Conductor562
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Posts posted by Conductor562
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Dewalt was bought by Black & Decker in the very early 1960's. A lot of people will tell you it was in the 1990's but that's just not true. Most people weren't familiar with Dewalt until B&D launched the Dewalt line of power tools, so that may be why. A couple years ago Stanley and B&D merged and is now called Stanley Black & Decker though technically B&D is listed as a wholly owned subsidy. So I guess the answer would be that Dewalt is owned by Black & Decker which is owned by Stanley. Porter Cable is also owned by them and it appears they've chosen to market it at a DIY type price point. I don't know about all of their stuff, but from what I'm gathering the quality is suffering a bit. Delta was a B&D brand as well, but I believe they sold it off recently.
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Anything from Harbor Freight is awful. I've heard people say they've managed to get something there that turned out to be descent, but I've never had such luck.
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I've always bought good quality hand tools so I can't speak from experience, but I know the type. The quality of cheaper hands tools is a little better than it used to be. They're still shitty enough, just not as shitty as they once were. With hand tools it seems like the quality tools have gotten a little shittier while the shitty tools have gotten a little better, like everything is gravitating toward the middle. For me the real trick has been finding descent hardware. You can't hardly find a descent nut, bolt, or screw anymore. HD and Lowe's offer Chinese junk so any of the few local hardware stores that remain have to offer the same shitty stuff and still sell it for more to try and stay alive. You can go get industrial grade stuff from Smith Fastner, Fastenall, or any of the other industrial suppliers, but if your like me it's an hours drive which is pretty far fetched if you need a hand full of assorted stuff. You can still get pretty descent wood and drywall screws, but machine or sheet metal screws, anything like that, you might as well forget it.
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How much longer does she have to go to be the longest reining monarch? I bet Prince Charles is chomping at the bit.
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It's very apparent that the Milwaukee line of hand tools is geared toward Plumbing/HVAC and Electrical workers where as the Dewalt line is geared more toward framers and general contractors. That kinda seems to be the marketing direction the companies are going as well without actually coming out and saying it. The Dewalt 30' tape measure with the 13' standout is awesome.
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Is anyone using any of these Milwaukee hand tools? They look nice and appear to be good quality, but then again, so did the Titanic. I bought the folding knife that uses a Sawzall blade and the fastback utility knife and they're both great tools. Is anyone using these tools to make a living? If so, how do they measure up?
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My brother visited the UK on a school trip. He really enjoyed himself. I was pissed when I found out there is such a thing as Johnny Walker Yellow and he didn't bring me back a bottle. I seldom drink, but when the occasion arises there's nothing better than JW Blue label. Unfortunately $250 a bottle is a bit pricey so I usually settle for Black label. He did bring me some packets of Brown sauce though. Never knew there was such a thing.
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I followed up on this. Looks like they are up and running in the Fredrickburg, MD area. Personally, I wouldn't pimp out my tools but I understand not everyone is as particular about their tools as I am. Prices vary a bit. I saw 18V NiCd Dewalt hammer drills as cheap as $9 a day and as much as $21 a day. I'm interested to see if it takes off.
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While we're on the subject of Channellock's, has anyone used any of their Nutbuster models? I haven't got to try any of them yet.
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I found the 13 piece Milwaukee hole saw kit at HD on Black Friday for 1/2 price. It seems to be good quality but I very rarely use them. Couldn't pass them up for that price though. The quick change arbours are a hell of a lot better than the old school ones. I'm like you Wayne, I'd like to see some in depth testing and reviews on bits, blades, etc.
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Different how Wayne?
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I dunno who makes the best, but I know the Bosch jig saw blades are great. The redesigned Milwaukee Sawzall blades are the best ones I've used. It's hard to Freud circular, table, or Miter saw blade though.
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I don't know what the call it, but it looks like a 3/4 circle. They are nice pliers though. I carry them in my grip. Rarely have a need for them unless I run into a bad train line gasket or on the rare occasion I have a caboose and want to hook up my whistle.
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I tried to post a pick but it doesn't look like it's working.
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Hoping everyone can see this.
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These are what I'm looking for. I already have the side cutters, but nothing else.
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Harbor Freight should receive some sort of engineering commendation. No one on earth has displayed such masterful skill in cheapening up things in ways previously thought impossible. Harbor Freight has redefined the very meaning of "junky piece of shit". If they'd have spent half the time they devoted to ruining shit to making quality stuff we'd be years ahead of where we are. I've bought lots of things there thinking "there is no way they can screw this up" only to find out how totally wrong I was. I bought a rubber mallet there once thinking that even a lesser grade of tool could suffice when we're talking about a chuck of rubber on a stick. Wrong! It crumbled after 4 or 5 uses. Wire brushes, won't even waste my breath. Even water hose gaskets. How in the name of Christ does one go about screwing up a small rubber ring? When I look over and see the picture of the manager on the wall I can't help but think of how ashamed his father must be. I have a moral conflict with going as far as calling what harbor freight sells "tools". I feel awful buying their "tools" for my 3 year old boys to play with even though I know it'll be left in the yard anyway. I'll hit it with the lawn mower and put it out of its inferior misery and I'll know that the world is a better place for its sacrifice.
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I live in a little town of about 2,500 people right in the middle between Charleston and Huntington (35 minutes to either) but these hills aren't to swell for radio reception, or any reception for that matter.
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When you go to Milwaukee HQ sneak in the back room and see if they're working on a table saw. I'm looking to replace my $149 B&D special about next spring. I'm looking at the Makita contractor saw and the Bosch 4100, but I'd wait and give the red team first look.
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Will do. The old lady asked what I wanted for fathers day. I showed her the saw and emailed her a link to it at toolbarn.com so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
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HaHaHaHa! I learned basic carpentry with the same damn Craftsman jig saw with the turntable shaft. Son of a bitch wasn't worth it's weight in scrap. Ah, memories.
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Well, there are 2 that really compete for the top spot.
I was in a pinch and needed a compound miter saw. I'd spent all my extra cash on the remodeling project I was in so dropping $300 or more on a nice one wasn't really an option. When in the market for a cheap solution where does one turn other than harbor freight. Big mistake! The son of a bitch was awful! It mitered at +/- 7 degrees and when utilizing the slide feature I'm reasonably sure one could cut straighter with a coping saw. I can't comment on its longevity because I ended giving the son of a bitch away and thankfully haven't seen nor heard of it since. It was a fine piece of equipment. Built to the same tolerances as notebook paper.
Being one to not learn my lesson, I purchased an 8" bench grinder from harbor freight not long after that. With the coupon I had I ended up with just over $30 in it. I figured what the hell, I seldom use one anyway, no need to spend the extra money for something I'm only going to use once a month anyway. Once again I would live to see the error of my ways. Within a couple days of buying it we found a house for sale that we liked. We made an offer on it a few months prior but the people who outbid us had their loan fall through so it was ours if we wanted it. We bought the house so there was no sense installing it on my bench at the old house. By the time we moved and I got around to building a new bench in the new garage I'd had this grinder for 7 months or more. I set it on the bench, drilled the holes and mounted it, plugged it in, turned it on, and before it even got up to full speed a puff of smoke rolled out the bottom and it was dead. That's right, less than one use and the God damned thing just died! Out, like disco. I unbolted it and threw it in the brush across the railroad tracks and went to HD and bought a Ryobi. I've used it probably 50 times so far which makes it 50 times and counting better than the other one.
I have not purchased a tool from Harbor Freight since. I figured out right then that it's better to pay a lot once than a little 15 times.
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I've got a couple pairs of Proto pliers and a set of Knipex t&g's and while they're good quality pliers, I wouldn't trade my Channellock pliers for them. The only complaint I have is that their bent needle nose model 386 (the only bent model they make) is a bit to bulky at the tips to be effective in many situations. The Proto equivilant that I have are much thinner and easier to manage in tight spots. The trade off is obviously durability as I'm on my 2nd pair of Proto's. Can't beat Channellock's, quality tools still made stateside in Meadville, PA
Milwaukee hand tools
in Hand Tools
Posted
From what I've read it looks like B&D purchased ELU in the early 1990's and used a lot of their technology in designing the original Dewalt cordless systems. This caught my attention because I remembered you mentioning ELU in an earlier post.