Green behind the ear tool mistakes

[pkpk]

Pffft. You guys need to step into the big leagues

This is an interesting one but I'll try not to ramble on too much.

That's great it worked out in the end! My bandsaw story is about a benchtop woodcutting one I bought, my first bandsaw. Being pretty green and just excited to have something to expand beyond a scroll saw and handheld jig saw, I didn't notice it was missing the lower blade guides until I got home, and of course the seller didn't mention it. It did okay for small projects with little if any curves on 1x material before I upgraded, but the rookie error taught me to be better informed and to keep my eyes open when buying a used tool!

 

[Meursault74]

When I first started out working on Bicycles I bought a tool starter kit. Most Items in there are OK. The Chain tool that came with broke on the first use. They sent me another one, but even I knew at that point it was a piece of ****. I bought the next step up chain tool. It worked, but after a few uses, one of the "shelves" on it cracked. It would still work though. Then I just ponied up for the Heavy Duty Park Brand Chain tool. That's the last one I should ever buy. You can even replace the pins on it.

 

[Neggy]

12 point sockets have their place (try taking the front brake calipers off a Harley without them) but I normally use 6 point... but I have sets of 12 for when they are needed.... granted they are Craftsman stuff from 40+ years ago and not the 35 year old SK I normally work with

 

[m6z]

I can't think of too much. This giant $30 pipe wrench from the Woot deals thread is probably a contender. Doubt I ever have a use for it, but it was on sale..

 

[Ralf11]

First time I walked into a SnapOn truck...

... All the bright chrome dazzled me and I started to lose my balance, my ears began ringing with the sound of bells. I got a handle on the vertigo and the ringing noise changed to tales of Brave Ulysses with his ratchet handle sweetly singing as he knocked out job after job. Then the Sirens started singing some lyrics about "pay later / get to work now / pay later / it's easy". But I made it out of the truck alive.

 

[RoundedNut]

Discovered amazon Japan and Germany way too late. Could have saved a lot of money and have better tools.

Cheaped out on some tools because I thought I was being smart by getting what I needed, and not what I wanted. But of course, I ended up getting what I wanted as well, because tools are cool.

Impact driver and 100's of impact bits. Was cool initially but the noise got to me, and the bits wore out fast, especially the Milwaukee's, boy do they ****. I use a powered screwdriver 95% of the time now, and I even use the regular bits most of the time with the impact driver.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Tiger Wrench lol. I actually didn’t buy it, it was a gift but I’d never buy it for $14 or whatever it sells for now. I keep it in the truck for emergencies but also have regular sockets in there too.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

This goes back a few years, after all the OP asked for inexperienced tool purchases. I have four, oddly enough all were Craftsman power tools. That damm Sears card. A inline 6" sander, putting the hand hold so high up made control a joke. And 6" when the world is 7" for discs. I now have a 7" Dewalt rat tail that I use for woodworking. A 1/3 sheet dual action sander, it went back twice, still never worked. I have a Bosch 1/2 sheet and a Dewalt 1/4 sheet orbitals, now, that are both great. A 3x21" belt sander that had a dust pickup fan off the side ruining any hope of balance for even sanding. I have an industrial standard,the Makita 3-4x24". And the one the pi**ed me off the most, a jig saw. Their top of the line Auto Scroller. Until I shimmed the blade holder witha broken off blade, it wouldn't hold a blade. It never made a cut 90 degrees to surface ever. A Bosch barrel grip is a revelation.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

I bought a large set of combo wrenches to find I only used 4 of them. Same for sockets. Only used a handful of sockets. Still have the sets I bought back then and use them, but could have saved the cash back then by not buying whole sets and only buying what I needed.

This is my biggest "green" mistake. I thought full no-skip sets were the way to go. I really regret that for the same reason as you, I never use half the sizes. It's just metal taking up valuable drawer space at this point.

Listening to xenophobes for tool recommendations. I spent far to much on "made in usa" stuff, when a cheaper import (from europe or taiwan) has worked as well or better. Now, that certainly isnt true for every true, but many.

Edited to add: the usa tools were not at all junk, very nice actually, im speaking merely from a "work getting done" perspective)

This is my second rookie mistake. I'm in the skilled trades and work in US manufacturing. I go out of my way to support the local economy. I've spent too much time searching for and way more money than I'd like to admit on purchasing US-made tools. Many have been disappointing or just ok for the price and performance. I think that really ***** to have to say too. I'd rather have focused more on dependability, availability, and functionality instead of COO when building my toolboxes up.

The third mistake, which kind of ties into my second, has been wasting my time with SK. Everything (and I do mean that) I have purchased over the past few years has been rough. The broaching on several of my combo wrenches is off-center and the chrome is peeling or missing in spots. At least one open end is unable to fit on bolts its size. My latest ratchet has a bend in the handle, not enough to warranty it, but enough of a bend that it absolutely drives me crazy when I use it. The last socket set has rust seeping through the protective paint, sharp edges, gouges, and dings all over, and the chrome is splotchy as hell. Trying to warranty anything has proven to be a pain. I just don't see the value for what SK offers. But I keep trying because I believe that somehow they are going to turn it around or because they are in my state or because despite all their flaws the tools feel great in my hands.

 

[Mgdoug3]

Harbor freight ball joint press. First time I used it, I bent it while working on a 1/2 ton truck. Took it back and got my money back I think. My Astro ball joint press has been flawless and that's working on one ton trucks.

 

[FuzzyTiger]

Open ended wrenches. I haven't bothered trying more expensive brands yet but for the cheap ones, as far as I can tell they're not good for anything but rounding stuff off. I've compared multiple 10mm wrenches side by side and I could visually see they were different sizes and none of them actually solidly grip a fastener.

Cheap deep sockets. Less of an issue with regular sockets I guess but my cheap Stanley sockets very noticeably flex.

Anything SAE.

Snap ring pliers. Not sure I've ever run into a snap ring in my life but I'm sure it'll be the day after I decide to clear out all my snap ring pliers.

A cheap/small table saw. Literally seems to defeat the purpose of a table saw.

Rigid power tools. Should have just spent a little more and gone Milwaukee or Dewalt. The batteries are expensive but tools are cheap. Cry once but just buy into a brand that has a range and performance that won't leave you needing to buy again into a different brand.

M12 Cordless ratchet. So rare that I actually get to use it because if it fits, the m12 stubby probably does too and it's just better. I might get the extended neck version some day in the hopes it fits in more places.