Kim Adams

Saffron Walden

Production Editor at CAMRA - the Campaign for Real Ale

Our man in Halfords. Product tester for Auto Express and evo plus production editor for CAMRA's What's Brewing and BEER. Beer and cars - what else do you need?

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Articles

Best car headlight bulbs 2024

Nov 1, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

All the electronic safety wizardry on today’s cars counts for little if the driver can’t see where they are going. Halogen lamps lose output over time and many OE bulbs are fitted with more of an eye on durability than performance. However, upgraded bulbs now feature up to 220 per cent more performance than the legal minimum. But which to fit? To find out, we return to the big-selling H7 single-filament bulb found in many new cars with separate dip and main beam lights.
Ring rechargeable lamp and pad review

Oct 31, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

Overall Auto Express rating4.0Price: £69.99 (RIL7100 £44.99 RIL7SINGLE £25) Rating: 4 stars Contact: ringautomotive.comThe most user-friendly way to charge cordless tools is wirelessly, and we’ve been trying Ring’s latest solution, which comprises two lamps plus single and double charging pads. The lamps are familiar designs both with 600 lumens outputs plus similar battery and LED specs. The hinged Pro RIL7100 has magnets on the base and rear, which also help to locate it on the charging dock.
Laser Tools Compact Swirl Gun review

Oct 15, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

Overall Auto Express rating4.0Price: £40.32Contact: lasertools.co.ukBlow guns work with air compressors and are generally used to blast away debris and dust. This new version from Laser Tools (part number 8909) ups the force generated via a plastic trumpet-shaped nozzle with a flexible air hose inside screwed into the main alloy body. The hose rotates within the trumpet to create a vortex-like air stream, rather than the steady force of a conventional gun.
Simply Wipers review

Sep 30, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

Price: £10.68-£15.30 (per pair) Contact: wipers.simply-brands.comAutomotive product brand Simply’s new range of wiper blades look good value for money, at prices which start from £10.68 for a pair. This is about half that of some rivals and even less compared with the cost of buying from a main dealer. The line-up consists of the more modern, flat ‘aero’ wipers and the older-style ‘bridged’ blades. Together these designs will cover most cars.
Best car books: today’s top titles for motorists, petrolheads and car fans

Sep 30, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

Books about cars, motoring, travel and automotive culture in all its forms are commonplace and the library is growing all the time. Luckily we’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to, reviewing and rating the best new automotive literature to be published in recent months.
Ring MAGFLEX 1000 Superflex LED utility lamp review

Sep 30, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

Overall Auto Express rating4.5Ring took a literal new twist on workshop lighting when it launched the MAGFLEX 1000, with its ribbon of highly flexible LEDs.We tried the eye-catching Ring alongside our current inspection lamp favourite, the Philips Xperion 6000 Slim, and our preferred large-space light, the MAGflex Utility, because the Superflex is promoted as being suitable for both tasks.
Best ratchet spanner sets 2024

Sep 26, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

Ratchet spanners may not be as essential as standard spanners, but they are desirable, because they speed up jobs and make removing hard-to-reach fasteners far easier. When a bolt or nut will only turn a few degrees at a time before requiring the spanner to be removed and replaced, a ratchet version can remain in place and simply spin the fastener off.
Best car drying cloths 2024

Jul 22, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

The easiest and safest way to dry your car after washing and rinsing it is a blower. These are not cheap or quick, though, so most of us will still rely on a microfibre cloth. But which one? There’s a bewildering array of sizes, weaves and constructions that all claim to be the one that effortlessly lifts away water, leaving your car ready for the next stage of preparing or protecting. And don’t be tempted to skip drying, because you will inevitably be left with water spots that will need removing.
Best car wash wax sprays 2024

May 31, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

While there are generally few shortcuts to keeping your car looking its best, new tech has brought us a few innovations that make it easier to maintain a shine. Among the most interesting are wash waxes. These can be applied after cleaning your pride and joy simply by spraying the car with the solution, usually via a snow foam bottle.
Best car glass cleaners 2024

May 31, 2024 | autoexpress.co.uk | Kim Adams

Keeping your car’s windows smear-free can be a right pain, with the slightest blemish or streak being visible – and even dangerously distracting – while driving. Treating the glass inside and out makes a real difference to the way your car looks, but getting a perfect finish can be hard work. We tested the glass cleaners by smearing Vaseline and spraying vegetable oil onto the surface of a scrap car’s side window, which had been painted black on the underside to highlight any dirt.