
I’ve used em with limited success. My problem with them is they conform to the shape more than lift, which is ok if the object is already where it needs to be… ie pre shimmed.
Ken
One of the main usages of these is to break into cars. Leagally or illegally. When I was working at an auto assembly plant in Detroit people used to steal cars right out of the shipping lot, drive through the fence, them a few blocks away and strip them. After this happened one time I found one of these in the area the cars were taken from.
Jared
I locked my keys in the car recently (which was embarrassing) and the locksmith used one of these (albeit a different brand) to open a gap between my car door and the B pillar so he could wiggle a metal rod inside and unlock the door.
He just slid the uninflated bag into the gap near the bottom of the window and carefully inflated it until there was enough space at the top to insert the rod. Pretty nifty trick.
Jason Peacock
I’ve been using them to replace the flooring in my house under the cabinets. I have Ikea cabinets, and they sit on feet (and attach to the wall). I stack some 2x4s under the cabinet to get close, then insert the airbag and inflate to take the weight off the cabinet feet.
Once un-weighted, I can then remove the feet, swap the floor, re-attach the feet, and deflate the bag to re-weight the feet and presto! New floor under the cabinets.
Without the airbag it would be using a prybar as a lever and a stack of shims to achieve the same thing. The airbag is much easier and quicker.
Jim Felt
That’s a wonderful use especially given that IKEA utilizes those leveling legs.
I’ve got them in a loft building with polished concrete floors so I’ll likely not need to repeat your floor replacement use. (Unless my wife changes her mind at some point….).
John
I had the exact same scenario, and I resorted to using the jack from my car. Worked out perfectly. Though if I needed to support more than one side at a time, I’d have been out of luck.
Riley
Thank you!! I actually was trying to figure out if these could work to adjust the height of already installed ikea cabinets (with granite countertop). Trying to adjust the leveling legs after the fact has been a real challenge.
Addison
I use them for pre-hung door installation. Pre shim the hing side, open the door, long screw the bottom hinge, air bag the the bottom of the door (open 90 degrees), screw the other hinges, attach the strike side, ready for trim!
Jehremy
I bought a two pack of the air shims about a year ago (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01LRP64AG/); I’ve used them for some small minor projects. They came in real handy when leveling out my oven and washing machine.
MtnRanch
I use these for lifting appliances into the right position and then I just lower the adjusting feet to meet the floor. Much easier than trying to use the feet to raise the appliance. Tip – I keep a few pieces of 1/4″ ply around to put between the bag and an irregular surface so the bag has something to push against instead of just billowing around the object it’s pushing on. This solves the problem above that “Cr8on” was experiencing.
The yeti
No
JoeM
I love this response… I just laughed so hard I heard my rib crack! (Don’t worry, it’s an old injury, now it cracks like a knuckle or my neck when under pressure.)
No to what? What question was yeti here answering? Will we ever know what’s going on in the mysterious yeti’s world? Who knows! Tune in next time, and join in the fun!
Don’t take this the wrong way, yeti, but I love you for this response!
Randy
Yeti may have been answering the original question if he had used one
Jay J Levan
The question posed was…
Do You Use Inflatable Air Shims such as the Winbag?
Framer joe
They work great installing exterior doors and windows,been using them for at least 6 years….. As stated above, good for getting locked car keys out also…
Awesome products… recommend them highly
fred
I tried them – bought a 4 pack for $75 in 2014 for some cabinet work at my daughter’s place. I did not find them as useful as I thought they might be for lifting – but maybe I just did not work with them enough to get the hang of them. They now mostly gather dust.
In Germany, I saw what looked like some industrial sized ones being used to raise a sunken concrete slab.
William Nicholls
I got a couple of Winbags, but think their load rating is overblown (pun intended). The squeeze bulb comes off too easily and I very much doubt that I could generate more than 50 psi via the bulb and valve. They don’t really say how they calculate the 300 lb. load rating, but it the bags wouldn’t lift my under 300 lb. refrigerator. They did work fine for leveling a prehung door, however.
Farid
50psi x6 in sq. = 300 lbs 6″ sq is roughly 2.5 by 2.5″ area. Judging by the photos, you have to maximize contact on both sides of bag to get that much contact area. So, the rating is plausible
Koko The Talking Ape
Maybe 300 is the UNINFLATED load rating!
Joren
At least in the fire service, the bags are rated to lift their full capacity when flat, and reach their full expansion height at zero capacity. Doing any real work, and you’re somewhere between the two extremes. Usually we’ll put bags in place that are substantially larger than the weight of the vehicle, to give us some headroom when lifting with the bags. Another trick is to stack two bags together, twice the lift with the same load – but never more than two bags, as the third will almost always slip out from the middle.
Mosh
You can put on a hose clamp
Ron
I have used these for years. i’m a locksmith and they work great for opening cars. However you do need other tools that i will not talk about for obvious reasons.
Sb224
Too late buddy, someone has already let the car out of the bag. As a police officer we use the same “tools” for vehicle unlocks.
satch
My experience with them has come from when my daughter(s) have locked tbeirnkeys in their cars. Called the roadside assist/towing service offered by my insurer(best thing ever/less than 50 dollars per year per vehicle) and the tow truck driver both times had the vehicle opened in less than 3 minutes. I am most certainly going to invest in one of these.
As an aside, does anyone know the legality of owning certain ‘locksmith tools’ without being a licesned business? I am not speaking about barstool conversations where some guy purports to know the law about such things. I have been told so much cockamamie stuff over the years it is ridiculous.
I do know however that most states, mine included, have prosecuted people for possession of ‘burglary tools’. I assume there was much more than mere possession going on. I ask because I wonder if you shoukd make sure you buy a product labeled directly as a leveling or installstiin tool. Just to avoid any over zealous Barney Fife from showing up and arresting you for breaking into gour own vehicle.LOL
dll932
Depends on the situation, community and timing. In an area known for lots of crime, in an election year, or simply looking suspicious, one can be hit with a “say so” bust (why am I being busted?” ” because I say so!”). As far as licensing, not all states require locksmiths to be licensed. Use with discretion.
Jimmy
https://toool.us/laws.html
“TOOOL” is a US-based amateur lockpicking enthusiast group. The link is to their summary of state laws in the US regarding possession of lockpicking tools.
In most states, for possession to be a crime, you have to both possess the tools and intend to use them for something illegal, but that is not quite universally true.
Tony
I’ve seen these in the store before, but I didn’t know that there were XL versions available. So I just ordered 2 of the XL versions online. I’ve never had a use for these yet. But it’s one of those things where I’m quite sure I’ll find a use for it later. Thanks for the review.
ktash
I’m going to try them. Both my washing machine and stove need leveling. Hope it’s as easy as it looks. I’ll try the 1/4″ ply trick that MtnRanch suggested. I’m going to put in cabinets one of these days, so my try it for them, but if the washer and stove work, it’s worth the cost.
Sustad
Use them all the time for fitting doors and windows. Low tech, but work great.
Michaelhammer
Honestly, it gets to a point where one has too many tools. I always have shims with me. No need to hunt around or remember where I put them because I always have them handy. Leveling cabinets? I’ll be done before you get back from the trailer with the wind bag. Windows and doors? The shims need to be left in place. Basically, anything one would use the windbag for there’s already something handy, tried and true that works just fine without having to carry yet one more thing. Over the years I’ve come up with a good rule for tool purchases; if it can’t do more than one job, don’t buy it.
Stuart
For doors, it’s more about achieving desired floor clearance – and more easily.
Dan
I build equipment racks for the entertainment industry; think mobile server racks. I use these bags all the time for positioning bulky and/or heavy items like battery backups. They inflate to a little over 1RU and give you fine control for lining up screw holes.
Tony
I like this idea a lot. Thanks for sharing.
Dave
I’ve used them to level my fridge (lift the front while I drop the feet) and the stove. Have also used them to hold a screen door off the deck while I affix the hinges.
Lidl had a knock-off pair of these for $9.99 a couple weeks ago and I picked up a spare set.
Albert
I never knew such a thing existed until my neighbor called a locksmith. After that, I looked for them online but thought they were too expensive. Then Menards had these really nice Made in Denmark bags (I’m not sure what brand) on sale for $15 so I bought two. So far I’ve used them to install doors (lift to clear the carpet and then lock in place), and kitchen cabinets (lift just enough to level, but without scratching the finish). Later this summer I’m going to try to lift an LG front loading washer/dryer that came with the house, either onto pipes or onto something slippery so that I can slide them out of the way and do some repairs to the walls and floor. For my earlier door installation project, I also appreciated that I could step on the bulb with my foot.
JoeM
I honestly have always seen these at Lee Valley and loved the idea of them, but never known what I, personally, would use them for. Then, a couple days ago, I had to raise my Mother’s scooter up onto a motorcycle jack, and I realized the clearance below the floor of the scooter, and the minimum height of the jack, are different enough that I need to tilt the scooter to slip the jack underneath.
Now that you are posting this particular article, I just might get a bunch of these, and use them to lift the scooter before sliding the jack under. It would make my life MUCH easier that way. So, thanks for reminding me of these! Very good timing in my life, too!
ktash
Lowe’s has them for $4.40. I just ordered six, which should be plenty for kitchen cabinet adjustment when I do that job. I, too, thought how they could raise something enough to slip a jack or some other riser device under them, even other shims. Because I usually work alone and have a few hand/wrist issues, I often get things that might save wear and tear and these look good.
Thanks for calling our attention to this, Stuart!
Stuart
I ordered 4 yesterday at $4.40 each, but they’re having delays in shipping them out.
Some Lowes have them for full price, and I saw one location which has one available for $1.54.
I’ll believe it (and post about it) when I see my order.
A W
Does anyone know where to buy one with a higher weight rating? We have some heavy equipment at work that sits within a half inch of the ground and having something like this with a safe working load of 1000 lbs may be safer than using a toe jack attachment.
firefly
A toe jack immediately come to mind before I read the rest of your comment.
I don’t have any experience with those guy but you might be able to order a custom airbag from them http://www.matjack.com . They have air bags that can lift up to 86tons…
Toolfreak
I’ve used the Steck versions for automotive entry, they work great, but the inflator bulb tends to disintegrate after a few years when stored in an automotive interior.
I’ve yet to find one where the bulb is any different or will last longer, but I guess my next ones will be air Shims since they have a lifetime warranty.
Michael English
Work great for install solid core doors by yourself. Installed 20 doors in about 2.5hrs in PSF’s . As opposed to another person helping or using pry bar or lifter. Very happy with the purchase.
raoul
I used these for windows and doors. I also use mat jacks for cars and other really heavy stuff.
Jon
I am in the camp of “one can never have too many tools”. I picked up a pair of these shims a few years ago and a have used them a handful of times on projects already mentioned in other comments. BUT, by far my favorite use was when my wife’s car’s hood pretension spring (the one that makes the hood “pop” after pulling the release lever under your dash) broke. I slipped the airbag halfway under the edge of the hood, gave just the right tension, pulled the lever and proceded with my project. I wasn’t a huge proponent of the air shims until I was able to start thinking outside of the box with them. Granted, car hood springs are not a common problem for most people but I think having a couple air shims on hand will get you out of a “unique” situation enough times it will justify the minimal space they take up in the tool trailer.
Nathan
I’ve thought about getting a set of these but if I do I’d want to connect them with an standard air line and a compressor if I used more than one at a time with a set of valves.
We use a system like this in the aircraft hangar from time to time for various needs there are more pieces of different sizes of course but a similar thing. and we have the recovery bags which are much larger and will pick up a 777 – if it was to belly flop on landing – different use case similar system.
For home use I could easily see using them for a door install – and I could see using them for some automotive work.
Ktash
Lowes shipped the six $4.40 winbags. I think they’re starting to carry a different brand. So even if they’re full price now they might go on close out at those other locations where they were full price. I looked around at other nearby Lowe’s and they were priced all over the place like you said Stuart.
Stuart
I think mine finally shipped too.
I also ordered one for pickup, but got a voicemail that they didn’t have it and cancelled the order, but brought up something similar to customer service in case I wanted it. I might stop by over the weekend to see if they’ll honor the price.
OR, maybe Home Depot will honor the Lowes pricing on a pair of Winbags.
Adam
I own two Air Shims. And I have had great success when I remember to use them.
WillV
These are a godsend and have helped me install doors solo, level out washing machines and refrigerators so again I could shim / support it etc while working alone. Just be very sure of the weight limits. Seen bad things happen when people think this will work similar to those industrial inflation tools.
RTSinDallas
I’m a remodeling contractor and work solo most of the time. These air shims have tons of uses. As mentioned for installing doors, I installed doors for HD and now for my own clients. When I have a heavy door, I can put one under the door on the hinge side and lift the door pumping with my foot until the hinges line up and I can slip the pins in. They also work for adjusting a door frame in an opening. They work great for leveling cabinets and appliances. I locked my keys in my van when I was finishing a phone call in the parking lot at HD. I went in bought an air shim and a dowel, and was in in less than 10 min. One of the best uses is when I install frameless shower glass. I can make micro adjustments to the door to get everything perfect. Again, there are many uses, and for me they have earned their keep. The biggest issue is that the latex rubber air bulbs deteriorate in a hot truck in a year or so. You can get replacements for around 3 for $10.