Conductor562

Eeeeeeeeeeric.......is..you..there?

" What have they improved with your most basic power tools in the last 50 years? 1. drill 2. circular saw 3. jigsaw 4. reciprocating saw " I was really thinking more in the line of cordless tools when I posted this. Cordless tools weren't really a viable option for pro users just a few years ago. Even if the batteries last in terms of service life, they lacked the power and run time to replace electric tools in most cases. Now it is entirely possible for a pro to completely cut the cord for all but a few tools, maybe not always the best idea, but possible. 700+ in/lbs of torque and 2,000+ rpm in a cordless drill? unthinkable a few years ago. The advances in run time and the fact that a battery could sufficiently power a sawzall, circular saw, or a miter saw for any amount of time no matter how short is a fairly new concept. I can take an SDS hammer and make all but the very best 10 or 15 year old hammer drills look like children's toys. Innovations in most tools, especially electric tools are small, but they are innovations none the less. How much more versatile is a sawzall with orbital settings? a drill or screwdriver that eliminates the need for a flashlight? or the convenience of a jig saw with tool-less blade changes? The answer is really dependent upon the value it offers to the individual user. When your on top of a ladder or in a crawl space a little innovation can go a long way. The basic functionality of most tools will never change, but that doesn't mean the innovation is without use. Hell, look at the thousands of man hours saved collectively by the keyless drill chuck alone. If we do not support innovation there will be no innovation. With jig saws they've gravitated toward lower centers of gravity, placing more weight over the blade, and tighter nose to blade specs that have really improved the overall experience of using one. A car performs the same basic function it did 100 years ago, it gets you from point A to point B. However, if your still using your Model T to do it, it's going to take a hell of a lot longer, be a lot less comfortable, and a lot less enjoyable. I agree, things are not made to the quality standards they once were and there's nobody any more pissed off about it than me, but what do you do when there isn't a viable alternative? It's all up to the individual, if you wan't to stick to a 25 year old jig saw then God bless you, You enjoy tooled blade changes then I commend you, Me? well, I just want a good enough reason to upgrade every 10 years or so.

I guess it all comes down to a personal choice. If you prefer to spend your days working with low quality junk go right ahead. If a $2 adjustable wrench makes you happy then rock on! I'd rather loose a $15 screwdriver than use a $2 special.

Yea, I don't look for you to be getting that type of service from Dewalt, but I've been wrong once or twice before.

I've never known of anyone here getting cited for carrying any type of knife other that switchblades or butterfly knives. The law here technically says anything that can be operated with 1 hand, but it isn't enforced anymore (never really was) because that's half the knives made anymore. I wouldn't go walking down the road with a machete or a katana or anything, but as long as it's something within reason you'll never hear a word about it. It's kinda like driving 5 mph over on the interstate, it's technically illegal, but nobody gives a damn and everyone does it.

Here in West Virginia we get a bit of both. As I'm sure you're aware we separated from Virginia during the Civil War because at the time the bulk of the population in what is now WV was in the northern part of the State where there was a strong northern sympathy. From day 1 we've been the red headed stepchild of states. We're below the Mason - Dixon line which leads us to be considered a southern state by the academic community and the northern states, while the details of our founding sometimes leads us to be regarded as a northern state by the southerners. The truth is really kind of in between. During the Civil war my hometown featured a union officers academy on one side of the street and a confederate recruiting station on the other and almost everyone has relatives who fought on both sides. It was truly a brother versus brother war in WV. The northern part of the state has a very northern feel about it while the southern part of the state has an undeniably southern personality. Even the weather straddles the fence. We have long hot summers and long cold winters. You might find hot tea and crumpets in Wheeling, but Charleston is a sweet tea and peach cobbler kinda place. The majority of us consider ourselves southerners. Wayne: In the south biscuits are heavy and made with buttermilk, NEVER sweet! Rolls are sweet, biscuits are buttery. Cornbread is kinda the in between.

Geez man, I always blow the dust out of my power tools, I oil the parts that require it, and I handle them as gently as I can, but it you take them apart and all that, what excuse will you ever have to buy new ones? I understand the economics aspect, but I'm always looking for a good reason to be tool shopping. Hand tools on the other hand, I want them to live 10 years longer than my grandchildren. Seems that power tool technology changes often enough that I want to upgrade every now and then, where as hand tool advancements are usually very minor and few and far between. I know that sounds crazy, but maybe I am a little crazy.

With Wayne being in a different calendar day then us we may have to switch to Greenwich Mean Time, lol.

What does Hilti do for you so far above and beyond the big 4?

Ok, now I want the Beer Barrel Boker. I think I might go ahead and order one. I've ordered lots of knives, but I never can bring myself to put my favorite Eye Brand in the drawer.

I don't aim to turn you away from carbon blades. They are easier to sharpen, will get sharper, and stay sharper longer. They just require a lot more frequent care.

I get BBC on my dish.

Here are some links Eric. If you're looking for a top quality knife here is an Eye brand Trapper. It is a hand made, hammer forged, German Stockman with Surgical Stainless blades so it will never rust. If I were going to buy a knife today this would be it. http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Eye+Brand%26%23153%3B/Eye+Brand%26%23153%3B+Stockman+with+Brown+Smooth+Bone+Handle/EBSS.html Here is my favorite knife on the market. It's a German made Boker with handles made from old beer barrels. The only thing about it is it has carbon blades. http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/beer+barrel/Boker®+Beer+Barrel+Trapper/BK1102525BBL.html Here is another good quality German knife. A Buck Creek with engraved buffalo horn handles. A great knife for the price! http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Buck+Creek%26%23153%3B/Buck+Creek%26%23153%3B+Twisted+Ribbon+Trapper+with+Laser+Engraved+Buffalo+Horn+Handle/BC2543.html Here is an American John Primble. Not a high dollar knife but it's probably the best knife on the market under $50. You get a lot of quality per dollar. http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/John+Primble%C2%99/John+Primble®+Modified+Medium+Trapper+with+Brown+Jigged+Bone+Handle/JP0072B.html If your into tactical "pocket clip" knives there's no better than a Cold Steel http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Cold+Steel%26reg%3B/Cold+Steel®+American+Lawman%26%23153%3B+-+Large/CS58AL.html If you don't like these google Smokey Mountain Knife Works, visit their site and narrow it down by brand. There are a bunch of them in every pattern imaginable. I prefer a trapper but a mini trapper is too small for my liking.

I haven't used the traditional utility knife, but the fastback is awesome. Be nice if they could engineer some onboard blade storage though.

I load coal trains and pull out loads and put back empties at plants and stuff mostly. I also switch cars into station order for mainline runs. for example I have to put all the cars bound for Cleveland on the front, Toledo's in the middle, Chicago's on the rear etc. I also have to do brake inspections/tests, make sure my train meets all the requirements to be road worthy, and secure the authority for the train to operate. There are days I sit on my ass all day, and days I walk 7 miles, all depends on the train.

Yea I couldn't do it man. Be like pimping out my wife.

Never used the Lennox either, but all their stuff I have used has been quality.

It was a sweet gig. Connections get you that job. In the A/C playing with power tools....ah, memories. I'd have retired on that job.

Up until some time in the 1930's a company called E.C. Simmons Hardware in St. Louis made the best knives on the planet called Keen Kutter. The made a lot of hand tools bearing that name as well. A lot of hardcore knife guys still carry them to this day. You can find them from time to time on eBay for around $100 - $150. The Keen Kutter name was sold several times and was last used by Frost in the mid 1990's but if it says E.C. Simmons it's the real deal.

Well....I carry an Eye Brand. A lot of people call them German Eye's or Eyeballs. It's one of the few actual hammer forged knives left. There is also a brand called Bulldog that is made in the same foundry as Eye brand in Soligen. You also have Buck Creek, German Bull, and Boker coming out of Soligen. Of these Boker and Eye brand offer the widest selections while the others are fairly limited in terms of patterns and handle material. The vast majority of your German knives will be carbon steel blades. Carbon steel is easier to sharpen and will produce a sharper edge, but it rust. When I say it will rust I MEAN IT WILL RUST! Like if it's in your pocket and you sweat it will start to rust. Most of your pocket knife purist will only carry carbon. With proper care you can keep it nice. You'll need to keep the blades oiled and remove rest spots with a sanding sponge or something. It's possible, but most people don't keep up with it. If your looking at carbon blades Boker has a series out right now that have handles made from German beer barrels. They are awesome. I wanted stainless blades and if your looking for a stainless German knife Eye brand offers a few models with surgical stainless. The are the finest stainless knives you'll ever find. I have a trapper with stag handles I've carried for 9 years and it's as much a part of me as my index finger. Another German knife that has historically been top of the mark is Hen & Rooster. Now, a couple years ago H & R was purchased by Jim Frost of Frost Cutlery. If you aren't familier with Frost, they're responsible for every shitty $3 knife and cheesy "collectors edition" knife on the face of the planet. They immediately began ruining them. They make the blades in Soligen and affix them to Chinese bodies in China. Some of them are 100% Chinese so it a crap shoot unless you know exactly what to look for. If your looking for an American knife go with either a Case or a John Primble. You can shop for knives until your eyes hurt at eknifeworks.com Narrow it by brand as there are THOUSANDS of knives. If you want stainless, cough up the $90 for the Eye brand trapper. If you want carbon, go for the beer Boker. I'll add some links when I get home tomorrow for you to check out.

Then again, your talking about a complete overhaul of the company model. Some company's pull it off, and some don't. We could end up with another top notch tool clawing for market share, or another Porter Cable. It'll be interesting regardless. Assuming there's some truth to this article that is.

I don't look for Dewalt to match Hilti in terms of quality, but for the right price it won't matter. Most big jobs I was on the tools were typically bought new for each contract anyway. If Dewalt had any success, I would have to think Hilti would have to step it up in the pro consumer market to make up ground.

We drink tea only in the summer, only if it's ice cold, and only if it's really sweet. That's the southern way anyhow. Not sure how the Yankees do it.

Here's an interesting article I found on the web: "Being on the inside of the tool business we can tell you there is one common enemy most power tool brands share, Hilti. This is because Hilti has done 3 unique things that really separated them from the competition of Bosch, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, etc. Those 3 things are going direct, selling the “complete solution” and locking in customers with leases which are very hard to leave. In the 2000’s Hilti was on fire but with the downturn then relatively flat economy, the going direct option has become a somewhat shaky proposition. The practice of locking customers in with leases that can cost 2-3+ times the price of the competitor’s tools has absolutely backfired in many cases. What remains a solid business model everyone else has tried to copy and what keeps Hilti in business at all (in our opinion) is selling the system. They have done it so well that not only do they sell the tools, the accessories and the fasteners they go well beyond that and get their SKUs speced into the architect blue prints! So how can Stanley and Dewalt learn from this model and bring it to their basket of brands? Acquiring Powers Fasteners sure would be a good start! It is not clear what the full story is yet, so far just a lot of message board chatter or what this could means for Stanley and the Powers Fasteners brand but it is not hard to imagine them wanting to sell some fasteners along with that new yellow rotary hammers drill or vis-versa. It does look like Powers has changed to recommending Dewalt Tools on all their PDFs which was Hitachi as of a few days ago. Will they go direct and cut out the construction supply houses all together? Maybe Mac Tool (another Stanley company) Trucks will be making construction site deliveries here soon? If this is more than just an elaborate web of rumors we will certainly know more next week."

The old Stanley screwdrivers with the transparent yellow handles and red or blue strips to designate regular or Phillips were tough. They were made in America and had a lot of heft to them.