What are/(were) your most USELESS tools?

[The_Geologist]

So far, this is the only thing I can come up with off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more out there in the garage that I will find when I unpack more boxes this summer.

Tried using it once on a nut on a riding lawnmower that wasn't even that large - no go and it stripped out. Now, it's a paper weight on my workbench. Considering how much I paid for it (something like 12 bucks), I probably got what I paid for...

 

[cliftonbros89]

The Craftsman nut breaker. This thing really doesn't work. One time I was actually going to use it. All it does is slip off the nut. The pin that drives in to pull the wedge into the nut is just rounded and won't contact the nut in the center. Therefore every time it just slips off the nut. It's ****.

 

[cliftonbros89]

So far, this is the only thing I can come up with off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more out there in the garage that I will find when I unpack more boxes this summer.



Tried using it once on a nut on a riding lawnmower that wasn't even that large - no go and it stripped out. Now, it's a paper weight on my workbench. Considering how much I paid for it (something like 12 bucks), I probably got what I paid for...

We just posted about the same crappy things at the same time.

 

[Sycan]

ewwwww

 

[brownbagg]

drill doctor, worst piece of **** i ever bought

 

[RandyRanderson]

The Craftsman nut breaker. This thing really doesn't work. One time I was actually going to use it. All it does is slip off the nut. The pin that drives in to pull the wedge into the nut is just rounded and won't contact the nut in the center. Therefore every time it just slips off the nut. It's ****.

I have one of those. It worked 20 years ago, a couple of times. It split two rusted Belair fender support bar nuts no problem. I tried it on something else a few weeks back and got the same results as you.

 

[kelpaso1]

drill doctor, worst piece of **** i ever bought

Must not be using it right. I haven't bought a drill bit in 15 years since I got mine. It actually sharpens bits so good that I have to dull a bit a little if I'm drilling aluminum or other soft metals or else it will bite and grab.

 

[NinnyCTSV]

For me it was the ratcheting open ended craftsman wrenches. I thought it was an awesome idea at the time and snagged a metric and standard set when they went on sale.... only to sell them like 3 months later cause all they did was slip off the bolts or round them out. I see snap on and Cornwell have a wrench set with the same idea of being able to "ratchet" the open end... but after my experience with the cmans, I'll never know if those actually work

 

[The_Geologist]

We just posted about the same crappy things at the same time.

Great minds think alike!

 

[mmb617]

For me it was the ratcheting open ended craftsman wrenches. I thought it was an awesome idea at the time and snagged a metric and standard set when they went on sale.... only to sell them like 3 months later cause all they did was slip off the bolts or round them out. I see snap on and Cornwell have a wrench set with the same idea of being able to "ratchet" the open end... but after my experience with the cmans, I'll never know if those actually work

My wife bought me both the metric and standard set for Christmas a few years ago. I wouldn't say anything to her but they've been hanging on the wall in the garage still in their original plastic case ever since. I do occasionally use one for the ratcheting box end.

 

[allenb12]

Things are different for different people. Thought I had to have a set of crows foot wrench. I have used them twice. Ratcheting box end wrenches have been used maybe half a dozen times.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

Like others have said, I 'm pretty sure the useless nut-splitter tool is the only thing I have bought and then decided it was a waste of time and money when I actually tried to use it. I have lots of useless / gimicky stuff given to me, or supplied by the boss for our shop at work, which I tried to discretely toss out or just hide in cabinet somewhere 'cause I know I'll never use it (like the Drill Doctor).

 

[garagelogician]

So far, this is the only thing I can come up with off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more out there in the garage that I will find when I unpack more boxes this summer.

Tried using it once on a nut on a riding lawnmower that wasn't even that large - no go and it stripped out. Now, it's a paper weight on my workbench. Considering how much I paid for it (something like 12 bucks), I probably got what I paid for...

I resorted to using one for the tie rod nuts on my car (the joint just spun). First one came off pretty well, second one was more of a challenge. It actually broke on the second one, but had deformed the nut enough that I was able to pry it off of there. Package said "Lifetime Warranty" (from O'Reilly). They replaced it no questions asked...so now I have another one sitting in the back of my drawer for when the need arises.

 

[-Brent-]

The Craftsman nut breaker. This thing really doesn't work. One time I was actually going to use it. All it does is slip off the nut. The pin that drives in to pull the wedge into the nut is just rounded and won't contact the nut in the center. Therefore every time it just slips off the nut. It's ****.

Yeah, that looks like a bad design. I have a Facom splitter and I really like it. It's already saved me a couple times.

 

[shedfullatools]

I think the most useless I've ever bought that I seriously regretted was a Mastercraft table top band saw I paid like $150 for on sale. Set up perfectly with a fairly wide aggressive blade it would practically deflect in 1/4 inch balsa wood Went for $250 regular price so I threw it up for sale after three attempts at using it for the $150 I bought it for, ended up taking $90 for it after trying to get more for two months Certainly not the most useless I have owned or do own but one of the ones I regretted most

 

[rnscustom]

I'm only 58 so most tools I havnt used I still might ( there are lots since I'm a tool addict ) . I did use my nut cracker to hold open a page in chiltons . I passed on a free cold solder unit so I lucked out on that I guess . I have those stubby wrenches bought on clearance but I pack them in a little tool kit every time I take a trip ( space savers ) , havnt used them yet . I guess my kids be able to post them when I die .

 

[cherrybomb]

I almost bought a craftsman clench wrench at a garage sale for my idiot neighbor who always wanted to borrow my tools.But his cute wife would sometimes return the wrenches,so I decided I'd just keep loaning tools.

 

[thool]

Someone already mentioned Craftsman RoboGrips! I still have one sitting in my chest, and it always does the same thing: slips until the handles touch, then round whatever you're trying to grip. I also have a newer Kobalt version, large and small...all worthless.

 

[isb cornbinder]

https://www.toolsource.com/engine-s...-142876.html?zenid=h3k6bpska3oe3ips2fb2p5mki7
This is the most unused tool I own. Check out the price. I had a MAC tool set that made this job so much easier.
I know someone who still works on Green Leakers. I will give him the tools.

 

[DGersic]

Useless tools? Not very many.
Tie rod sockets. I have several, courtesy of Dear Old Dad. I've never in my life seen a tie rod that had an adjustment. Must be a WWII military thing.

Mustang II manual rack has adjustable tie rods. But the socket is probably just for removing them for replacement. I wouldn't mind having the socket, but a pipe wrench will do the job, and I already have a pipe wrench.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Most useless tools........anything with the name "Black and Decker"

Glen

I have a B&D Radial Arm Saw given to me by my Grandfather it was the Commercial model from about the mid 70s. I was told it was worth about $2K in Canada at the time. It would run on either 110/120 or 220/240 volts. I swear you could used butter knives for blades and it would have cut. I still have it but leave it at the lake so it doesn't get used that much. Between my table saw and my Milwaukee 12" I probably don't really need it and should probably sell it.
So it probably is relegated to maybe not a most useless tool but definitely my most under utilized tool.

 

[glentre]

When I was young in the 40's and 50's, B&D had a reputation for selling quality tools. Somewhere along the way they seemed to decide it would be more profitable to concentrate on low end homeowner quality tools which opened a much larger market for them. In so doing, they no longer made their old high quality products or, if they did, we're not readily available any longer.

After getting burned a few times buying their junk when I thought they were still making their old good quality stuff, I stayed away from anything with the B&D name on it. BTW, they recently bought Craftsman from Sears. Wonder what they are going to do with it with regard to quality.

Glen

 

[6PTsocket]

Admitting mistakes is hard but let's start a thread with a collection of tools and garage equipment you found to be most useless in a typical non-professional repair garage (preferably something BIG and/or EXPENSIVE that you can't just chuck in the garbage and not think twice about it).

Could be tools/equipment that took too much space, or cost too much or never paid for itself, or was too frustrating/slow/difficult to use. Whatever it is - what were your most USELESS tools/equipment in your shop.

I'll start my own top 3:

1) Manual Tire changer: I used to work in a car shop and was used to doing my own tires. However manual tire changer was a giant pain to use. Instead of sweating for half a day, I found that dropping tires off at the tire shop for $40 is a much more productive use of my time. With that said, if you changing tires 4-5 times a week - a professional tires changer is definitely worth having.

2) Metalworking mill - they might not cost much, especially used, but are hard to move and take a ton of floor space. Tooling and stock are expensive. Long setup time for what are mostly one-off jobs. Every couple years I'd have a use for it like resurfacing heads during an engine rebuilt, but it took so long to get things setup and running, that it just made more sense to bring parts to machine shop down the street. Last time the guy only charged me $70 or so. I found that what machinist charge is very reasonable, so no need to try to do their job for them.

3) Lathe - same as mill, except now nobody even bothers with turning brake rotors - new ones are way too cheap. And I thought a lathe would be useful for making custom adapters and special threads and what not, but can't actually recall a time when I actually needed something and could not find a part in stock or special-order for a reasonable cost.

Do you know anybody that regrets buying a lathe and mill enough to unload them at a really good price. I am willing to rectify their mistakes.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

Wagner paint sprayer and the power roller. Never got the sprayer to work. Spent more time cleaning the roller than it normally takes to paint a large room.

I bought one of those. The trigger pinched off a hose to stop and start paint flow. The hose had already taken a set and stayed pinched when you pulled the trigger. This was right out of the box. I rinsed it out and returned it.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

I used the heck out of my dwell-tach "back in the day" along with my timing light !

I should put it in a box with my distributor wrenches, drum brakes retainer pin/spring tool, spring tool and drum brake resetting gauge. I should throw my Craftsman pneumatic ratchet in there also.

I've got the first three gathering dust, too. I also have a special clip for the brake proportioning valve on 70 Challengers. I think it was for bleeding.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

The uselessness or usefulness of any tools like most things is dependent on the owner and how it works for him.
Most tools are not really useless , we decide what good they are to us. Some of us love certain tools and some don't.

You have to make an exception for those "as seen on TV" tools like that universal socket with the pins in it.Some of that junk just doesen't f*****g work.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

Jigsaw , hate the ****** thing , blade always wanders , cuts a straight line on the surface whilst underneath a wobbly mess ,I even bought a expensive jigsaw thinking it would be better, still ****.

Never had those problems with my Bosch.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

Ed, I kinda agree. Whenever I needed something pressed, I took it to a shop I trusted. Couple of years ago I took the two rear axle half-shafts from my big block Corvette to Billy's, a shop I trusted, to have the U-joints pressed out. Said he would have them ready next morning but when I arrived at 9:00 am a big burly guy was inside cursing up a storm. Overnight Billy had loaded everything in the shop into a moving van and left town. He even removed the two asymmetric two post lifts and the 15-hp 120 gallon air compressor.

I bought two new half-shafts for $300 and bought a 20-ton HF press for another $100. I've only used it a couple of times but it's a reminder to be careful who I trust. Now, if a shop can't do the job while I sit and wait, I take it somewhere else or buy the tools to do it myself.

The Vette will be painted in my garage and the Satajet 2000 will be for base and the Iwata 400LPH will be for the clear. It'll probably cost me more doing it myself but at least I won't have to sleep in a bodyshop for 18 months.

Not having to sit around while some guy is doing who knows what to your stuff is worth every penny. That has been my justification for half the tools I own.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

HA! My dad bought me the battery powered tape measure. Push a button and it extends. Releases like a normal tape. However, it was the size of a small watermelon....[emoji38]

LOL!!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

Whitworth wrenches.

I am sure they are useful to guys that play around with old British sports cars. I had need of one one time in my whole life, the nuts on the British made turnbuckles on a Canadian built sailboat. I think they were just a hair over 7/16. I just grabbed a US wrench and ground a little out.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

When I bought mill/lathe I was thinking of a lot of uses. For me the novelty worn off after I found myself spending 5 hours making $20 worth of parts. Fixing trivial things that can be easily replaced.

The guy that bought my mill had THREE lathes. I asked him what was the most practical thing he's done with them and he said he made his own CLUTCH TOOL ...you can buy clutch tool for less than $10!

Another guy bought a lot of lathe tooling from me and said he was retired and simply wanted to learn machining as a hobby. No practical reason.

If you think you have real use for mill/lathe, why not bring your work to machine shop?

Or send your blueprints out for 3d printing?

Mill/lathe/grinder/metal stock/tooling take so much space - I think you'd have to have volume in thousands of dollars in machine work each month to really justify keeping your own tool room, buying machines, buying tooling, buying metal stock, and learning the trade.

Go to the site Home Shop Machinist. They live and breathe this stuff. There is a video of a show attended by these guys showing off spectacular replicas, in minature, of old gas and steam engines. I am in awe of their skills.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

My 3/4 to 5/8 socket adapter. I only have 1 socket with a 5/8 drive and I have it in a standard drive size.

That is pretty useless. Who and when were those sockets made?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

Open ended crow's foot adaptor for torque wrench.

Jaws just spread and round off (or slip off) the fastener before anywhere near the desired torque. Not talking big numbers here either.

Truthfully, I can find few uses for open end wrenches. Boxed or sockets every time, preferably six-point.

Jason

Not everything is hex or accessable to a closed end wrench. Fixed open ends are sure better than adjustables. I use them as a last resort.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

Any craftsman ratchet with the plastic internal parts and a push button release for the socket.
I don't even bother to return them because they just give you another ************* ratchet.
Craftsman seems to have many gimmick tools that are useless. "Robogrip" pliers and those stupid wrenches that imitate the gear wrench without any moving parts.

Gimmicks and novelty tools, made on the cheap, as a substitute for quality, has been their MO for many years. It won't be long, now.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

Shallow impact sockets. I bought them because they were the only size i could get and needed some normal sockets but decided I was going to get an impact gun.

Everything I needed them for seems to require a deep socket.

They come in handy when the clearance is limited and you can't get the wrench in there.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

I've tried to talk myself into a press several times. I have access to a 20 ton press at work, If I go to our main shop, which is only 13 miles from my house, I have access to a pneumatic 50 ton press. No more than I use one, I just can't justify it.

I have been thinking about a press brake for one, that might change my mind.


Joe

There used to be massive, welded, 30 ton, made in USA, press frames with a cheap Chinese 20 ton bottle jack thrown in. They were at the swap meets like Carlisle. I think I picked mine up for $159.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6768rogues]

This is useless:

Yes, I know what it is. Do you?????

 

[TractorJeff]

#357 Tin Knocker Tool? Cuts and Punches hole?

 

[6768rogues]

Asbestos siding shingle cutter. The scissor cuts the shingle and the punch makes a nail hole. No more asbestos shingles but I keep the tool just because it looks like a mutant.

 

[C_F]

Asbestos siding shingle cutter. The scissor cuts the shingle and the punch makes a nail hole. No more asbestos shingles but I keep the tool just because it looks like a mutant.

It sure does!