2015 Forester Strut Replacement - I CANNOT COMPRESS THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS!

I have the front struts off and the coil removed from the old, but I cannot (and my shop cannot) compress the spring enough to get the strut reassembled. Its a comedy of issues, using the death sticks I can only get 3 rings on one side and 2 on the other and wont compress enough. My shop used their press and couldn't get it compressed enough to get the screw through the hat and mount. Has anyone else had this problem?

KYP struts, mount, boot cover, bumper (dog toy thing) and keeping original springs, hat.