What's a tool that you will never replace it with its modern counterpart?

[MushCreek]

I love my old, US-made Gerstner machinist box. It's developed a nice patina over the years.

For modern, cordless tools rock. I have good corded tools, but I just don't use them any more.

 

[seber]

I'll second the older gas cans. Those made after the no spill regulation spill gas all over the place. I don't care whether it is plastic or metal though.

 

[rlitman]

I love my old, US-made Gerstner machinist box. It's developed a nice patina over the years...

A good old metal gas can. I have spilled and dribbled enough gas with the new "green/safety" cans to probably cut the yard once or twice. If I ever see one at a yard sale im paying whatever their asking.

Both of these are still made. Though you probably don't want to know the price of new ones.

There is some minor chatter on the net waxing nostalgic over hand lacing wire bundles vs. Zipties. (Hand lacing was an early post war bundling technique for telephone copper and airplane loom.

https://hackaday.com/2018/03/22/mechanisms-cable-ties/

I still do some cord work from time to time. It's still the norm for most fiber optic cabling, and has some advantages of zip ties.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

It is ironic that I bought four new click stop ProTo torque wrenches in 1970, then a new ProTo 30 inch pound dial type for adjusting injectors in 2001, yet ten + years later, bought three used open beam torque wrenches that will work in reverse rotation: a Duro 3/4" drive that goes to 300 foot pounds, a Duro 1/2" drive that goes to 150 foot pounds, and a SK 3/8" drive that goes up to 200 inch pounds.

The ProTo 3/8" drive from 1970 failed within ten years, and was recently replaced by a CDI ..

So, other than reading in reverse; why in the dickens would I buy some old relic style torque wrenches after all those years? Well, I seldom question their accuracy, and with a eight point socket, use them to test the accuracy of the click stops.

On a side note: the ProTo 1/2" drive click stop still clicks between the 98 and 99 pound area on the scales of a couple old open beam torque wrenches, and it has never been re-calibrated!

If I buy a new torque wrench; it will be for enjoyment and convenience rather than need or desperation. But I do look forward to enjoying a new electronic torque meter.

 

[mmason7764]

There is some minor chatter on the net waxing nostalgic over hand lacing wire bundles vs. Zipties. (Hand lacing was an early post war bundling technique for telephone copper and airplane loom.

https://hackaday.com/2018/03/22/mechanisms-cable-ties/

This is so cool, thanks for posting Leland.

Kinda like Boy Scouts meet electrician.

 

[cheechi]

split beam torque wrench forever.

Lead/tin solder for some tasks. Others silver bearing is fine.

My old C clamps hold much better than my newer ones with the 'quick' button thing.

 

[davethorik]

Exact opposite here. I will take a dial.

Lol I think I muddied the idea with that post. Strictly referring to digital calipers, I'd rather have new than old. Personally, yeah I prefer dials between the 2, not like digis have totally replaced dials.

But if you're ever balls deep in a project being made from a hand-drawn blueprint on a cocktail napkin and there are measurements in both inch and metric, the digital are a life (and time) saver. However my inner doomsday prepper will always choose dial calipers.

 

[Super Sport]

In nearly all cases modern tools are better - if you're willing to pay for it. Take vises for example. Older ones tend to be better than the imported models you find at Sears or Lowes, but buy a nice American-made model like a Yost and it's pretty comparable to the old stuff. The caveat is that it's going to cost you hundreds of dollars, whereas the old models can be found on Craigslist for $50-200 quite frequently. The same is often true for machinery and other tools.

Styling can play a part in preference, but that is highly subjective and is not true across the board. I love my vintage Craftsman machinery for it's quality and affordability, but it's styling is what really attracted me. There are far more however that prefer a nice, new, shiny machine and could care less about the old ones. Vises, again, can fall into this reasoning.

The only tool I can think of that I prefer the older models are Vise Grips. The new ones stink, and the competition from Grip-On is good, but I'm not sure it's as good as the old American-made stuff.

 

[Fialaja]

Good quality American made vise grips. Nothing like them.
Ditto for adjustable wrenches. American made have tighter tolerances and much less slop in the mechanisms. That’s just my opinion.

 

[Lassen Forge]

In nearly all cases modern tools are better - if you're willing to pay for it. Take vises for example. Older ones tend to be better than the imported models you find at Sears or Lowes, but buy a nice American-made model like a Yost and it's pretty comparable to the old stuff. The caveat is that it's going to cost you hundreds of dollars, whereas the old models can be found on Craigslist for $50-200 quite frequently. The same is often true for machinery and other tools.

Same with Anvils... if you're willing to part with the $$ for a new Ridgid Peddinghaus, you're golden (and gosh, how I want one of those!!), otherwise you hope to find something like an old Hay Budden that hasn't been abused or wallowed out from decades of abuse.

A lot of the specialized tools I have for working on old machinery can't be replaced with modern. I'll give you one example... the hubcap wrench for my Model T. It is specifically shaped to fit that hubcap to remove it... I've tried using sockets, wrenches, you name it, and NOTHING works like the original tool.

I also have one from Timken for removing bearings on a 20's and early 30's Lincoln (and some Pierces). Same thing - it's designed for that particular application, and nothing else comes close.

 

[Rickster]

I will not give up my rawhide mallets!!!

 

[6PTsocket]

Probably my dishwasher, vacuum, and washer dryer. She'd kill me if I tried.

It is no accident. There is such a thing as planned obsolescence. Old appliances lasted forever. New ones are designed to just make it to the day after the warranty expires. Those old fridge compressors were indestructable. There was a lot less plastic and more steel so appliances did not fall apart.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Underground]

Honestly, I can't give up my craftsman 3/8 socket wrench. Wouldn't mind buying a few of them up.

 

[jalind]

A number of things I wouldn't replace . . .

The lowly Ticonderoga #2 wood pencil.

The pencil sharpener to go with it:

This Lufkin X46X folding rule with six inch extensions at both ends. Out of production now for some time, only the X46 with an extension at one end is available now. A tape measure cannot do some things very well that one of these can. Limited to six feet but for many of us, we rarely need anything more than six feet.

I also use these and there's no modern equivalent that works as well doing under sink drain plumbing with the large faceted nuts on the metal and PVC pipes.

Both discontinued now . . .
This Woodsman is about 40 years old and was discontinued for a long time. They go for a premium on eBay as they're sought after and rare because owners won't part with them. You'd have to add a woodsaw to the current Explorer, or the top side magnifier and Phillips to the current Huntsman to create one of these (IMO shouldn't have been discontinued):

This Champion was discontinued some time ago. It's newer than the old Woodsman above though from some time about 30 years ago. Back layer tools such as the hook and location of the lanyard ring show it's newer but it's not that new as it has the original gray magnifier (there have been two versions since). The Champion was purged very shortly after Victorinox created the Swiss Champ. Add the fish scaler/ruler/hook remover and file with hacksaw to the Woodsman, and you have a Champion. I have a Swiss Champ but it's wider than I care for and don't use it as much as this one and the Woodsman.

John