Heavy Duty Pellet Retainer Tool

This metal composite tool is used for needle air fill systems to tighten the pellet gently during pressurization, especially useful on Fox and other shocks where the pellets tend to leak while filling is common. For some high-end shocks like Push, Öhlins, and DB Kitsuma, this tool is often not needed due to lower pressures and better pellets. But if you ever can't get the air to not leak out during fill or after removing the needle, this will fix it.

Each tool is made entirely by hand by the owner of the shop. The Allen head is individually cut, machined, sanded, and superglued press-fitted into place in a 30-micron clearance 4mm Allen hole, then cured for 2 days in a humidity-free casing. Tested to hold up to 1.6 Nm of torque, but not meant to be overtightened or forced.

We price it at around $40 (Almost too cheap still lol) to encourage you guys to just make your own pellet retainer tool instead, it’s cheaper and honestly more efficient for you. It takes a lot of time to hand-machine, cut, sand, and glue these in-house, and we really don’t want to spend entire days just making these for a few dollars. We try to keep prices low, but if we priced it too cheap, the guy building them (me!) would be doing nothing but that all day, and that’s just not great.

If you plan to do a lot of rebuilds, even though this site is meant for home mechanics, not commercial shops, you should consider getting the official Fox Pellet Retainer Tool. It’s fully CNC machined and heavy-duty. Here’s a Canadian source so you won’t pay crazy shipping: Buy the Fox Tool from S4 Suspension.

Compatible With:

• Shocks that use a needle air fill port with a press-fit pellet system
• Fox shocks (Float X, DPX2, DPS, Older CTD etc.)
• Mostly used when the internal damper pressures are super high like 250psi+
• Most Cane Creek Inline Air, DB Inline Coil
• Not required for: Push, Öhlins, EXT, and most Kitsuma or DB CS, these use low bladder pressure and tighter pellets, and typically do not leak

How It Works:

This tool holds the rubber pellet in place while the bladder or IFP is pressurized via needle. Once the system reaches full pressure, the tool is gently snugged to seal the port before removing the needle.

• Only tighten lightly : just enough to prevent leaks while holding pressure
• If you overtighten, the needle may get stuck or break inside the shock
• After removing the needle, you can snug a little further before installing the final bolt

Important Usage Notes:

• Torque limit: ~1.5–1.6 Nm, do not exceed this or you risk damage
• Includes a top collar to prevent over-inserting the needle (protects bladder/IFP)
• Do not overtighten, overtightening deforms the pellet and causes future leaks
• Remove needle gently; if it resists, you tightened too much
• Once the needle is out, then finish tightening or install the OEM screw if applicable
• Do NOT use this tool to untighten the pellet, to release pressure, or to apply final torque. It’s only meant for use during pressurization

Material & Specs:

• Body: PETG CF (carbon-filled composite plastic)
• Insert: Forged carbon steel 4mm hex, custom hand-machined
• Torque: Tested to 1.6 Nm, VERY low, never use force
• Includes: 1x Assembled Heavy Duty Pellet Retainer Tool with two collar heights

More Help:

• How to Use Pellet Retainer Tool Full Guide
• How to Use a Needle Fill Adapter