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Post by redeyes on May 14, 2015 21:20:15 GMT
Good tool; Harbor freight 3 ton jack stands.
Bad tool; Any Craftsman jack made in the last decade or so.
Good tool; True Temper ditch bank blade
Bad tools; True Temper silver back pitchfork and hoe. The blades of the tools are press fit into the wood. You can get some use out of them if you drill a hole in the metal and wood handle end and the tool blade and put a screw through them. Recommend buying these types of tools from websites or stores that sell forestry tools.
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Post by redeyes on May 16, 2015 0:32:05 GMT
Good tool; Stanley 3/8 rotator ratchet. Sometimes the only way you are going to get that bolt back in is with a ratchet that rotates, because you only have room to turn the handle one click and you can't get your huge American hands down there to get it started. A little 3 in 1 oil helps too.
Bad tool; cheap sockets from a department store socket set they set out at Christmas time so that Dad gets something other than a crappy tie. We all know the ratchets are crap but the metric socket sizes aren't correct either. All they are good for is rounding off bolts.
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Post by dannusmaximus on May 18, 2015 0:32:54 GMT
Good tool: I've got an 18 volt DeWalt drill that I've beaten the shit out of, and worked my way through 3 complete house remodels and numerous projects with buddies. Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.
ALSO, surprisingly good luck with a cheapy charley Harbor Freight electric tile saw. Bought it as a one-off for a small bathroom project (I figured it would break by the time I was done with the project), and have been using it ever since. Slower than a larger/higher quality saw, but damn good for what I ask it to do.
ALSO, Craftsman miter saw. No issues with it at all, and it's seen 12 years of heavy use coupled with abject neglect.
I can't say I've had any really bad tools. I do have a Craftsman laser level that I just can't seem to find much use for, but it's not because it's a bad tool.
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Post by red on May 18, 2015 2:08:52 GMT
Good tool Craftsman cordless drill/saw zall in 19.2 volt. Worked years after it should have died. Also Craftsman seem to use the same batteries for many models so there is no need to buy a tool and all new batteries for it.
Bad tool Dead On Annihilator broke in half the second time i used it. May have been a bad casting , but i like forged tools over cast.
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Post by misterdark on May 18, 2015 2:17:11 GMT
red, sorry to hear you had a crash with a dead-on; I have done very bad things with mine (I have several) for years with no probs.
Good Tool: Ryobi 18v One+ Li-ion batteries. And the tools that go with them. I do A/V install work, and abuse this stuff. It all rocks, hard.
Bad Tool: True Temper wheelbarrow as found at Home Depot. Absolute piece of crap. Was fixing the axle retaining tabs after 45 minutes of work. And something else broke every day that I used it. Crazy.
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Post by scbrian on May 18, 2015 4:33:12 GMT
Bad Tool: Kobalt Speedfit impact ready drivers... Pros - it was cheap ~$15. Pretty sure Lowes will replace the drivers, but I dont want any more of them I was so disappointed. Cons - Case design allowed the yellow retaining pin to fall inside the dead space in the case the first week of use. Quick change chuck locked up and required a hammer and vise grips to release the bit. Bits wear out unnaturally fast...  |
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Post by nxp on May 18, 2015 15:18:55 GMT
Good tools -
Klein: Angled side cutters, Lineman's Pliers, Crimping Wire Nippers, Ratcheting Wire Cutter
Klein: Standard Screw driver set, all sizes. I've had a full set for over 12 years of HARD USE, only had to replace two Philips Drivers in that time, both covered under warrenty/swap out.
Snap-On: Not a huge fan of Snap-on, but their ball-end Allen sets are the bomb. Totally worth the cash if you use them a lot.
ChannelLock: Crescent and Adjustable Wrench
GearWrench: Ratcheting open ended wrenches, standard and flex head
Battery Powered Powertools: Milwaukee, Hilti, and Rigid; all non-boxstore if possible
Miter/Table Saws: Delta and Jet
HF - I view these as disposable tools, something that I may need but really don't give a crap if I destroy them in the process of using them. I've got open ended wrenches from them in addition to sockets and some air tools. The drill bits suck, don't bother. All of them work, and I've broken a few of them, but honestly it's at about the same frequency as a set of Craftsmen tools which cost 3x as much. A good value for the occasion garage monkey in suburbia.
Bad tools: Most homestore brand tools (Toolshop, Kobalt, Husky, etc), unless you already know that you're going to be destroying them and don't care.
This one will PO Dannus - Dewalt. I've had a bunch of their tools and somehow all but one managed to kill themselves in short order either through the gearboxes, motors, or the batteries just go tits up way too soon. I refuse to even think about buying another one of their products when I can get better quality and service from other vendors at less cost.
Not a tool snob at all, but I do believe that if you use your tools in a professional environment (eg, your tools make you money), you should buy the best tools you can afford that have a warranty that actually means something. For weekend warriors or a guy that needs a tool for one specific project look into renting one for the day/week or just accept that some of the cheaper ones are throw-aways and don't be pissed if it craps out.
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Post by red on May 19, 2015 1:57:54 GMT
Good tools - Klein: Snap-On: ChannelLock: GearWrench: Ratcheting open ended wrenches, standard and flex head Battery Powered Powertools: Milwaukee, Hilti, and Rigid; Delta and Jet HF - I view these as disposable tools, something that I may need but really don't give a crap if I destroy them in the process of using them. Bad tools: , Husky, I agree with this except for the Husky. Now i do not know if Husky was a different company before Home Depot or who ever it is now selling them as a store brand. My dad had some Husky ratchets and sockets he has had since i can remember so maybe way back in the day almost 40 years ago they were a company that made good tool because i still have them and abuse them a lot. The new stuff i wont buy. Now that i think about it most of the Snap on, Mac, Channel lock, Vise grips i have are older then me. Hell i have a 40 ish year old Plumb 20 oz hammer with its original wooden handle . |
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Post by nxp on May 19, 2015 14:24:08 GMT
Red - you're right, the original Husky was a quality tool and part of the reason why HD bought out the name to use as their inhouse brand. I don't know if the commercial grade Husky is still running around, but if there is it'll likely be GTG. Sort of like the HD Rigid line vs the commercial Rigid line, there is a difference - especially in the motors and the chuck design on the drills.
I guess it could be like the old Craftsman tools also - I know my Dad had a bunch of hold over Craftsman tools from his Dad and they never broke either despite two generations of goofballs doing dumb things with them. You couldn't pay me to take any of the new Sear's Craftsman tools; they're on par with HF with an even worse warranty.
Plumb made an awesome hammer/maul. I think I've rehandled Gramp's at least twice by this point though nothing held up like original hickory handle on it. Snap-on/Mac/Crawford all make fine tools (especially if you need a specialty tool like a thin/lowtorque wrench or obscenely large Allen/Torx socket) but lifetime warrenty/swap is built into the cost of the inital purchase. If you can get your hands on a set cheap via an estate sale or whatever, their an awesome find and still keep the warranty.
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Post by scbrian on Jun 14, 2015 0:18:02 GMT
Used a tool today I keep handy and have relied on for a while:  Klein tools, 11 in 1 screwdriver/nutdriver Includes 3/8 in. , 5/16 in. and 1/4 in. nut drivers, #1 and #2 Phillips, 1/4 in. and 3/16 in. slotted, T10 and T15 TORX, and #1 and #2 square recess. It is my "Go to" tool for most screwdriving operations. Need to rip apart a fridge/freezer - got all the tips in one place...  |
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Post by nxp on Jun 14, 2015 1:17:05 GMT
Hard to go wrong with a Klein tool, IMO.  |
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Post by redeyes on Jun 14, 2015 2:07:46 GMT
I have a pair of Klein needle nose. My favorite little pliers. Alice keeps trying to steal them.
Good tool: Harbor freight 2 ton aluminum racing jack. I dunno how good it is for racing, but for a light weight jack it lifts cars pretty well. Only downside is you have to use stacked 2x4's to get an SUV's wheels off the ground. Not a problem really. Smart people use jack stands anyway.
Bad tool: Hand trucks with inflatable wheels. They work great when new. The trouble is after 6 months or so the tires go flat, so if you are like me and only use a hand truck a few times a year, you have to inflate the tires before you can use them. Eventually the tire will be difficult to inflate without high pressure air. Save yourself the headache and get a handtruck with large solid tires.
ETA or do like me and spend an extra 50 bucks to retrofit your handtruck with the Marathon flat free hand truck tires.
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Post by redeyes on Jul 29, 2015 4:42:30 GMT
Good tool; Irwin spiral screw extractor and drill set. Toyota uses transmission drain bolts that use a 10mm allen key. Way too easy to round out. Especially if the dumb MFer who was wrenching on it last overtorqued the shit out of the bolt. You don't really need their recommended T handle. I used a cheap adjustable wrench and a 3 foot cheater bar.
Good tool; Harbor freight extra long wrenches. Really great for breaking bolts free in tight spaces. Be careful when tightening not to overtorque.
Bad tool; any toilet snake that uses a plastic drill connection. Dat shit gone break. It gone break when your snake be balls deep in the pipe. Pulling it out is gonna suck.
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Post by red on Jul 29, 2015 22:13:26 GMT
Bad tool; any toilet snake that uses a plastic drill connection. Dat shit gone break. It gone break when your snake be balls deep in the pipe. Pulling it out is gonna suck. Dude if you only knew the people i have done this job for. Most of my friends and neighbors and people i meet daily know that i tend to be "handy". It is a curse i have to deal with just like "hey you own a truck can you help me move this thing". But anyways an older neighbor of ours a few year ago had a clogged sing, used a cheap one of those and well. They knocked on the door asked for help. Took the trap out from under the sink and used pliers to unspin the snake out. |
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Post by redeyes on Jul 30, 2015 6:44:19 GMT
Good on you for doing that. Hope they cooked you a pie or something. Yeah, I have been lucky about neighbors. They don't bother me about fixing things. Probably because there is a legit home improvement guy just across the street. Mostly I do extra stuff for family. When I broke the snake it was at my girlfriends house she rents out. The toilet would flush very slowly and we couldn't figure out why. I broke the first snake then got a better snake and didn't find a clog. I pulled off the toilet and poured a 5 gallon bucket of water down the pipe to see if it would back up and it sucked down the water like a fat guy with a milkshake. So we bought a new toilet and it worked just fine. Still cheaper than calling a plumber.
I just got finished changing all the fluids, spark plugs and filters (except the fuel filter) on my mom's honda civic. It was all pretty easy except some jackass torqued her transmission drain bolt over a 100 ft lbs. I don't know exactly what it was, but I had to use two long extensions a 28" breaker bar and a 4 foot cheater to get the thing loose. It is torqued to the manufacture recommended 36 ft lbs now. I was scared I was going to round it out.
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