Jump to content

Conductor562

Moderators
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    6,064

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    200

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Conductor562

  3. Your favorite power tool brand?

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    During my last tile project I used my M18 Hammer to mix the grout and it never broke a sweat. I didn't have the nuts to try the thin set thought. Last winter I had to drill about 80 holes in 1X's with a 7/8 spade bit making snowmen decorations. I finished up with 2 bars left on the gauge. I still had 3 bars until very late in the project. Impressed the hell out of me.

  5. Your favorite power tool brand?

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    All the brands with the exception of Ridgid have a shorter warranty on their batteries. Most are 2 years, some are 3. Ridgid has a non-transferable lifetime warranty on their tools sold after a certain day in 2005. My father in-laws company just switched over to Ridgid stuff just for the warranty. They seem to be pretty happy with them so far. My wet saw is an awesome little saw for 3 or 4 times a year I end up laying tile. I've got the Ridgid Tri-Stack air compressor that I've been very happy with, but it only came with a 3 year warranty. Even if the specs are a little lower than the true professional brands a lifetime warranty makes Ridgid worth a hard look.

  6. Your favorite power tool brand?

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    I can tell you that Milwaukee warranties go 5 years from the date of purchase if you can provide proof of purchase or the date of manufacture if you can't. I registered all my tools using the "My Toolbox" feature on the Milwaukee website which asks for a date of purchase. Would they honor that date without a bill of sale? Good question, I've wondered that myself. I've never had to make a warranty claim on any of them so I can't provide any feedback on that. On my Ridgid wet saw (lifetime warranty) I went online and it made me print out a form that I had to send in with a copy of the bill of sale and the proof of purchase from the box. Dewalt works pretty much the same as Milwaukee only it's a 3 year warranty. The added benefit for Dewalt is that there is a service center about 30 minutes from my house. Makita has a weird warranty system. I believe that on most tools it's 2 years but I've heard they've started offering 3 on some of their new stuff.

  8. Your favorite power tool brand?

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    Well....I grew up around Dewalt stuff, almost exclusively Dewalt, and when my dad started buying me tools for birthdays and Christmases, he bought me Dewalt. By all conventional schools of thought I should have carried on the trend but when I got my first Union construction job (before I started jockeying coal trains) they provided me with a Milwaukee Sawzall and drill. The drill was nice but it was the Sawzall that really won me over. Now for the sake of fairness the Dewalt I had was a $99 base model while the Milwaukee I had been issued was a 15 amp Cadillac but at that point in my life I didn't pay any more attention to that than I did the tires I continually burnt off my car. When I outgrew those starter tools and some began to wear out I remembered the awesomeness of that Sawzall and gave Milwaukee a hard look. I didn't just jump in and drop 2 or 3 grand in a leap of faith, I did my research and based on my past experience and the market conditions at the time Milwaukee seemed like the safest bet. To be honest, I never really considered Bosch. I had no significant prior hands on experience with them, the availability was extremely limited in my area, and I didn't much care for that retro "upward angle" design of their drills. Makita intrigued me for a moment. I really liked the visual appeal of their stuff, they had a reputation for quality, and there was enough of a selection locally for me to play with them before I bought them. What eventually turned me off to Makita was the absence of a significant 12V line and they seemed to be in a Lithium/NiMh transition which made me a little nervous. By this point I pretty much had it narrowed down to Dewalt or Milwaukee. Dewalt was just in the early days of launching the 20V Max line and the 12V Max line consisted of a drill and a driver. There didn't seem to be any buzz about new tools coming and most Dewalt guys seemed to be a little confused themselves with the fact that they launched a new line that contained enough tools to track on one hand, and they were still releasing more antiquated NiCad tools. Milwaukee however had just released the Red Lithium battery and it was the hot topic on all the tool sites and gathered awesome reviews. Their 12V line was by far the most extensive and was the only line that offered all the tools I was interested in. They were releasing really innovative tools like the copper tubing cutter and Propex expansion tools and they had an awesome battery platform that they were totally committed to. All that coupled with my past experience and the 5 year warranty and I was sold. Every tool I got I liked just enough to buy another, and another, and another, and I was never disappointed. Even my dad who'd been strictly Dewalt since the dawn of Dewalt said if he were to start fresh he'd have a really tough decision to make. I do not use my tools daily, but I do use them quite regularly and I've been nothing but happy with them. No matter what kind of tool I've used, I've never reconsidered my decision for a moment. Dropped my M18 Hammer drill off my roof on the sidewalk, barley marred the rubber overmold. Dropped my M12 driver out of my attic on the garage floor, popped the battery back in and it never missed a beat. Other then the shitty paper clamp on my sander I can't say a cross word about any of the 15 Milwaukee tools I own. I'm hooked.

    • Like 1

  12. Your favorite power tool brand?

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    Hey guys just looking to drum up some interesting conversation so I come forth with this question: What is your favorite brand of power tools and why? If you aren't loyal to one particular brand, why not? I'm mostly curious as to what makes people tick. None of this "because they're the best" crap. Tell us why they're the best. Besides, everyone knows Milwaukee is the best anyway! lol

    • Like 1

  13. Looking for gift advice

    in Power Tools

    Posted

    I know I'm a tad late on this but.....If he wants to cut angles (and your prepared to spend the extra $50) for $199 you could get him a nice quality 10" Ridgid brand compound miter saw from Home Depot. Very versatile tool and a must have for anyone wishing to do any real quality wood projects.

  16. Any Good Hand Tool Kit?

    in Hand Tools

    Posted

    You'd be surprised how many people don't know about Proto. They're the top tier brand offered by Stanley. They are 100% American made. I got turned on to them by my Dad who was supplied Proto stuff by his employer. He told me about all the abuse they took without compromise and started bringing me home what extras he could. They don't always have the flashy look of the tool truck brands, but man are they top notch. Believe it or not they're sometimes hard to acquire. You can't buy directly from them, they don't have a truck distribution system, they aren't associated with any physical retail chain, and they spend next to nothing on advertising. They don't fool around with Nascar or the DIY shows, their entire business is heavy industry. The best selection is through Granger but you know how that goes. I get most of my stuff from ebay or the through Toolup.com/proto Due to their relative obscurity you can also find them at flea markets and yard sales for cheap. Their combination wrenches are killer as are their ratchets. They offer about 4 different styles. I prefer their Pear head ratchets. They're 60 tooth, have a sturdy look and feel about them, and are available in 2 or 3 different lengths depending on which size drive your dealing with. They also have round head ratchets that are 72 tooth. I only have a 1/4 round head but I like it so well I think I'll have myself a 3/8 version as well. They have an aerospace ratchet for specific applications. If they ever bust they'll send you a rebuild kit that takes about 5 minutes to change out. They offer 2 types of screwdrivers. One is the old school looking clear/yellow plastic handled models while the other is a very nice cushion grip which strongly resembles the Wiha design. I'm also very fond of their adjustable wrenches. Very little jaw wobble compared to most others I've used. They certainly aren't as convenient to buy or exchange as Snap-On, Matco, Craftsman, etc, but there shouldn't be much exchanging required.

  17. Milwaukee palm sander 6020-21

    in Milwaukee

    Posted

    The website I found listed at $495 but I believe it was in a non-USD currency. I'm going to guess it's primarily a european tool and the US models employ a converter box rather than a tool designed solely for US distribution. I may be way the hell off, but that's the most logical explanation I can conjure.

  22. Milwaukee palm sander 6020-21

    in Milwaukee

    Posted

    I've got lots of Milwaukee tools and I can honestly say I never had a serious gripe about any of them....until I bought their 1/4 sheet palm sander. All things considered it's a good tool. It's 3 amps where most are either 2 or 2.5 and it's built like an armored truck, by far the most powerful I've used. It's great for smoothing out a rough surface or shaping corners but in finer detail applications it almost has too much power. My only complaint is with the paper clamp system. It is awful! If it were 1/1000th of a degree harder to change it would require 2 people. It's like a Ferrari with 4 flat tires. I've noticed they've gotten pretty hard to find and when you do find them they're usually refurbished. Anyone heard of or seen an updated model? Am I off base in thinking that's likely the reason for the unavailability?

    28459_6020-21.jpg

  25. Any Good Hand Tool Kit?

    in Hand Tools

    Posted

    Determining who makes the best of anything usually amounts to nothing more than personal prefferance. I like Channellock pliers because I've owned their products for as long as I can remember. I still have the same pair of 420 Channellocks my dad gave me to keep me occupied while he was working in his garage when I was 5 years old. I give them to my little boy to play with and the Lord willing maybe he'll do the same. There's just something about them that makes them feel right in my hand. Can I say they're better than Klein, Knipex, or Snap-On pliers? No I can't, but I feel confident in saying they're just as good. I don't make a living with them, but I use them at least 3 or 4 times a week and I've had them for 25 years so I can't complain. Buy yourself quality tools. If you do you'll enjoy them, you'll be proud of them, and the extra money you spent to get them will never cross your mind. I've seen a lot of people cuss at their Chinese junk tools and slam them against the wall, but I've yet to see the first Proto or Snap-On ratchet hit the wall. You get what you pay for. Buy the best tools you can afford and you'll never be sorry. Your one of us, you may not realize it yet, but you are. The fact that this guy "criticized your items" prompted you to seek out advice means it's in your blood. Next thing you know your homeowners insurance provider will as for pictures of your tools because they think your tool inventory claims are embellished. Be sure and let us know what you decide to go with.

    • Like 1
×
×
  • Create New...