Tools you dont buy cheap

[Shoreline_]

For everyday use -

Gear pullers. I've never had an Asian made gear puller or gear pulling accessories last. It's always Either the pressure screw turns to mush, the anvil on the slide hammer breaks, the jaws are made terribly.

Second is c clamps.

 

[cycle61]

I don’t want anyone hurt on my watch.

Just don't watch

 

[crasher98]

1. jack stands
2. torque wrench
3. torx bits

 

[Grokew]

Precision screwdrivers, Phillips screwdrivers, hack saws, pliers (especially long nose, and needle nose), and power tools.

 

[milkovich]

Ridgid wet-dry vacs. I've tried a few others, they're garbage. Even the fake "industrial" ones.

 

[Hohn]

What

Ridgid wet-dry vacs. I've tried a few others, they're garbage. Even the fake "industrial" ones.

What stands out to you about them? I have an old craftsman that takes up way too much floor space by being short and squat, and the hoses seem not to be the same as standard Shop Vac type hoses. I'd love to upgrade it.

 

[bwringer]

Just don't watch

"Hol' my beer and... look away."

 

[milkovich]

What

What stands out to you about them? I have an old craftsman that takes up way too much floor space by being short and squat, and the hoses seem not to be the same as standard Shop Vac type hoses. I'd love to upgrade it.

The motors last a while (old shopvac brand would rate their motors for a few hundred hours). Vac ratings (like hp) are so fake you can't really rely on them, but you can't cheat the physics of hose diameter and length and Ridgid does great there, super powerful on a clean filter. The plastic doesn't get brittle and crack in a year or two, they can fall out of trucks doing 30mph and still keep going. It feels like it's one product where Home Depot just decided to dominate. The value is pretty great.

 

[Beerhippie]

Anything meant to cut with--dikes (I have several pairs of cheap dikes that struggle to cut zip-ties. Those are the ones I let others use.), shears, chisels, knives, planes.... A dull knife is a sign of dull mind, and that goes for all the rest of the cutting tools. I'll be sharpening my pruning tools this AM in prep for taking advantage of the nice weather this afternoon.

Lights! I haven't seen anyone else mention that. "Expensive" here doesn't always mean better, but I'm a big fan of good lights--overhead, benchtop, tool--where ever I need light, I need good quality, full-spectrum lighting, preferably "daylight" white balance (5,000-5,600K) for my work areas. I'm in my mid-sixties now and something you'll never hear me say about any workplace is "It's too bright in here." Being a photographer probably makes me more sensitive to light color and spectrum than most. I like being able to take pictures using my work lights instead of fiddling with flashes or specialty lights.

 

[Black300zx]

The motors last a while (old shopvac brand would rate their motors for a few hundred hours). Vac ratings (like hp) are so fake you can't really rely on them, but you can't cheat the physics of hose diameter and length and Ridgid does great there, super powerful on a clean filter. The plastic doesn't get brittle and crack in a year or two, they can fall out of trucks doing 30mph and still keep going. It feels like it's one product where Home Depot just decided to dominate. The value is pretty great.

I got the rectangular Rigid one aboit 4yrs ago and have been happy with it. Stores well.

 

[bwringer]

Lights! I haven't seen anyone else mention that. "Expensive" here doesn't always mean better, but I'm a big fan of good lights--overhead, benchtop, tool--where ever I need light, I need good quality, full-spectrum lighting, preferably "daylight" white balance (5,000-5,600K) for my work areas. I'm in my mid-sixties now and something you'll never hear me say about any workplace is "It's too bright in here." Being a photographer probably makes me more sensitive to light color and spectrum than most. I like being able to take pictures using my work lights instead of fiddling with flashes or specialty lights.

Agreed.

I've recently spent significant sums (more than I've ever spent before on flashlights, anyway) on a couple of Milwaukee M12 work lights because they have very high-quality, full-spectrum LEDs. They're not nine bazillion candlepower or anything, but the smooth flood of mellow, full-spectrum light is like seeing in color for the first time. You can tell things apart so much more easily, you can distinguish things like wire colors and different colors of fluids, and even depth perception is much better.

 

[cycle61]

"Hol' my beer and... look away."

Definitely delivered, witnessed, and received my share of "hey, probably best if you go somewhere else while we get this taken care of" moments. Now that I have some gray hair and a nice shirt, I seem to be on the receiving end more often.