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If You Had to Start Again...


fm2176

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It finally happened to you.  You were on a service call or construction site and left the truck unattended for a bit.  You stepped into the house for lunch, or left the van unlocked while grabbing a bite to eat at the local burger joint.  Worse yet, your shop was broken into or a trusted friend or employee proved to be a thief.  The police report has been filed, but unless your tools end up in the local pawn shop, there's little chance of getting them back.  Maybe your insurance will cover the loss, maybe not.  Regardless, some dope fiend stole your property for a fix and now you find yourself in need of replacing your expensive cordless tools.  The good news is, it's an ideal time for an upgrade.  Your old tools were getting long in the tooth anyway, and those old 4Ah batteries weren't running as long as they used to.  So the question is, regardless of whatever brand(s) you're invested in now, what brand would you replace them with if they were lost/stolen?

 

I almost hate to admit it, but I might be tempted to take the Ryobi road unless I end up using tools to earn a living.  Of all the brands I own Ryobi is the least "sexy" and by far the cheapest, but the tools do the job.  Also, I find myself using One+ non-tools more than the tools themselves, such as the Air Cannon fan, Score speakers, and 150-Watt inverter.  If I turned turned pro again I'd probably choose Milwaukee these days.  DeWalt has been a long-time favorite of mine, but with a background as a mechanic, I think Milwaukee has them beat when it comes to ratchets and impact wrenches (not taking into account Mac Tools' interchangeability with DeWalt).  

 

If you had to start again...replace every cordless tool you currently own...what would you choose?    

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Postscript:

 

It isn't a pleasant thing to think about for honest people, especially those who rely on their tools to earn a paycheck, but tool theft (and theft in general) happens all too often.  I don't know how many times I've seen unsecured Packout or ToughSystem boxes in the beds of pickups at Home Depot.  An opportunistic thief could easily grab one or two.  Maybe it's full of M18 Fuel tools and batteries, or maybe it holds some fittings and hardware.  That's a gamble most thieves would be willing to risk--after all, if the contents aren't valuable, the box itself is worth $20 or so to the right person.

 

When I have to transport my boxes in the truck bed, I always padlock them and have at least two cable locks securing them to the truck.  When possible, I put a tarp over them or obscure them with construction materials or debris.  

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19 hours ago, fm2176 said:

It finally happened to you.  You were on a service call or construction site and left the truck unattended for a bit.  You stepped into the house for lunch, or left the van unlocked while grabbing a bite to eat at the local burger joint.  Worse yet, your shop was broken into or a trusted friend or employee proved to be a thief.  The police report has been filed, but unless your tools end up in the local pawn shop, there's little chance of getting them back.  Maybe your insurance will cover the loss, maybe not.  Regardless, some dope fiend stole your property for a fix and now you find yourself in need of replacing your expensive cordless tools.  The good news is, it's an ideal time for an upgrade.  Your old tools were getting long in the tooth anyway, and those old 4Ah batteries weren't running as long as they used to.  So the question is, regardless of whatever brand(s) you're invested in now, what brand would you replace them with if they were lost/stolen?

 

I almost hate to admit it, but I might be tempted to take the Ryobi road unless I end up using tools to earn a living.  Of all the brands I own Ryobi is the least "sexy" and by far the cheapest, but the tools do the job.  Also, I find myself using One+ non-tools more than the tools themselves, such as the Air Cannon fan, Score speakers, and 150-Watt inverter.  If I turned turned pro again I'd probably choose Milwaukee these days.  DeWalt has been a long-time favorite of mine, but with a background as a mechanic, I think Milwaukee has them beat when it comes to ratchets and impact wrenches (not taking into account Mac Tools' interchangeability with DeWalt).  

 

If you had to start again...replace every cordless tool you currently own...what would you choose?    

I was always thinking of having all tools I need in one battery platform, I have given a time for it to finalize it by the end of 2024, either I will move to another battery platform, or will decide to be in two or three battery platforms. It is early to decide now. 

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1 hour ago, Altan said:

I was always thinking of having all tools I need in one battery platform, I have given a time for it to finalize it by the end of 2024, either I will move to another battery platform, or will decide to be in two or three battery platforms. It is early to decide now. 

 

That would be ideal.  Even for someone like me, an impulse buyer who essentially turned tool purchases into a hobby from 2016-2021 or so, it's not too late to streamline my platforms.  

 

I have the basics (drill, impact driver, and circular saw) in Milwaukee M12 and M18, DeWalt, Ridgid, and MetaboHPT.  I have a couple Ridgid 18v reciprocating saws along with the M18 Fuel Sawzall and M12 Fuel Hackzall.  

 

The only plus to having all that is the ability to kit out a few modular toolboxes without the need to mix and match platforms (read: have multiple batteries and chargers).  As I stated above, for my use I could probably get by with Ryobi as a sole, or at least primary, platform, though when I get into a renovation the tools are put through their paces.

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My OCD would not permit me to be on multiple battery platforms. I need everything to match. While I do own multiple brands of corded tools. My battery operated platform is all Craftsman V20.

 

That being said, if some thief had budget brain and stole all my V20 tools, I would start over again with Makita. It might take longer with the higher price, but that’s the route I’d go.

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On 4/2/2022 at 1:23 AM, fyrfytr998 said:

My OCD would not permit me to be on multiple battery platforms. I need everything to match. While I do own multiple brands of corded tools. My battery operated platform is all Craftsman V20.

 

That being said, if some thief had budget brain and stole all my V20 tools, I would start over again with Makita. It might take longer with the higher price, but that’s the route I’d go.

 

Good choice, I've heard a lot of good things about Makita, though it's one of the few brands I don't own.  When I picked up my brushless compact M18 drill kits the store had some similar Makita kits.  Both kits were holiday Special Buys that were originally $99 and marked down to $60 and both included a single 2Ah battery.  I only had 5Ah M18 batteries at that point and the batteries sold for $79 so it was a no-brainer to buy them.  I almost wish I'd have gotten one or two of the Makitas as well, since they had some other tools on clearance last year, but that's how you end up with eight or more different chargers to deal with.  😃

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Depends on what tools were stolen. If it came to my mowing equipment I would 100% get another SCAG. Not sure if I would stick with Ego for handheld lawn equipment though. I have had enough Ego problems with customer service and reliability than I care to admit. For woodworking and other power tools I would stick with my Festool and maybe add Makita. Most of the Festool I currently have I like and would get again. I like my DeWALT and Milwaukee stuff but the motors, while they have lots of power, sound like they run rough. Fit and finish aren't ideal either. For mobile storage I would stick with systainers for my Festool stuff and switch from Tough System to Packout for everything else. For shop storage and organization I have wanted to for awhile to design my own 3d printed organizational system so I would probably do that over my current tough system setup.

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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, fyrfytr998 said:

Pretty sure lawyers here in the states would find a way to sue on behalf of the criminal.

I think the system is designed in a way that we should need insurance, so I would say you are right. I am not sure if they are allowed in UK or not, this guy made an online petition and I voted in favor of him, I did not follow later. 

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5 hours ago, fyrfytr998 said:

Pretty sure lawyers here in the states would find a way to sue on behalf of the criminal.

Uh yeah. In 2022 would be thieves and burglars have no problem being litigious too. Remember, everyone has value.

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16 minutes ago, ChrisK said:

Uh yeah. In 2022 would be thieves and burglars have no problem being litigious too. Remember, everyone has value.

I think we should have a "Jail City" in every country similar to other cities but with wall and security around the city and put all thieves and burglars there and let them have a normal life there but with the stress of having all thieves around for the rest of their life. They can work there and pay a bit extra tax to cover the expenses that the government will have for the security and etc. 

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48 minutes ago, Altan said:

I think we should have a "Jail City" in every country similar to other cities but with wall and security around the city and put all thieves and burglars there and let them have a normal life there but with the stress of having all thieves around for the rest of their life. They can work there and pay a bit extra tax to cover the expenses that the government will have for the security and etc. 

Snake Splissken

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7 hours ago, ChrisK said:

Uh yeah. In 2022 would be thieves and burglars have no problem being litigious too. Remember, everyone has value.

 

Sad but true.  I've heard of multiple cases where a justified shooting, even inside one's home, results in a lawsuit by the criminal/"victim".  This is one reason some gun advocates warn against shooting to wound; the burglar or home invader has the chance to go after you in court.  Of course, you're open to a suit filed by family regardless.

 

When my house was burglarized, I not only lost most of my air and power tools but also my compressor, generator, chainsaw, TV, and much more.  When I arrived home after dark I was unarmed and noted that my .357 and a few other guns were missing.  Needless to say, I felt more vulnerable than I ever have, to include the projects of Richmond and my time in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I quickly grabbed a shotgun from the safe and put on my issued body armor but decided never again would I leave the house without something in the vehicle or on my person with the exception of going to work, as military installations still strictly control how privately owned firearms are to be transported.  

 

On the bright side, the theft of my pneumatic and corded tools prompted me to go cordless 

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