Pritch: "I don't understand why it's obsolete. Seems pretty handy to me."
I suspect it's because most muffler shops today use the "blue-flame wrench" to remove the old parts, and replace as many pieces as possible, rather than keeping what portions of the exhaust system were still good. It's faster, simpler, and then they can use the manufacturer's warranty instead of their own. We used to have a good shop nearby; they'd put the car up on the lift, and go along with a very small ball-pein and tap to see what was corroded, and what was still good. The son of the original owner has taken over after his dad retired. Now they can give an estimate without even lifting the car, most of the time, because they will replace everything from the catalytic converter back, every time.
