Being a tool junkie , i was wondering if anyone has purchased a tool that just “blew them away ” or was better than expected-for example I recently bought a panellift (you know a drywall lift) if you have ever hung drywall you have to try one of these!! -a great tool – anyone fall in love with any tools lately?
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Replies
Lets see,
my latest loves would have to be,
starrett angle finder that gives you the angle to set your mitre saw to.
impact driver
starrett caulking gun
saw horse with gravity pins to lock the legs
bosch worm drive, heaps better than my skill mag
bench dog trim tool
lithium ion dremel
makita 18v cordless with blade on right, had one with blade on left that I got in a kit but it's great to have it on the right, plus I've a cordless for any situation.
my tape that has a flipout square, I don't have to go rifleling through my belt for a square, just measure square then cut
porter cable biscuit joiner, a new discovery thats really got my head spinning with potential
Richard from Oz
Can you tell me anything more about that tape with the square?
Brand, model, where you bought
Sorry mate but I had it machined up for myself, trying to find the time to maybe produce it as a product
yeah, i recently bought the starrett angle finder and also really like it!
Well, since part of my name is in the titel <G>
Only tool that every really "blew me away" was HP141T system spectrum ananlyzer (purch by company) in 1972, dawn of uprocessors. Think it cost $50K in 1971 $$.
Some factory machinery is of the 'blow you away' category, like the first time ( in the 60s, pressing B52 rib rings in one piece) I saw the Alcoa aluminum megaton billet forges. Likewise, some of the current robotic assembly machines.
As to hand tools, or small power tools, nothing comes to mind, usually about what is expected, many time worse. Edit ps: Notwithstanding those who think ALL HF stuff is nogood, some of it is actually a very good value, but nowhere near anything that could be called impressive.
Edited 9/22/2005 7:14 am ET by junkhound
Art, I bought a bunch of HF diamond bits and hole saws & I'm pretty happy with them. I needed only one, but they were so cheap I got a few sets.
I needed one to fit a showerhead pipe through a tile. One of their hole saws fit the pipe perfectly, that pipe looked like it was growing out of the tile.
Wish I could find them, they're lost in my 40' trailer full of tools & junk.
Also have a makes me smile Makita plunge router, little guy with a 1/4" only collet. It's about half size, it's a nice tool. Wish I could say the same about the case, gotta be a packaging engineer to get the damn cord back in.
My Hole Hawg makes me happy every time I put it back in the case if I'm not bleeding. Nice case too. Metal box, holds all kinds of junk besides the drill itself.
Thinking of drills, my Bosch Bulldog is a happy tool too. Goes through concrete like butter, way better than grinding away with a regular drill.
My old tractor's a lot of fun too.
Joe H
I think everything I have that's Festool has gotten that reaction out of me. The plunge saw looks like a sidewinder, but it's just so different you never think about a portable saw the same. The jigsaw cuts so smooth you think you cut it on a miter saw. The sanders . . . ok, enough advertising for the black and green.
I think the Fein Multimaster pays for itself about every time I pull it out of the box.
The guide for the PC speedmatic router makes other guides look like childs play.
Douglas hammers are great. But the original Hart Woody still has my heart.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
funny you mentioned the multimaster because like i said i have a serious tool addiction and in an attempt to find something i didn't already have my wife bought me one as a gift - upon opening it i thought to myself i'll never use that but surprisingly i use it all the time for all sorts of jobs and am pretty impressed. Although as you probably know the replacement blades are as high as a 10" carbide freud blade
Although as you probably know the replacement blades are as high as a 10" carbide freud bladeCheck this link out from ebayI've used this blade for my multimaster and the quality beatsfein and it is cheaper, and no I'm not the guy selling the blade.cgi.ebay.com
Edited 9/23/2005 3:58 pm ET by butch
I agree on the Ebay blades....good blade, good deal. I've used both the metal and wood cutting wide segment blades. Take advantage of the free 1 if you buy 5 offer and it gets even better.PJ
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
This isn't a high end tool by any means, but I think it is an improvement on the standard design.
Someone gave me a SpiroCrafter kit last year. It's more of a "Crafty" type thing for making whimsical type designs on wood with a router or laminate trimmer. You know . . . symetrical stars and flowers and such. It's not something that I would use but . . . it came with a Turnlock Router base.
It's a polycarbonate clear base with a center hole that "vastly simplifies bushing exchange". That's a direct quote from the Lee Valley Catalog. The bushings are plastic ($8.95 for a set of eight) and you can change them in five seconds. Also they can't come unscrewed from vibration like the PC bushings can. Anybody have that happen at 20,000 rpm?
I haven't used it much yet, but so far, I'm impressed.
I have been pretty well blown away with my little Tradesman palm nailer from Lowes @ $79. I have installed countless joist hangers and nails with it. It lost the magnet and I called and they sent me a new nosepiece right away.
For the money the little $29 Firestorm (Lowes) impact driver is an expectation exceeder, It is not that I have not had a more serious one, I had a 14.4 Makita and have a 12 and 14.4 DeWalt impact driver for more serious work. This little jewel is fine for moderate use. I would not expect it to insert 1/2" lags but for most uses it seems up to the task.
The Paslode cordless framing nailer has made me smile a lot lately.
All my DeWalt 24 volt stuff has earned my respect.
Bosch Bulldog and the next step up have made me appreciate their worth/value.
Edited 9/24/2005 10:53 am ET by rasconc
MAn, I second that impact driver. Fer a cheapie, it rocks. We use a slew of rivets in our copper work, and a hex shank 1/8th in bit is the key...it never really gets to impact mode, but can drill like a hot knife through butter..weighs almost nothing, and if it takes a Brody of the roof and explodes, I am not out big bucks.
I just saw the 12 V battery for 34.99..?????? I can get the new drill, charger, case and 2 batts...for 60.
I use a #12 Hitachi bit /countersink combo ( 1/8th pilot) with the hex shank, and just swap out the bit, cuz the long ones are not needed and break too easy. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
a Brody? thats a new one for me.... whats the origin of that one?
I think his name was Stephen Brody..a jumper from the Brooklyn Bridge, circa 1880.
When a "thing" takes a dive, we old dudes, call it a " Broady"
Look, I ain't that old ( to know the man)..but have a few "Brody " stories to tell. He was claimed to be the first or sumpthin loke that..Came about as slang on our watch.
He mighta, coulda lived?
Meanwhile, we all (oops, I shared it) watched in awe...splash
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
anyone fall in love with any tools lately?
Yup.....
View Image
show off :-)Your remodel looks great, keep on posting away
Thanks man. We're working hard on it.
yup too.
with this ...space ship.
View Image
Hello Dieselpig.
Nice toy you got there.
YCF Dino
My Starrett angle finder...love it
My Lie Nielson block planes (step up to it guys and give yourself a real treat)
My 12v Makita impact wrench
A small bottle of Gorilla glue for hammer heads. Simply duct tape a shop vac onto the hammer head and run a bead of glue where the handle enters the head. In 5 minutes or so the suction draws enough of the glue into the head to do some good. Remove the shop vac, rap the handle with another hammer to seat the loose head and set aside for a day. That's simple and is good for about 3 years of constant use. My favorite tool for under $5.
The elcheapo Harbor Freight 18"(?) end nippers clip nails from places which nails shouldn't come from. It's also the nail puller of choice if the heads are above board, so to speak. At first I thought I'd buy the HF for $8(!) and replace it with the same size channel lock, but after 4 years of constant use as a puller/clipper the HF is going strong with nothing more than a mild sharpening every year or so. My favorite tool for under $10.
For a general purpose finish/framing tool pouch end nipper I haven't found any better than the channel lock concrete tie pliers (end nippers). The same size channel lock general purpose end nippers are not worth the plastic the handles are dipped in for carpentry since the shape of the jaws is all wrong. The tie pliers head is shaped to get into tight areas, it sits in tool bags well, has enough leverage to out-pull a framing hammer or cat's paw, pulls metal concrete stakes like no other, and with a putty knife to prevent dents still pulls headless brads from trim. My favorite tool for under $20.
Spider wire fishing line in the 100 lb size for chalk boxes and string line is super-duper. It makes a nice fine chalk line, although it doesn't hold a lot of chalk. As a string line it has no equal, although because of tangles it works best kept in a clean chalk box. In high wind the spider wire with moderate tension barely moves, unlike thick nylon mason line stretched to the breaking limit waving all over the place. The thin line also makes a plumb bob more useful in light breezes. The down side is that it's small size and ability to get into tight places makes it jam up some chalk boxes that aren't tight internally. My favorite tool for under $30.
My vote lately would be a Fat Max laser - self levelling with plumb, level, crosshairs and fixed settings. As someone in the discussion has said "it starts to open your mind to different possibilities" getting a new tool. (Am currently reading the manual for a PC plate joiner for a 6 cherry door job)
Oh the possibilities......................
JJFirst we get good- then we get fast !
I will second, or third the Palm Nailer. NOthin better for joist hangers. get the shock absorbing glove though. After a day of nailing with that thing, my elbow was vibrating for days.
The other, which I bought for one purpose, that then became absolutely indispensible is my DeWalt plumb laser. It projects a beam on the floor, and then spots it perfectly above where you want to be. I bought it originally to strike a line on the floor of a steel beam. But it then became a life saver when marking out studs on a pitched top plate. I'm sure there are other tricks, but after measuring out my 16" centers on the floor, with the top plate already in place, it told me exactly where to measure from. Also, a hell of a lot easier to plot recessed lighting on the plywood deck and plumb it to the ceiling to mark it. Especially when, due to joist spacing and other obstructions, i had to re-adjust my spacing a hundred times. It has earned its 120 bucks over and over again.
Neil