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What tools did you buy today?


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On 5/29/2017 at 5:17 PM, dwasifar said:

 

ext.thumb.jpg.7bb1ef7f78038f6a30c7c67a8468e890.jpg

 

These are Taiwan-made, not China, which I guess is the best ordinary mortals can do now.  I don't have access to a tool-truck guy, so I have to depend on store warranty, and Lowe's doesn't seem like they're going anywhere (as opposed to Sears).  They seem nice, actually.  The chroming is good and the fit is nice, and they have knurling (unlike my one remaining actual USA Craftsman extension).  

 

So today, since I'm recovering from surgery and don't have anything better to do, I'll spend more time than it's worth comparing the new Lowe's Kobalt extension I posted about the other day to a 1990s USA Craftsman.  I only have a 3" Craftsman extension so we'll compare it to the 3" Kobalt.

 

The first thing you notice is that the Kobalt chrome is substantially bluer:

 

IMG_20170531_145719.thumb.jpg.6b6611ebce706e76f54b2190f89724cb.jpg

 

The Kobalt looks blue compared to the Craftsman, or the Craftsman looks kinda yellowy or reddish compared to the Kobalt, depending on the light.  I don't know if that's a coincidence or if it's because Kobalt and Lowe's brand color is blue.

 

The second thing you notice is that the Kobalt is distinctly shorter:

 

IMG_20170531_150812.thumb.jpg.a42284f304c588936ef4248c278b0a5a.jpg

 

The Craftsman is 3" on the button.  The Kobalt is about 3/32" shy of it, and you can see it not only in the length of the piece but also in the placement of the ball.  The Craftsman has a hole in the base, whereas the Kobalt does not.  I don't know if that's significant or not, because I've never known what the hole is for.  The Kobalt has a bigger ball, and it projects out farther. You can also see here that the shoulder bevels are different; I don't know why one design would be preferable to the other.  Maybe the Craftsman design is supposed to add strength. The Craftsman also has a squarer end.  Here's what that looks like:

 

IMG_20170531_145938.thumb.jpg.07f50f0c8e022eec6b357dd0dffb8c5c.jpg

 

Shaft diameter is identical at about 12mm:

 

IMG_20170531_150637.thumb.jpg.ba5d8797b4ad428f6f731c138277a539.jpgIMG_20170531_150652.thumb.jpg.8787aae44056571660d862c6d413b86c.jpg

 

But the Kobalt has a wider base at 18mm vs the Craftsman's 17mm: 

 

IMG_20170531_150737.thumb.jpg.1b69762ba9430b2023e285af8cdc323d.jpgIMG_20170531_150714.thumb.jpg.69ea2aa273c21243c09b5d8c77082040.jpg

 

Testing hold strength with a couple of Craftsman deep well sockets, I found that both held one of the sockets about equally well, but the other socket was noticeably looser on the Craftsman extension than on the Kobalt.  I attribute this to the Kobalt's bigger, more pronounced ball taking up the slack.  With the tighter socket, sideways deflection was about the same, but with the looser one, the Craftsman extension allowed the socket to rock side to side far more than the Kobalt.

 

All in all I think it's probably gonna be a wash, provided the Kobalt's steel is strong enough to hold up.  The Kobalt is a hair shorter than advertised, which is a little irritating; 3" should be 3" and nothing else.  But it's hard to imagine a situation where that would be a problem; and although I suppose it's possible that 1mm wider diameter at the base could cause a clearance issue under some weird set of circumstances, it's equally possible that it adds strength.  And the Kobalt is clearly better at compensating for socket variances and holding them securely, although it might not be fair to compare a brand-new tool to a 20-year-old one in that regard.  And frankly the Kobalt doesn't have to last as long; by the time it reaches the Craftsman's age, I'll be pushing 80 and probably not using the tools much anymore.

 

 

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Okay, enough rambling.  Back to the actual topic.  Today these things arrived.

 

First, here's a hefty 1/2" click-type torque wrench from Tekton:

 

tekton.thumb.jpg.828bd3c3a1d806a9135027d2f159e83d.jpg

 

Well-reviewed on Amazon and stupid cheap at $52.  I got this instead after returning the Kobalt due to discovering it had a short warranty.  Can't wait to try it out, but it's gonna be a while; I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than 10lb for six weeks.

 

Next up, these are for my wife, since she's the gardener:

 

fiskars.thumb.jpg.2d9efc9f6aa95bb2f54e1c9e2d7cc32d.jpg

 

Fiskars seems incapable of making a bad product, and these come recommended.  For $15 I can make my wife happy today.  Happy wife, happy life.

 

Finally, this is not exactly a tool, but it's project-related and it did arrive today:

 

chamberlain.thumb.jpg.fcb26e2f3f53793ac2f4678828d2ce78.jpg

 

Chamberlain comped me this control panel after their support line gave me incorrect advice about which opener to buy to be compatible with the panels I had.  Isn't that nice of them?  They're a class act.

 

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8 hours ago, dwasifar said:

 

So today, since I'm recovering from surgery and don't have anything better to do, I'll spend more time than it's worth comparing the new Lowe's Kobalt extension I posted about the other day to a 1990s USA Craftsman.  I only have a 3" Craftsman extension so we'll compare it to the 3" Kobalt.

 

The first thing you notice is that the Kobalt chrome is substantially bluer:

 

 

The Kobalt looks blue compared to the Craftsman, or the Craftsman looks kinda yellowy or reddish compared to the Kobalt, depending on the light.  I don't know if that's a coincidence or if it's because Kobalt and Lowe's brand color is blue.

 

The second thing you notice is that the Kobalt is distinctly shorter:

 

 

The Craftsman is 3" on the button.  The Kobalt is about 3/32" shy of it, and you can see it not only in the length of the piece but also in the placement of the ball.  The Craftsman has a hole in the base, whereas the Kobalt does not.  I don't know if that's significant or not, because I've never known what the hole is for.  The Kobalt has a bigger ball, and it projects out farther. You can also see here that the shoulder bevels are different; I don't know why one design would be preferable to the other.  Maybe the Craftsman design is supposed to add strength. The Craftsman also has a squarer end.  Here's what that looks like:

 

 

Shaft diameter is identical at about 12mm:

 

But the Kobalt has a wider base at 18mm vs the Craftsman's 17mm: 

 

 

Testing hold strength with a couple of Craftsman deep well sockets, I found that both held one of the sockets about equally well, but the other socket was noticeably looser on the Craftsman extension than on the Kobalt.  I attribute this to the Kobalt's bigger, more pronounced ball taking up the slack.  With the tighter socket, sideways deflection was about the same, but with the looser one, the Craftsman extension allowed the socket to rock side to side far more than the Kobalt.

 

All in all I think it's probably gonna be a wash, provided the Kobalt's steel is strong enough to hold up.  The Kobalt is a hair shorter than advertised, which is a little irritating; 3" should be 3" and nothing else.  But it's hard to imagine a situation where that would be a problem; and although I suppose it's possible that 1mm wider diameter at the base could cause a clearance issue under some weird set of circumstances, it's equally possible that it adds strength.  And the Kobalt is clearly better at compensating for socket variances and holding them securely, although it might not be fair to compare a brand-new tool to a 20-year-old one in that regard.  And frankly the Kobalt doesn't have to last as long; by the time it reaches the Craftsman's age, I'll be pushing 80 and probably not using the tools much anymore.

 

 

 

I like the Kobalt Taiwan stuff. The ratchets that are polished chrome are made by Toptul and are really nice. A lot of their sets are now China, a couple years ago they introduced the China stuff but they were in blister packs. Last year or the year before they started introducing the Chinese made stuff in their blow molded cases. Right now all the individual sockets, adapters and extensions are Taiwan. I imagine when that stock will dry up at some point.

 

Taiwan sockets/extensions have "Taiwan" on them, Chinese sockets/extensions have no COO marking.

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5 hours ago, BMack37 said:

 

I like the Kobalt Taiwan stuff. ... Taiwan sockets/extensions have "Taiwan" on them, Chinese sockets/extensions have no COO marking.

 

Are you sure that's always the case?  Mine came as a set of three, not blister packed, but on a hang tag that said Made in Taiwan.  But the pieces themselves do not have a COO marking.

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4 hours ago, dwasifar said:

 

Are you sure that's always the case?  Mine came as a set of three, not blister packed, but on a hang tag that said Made in Taiwan.  But the pieces themselves do not have a COO marking.

 

There could be an anomaly but I have both Chinese and Taiwan adapters/extensions(I also have USA Williams and USA Danaher Kobalt if you want to see a comparison). You may have been the victim of the old (douchebag) switch-a-roo return...or maybe some got out without the markings(or maybe they were originally not marked after going from USA to Taiwan). Personally, I don't think it would be worth it. There are minor differences but I haven't used them high-torque because I have other sockets I normally grab. I doubt Lowe's would let a super cheap, brittle set wear the Kobalt name, they have to warranty them.

 

Which of these looks like your extensions?

zwSE6TJ.jpg

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6 hours ago, BMack37 said:

 

There could be an anomaly but I have both Chinese and Taiwan adapters/extensions(I also have USA Williams and USA Danaher Kobalt if you want to see a comparison). You may have been the victim of the old (douchebag) switch-a-roo return...or maybe some got out without the markings(or maybe they were originally not marked after going from USA to Taiwan). Personally, I don't think it would be worth it. There are minor differences but I haven't used them high-torque because I have other sockets I normally grab. I doubt Lowe's would let a super cheap, brittle set wear the Kobalt name, they have to warranty them.

 

Which of these looks like your extensions?

zwSE6TJ.jpg

 

I would have to say the one on the right.  The color, the sharper inner corner of the base ring, and the depth all look closer to the one on the right.  

 

I don't think it could have been a switcharoo return.  The packaging was one of those hang tags where you have to clip a retaining piece to get them off the hanger.  No way to get them off without damaging the packaging.

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5 hours ago, dwasifar said:

 

I would have to say the one on the right.  The color, the sharper inner corner of the base ring, and the depth all look closer to the one on the right.  

 

I don't think it could have been a switcharoo return.  The packaging was one of those hang tags where you have to clip a retaining piece to get them off the hanger.  No way to get them off without damaging the packaging.

 

The right one is Taiwan. Actually, in looking at your pictures better, I noticed the large etching of the logo, the Chinese is smaller. Also the tip of the square end comes to a point on Taiwan and is flat on the Chinese, yours is pointed.

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1 hour ago, BMack37 said:

 

The right one is Taiwan. Actually, in looking at your pictures better, I noticed the large etching of the logo, the Chinese is smaller. Also the tip of the square end comes to a point on Taiwan and is flat on the Chinese, yours is pointed.

 

Well, that puts my mind at ease a bit.  I've sort of given up actively trying to avoid China-made stuff on most things, because it's getting to be impossible; but I'm still happier to have it come from somewhere else, even if it's Taiwan.  

 

They do seem like very nicely finished pieces.  Heavy chroming, not cheap-looking at all.

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1 hour ago, dwasifar said:

 

Well, that puts my mind at ease a bit.  I've sort of given up actively trying to avoid China-made stuff on most things, because it's getting to be impossible; but I'm still happier to have it come from somewhere else, even if it's Taiwan.  

 

They do seem like very nicely finished pieces.  Heavy chroming, not cheap-looking at all.

I believe the Taiwan sockets and extensions/adapters are made by JS Products which produces sockets for some good quality brands. I don't know if they make the Chinese stuff as well but honestly, it's not that bad. The Toptul (Taiwan) ratchets are nice (except the inverted levers), Toptul is very highly thought of by those that have bought Toptul before. If you just look at Toptul's wrenches and sockets you can see quality.

 

None of these are my pictures. These are from the unofficial Toptul US importer. Sadly, he does not import a whole lot of SAE.

Ebay store: http://www.ebay.com/usr/schmidtdn?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

 

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s-l1600.jpg

 

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3 hours ago, Turner85 said:

I know ur a festool guy chris. Was a hard choice between the two, but here in Ireland an extra €100 got me the mafell with an extra blade.

Dude, Mafell is the schanizzell. That is a beautiful saw bro. Frigging incredible system too.

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Today I ordered these direct from Tekton.com:

 

Screenshot_20170602-205302.thumb.png.4eda3900854fe428443f43cdd73652f2.pngScreenshot_20170602-205310.thumb.png.85290468a42ef502b27356bd1646d835.pngScreenshot_20170602-205442.thumb.png.5ce938e0900c60981212207b21156743.pngScreenshot_20170602-205433.thumb.png.46b7df1731d18e244ddfae2b8985d690.png

 

They're having a sale; coupon code GIFTS4DAD got me 20% off, and free shipping because the order was over $35.  Wish I had known about that before I ordered this from Amazon:

 

Screenshot_20170602-205356.thumb.png.f42d99f8d4211342da66a3fa8342b8bb.png

 

That's coming tomorrow. The other stuff won't be here until late next week. Getting it all faster from Amazon was tempting but pointless; I'm grounded from manual work for a few weeks anyway, so I might as well wait and save some coin. 

 

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