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Tools - love 'em or use 'em, which do you do?

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one finger john

Active Member
O.K. I shouldn't have started a thread hijacking on Gerry's thread on his fuel tank. So this is a fresh thread (for as long as it lasts) that deals with HAND tools or tools with less than 5 moving parts. Metric, SAE, Whitworth, Snap On, Craftsman, Taiwan, China, Russian, Pakistani, shiny chrome, industrial matt black, U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine hand tools, .99 cent store, ratchets, swivels, crows feet, hammers, punches, pry bars, ....
WHATS IN YOUR BOX AND WHY?
Also recommendations, "watch out fors", and the good, the bad, and the ugly.

John
 
My boxes are full of a variety of tools. I've got tools that I bought in the BX in untold countries. I have tools that I bought at a DIY store in Japan. I have tools that I bought out of the $1 each tool thing at the local drugstore when all I had was a dollar to spend on a tool. I have a ton of sockets sets that I got for Christmas and birthdays (seems to be what people give you when they know you have tools). I have handy specialty tools (special because they really do nothing like they show on TV except bust your knuckles). I have a Craftsman tool box that belonged to my Grandfather. He worked on diesel engines and the size of the some of the sockets amaze me. They went to my Dad when Granddad died and then when Dad died they came to me. They have no practical use except to sit and think about them using those tools. I also have tools that I bought at the 99 cent store and stuff I got from Big Lots. I've got a come-along that I've used for years helping to take down trees and move rocks that I only paid 9.99 for. It's light duty but just keeps on working. I also have a box full of stuff that I don't really know what it is. There are parts of tire flat fixing tools, there are random taps and dies that I picked up over the years and parts to tools that I've broken but just can't stand to throw away. That's my tool box. If a real mechanic opened a drawer they would have no clue where the real stuff was but it is in there in a way that makes sense to me (a drawer for screwers, a drawer for beaters, and a drawer for things that make blood blisters on my hands).
 
I have a variety of tools. i have always felt like their is a right tool for the job . I dont use my screwdrivers for chisels. I have home tools and travlin work tools. My craftsman tools are limited to hand tools i have mostly craftsman , and blackhawk some snap-on ,mac,proto. I wont buy a corded or cordless tool at sears. Corded tools Milwaukee hands down . Cordless dewalt is ok but Hilti make the best cordless drill if you have the coin for them. Electrical tools Klein no better choice second choice ideal. Meters Fluke and simpson somtime3s the ole analog just cant be beat. Ofcourse this is all just my opinion.
 
rooster57 said:
I have a variety of tools. i have always felt like their is a right tool for the job . I dont use my screwdrivers for chisels. I have home tools and travlin work tools. My craftsman tools are limited to hand tools i have mostly craftsman , and blackhawk some snap-on ,mac,proto. I wont buy a corded or cordless tool at sears. Corded tools Milwaukee hands down . Cordless dewalt is ok but Hilti make the best cordless drill if you have the coin for them. Electrical tools Klein no better choice second choice ideal. Meters Fluke and simpson somtime3s the ole analog just cant be beat. Ofcourse this is all just my opinion.
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Rooster57, I agree with everything you said until it came to cordless tools, I was a big fan of DeWalt, Makita and Milwaukee up until a couple of years ago when I came across Ridgid tools sold at Home Depot. They have a lifetime gaurantee on the entire tool including the most expensive part .................. the batteries. I have a bunch of Makita and Milwaukee battery powered tools sitting gathering dust because the batteries are too expensive to replace. When the Ridgid batteries wont hold a decent charge anymore I trade them in for replacements, yes they are rebuilt batteries but they work and they don't cost me anything.
 
:D I will repost this here:

I have been in the process of replacing my Craftsman gear with Wright Tools, (with some Gray Canada thrown in), not that my Craftsman have let me down but because I have the opportunity to do so knowing I will never have to buy that tool again. Most thieves have no clue what Wright Tools are.

I went that way since they are a small American company, using all USA steel to make high quality Made in the US tools! Made in Barberton Ohio only a about an hour from where I grew up.

Here is some Wright tool photos for you to ogle:

tools%20001.jpg_595.jpg

newtools%20002.jpg_595.jpg


Then I have some elder fellows. In the last few months I have been looking for/purchasing vintage tools. Some old Craftsman, some Billings, and others.

28%20nov%202010%20005.JPG_595.jpg

28%20nov%202010%20002.JPG_595.jpg


Now any of you folks use Whitworth stuff? Has to be some vintage motorcycle folks around here.
 
I have about 3 generations of Craftsman hand tools..

Im a big fan of the "Gear Wrench" ratcheting wrench sets.. I got a few sets.. normal length and stubby. The original and the Stanley brand.. I don't expect them to last all that long but they make things so much easyer.
unnamed.jpg

Cordless tools are DeWalt
Corded Milwaukee
 
My pet peeve is cordless drills. We go through cordless drills like no other. 3 Craftsman 18 volt drills DEAD. So I Google worlds most powerful cordless drill. Came up with Hitachi 18 volt Ion, lifetime warranty. That's what we needed. 560 inch pounds of torque. Well it worked great for about 6 months, and this thing had enough torque to tap 7/16 holes in 3/8 plate and never bat an eye, it could run the 2" hole saw in the tops of tanks. 5-6 of them before we had to switch batteries. Well the dang chuck broke. Could not get the drill out of the chuck. No key, but the outer ring just spins. Ok well it has a lifetime warranty so I sent it in on Dec 9th. It is less than 6 months old. So the repair center is telling me the parts are on back order. So several calls and emails to Hitachi and no response. So much for customer service.
 
I'm a big fan of cord power tools. If my Makita suddenly stops working it probably means that some big old hydroelectric dam has taken a dump and EVERYBODY is in trouble. Any way, aren't cord power tools "traditional" ?

John
 
one finger john said:
I'm a big fan of cord power tools. If my Makita suddenly stops working it probably means that some big old hydroelectric dam has taken a dump and EVERYBODY is in trouble. Any way, aren't cord power tools "traditional" ?

John
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You know i do have a Makita 4" grinder that i bought back about 1987, it runs strong and we use it almost everyday. Yes it has a cord.
 
I like the look of some of the old hand tools. The shapes and lines of some of them are real cool. THe names and the type of text is also cool. The old Mac tool wrench shapes and the MAC name is neat on the old hand wrenches. Got any examples??????????
 
I have a 1/2" drill that I bought about 50 years ago, that has so much torque that if the bit gets caught, the drill is going to make at least two complete turns before it stops, regardless of how tight you are holding it. My son-in-law bought a new 1/2" drill the other day from Sears, and it wouldn't actually spin a 1/2" drill bit when going from a 3/8" hole to 1/2" if you put any pressure on it at all. Just stalled. What's happened to the ratings on this stuff? Since it was a "Craftsman", I told him to return it and get his money back, then go get a Millwaukie or Hitachi, or something with some torque. Some modern tools are really just junk!
 
RPM said:
My pet peeve is cordless drills. We go through cordless drills like no other. 3 Craftsman 18 volt drills DEAD. So I Google worlds most powerful cordless drill. Came up with Hitachi 18 volt Ion, lifetime warranty. That's what we needed. 560 inch pounds of torque. Well it worked great for about 6 months, and this thing had enough torque to tap 7/16 holes in 3/8 plate and never bat an eye, it could run the 2" hole saw in the tops of tanks. 5-6 of them before we had to switch batteries. Well the dang chuck broke. Could not get the drill out of the chuck. No key, but the outer ring just spins. Ok well it has a lifetime warranty so I sent it in on Dec 9th. It is less than 6 months old. So the repair center is telling me the parts are on back order. So several calls and emails to Hitachi and no response. So much for customer service.
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Goto any house job site. 9 times out of 10 its going to be DeWalt there. They are the most common battery and they have done good about not switching battery designs and obsoleting tools like most other makes. Parts are easy to get and just about any hardware store will stock DeWalt batteries and chargers. The the chargers are also backwards compatible.. 18v charger also does the old 14.4 and 7.2 packs.
They may not be the best but parts are easy to get and chances are someone will have a battery to let you use while yours is charging. I use mine daily at work and ive changed the chucks myself..

I have a 14.4Volt 3speed hammer XRP from 2003ish and 2 years ago i got a new 18v XRP 3 speed hammer drill. It drives 3" lags no problem and i do alot of drilling in brick and cement.
 
How many people have their toolbox marked where every tool goes or has organizers in them? like this
ab55b776.jpg
 
Putz, I have all my screw drivers (S.O. plus specialty drivers) in one drawer, with chisels, punches and hammers in another. Regular Snap On black mat on the bottoms of the drawers. What is the material in your drawers. Is it one piece for the base and one piece cut out for the tool? I like racks for the wrenches.
 
Hello John, I seen a thread where you worked on Porsches. Since the subject is on tools, if I was rich enough to own a Porsche and someone didn't have a nice box of tools, I guess I would take my business somewhere else. Don't know if I feel the same way about a hotrod shop, since I'm pounding and hammering with a lot of my stuff. It seems I have two or three of everything.Don't want to lose something to expensive or be pounding on a snap-on tool.
 
one finger john said:
O.K. I shouldn't have started a thread hijacking on Gerry's thread on his fuel tank. So this is a fresh thread (for as long as it lasts) that deals with HAND tools or tools with less than 5 moving parts. Metric, SAE, Whitworth, Snap On, Craftsman, Taiwan, China, Russian, Pakistani, shiny chrome, industrial matt black, U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine hand tools, .99 cent store, ratchets, swivels, crows feet, hammers, punches, pry bars, ....
WHATS IN YOUR BOX AND WHY?
Also recommendations, "watch out fors", and the good, the bad, and the ugly.

John
Click to expand...


Most of my tools were bought in the '70's. Most of my wrenches and sockets are Snap-on. Metric tools are Craftsman. There are a few of some other things mixed in, including a few Hf pieces. Screwdrivers and pliers are a mix of Snap-on, Craftsman and other American made.


Putz, my tools are nowhere as neat as those. But what I have works for me.

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ToolBox1215001.jpg


Christmas029.jpg
 
RPM said:
My pet peeve is cordless drills. We go through cordless drills like no other. 3 Craftsman 18 volt drills DEAD. So I Google worlds most powerful cordless drill. Came up with Hitachi 18 volt Ion, lifetime warranty. That's what we needed. 560 inch pounds of torque. Well it worked great for about 6 months, and this thing had enough torque to tap 7/16 holes in 3/8 plate and never bat an eye, it could run the 2" hole saw in the tops of tanks. 5-6 of them before we had to switch batteries. Well the dang chuck broke. Could not get the drill out of the chuck. No key, but the outer ring just spins. Ok well it has a lifetime warranty so I sent it in on Dec 9th. It is less than 6 months old. So the repair center is telling me the parts are on back order. So several calls and emails to Hitachi and no response. So much for customer service.
Click to expand...
Mr. RPM,

If you were looking for the most powerful cordless drill, hands down it is the 36 volt Li Ion DeWalt drill. This sucker uses A123 Battery Systems cells. The highest peak amp Li Ion made. Records are being made in electric drag racing using these batteries. The Tesla Roadster uses these batteries. I've used these batteries in a project for a friend. No brag, I'm probably better versed in batteries and electric vehicles than any other on this forum. If you need cordless power that exceeds plugged power, this is the only choice.

Bob

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-combo-packs-36-volt-combo-packs-dcx6401.aspx
 
deckofficer said:
Mr. RPM,

If you were looking for the most powerful cordless drill, hands down it is the 36 volt Li Ion DeWalt drill. This sucker uses A123 Battery Systems cells. The highest peak amp Li Ion made. Records are being made in electric drag racing using these batteries. The Tesla Roadster uses these batteries. I've used these batteries in a project for a friend. No brag, I'm probably better versed in batteries and electric vehicles than any other on this forum. If you need cordless power that exceeds plugged power, this is the only choice.

Bob

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-combo-packs-36-volt-combo-packs-dcx6401.aspx
Click to expand...
Bob, how can battery power exceed cord power ??? And for how long ???
 
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