Tools you thought you'd really like - but don't.

[BioNerd]

Festool kapex, But the worse is the kapex stand.

I expect to get more from festool as they are so expensive. If they are the same or less than a cheaper good brand, then is a waste of money.

 

[SMKS]

Stubby ratchets (any) I find useless.

I use them quite a bit. Same with my 3/8" in a 1/4" ratchet body.

It all depends what you're working on. I work on bikes a decent amount so I use stubby ratchets a lot for allen sockets.

 

[justme-]

I've been wanting one of these since I first saw them. What's wrong with them?


Good thread.

I don't own one but used to manage a tool retail store back when the concept first came out... where to start...
2 blades means double the kerf (more wasted material), no foot (shoe) means difficult to cut with as in impossible to keep square to the surface.

It was originally designed for a couple specific applications where it would work well (non ferrous metal for example) but everyone thought it would be the next big thing...

I have a few less then ideal performers - I have the old Makita 7" portable table saw (with full rousseau table setup). Bought it for site work and went with it because I knew it's reputation for durability and long life under contractor conditions.. should have gone with it's newer 10" version since blade selection is very limited and miter slots are sub size.
Bosch made a mini power belt sander - great theory, but the belts are hard to find and don't hold up with the tight angle they are forced to follow.

every HF power tool I've used/lowned, and most DeWalt cordless I've used in the past 5 or so years - not the same quality as the ones I used to sell and abuse on sites. I have one left that I bought back then - can't fault the ones that I wore out, but the current manufacture is junk in comparison. a 2 foot fall into a metal garden wagon snapped the transmission and housing off a newer one while my old manufacture ones have survived countless drops on harder surfaces from higher - knocked off ladders and such.

Craftsman splined universal wrenches and socket sets - black china made soft steel. Striped out the splines on a 5/16 socket on first use, wrenches are nicked on handles from use, and agreed the fit is sloppy.

 

[KinzeMech]

Wow, that's one thing I love. I rarely use it but when I do it has gotten me out of problems I wouldn't have had a solution for otherwise and at 25 bucks for the set it is nice to have.

I feel the same way about my max axess set (6 point sockets), but the max axess universal (12 point spline) get a very poor grip on fasteners. Spline sockets are a gimmick I wish I hadn't fallen for.

 

[woody 73]

List is long but not enough time in the day...

Anyhow I bought this sucker thinking I would really like it:

http://www.toolplanet.com/product/L...oil+filter+wrench&utm_campaign=hardware+tools

Turns out it would crush the filter with just a tad of pressure not good.

 

[Ruger_556]

List is long but not enough time in the day...

Anyhow I bought this sucker thinking I would really like it:

http://www.toolplanet.com/product/L...oil+filter+wrench&utm_campaign=hardware+tools

Turns out it would crush the filter with just a tad of pressure not good.

I have one and use it occasionally... It doesn't really matter to me what the filter looks like when it comes off

 

[dudutzu905]

The Williams pear head ratchets that use the old SO 936 internals.

They have too much backdrag.

I've owned 3 of them. Two normal 3/8" ratchets and one XL 1/2" ratchet. The only one I've kept is the long 1/2", but I don't use it very much. The others were sold.

Maybe they would loosen up after using for a long while, but they never loosened up for me. I'd prefer to use other ratchets that work well out of the box rather than using a ratchet I don't really like under the hopes it will loosen up.

+1, but I did what everybody did to the duralast version of that mechanism, cut the spring, just cut a little at the time until you get it where you want it, mine is now smooth as butter! can barely hear/tell that is ratcheting

 

[Wanna Ride]

Any Maglite.
Worst beam ever. Any flashlight that's abut 1/5th of the price, is at least twice as good.

Looks cool, machined well, and heavy enough to use as a personal defense device... only if you use it during the broad daylight, because you'll never see who you want to hit with it in the dark. Their marketing team should go to work for a better product that most people never heard of... like Seafoam, because they do a damn good job with the hype.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

The Williams pear head ratchets that use the old SO 936 internals.

They have too much backdrag.

I've owned 3 of them. Two normal 3/8" ratchets and one XL 1/2" ratchet. The only one I've kept is the long 1/2", but I don't use it very much. The others were sold.

Maybe they would loosen up after using for a long while, but they never loosened up for me. I'd prefer to use other ratchets that work well out of the box rather than using a ratchet I don't really like under the hopes it will loosen up.

But, the updated version of the Williams round head ratchets are great. I like them.

What's weird is my 3/8" flex head Williams is awesomely smooth for a low tooth count ratchet. I liked it so much I bought an industrial finish 3/8" & 1/2", both felt very clunky in comparison. Same guts, same RLL added, completely different feel. Already sold off the 1/2".

I'm with others on the 3/8" Air Ratchets (although I use the hell out of my M12 3/8" cordless ratchet). For the amount of time I've spent wrestling an air line out to get the bulky thing to where it will work, I may as well have just used a standard ratchet or an impact. I do love my Cornwell 1/4" mini with a 3/8" adapter and swivel air fitting. Can cram that little guy into anywhere.

 

[byoungblood]

Ratcheting wrenches. I know some will scream blasphemy, but I only encounter a handful of situations where they actually end up saving me any time. Many times the ratcheting end ends up being just slightly too big to fit in the space available, which again, limits their utility.

 

[Wanna Ride]

Ratcheting wrenches. I know some will scream blasphemy, but I only encounter a handful of situations where they actually end up saving me any time. Many times the ratcheting end ends up being just slightly too big to fit in the space available, which again, limits their utility.

Can't disagree with that.

 

[BirdMobile]

Ratcheting wrenches. I know some will scream blasphemy, but I only encounter a handful of situations where they actually end up saving me any time. Many times the ratcheting end ends up being just slightly too big to fit in the space available, which again, limits their utility.

Hmmm...
I love mine! Probably because I work on older mid-80's cars where they hadn't yet attempted to fill every cubic millimeter of engine compartment space with electronics, emissions BS, and unneeded shroud plates to stamp logos on.

 

[SMKS]

+1, but I did what everybody did to the duralast version of that mechanism, cut the spring, just cut a little at the time until you get it where you want it, mine is now smooth as butter! can barely hear/tell that is ratcheting

I wouldn't mind tinkering with it if it was a low-priced Duralast ratchet, but it's not too impressive when I need to "fix" a decently pricey, USA made tool from a well-regarded tool company owned by Snap-on.

Instead, I just sold them. I got a good enough deal when I bought them that I didn't really lose anything when selling them.

 

[KinzeMech]

Hmmm...
I love mine! Probably because I work on older mid-80's cars where they hadn't yet attempted to fill every cubic millimeter of engine compartment space with electronics, emissions BS, and unneeded shroud plates to stamp logos on.

Tight spaces are where they shine. They reach things that are impossible to reach with a common socket.

 

[Ign]

I've been wanting one of these since I first saw them. What's wrong with them?


Good thread.

Seriously, everything. 1st you gotta make sure the blades aren't binding against one another, or getting pinched in the cut. That, at least, will help the motor live a little longer. These really need something like a 12A motor, anything smaller works too hard.

They're also loud, like they make a 14" dry cut saw seem quiet. They throw hot chips EVERYWHERE, including at you. Blades are kinda-sorta proprietary.

Thing is, there are so many good, proven tools to cut steel this product solves a problem that isn't there. Get a sawzall, portaband, grinder w cutoff wheel, air body saw, chop saw, plasma (and hell, a lathe w a parting tool!! LOL) before you even begin to consider a gimmick dual-cut.

 

[BFHtime]

Craftsman open end ratcheting wrenches. The force it takes to make a nut or bolt ratchet, in the open end, is more than the force it takes to turn it, getting no work done, just going back and forth. The thought was good, but performance not so good. Maybe if something was really corroded the whole way, maybe the ratcheting mechanism would click. And of course I got these on sale for a good chunk off, during a sale.

 

[BirdMobile]

Craftsman open end ratcheting wrenches. The force it takes to make a nut or bolt ratchet, in the open end, is more than the force it takes to turn it, getting no work done, just going back and forth. The thought was good, but performance not so good. Maybe if something was really corroded the whole way, maybe the ratcheting mechanism would click. And of course I got these on sale for a good chunk off, during a sale.

Some things cost too much... even if you get them for free.

 

[Cato]

Snap On flank drive wrench set. I spent an arm and a leg on the thing and I don't see any appreciably better than my Home Depot Chinese $20 set. Plus I had to send them back once over flaking chrome.

 

[Boredmechanic]

My new snap on fzero ratchet. Doesnt like to spin.

 

[Askme42]

The point of stubby wrenches is access not leverage. I use them all the time to "spin" already loosened things which are too tight to remove by hand.
Air line fittings are another use.

Now stubby ratcheting wrenches are another story, maybe the flex ones are different. I dont find ratcheting wrenches in general all that useful. They have there uses, but are not the best thing since sliced bread to me

Ok I'm sorry how do you not find ratcheting wrenches that useful? They are the first wrench I reach for and my guess would be the majority of others also.

 

[KMinAF]

The $20.00 fluorescent drop lights. Although they are bright it seems like no matter where I place it while working on a car something always hits the switch and turns it off at the most inconvenient of times. Also, aside from their bulkiness and the coat-hanger hook, it would be a lot more practical if the cord were to come out of the bottom instead of the side

 

[Ricky112]

Never thought anyone wouldnt like ratcheting wrenches! Theyre a life saver when I have to get some bolts off when my arm is wedged behind some interior trim that i dont want to take off lol

 

[KinzeMech]

Snap On flank drive wrench set. I spent an arm and a leg on the thing and I don't see any appreciably better than my Home Depot Chinese $20 set. Plus I had to send them back once over flaking chrome.

I don't doubt your point or disbelieve you, but for your own safety, I'd put on your flame suit if you have one. The fanboys will be gunning for you over that one.

 

[KinzeMech]

Never thought anyone wouldnt like ratcheting wrenches! Theyre a life saver when I have to get some bolts off when my arm is wedged behind some interior trim that i dont want to take off lol

I think it depends on what you work on. If a guy's working on something where the fasteners are always out in the open and easily accessible, much of the benefit of ratcheting wrenches becomes moot.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Dual cut saw. What a waste.

Ha! I remember those.

When I was first starting my collection, Craftsman had just come out with their open-ended wrenches designed to grip rounded-off fasteners. I forget what they were called. I couldn't tell you whether or not they work because I've never had the opportunity to test them out. There may come a day where I have limited access to a rounded nut, but until that day, these wrenches are a solution in search of a problem.

First runner up: those little bitty sockets that Craftsman came out with in '04 or '05 to insert into their ratcheting wrenches. Can be handy, but I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've used them, and cannot remember the last time I did since I started getting proper tools.

 

[KinzeMech]

When I was first starting my collection, Craftsman had just come out with their open-ended wrenches designed to grip rounded-off fasteners. I

These? http://www.sears.com/shc/s/allmodre...3_12605_00942512000P&targetType=seeAllReviews

Extreme grip, I think they called them. I've got some, not purposely, but because they came as part of a larger set. I have only used them a few times. They are nothing special. I've used them on perfectly good fasteners, and they feel like they have a weak grip. I don't see how they'll do better on damaged fasteners.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Yup! That's them.

 

[Two Speed]

Channellock 412 v-jaw and its bigger brother 422. Terrible, thin handles that are not comfortable to have a tight grasp on. And even ignoring the discomfort of a tight grip on the pliers, they don't grip what you are trying to hold very well.

I get better results from the conventional tongue and groove, and better handles that let you put the grip of death onto something without "cutting" into your hand.

Alex.

 

[littletoes]

The $20.00 fluorescent drop lights. Although they are bright it seems like no matter where I place it while working on a car something always hits the switch and turns it off at the most inconvenient of times. Also, aside from their bulkiness and the coat-hanger hook, it would be a lot more practical if the cord were to come out of the bottom instead of the side

Oh Yea....what he said!!!!! Can't keep mine on for nothing...I seem to ALWAYS hit that button, and it turns off.....

 

[BioNerd]

I forgot to mention hand/palm ratchet wrenches.

I thought it was gonna be cool but they ****.

Ratcheting wrenches are useful to me sometimes, like in odd places but I prefer to spin a braker bar/ extension with a socket like an old manual drill.

Now, my metric set of combination open/ratchet wrenches are the sheeeeeat.

 

[byoungblood]

Hmmm...
I love mine! Probably because I work on older mid-80's cars where they hadn't yet attempted to fill every cubic millimeter of engine compartment space with electronics, emissions BS, and unneeded shroud plates to stamp logos on.

I'll admit that I have had a couple of occasions where they have certainly saved the day, but when I got them, I just thought I'd be using them more often than I do. I still find myself reaching for a regular old combination wrench most of the time.

 

[byoungblood]

Craftsman open end ratcheting wrenches. The force it takes to make a nut or bolt ratchet, in the open end, is more than the force it takes to turn it, getting no work done, just going back and forth. The thought was good, but performance not so good. Maybe if something was really corroded the whole way, maybe the ratcheting mechanism would click. And of course I got these on sale for a good chunk off, during a sale.

That's why I get a chuckle every time I see someone on here trying to sell them for a premium on here. I had some of the earlier model ones (that didn't have the little pin in the open end) and couldn't hardly give the things away. The cut out in them just ruins them when you need a conventional open end wrench.

 

[shaggymutt1]

Knipex Plier Wrench, not the second coming as I had been lead to believe. I prefer an adjustable wrench.

You just dont know how to use it properly!

 

[MagnumForce]

Yes, I totally do know how to use it.

 

[KinzeMech]

Knipex Plier Wrench, not the second coming as I had been lead to believe. I prefer an adjustable wrench.

Yeah, these earn a solid "meh" at best.

 

[Qualitytools]

Ratcheting wrenches. I know some will scream blasphemy, but I only encounter a handful of situations where they actually end up saving me any time. Many times the ratcheting end ends up being just slightly too big to fit in the space available, which again, limits their utility.

I am with you on that one but, I didn't give up on searching and finally found a set made by Facom "the 467" that is smaller and thinner than the rest out there.

 

[Chuck122]

Knipex Plier Wrench, not the second coming as I had been lead to believe. I prefer an adjustable wrench.

I agree. As far as using it a a wrench I find it too large to fit anywhere. To use it as channellocks, the lack of tooth and small range of motion make it impractical. They are nice if you want to impress the boys by squeezing TIG rod flat but other than that... Meh . At least for my uses...
Glad I got to use someone else's and didn't shell out money on them.

 

[logixjock]

I agree. As far as using it a a wrench I find it too large to fit anywhere. To use it as channellocks, the lack of tooth and small range of motion make it impractical. They are nice if you want to impress the boys by squeezing TIG rod flat but other than that... Meh . At least for my uses...
Glad I got to use someone else's and didn't shell out money on them.

I absolutely love mine. I work on automated production equipment and use mine every single day.

 

[Farmall450]

The point of stubby wrenches is access not leverage. I use them all the time to "spin" already loosened things which are too tight to remove by hand.
Air line fittings are another use.

Now stubby ratcheting wrenches are another story, maybe the flex ones are different. I dont find ratcheting wrenches in general all that useful. They have there uses, but are not the best thing since sliced bread to me

Same here...besides the 5/8 (pneumatic fittings) they sit and gather dust...

 

[chipper]

I agree. As far as using it a a wrench I find it too large to fit anywhere. To use it as channellocks, the lack of tooth and small range of motion make it impractical. They are nice if you want to impress the boys by squeezing TIG rod flat but other than that... Meh . At least for my uses...
Glad I got to use someone else's and didn't shell out money on them.

Man I love mine I have the 7&10 the only thing I don't like is the price