CHAOS makes three grips, and shops calling in to order them usually assume all three compete for the same spot in the truck. They do not. Two of them are answering the same question, which pry bar grip is better for your hands. The third is answering a completely different question, what do you have your bead breaker's handle wrapped in.
Start with the machine, not the grip
Before ordering anything, figure out which tool actually needs the grip. A bead-breaking machine with a shovel handle, the kind of machine most shops running a Coats Maxx-series bead breaker have on the floor, is a different job than the hand-held pry bar a tech swings to seat or pull a tire. One grip fits the machine. Two grips fit the bar. Get that first decision wrong and you end up with a grip sitting in a drawer because it was built for a handle shape your shop does not have.
Max Bead Breaker Grip, for the machine
The Max Bead Breaker Grip is built for bead-breaking machines with a shovel handle, the setup most common on a Coats Maxx-series bead breaker. It is a 7/8 inch, single-ply, closed-end rubber grip that restores a secure hold on a machine handle that has gone slick from years of grease and use. $12.95 each. If this is the machine on your floor, this is the only grip on this list that fits it.
Bead Biter Tire Bar Grip, the universal option
The Bead Biter Tire Bar Grip is a single-ply, closed-end grip built to fit most tire pry bars, whatever brand is already in the truck. If you are not sure what bar you are running, or you run a mix of brands across the shop, this is the safe universal choice. $15.00 each.
CHAOS Moto Pry Bar Grip, the upgrade for Coats and Hunter
The CHAOS Moto Pry Bar Grip does the same job as Bead Biter, protecting the hand and the wheel on a pry bar, but it is purpose-built for Coats or Hunter tire bars specifically instead of fitting a range of bars loosely. If you know your bars are Coats or Hunter, this is the tighter, better-fitted option. $19.95 each.
One grip answers what machine you run. The other two answer the same question about your pry bar, just with different levels of fit.
How to actually order
Two decisions, not three. First, check the bead breaker. If it has a shovel handle, and especially if it is a Coats Maxx-series machine, order the Max Bead Breaker Grip regardless of what else you buy, since nothing else on this list fits that machine. Second, look at the pry bars techs are swinging by hand. If they are Coats or Hunter, the CHAOS Moto Pry Bar Grip is the better fit for the same money difference of a few dollars. If they are a different brand, or the shop runs a mix, Bead Biter covers it without guessing wrong on fitment.
We wrote separately about what a hand injury actually costs a tire shop. Whichever grip fits your equipment, a few dollars against that math is not a close call.
Common questions
Do I need all three?
Only if your shop runs a shovel-handle bead breaker and hand-held pry bars, which most do. In that case you need the Max Bead Breaker Grip for the machine plus one of the two pry bar grips, not all three.
Can Bead Biter go on a Coats or Hunter bar too?
Yes, it fits most tire pry bars generally. The CHAOS Moto Pry Bar Grip is simply purpose-built to those two brands specifically, so it seats tighter if that is what you are running.
How do I know if my bead breaker is a Coats Maxx-series machine?
Check the handle. If it is a shovel-shaped handle on a mounted bead-breaking machine, the Max Bead Breaker Grip is built for that style, most commonly found on Coats Maxx-series equipment.
How long does installation take?
Seconds. Each grip slides onto the existing handle, no tools required, and there is no downtime on the tool itself while it goes on.
Not sure which one fits your equipment? Request a free sample or call 480-829-7888 and we will match the grip to your machine and bars before you order.
