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If you didn’t know, Loctite and Permatex are two of the biggest brands in the adhesive market. Loctite is more popular of the two. That isn’t a surprise Loctite has a wider range of products available. Though in the last year or two, I’ve seen Permatex being recommended over Loctite.
So which is the better of the two?
The reality is that these two products are incredibly similar to each other. You aren’t likely to notice much of a difference between them. They both make excellent sealants and thread lockers, so it’s essential that you pick the right product from these brands to suit your needs.
It can be challenging to know which of these brands to get your products from and which is best to use in general. So I’ll take you through some of their products showing you which is best for each individual need.
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Threadlocker vs Thread Sealants
Firstly we need to work out what the differences are between thread lockers and thread sealants. These two perform entirely different jobs, yet people get confused by their differences. If you’re new to these types of products, it does make sense.
Fortunately, it’s straightforward to work out their differences.
ThreadLockers – Are used an adhesive to keep screws and bolts in place. This helps prevent issues with leaks and corrosion. The color of the different Threadlocker basically explains their strength and how easy it will be to remove them from threads.
Thread sealants – Are used for sealing two connectors together. These are used for pipes and other metals. A good thread sealant can help fill the gap when you are joining two pipes together, ensuring no water escapes.
It makes sense to work out which of these you need before you go out and purchase one. With that in mind, let us look at these two different brands and their products.
Loctite Threadlockers
When it comes to comparing products from different brands, using their product codes such as Loctite 242 and 243, doesn’t make much sense. What does 242 stand for? So I find it makes much more sense to compare using other characteristics.
I find it’s easier to use a color code system with these products. As such, I’ll be doing this for these comparisons. I’ll also give you an example of a product number to go with the products and their colors.
If you want to disassemble a thread that was put together with a red threadlocker, then you are going to need to bring the heat.
Heat is the only way to get this threadlocker to release, so without red, it’ll be stuck there for an eternity. Personally, I prefer to use Permatex's high strength alternative.
If you need a threadlocker that can be used on a variety of different things, then a general-purpose medium strength threadlocker is what you need.
For me, the product that fits that bill is Loctite 242. This should be your first choice. The blue threadlocker works incredibly well for the majority of tasks, such as securing bolt threads.
You don’t always need something high strength, something that’ll hold on for dere life. Sometimes all you need is a low strength sealant.
This is where Loctite 222 comes in; this is Loctite’s low strength threadlocker, which is perfect for use with aluminum and screws that you may need to adjust from time to time.
Amazon productThere are times when you don’t want to or can’t disassemble something, but you need to get your bolts locked onto your threads.
This is where a wicking threadlocker comes in handy. It’s very low viscosity means that it’ll wick or seep into the thread without you having to disassemble it. Loctite 290 is Loctite’s most popular wicking threadlocker, and I think it’s one of the best.
Loctite Thread Sealants
Loctite has a vast array of products, and while they’re well known for producing high-quality threadlockers, they also make thread sealants. So here are some of their best thread sealants.
High Temperatures – Loctite 577
If you need a thread sealant that is going to be exposed to high temperatures, then I highly suggest Loctite 577. This is a medium-strength sealant that can handle temperatures up to 200 degrees.
The best thing about this is that it can work with all metals, not just aluminum.
General purpose – Loctite 5776
If you need a sealant that is quick working and can work with outdoor machinery, then Loctite 5776 is a great choice. This is a general purpose sealant that works well for a wide variety of purposes. It works for both gas and water and can handle temperatures up to 60 degrees.
Medium strength– Loctite 5400
If you need something that works quickly for metal threads, then you need to take a look at Loctite 5400. This works well for pipes and other cylindrical appliances. It can handle temperatures up to 60 degrees.
Permatex Threadlockers
Some people prefer Permatex over Loctite, sometimes Permatex offers a product that Loctite doesn’t. There’s very little difference between the two brands. You just need to pick the right type of Permatex for your needs.
Getting the right one is easy, just make sure you pick the right color for your needs, The colors align with Loctite’s so it’s easy to work out which you need if you’ve been using Loctite before.
Permatex Red is their high strength threadlocker. You can use it for things like cap screws.
Permatex Blue is their general purpose threadlocker, and this is a pretty great product. I’ve used this myself plenty of times.
if you need a thread locker for small applications, such as headlamps on your car. Then I recommended that you take a look at permatex purpose. It works well for these small applications, and you can use it on a wide variety of things.
Permatex Thread Sealants
Permatex also has thread sealants, there isn’t much variety in what they offer, they have a regular thread sealant, and they have one which has been designed for use in high temperatures.
Loctite 518 vs Permatex 5183 gasket makers
There’s a more significant difference this time, and to find this, I had to dig into Henkel’s official site to find it.
A small difference between Loctite 518 and Permatex 5183 is their gap support.
Loctite 518 will fill a gap up to 0.25mm (0.01″) while Permatex 5183 can handle a wider gap of up to 0.38mm (0.015″).
Both of these are anaerobic gasket makers/flange sealants. You want to use them only with metal parts and machinery.
No doubt you’ve noticed that Loctite 518 is rather hard to find, whether you look in a physical store or online. So I suggest a substitute that is much more accessible, and that’s Loctite 515. It works exactly the same in the same situations, but it does come with a few caveats.
Firstly, it’s subpar for use with aluminum flanges. Second, it set’s much faster and is known to cure quicker than 518 and 5183 when used with more active metals such as brass. This may catch you out.
Wrap up
The differences between these brands are rather minimal. This makes sense as Loctite once owned Permatex, so a lot of their products are very similar.
Just make sure to get the right product for your needs; don’t worry so much about the brand.
If you have any questions about permatex vs Loctite, then drop me a comment below.
