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Tool Nerds, Questions and Tool Snobbery

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
My DAG3 came the other day. They greatly improved everything I didn't like about the previous version. I actually prefer their locking/moving mechanism to the Abbey, personally.

10/10 would buy again.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
Have any of you gents vinyl dipped tool handles at all, if so which product did you use and was it any good?
I don't want to use PlastiDip, coz fuck them and their stupidly wasteful peel off car paint jobs. Yaay, let's go clocg up the strainer at the local car wash or hose plastic down the drain.....
This looks perfect but I can't find it locally-
1619093151327.png
 
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CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
Not needing/using a tool that does nothing seems more convenient:busted:


And this if from a guy that's ALL about tools with little to no practical purpose:p
 

scrublover

Turbo Monkey
Sep 1, 2004
2,885
6,191
Not needing/using a tool that does nothing seems more convenient:busted:


And this if from a guy that's ALL about tools with little to no practical purpose:p
I get it. Used to just eyeball things before - but this thing just works so slick and easy, with no worries about the caliper moving around while tightening and having to do it again.

Yeah. Lazy. And I love it!
 

Andeh

Customer Title
Mar 3, 2020
997
973
I've got the Hayes version of that tool, and a few of the Birzman clams. For brakes with really minimal rollback (Magura), I find it does help, but it's almost never perfect first try. But it gets me 95% of the way there, then I can just eyeball it and move either the top or bottom a hair's width and never rub.

The nice thing about the one pictured and the Hayes one is that it's a lot easy to get it in/out of longer calipers, compared to the little clams.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
Tested these a while back, Milwaukee had the most torque, Snappy was a few Nm behind and the Makita was way behind but spins at twice the speed and feels super nice in the hand.
If you drop the milwaukee in an engine bay the stupid paddle switch will grab something on the way down and get stuck, Snappy has no trigger lock so it can run flat in the tool bag, Makita comes with both 3/8 and 1/4" heads and can operate as a 13mm through drive.
Makita and Snap-On both have brushes, not sure I'd trust Snap-On with brushless, maybe if all the smart bits were made in China.
20210117_170938 (2).jpg


Oh, the huge head on the Milwaukee is a pretty good hammer.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,261
8,767
Crawlorado
Tested these a while back, Milwaukee had the most torque, Snappy was a few Nm behind and the Makita was way behind but spins at twice the speed and feels super nice in the hand.
If you drop the milwaukee in an engine bay the stupid paddle switch will grab something on the way down and get stuck, Snappy has no trigger lock so it can run flat in the tool bag, Makita comes with both 3/8 and 1/4" heads and can operate as a 13mm through drive.
Makita and Snap-On both have brushes, not sure I'd trust Snap-On with brushless, maybe if all the smart bits were made in China.View attachment 159689

Oh, the huge head on the Milwaukee is a pretty good hammer.
Mikwaukee recently introduced a smaller headed version of the brushless ratchet that also spins faster. Probably worth a gander if you use it as frequently as the wear on yours would indicate.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
Mikwaukee recently introduced a smaller headed version of the brushless ratchet that also spins faster. Probably worth a gander if you use it as frequently as the wear on yours would indicate.
Nah, it's shit gear, in the last twelve months we have sent three tools in for repair, plus I have a hard time dealing with the new pricing, Chinese owned and made with prices not far off German made stuff.
We have two big M die grinders in the shop but the boss always gets mine because it has speed control, it also switches off if it bites which I laughed at initially but is fantastic in use.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,261
8,767
Crawlorado
Nah, it's shit gear, in the last twelve months we have sent three tools in for repair, plus I have a hard time dealing with the new pricing, Chinese owned and made with prices not far off German made stuff.
We have two big M die grinders in the shop but the boss always gets mine because it has speed control, it also switches off if it bites which I laughed at initially but is fantastic in use.
So is Snappy the best of the cordless ratchets? I own the 3/8" Milwaukee brushless, but have no other points for comparison.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
So is Snappy the best of the cordless ratchets? I own the 3/8" Milwaukee brushless, but have no other points for comparison.
If the battery was turned 90 degrees I would say..........no, it is stupidly expensive and feels like it has been made by someone at home with a 3D printer. Everyone at work hates using it due to the cheap feel and stupid battery placement, the small head and slender neck is nice but that's it.

Annoyingly the Milwaukee 3/8" Fuel is the best all round ratchet that I have but it lives in the workshop and I take the other two to sites.
If I was going to get another one I would get the 16V Matco(SP here) 3/8" long neck ratchet and the 12V standard length, sadly the 16V has a batt bulge at the front like the Snap-On. I am tempted to take mine apart to see if I can rotate the body 90deg.
16V
1619785933517.png

12V
1619786340538.png


AC Delco have a brushless one that looks Okay, not sure IR have a brushless one yet, they had been selling the same one forever last time I looked.
 
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HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
If anyone is after a 1/4" ratchet set, for just over $100AU these little Felo sets are great value and are supposedly made in Germany and the metric set goes to 14mm.
I have expected the ratchet to give out as I lean on the little thing until the electrician spec soft handle feels like it is about to die.
20210512_163817 (2).jpg
 

Andeh

Customer Title
Mar 3, 2020
997
973
Man I'm such a sucker for nice tools. I just got the Wera Bicycle Sets 1 & 4 with the Competitive Cyclist 20% off coupon. The hex plus concept really spoke to me, as someone guilty of occasionally applying too many ugga-duggas. I'm not sure how much I'll use the little mini ratchet, but the bits I'll use with my torque wrenches for sure.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,261
8,767
Crawlorado
Checking in on this thread is a good reminder that I need to bolster my collection of SAE tools. My socket collection is quite comprehensive, but my wrench collection is limited to a single set of combination wrenches. I've neglected investing in them (worked on my metric collection mainly), as the world seems to be moving away from SAE for cars and the like, but I could have used a few more options while working on a tractor.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,852
9,557
AK
Checking in on this thread is a good reminder that I need to bolster my collection of SAE tools. My socket collection is quite comprehensive, but my wrench collection is limited to a single set of combination wrenches. I've neglected investing in them (worked on my metric collection mainly), as the world seems to be moving away from SAE for cars and the like, but I could have used a few more options while working on a tractor.
Yeah, it seems to be mostly for the building and construction market anymore, which is basically fuck any metric standards still. Cars have come around.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,261
8,767
Crawlorado
Yeah, it seems to be mostly for the building and construction market anymore, which is basically fuck any metric standards still. Cars have come around.
Makes sense. I use my SAE stuff a fraction of the time that I use my metric stuff, hence my lack of tools.

Probably won't invest much, a set of ratcheting flex head wrenches, maybe some stubbies. Not like I'm wrenching on buildings or construction equipment frequently anyway.
 

amishmatt

Turbo Monkey
Sep 21, 2005
1,263
396
Lancaster, PA
Man I'm such a sucker for nice tools. I just got the Wera Bicycle Sets 1 & 4 with the Competitive Cyclist 20% off coupon. The hex plus concept really spoke to me, as someone guilty of occasionally applying too many ugga-duggas. I'm not sure how much I'll use the little mini ratchet, but the bits I'll use with my torque wrenches for sure.
The mini ratchet is super tiny. Even after looking at pictures before buying I wasn't expecting it to be so small. But I find myself using it a lot, way more than I expected. It's a really handy little tool.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
Oooh, dual input multimeter, that would let me check cranking voltage and voltage drop across the cable at the same time.
1621337549263.png


I bought my favourite meter a bit used from an apprentice that got fired, it has seen some rain over the past three years and I can't reliably zero the resistance setting so I might keep it in the car tool kit.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
So damn sad, it took me a lot to justify the cost of this set and now it has gone missing. I hadn't even used all of the bits yet.......aside from making "Nom nom nom." sounds as I played with the little alligator clips.
1622190549436.png
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
So damn sad, it took me a lot to justify the cost of this set and now it has gone missing. I hadn't even used all of the bits yet.......aside from making "Nom nom nom." sounds as I played with the little alligator clips.
View attachment 160680
I picked up a Fluke with said kit years ago for barely anything from pawn shop, and sadly most of the bits have long been lost.

Pawn shops are great source for tools. I presume they aren't stolen and just contractors who needed a few bucks for their next hit of meth.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
38-88mm for hyd fittings in tight places and gland nuts after they have been cracked with something a bit more substantial.
20210531_174855.jpg
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
I really want to quit my job but I buy tools online when I'm almost asleep, just ordered a 26 piece Stahlwille spanner set,
I'll regret that when I wake up tomorrow.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,261
8,767
Crawlorado
I really want to quit my job but I buy tools online when I'm almost asleep, just ordered a 26 piece Stahlwille spanner set,
I'll regret that when I wake up tomorrow.
I've learned that the more tools you own, the more you find that you think you need to own. I'm at the point where my 40" toolbox is no longer big enough to contain them all.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
I've learned that the more tools you own, the more you find that you think you need to own. I'm at the point where my 40" toolbox is no longer big enough to contain them all.
Yeah I have been looking at a 47“ box and I think that plus a top box would be pretty full.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,852
9,557
AK

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
Apprentice was battling with a sump plug so I told him to use the gun, then I heard "Whoa, whoa whoa, ohh, haa haa haa!" Then I got my gun back pretty shiny and a bit leaky. Might have to pull it apart as the oil will possibly dissolve whatever they use to pot set the leccy bits.

P_20210820_120433.jpg


P_20210820_120218.jpg


I guess I should have told him to crack it with the gun and not undo it with the gun,