Worst tool ever produced?

[redline380]

or these. Battery powered adjustable wrench. Black and decker.

Jori
HJE

in all honesty these do have a particular application. I remember watching a show once and the inventor of that wrench was on there. He specifically invented them for use by astronauts. Made it much easier to adjust the size while on a spacewalk.

 

[GPM]

What makes them work better than "normal" tools? They don't look like they're conducive to tight places.

I guess it comes down to how they are used and where they are best suited to be used by the user.

 

[neophyte]

Simply the worst tool ever invented must be the staight blade screwdriver. It enabled that guy to produce millions of slotted screws that have annoyed all of us over the years!

Really old, i.e., 200 years give or take, slotted screws were generally cut with a "knife" file. Knife files don't create a parallel groove like you find on modern machine made slotted screws. They create a tapered groove that tends to mach up pretty well with a taper ground slotted screwdriver. The tapered screwdriver will wedge itself into a taper cut slotted slotted screw similarly to the way a Robertson screwdriver wedged itself into the tapered square opening in a Robertson screw. It's actually much easier to turn the old hand cut screws than it is to turn modern ones. Far less likely to cam out as well.

 

[kythri]

I guess it comes down to how they are used and where they are best suited to be used by the user.

Hey, that's cool if it works better, I'm just trying to wrap my head around how.

 

[NIDDLE]

My vote is the Craftsman RoboGrip pliers.

Beat me to it. Another vote for Robogrips. Bought them when they first came out and they bring the **** they don't grip worth the s#@t! Next on the list would be their open end ratchet wrenches.

 

[BOONEY7750]

I am the odd man out here, I like the dogbone for one use only, and I have no problem with the robogrip.

I bought dog bone wrenches for one propose only, oil drain plugs. Every time I crawl under a car I would have the wrong size. Every car we had was different. They work great for all but one vehicle, the drain plug is in a poor location and the dog bone won’t work. I like the magnet for the drain plug on the dogbone.


While not the worst tool ever produced, this is one I “had to have” and it doesn’t work worth a Fduck.
It works ok if you are putting romex clamps in a load center or the center of the side of a large box, but on a normal size box you can’t use them.

I have to disagree. I have an old house and although they would not be much use in a new install, some of the jacked up **** I run into makes these handy. I get into some junction boxes that are in corners, walls, over full, or just total ridiculousness. These have saved me a time or too. I find them less useful as I am slowly replacing everything with new wiring, but they were worth the $10.

 

[Conductor562]

Remember these:

I got my dad one for Christmas or something when I was a kid. It was terrible.

 

[JMcFly]

Pic is dead for me

 

[Conductor562]

What about now?

Doesn't appear to be working. Anyhow, it was a round hub designed to go on a drill with a couple dozen wire fingers on it that was supposed to strip paint. Didn't work very well. It did more damage to the wood than anything else.

 

[hofferwood]

Anyhow, it was a round hub designed to go on a drill with a couple dozen wire fingers on it that was supposed to strip paint. Didn't work very well. It did more damage to the wood than anything else.

Here ya go,
They had a lot of different names.

 

[neophyte]

Here ya go,
They had a lot of different names.

Perfect for people renovating pre 1977 homes that have old paint which needs to be .

 

[CNGsaves]

Here ya go,
They had a lot of different names - -- ie the Roto-Stripper.

Yeah, I had one those (or my dad used to have) when I stripped my Schwinn bicycle down to frame and used that beast to take off all the paint.

It worked . . . kind of . . . but super dangerous and lucky I didn't get any eye injuries since rarely had eye protection - - - hey I was a young teenager and knew everything!!

Definite POS as I trashed it within a few uses with wires breaking off.

 

[Conductor562]

Here ya go,
They had a lot of different names.

That's it. It was awful. My Dad didn't have the heart to tell it was a terrible gift, but somehow we both knew

 

[Rooster66]

Yeah, I'll have to agree, grease gun dose rate right up there.

 

[pilotman81]

Wow I didn't even think that the Chinese could make something as completely worthless as that design.

 

[STR1PES]

does my Father-In-Law count?

 

[Tanshanomi]

My vote is the Craftsman RoboGrip pliers.

"Tim" in the commercial gives you a good idea of the target consumer's mechanical skills:

My wife bought me a Robogrip for Christmas one year. I think it's still in the bottom of a toolbox in the basement somewhere. I did actually attempt to use it.

Once.

 

[wafrederick]

Wobble extensions,a pain to use

 

[Zebu Fellenz]

Craftsman "quick wrenches" with the cut out on the open end that is supposed to allow you to turn fasteners faster, but render the open end useless for doing anything else.

I'm probably in the minority but I really like my "quick wrenches" I use them on hydraulics, brake lines, flare fittings etc when they're too tight to snug down by hand.

I always use a regular combo or flare-nut wrench to do the final torquing though.

-Erik

 

[woody 73]

does my Father-In-Law count?

I am so glad I am not in your shoes!

 

[RCStocker]

Anything in the home line of Black and Decker is pure **** and has been for the past 50 years

 

[Rezeppa]

I'm probably in the minority but I really like my "quick wrenches" I use them on hydraulics, brake lines, flare fittings etc when they're too tight to snug down by hand.

I always use a regular combo or flare-nut wrench to do the final torquing though.

-Erik

I had a few sizes but I just got two complete sets I love them I use them for grease lines on auto greasers. I really like these things I can pull fittings twice as fast as anyone else with them. They take a little skill to use but you only have to be 1% smarter than the wrench. You have to be absolutely strait on to use them.

 

[hofferwood]

Anything in the home line of Black and Decker is pure **** and has been for the past 50 years

This one still works

But it's only 46

 

[KEH]

SCTony,

Yes, I had that set but not in that nice a case! Notice I said "had", they went the way of all scrap.

KEH

 

[24ModelTFord]

does my Father-In-Law count?

Thats funny! We were going nominate mine as "Canadas' Worst Handyman" because of some of the things he does.......man have I got some stories, but that's for a different thread.

 

[Humble Mechanic]

The Phillip screw and the Phillip screwdriver , think about how much time it did not save you in your life!

After going through a million or so Phillip head bits, I TOTALLY agree!

 

[CNGsaves]

The Phillip screw and the Phillip screwdriver , think about how much time it did not save you in your life!

After going through a million or so Phillip head bits, I TOTALLY agree!

NOT if you were the "Phillips" family still making money on those stinking screws and head bits all this time!!! Now the question is, did they Knowingly manufacture in the failure??

 

[chris142]

Battery operated AC leak detectors. They never work. I held a brand new Mac one in a stream of r134a and it never picked it up.

 

[durallymax]

I'm probably in the minority but I really like my "quick wrenches" I use them on hydraulics, brake lines, flare fittings etc when they're too tight to snug down by hand.

I always use a regular combo or flare-nut wrench to do the final torquing though.

-Erik

I had a few sizes but I just got two complete sets I love them I use them for grease lines on auto greasers. I really like these things I can pull fittings twice as fast as anyone else with them. They take a little skill to use but you only have to be 1% smarter than the wrench. You have to be absolutely strait on to use them.

I prefer the Knipex Pliers wrenches for hydraulic fittings. They are a little bit bulkier than the open end ratcheting wrenches but work a lot better because they work at any angle and you can do your final torque with them. Adjustable as well which really helps. They are a lifesaver for hydro fittings. Outside of that though I don't use them much, but I do a lot of hydro work in a day.

"Tim" in the commercial gives you a good idea of the target consumer's mechanical skills:

My wife bought me a Robogrip for Christmas one year. I think it's still in the bottom of a toolbox in the basement somewhere. I did actually attempt to use it.

Once.

wow stuff was still 19.99 in infomercials back then?

 

[tankd0g]

This thing is garbage, unless it's actual purpose was to round off nuts and bolts. Yeah it's quick to adjust, too bad the notches are set to be on either side of every standard known to man:

http://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/tools/Pliers-Vise/Pliers1/sets-irwin-vise-grip-2078717

 

[jeremy v]

Hey what was that crapsman gadget they had in the late 90's ? They had several different sizes with a thumb adjuster with red handles. ? I cant remember what their called but biggest pos made It had a long handle the head was inclosed and the adjustment made a deal go up and down for any size nut or bolt

I had never seen these in stores, but I have seen them a few times as part of a tool lot for sale on Ebay. I never thought they were an adjustable wrench, I assumed they were an adjustable handle for grasping and holding cold chisels or punches to keep your hands free from the swing of a hammer.

For anyone that has one, would they work for that or are they too weak and smooth inside to grasp a cold chisel firmly?

 

[Kev442]

Anything in the home line of Black and Decker is pure **** and has been for the past 50 years

Generalize much? My B&D 7 1/4" just had it's 30th birthday and I've used the living hell out of it. Best $29.99 I've ever spent.

 

[ilovevocs]

"Tim" in the commercial gives you a good idea of the target consumer's mechanical skills:

My wife bought me a Robogrip for Christmas one year. I think it's still in the bottom of a toolbox in the basement somewhere. I did actually attempt to use it.

Once.

That was great, thanks for sharing.

 

[mikeceli]

The dogbone is the bottom of the food chain...

I "knew" when I saw them on TV, one of my "not mechanically inclined" inlaws would gift them to me. I returned them on December 26.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Great. Now I don't know whether to carry the dogbone under the cars for oil changes or let them continue to collect dust.

 

[Dusty61]

I have a B&D firestorm drill and sawzall. My only complaint is the drill is a but on the long side for a 3/8 drill, and the sawzall tends to be a bit underpowered but for the few time a month I use it, to make a few cuts or drill a few holes it works just fine.

 

[crewchief888]

my future ex son in law....

 

[Midman914]

I could actually see those pliers being useful in a tractor toolbox, or motorcycle kit. Something with limited storage where combining tools would make sense. And my vote goes for those Gator grip sockets, the only tool more effective at rounding off bolts is a pair of vice grips.

I bought one of these on clearance at Meijer for $7 out of curiosity. It came as a set with a ratchet and extension. What a piece of ****. The pins feel really weak and do not push in very far. It looked like a good idea and is made in the US so I wanted it to work, but nope. Funny side note, I was at O'reilly auto parts and saw just the socket going for $17.99.

 

[Midman914]

I had never seen these in stores, but I have seen them a few times as part of a tool lot for sale on Ebay. I never thought they were an adjustable wrench, I assumed they were an adjustable handle for grasping and holding cold chisels or punches to keep your hands free from the swing of a hammer.

For anyone that has one, would they work for that or are they too weak and smooth inside to grasp a cold chisel firmly?

I own both sizes of that red handled adjustable deal. I got one as a gift along with the Robo grips and the funny shaped quick open end wrenches. Kind of like receiving a whole bag of poo for Christmas. Well, I owned a 1938 Allis Chalmers WC and needed to take off the lug nuts. I was at Sears and had no idea at their size, so I opted for the big red handled adjustable thing. It worked, but was really expensive for the one job that it did.

 

[Kevin54]

My vote is the Craftsman RoboGrip pliers. They really sucked and we laugh about them at work every once in a while when we're talking tools. The Snap-on air gasket scraper wasn't a good investment back when I bought it in the 80's. It sets in the tool box in its original box and laughs at me when I open the drawer.

Ditto on the RoboGrip's. A total waste of metal.