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What tools did you buy today?


JimboS1ice

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Well, I didn't buy this today, but I took it out of the package and started using it yesterday evening.  It's a "Milwaukee 25-ft Premium Magnetic Tape Measure":

 

20180409_080646.thumb.jpg.38ac9f138d73615f645818013330a786.jpg

 

I was at HD a couple of months ago and they had them on display.  There were two options: one for $24.97, or two for $24.97.  Gee, I wonder which is the better deal?  :huh:  I couldn't resist the two-fer, and they've been sitting on top of my toolchest waiting to be put into service until yesterday.

 

I was doing a basement lighting project where I had to measure along the ceiling, and my 25' Stanley magnetic Leverlock just wasn't cutting it.  Too much sag and droop.  So I unpacked one of these babies and man, SO much better.  The magnetic hook is just the right strength.  Stuck it to an electrical box and, while standing on the floor (not a ladder), I was able to feed the tape upwards and extend it along the ceiling, out to about 10' with very little sag.  Quick easy retraction; I don't have to coax it back in when I've spooled out a lot of tape like I do with the Stanleys.  

 

The hook seems to have a little spring behind it to take up the play.  Push it inward to make an inside measurement, and it gives easily; let it go, and it eases back to the outside measurement position on its own.

 

The tape itself has an interesting, lightly textured feel, which is useful for the finger stop:

 

20180409_080659.thumb.jpg.d65249d726966177b8bb37adebfa215d.jpg

 

Markings on the bottom side of the tape are a plus.

 

The case also has a nice grippy texture.  Touch surfaces are slightly rubberized, just enough to optimize grip without feeling sticky or gushy.  It's a little bulky and blocky, but still fits well in my medium-sized hand:

 

20180409_084029.thumb.jpg.5c7137c782aa6bbe13d6004af8e02044.jpg

 

That little indent on the back of the case provides a perfect grip for the pinky finger, and the groove on the bottom guides your index finger naturally to the finger stop notch.  The wire belt clip is surprisingly easier to use than the usual spring steel ones.  Milwaukee claims this tape is tough, and I see no reason to doubt it; it feels solid. 

 

The only complaints I have are its weight and appearance.  This thing is heavy as tapes go; 1lb 2.5oz by my scale. That's enough to sag your pants if you're not using a tool belt.  But if you want a thick, tough tape that doesn't sag or collapse, I suppose weight comes with it. 

 

As far as appearance goes, this is going to be a big digression, but I wish mass market tools looked a little more utilitarian, instead of trying to look mean and exciting.  This is more an issue for power tools - they all look like they've been drawn by sneaker designers, covered with needless jagged decorations - but since Milwaukee is primarily in the power tool business, it's not surprising that their hand tools have matching designs.  This tape is a minor offender compared to, say, these:  

 

miln2691-22_N1-1.jpg.6316ad9a9ca40d98f854b5db73d4ace5.jpg 

 

And Milwaukee is pretty conservative compared to some others:

 

15_2_grande.jpg.bc66e619e99c9bbbcf3cac5ab7abbd5b.jpg

 

But still, every time I see a tool with this kind of decoration, be it hand tool or power tool, I feel like the tool makers think we're all arrested-development cases, stuck at about 14 years old, and choosing a brand because they look cool and mean instead of on their merits as tools.  The tape reminds me of this general complaint, which is why I bring it up.

 

I seem to have yammered on longer than I intended.  Back to the point: It's a mighty good tape.  I'm impressed.

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Great review of the tape measure

 

29 minutes ago, dwasifar said:

But still, every time I see a tool with this kind of decoration, be it hand tool or power tool, I feel like the tool makers think we're all arrested-development cases, stuck at about 14 years old, and choosing a brand because they look cool and mean instead of on their merits as tools. 

 

Of course they do try to get us with looking cool. One brand sure seems to want to trigger our nostalgia about our childhood Tonka trucks.

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2 hours ago, BMack37 said:

Of course they do try to get us with looking cool. One brand sure seems to want to trigger our nostalgia about our childhood Tonka trucks.

 

I assume you're talking about DeWalt yellow.  :)

 

Tonka was called that because, read backwards, it's "a knot," which is what came up on your little brother's head when you hit him with your Tonka truck.  

 

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

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3 hours ago, dwasifar said:

Well, I didn't buy this today, but I took it out of the package and started using it yesterday evening.  It's a "Milwaukee 25-ft Premium Magnetic Tape Measure":

 

20180409_080646.thumb.jpg.38ac9f138d73615f645818013330a786.jpg

 

I was doing a basement lighting project where I had to measure along the ceiling, and my 25' Stanley magnetic Leverlock just wasn't cutting it.  Too much sag and droop.  So I unpacked one of these babies and man, SO much better.  The magnetic hook is just the right strength.  Stuck it to an electrical box and, while standing on the floor (not a ladder), I was able to feed the tape upwards and extend it along the ceiling, out to about 10' with very little sag.  Quick easy retraction; I don't have to coax it back in when I've spooled out a lot of tape like I do with the Stanleys.  

 

Guys, check this out:

 

photo5071552818715928584.thumb.jpg.29c920161e70ddbba78ee0e902612e6c.jpg

 

Sitting at my desk in my office, I can extend this tape into the far corner of the ceiling without it buckling.  Better than ten feet of standout.  That's just insane.

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5 hours ago, dwasifar said:

Well, I didn't buy this today, but I took it out of the package and started using it yesterday evening.  It's a "Milwaukee 25-ft Premium Magnetic Tape Measure":

 

20180409_080646.thumb.jpg.38ac9f138d73615f645818013330a786.jpg

 

I was at HD a couple of months ago and they had them on display.  There were two options: one for $24.97, or two for $24.97.  Gee, I wonder which is the better deal?  :huh:  I couldn't resist the two-fer, and they've been sitting on top of my toolchest waiting to be put into service until yesterday.

 

I was doing a basement lighting project where I had to measure along the ceiling, and my 25' Stanley magnetic Leverlock just wasn't cutting it.  Too much sag and droop.  So I unpacked one of these babies and man, SO much better.  The magnetic hook is just the right strength.  Stuck it to an electrical box and, while standing on the floor (not a ladder), I was able to feed the tape upwards and extend it along the ceiling, out to about 10' with very little sag.  Quick easy retraction; I don't have to coax it back in when I've spooled out a lot of tape like I do with the Stanleys.  

 

The hook seems to have a little spring behind it to take up the play.  Push it inward to make an inside measurement, and it gives easily; let it go, and it eases back to the outside measurement position on its own.

 

The tape itself has an interesting, lightly textured feel, which is useful for the finger stop:

 

20180409_080659.thumb.jpg.d65249d726966177b8bb37adebfa215d.jpg

 

Markings on the bottom side of the tape are a plus.

 

The case also has a nice grippy texture.  Touch surfaces are slightly rubberized, just enough to optimize grip without feeling sticky or gushy.  It's a little bulky and blocky, but still fits well in my medium-sized hand:

 

20180409_084029.thumb.jpg.5c7137c782aa6bbe13d6004af8e02044.jpg

 

That little indent on the back of the case provides a perfect grip for the pinky finger, and the groove on the bottom guides your index finger naturally to the finger stop notch.  The wire belt clip is surprisingly easier to use than the usual spring steel ones.  Milwaukee claims this tape is tough, and I see no reason to doubt it; it feels solid. 

 

The only complaints I have are its weight and appearance.  This thing is heavy as tapes go; 1lb 2.5oz by my scale. That's enough to sag your pants if you're not using a tool belt.  But if you want a thick, tough tape that doesn't sag or collapse, I suppose weight comes with it. 

 

As far as appearance goes, this is going to be a big digression, but I wish mass market tools looked a little more utilitarian, instead of trying to look mean and exciting.  This is more an issue for power tools - they all look like they've been drawn by sneaker designers, covered with needless jagged decorations - but since Milwaukee is primarily in the power tool business, it's not surprising that their hand tools have matching designs.  This tape is a minor offender compared to, say, these:  

 

miln2691-22_N1-1.jpg.6316ad9a9ca40d98f854b5db73d4ace5.jpg 

 

And Milwaukee is pretty conservative compared to some others:

 

15_2_grande.jpg.bc66e619e99c9bbbcf3cac5ab7abbd5b.jpg

 

But still, every time I see a tool with this kind of decoration, be it hand tool or power tool, I feel like the tool makers think we're all arrested-development cases, stuck at about 14 years old, and choosing a brand because they look cool and mean instead of on their merits as tools.  The tape reminds me of this general complaint, which is why I bring it up.

 

I seem to have yammered on longer than I intended.  Back to the point: It's a mighty good tape.  I'm impressed.

 

Very true. Thats why I find Hilti to be the best looking of all the power tools.

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23 minutes ago, StrippedScrew said:

 

Very true. Thats why I find Hilti to be the best looking of all the power tools.

 

Yes, Hilti tools mostly look like they mean business.

 

Makita and Bosch haven't gone quite as far down that road as some of the other makers, but they're starting to. 

 

Also, I notice that cordless tools are much more likely to be covered in crazy decoration.  The corded versions tend to be more no-nonsense.  Case in point: Hitachi's 1/2" corded drill:

 

d10vf_side_new.jpg.231d767801a0c3631059912f65ab1dcf.jpg

 

Compared to their 1/2" cordless:

 

Hitachi-DS18DSAL.png.d4e32def1e36874f4fe6b0b950b4233e.png

 

I have that corded drill, btw.  It's a monster.  Use two hands.

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I picked up the One Key impact bare tool yesterday on clearance.  My DCF886 was feeling lonely as my only semi-current 18v class impact driver.  I haven't played with it yet, but it will see some use this weekend. 

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Why so many duplicates?  Do you break them?  Lose them?  Wear them out?  Stocking stuffers for xmas?  [emoji3]

Be

A friend was closing his business. And I’ve done Home favors so he sold them to me for 10 bucks each ! Got the ones I’d use the most :)))


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2 minutes ago, FlaveNico said:


A friend was closing his business. And I’ve done Home favors so he sold them to me for 10 bucks each ! Got the ones I’d use the most :)))
 

 

Too bad about your friend's business closing, but it looks like you got a sweet deal.

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On 4/9/2018 at 4:16 PM, dwasifar said:

 

Yes, Hilti tools mostly look like they mean business.

 

Makita and Bosch haven't gone quite as far down that road as some of the other makers, but they're starting to. 

 

Also, I notice that cordless tools are much more likely to be covered in crazy decoration.  The corded versions tend to be more no-nonsense.  Case in point: Hitachi's 1/2" corded drill:

 

 

I have that corded drill, btw.  It's a monster.  Use two hands.

 

I love the all black Makitas. The Milwaukee Fuels aren't that bad compared to the non-fuel.

milwaukee-2897-22-gen-2-fuel-18v-brushle

 

miln2701-22ct_N1-1.jpg

 

Porter Cable is really bad, Dewalt, Ryobi, Ridgid and Metabo look like toys too.

 

Some of the Festools too:

Festool-CSX-Compact-Cordless-Drill-Kit.j

 

 

 

 

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13 hours ago, BMack37 said:

Porter Cable is really bad, Dewalt, Ryobi, Ridgid and Metabo look like toys too.

 

 

Holy crap, yeah.  I hadn't seen Porter Cable in stores recently, but I googled for it, and wow, they are up and over the high side: 

 

6a1ca7cc-b8a0-43a9-9d70-a7003beea096.jpg.27d9436dcbdc2cb665c33f04bef74512.jpg

 

That is just ridiculous.  It looks like a twelve year old's idea of what a drill would look like in Star Wars.

 

 

Some of the Festools too:

Festool-CSX-Compact-Cordless-Drill-Kit.j

 

Was this the more or less the image you were trying to post?

 

f1a5d57e341e4b82d1dafcbd7446b20c7f4393c2.jpg.c12e18c6cae490c3522c2eae923af8e2.jpg

 

I don't know that I'd say it's excessively decorated, but that sure is one weird design.  I don't like it.  Seems like it would get in the way.

 

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48 minutes ago, dwasifar said:

Was this the more or less the image you were trying to post?

 

I don't know that I'd say it's excessively decorated, but that sure is one weird design.  I don't like it.  Seems like it would get in the way.

 

 

Yeah, the color placement, the design and no overmold makes it look like a toy space gun.

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56 minutes ago, dwasifar said:

 

Holy crap, yeah.  I hadn't seen Porter Cable in stores recently, but I googled for it, and wow, they are up and over the high side: 

 

6a1ca7cc-b8a0-43a9-9d70-a7003beea096.jpg.27d9436dcbdc2cb665c33f04bef74512.jpg

 

That is just ridiculous.  It looks like a twelve year old's idea of what a drill would look like in Star Wars.

 

It took me a while to look it up and find the title, but there was a science fiction story in the 1950s called "The Marching Morons."  In the story, the world has devolved into a large population of idiots (kind of like Idiocracy) and a small group of overworked smart people who keep things running.  A big part of their work involves keeping the idiots distracted by dressing up ordinary products to appear more powerful and advanced than they actually are.  Cars have exaggerated speedometers and fake roaring engine sounds; jet planes are dressed up to look like rocket ships.  

 

That was 1951.  Here's what your dad's (or maybe granddad's) drill looked like in 1951:

 

ece2c2ce2d0f94f501fc953b87030720.jpg.1f5a0232cbfa955301d66483d6804b37.jpg

 

Yes, there have been some technical improvements since, but nothing that requires the drill to look like that Porter Cable.

 

Today, if you get a plain utilitarian drill in the consumer market, it's probably a sub-Harbor-Freight piece of crap:

 

pro-series-power-drills-ps07216-64_1000.thumb.jpg.868882bdab920bd94a38289d677d2b23.jpg

 

The whiz-bang decorations are apparently supposed to signify that the product is better than basic, which is deeply ironic in that they assume the buyer is buying the better product for stupid reasons.

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Was this the more or less the image you were trying to post?
 
f1a5d57e341e4b82d1dafcbd7446b20c7f4393c2.jpg.c12e18c6cae490c3522c2eae923af8e2.jpg
 
I don't know that I'd say it's excessively decorated, but that sure is one weird design.  I don't like it.  Seems like it would get in the way.
 

Porter cable in the uk is Stanley fatmax and it’s total crap 28381e3fbbf3e91e590069e80aac0d2d.jpg


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55 minutes ago, dwasifar said:

 

It took me a while to look it up and find the title, but there was a science fiction story in the 1950s called "The Marching Morons."  In the story, the world has devolved into a large population of idiots (kind of like Idiocracy) and a small group of overworked smart people who keep things running.  A big part of their work involves keeping the idiots distracted by dressing up ordinary products to appear more powerful and advanced than they actually are.  Cars have exaggerated speedometers and fake roaring engine sounds; jet planes are dressed up to look like rocket ships.  

 

That was 1951.  Here's what your dad's (or maybe granddad's) drill looked like in 1951:

 

ece2c2ce2d0f94f501fc953b87030720.jpg.1f5a0232cbfa955301d66483d6804b37.jpg

Ironically what I like most about this story is how 1950s sci-fi this drill looks

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I know I just defecated on Porter Cable in the router thread I started, but this was too good a deal to pass up. My Dewalt oscillating tool shat the bed in Florida. I put it through  a decade's worth of work in 4 months, and it was already a few years old. I needed a new one, but with all the money I've spent the past few months on tools, I was looking for a deal. The Porter-Cable pce606k was on sale for 80 bucks. I've seen them over 130.00 in the past and 100.00 seems like the going rate lately, but this was too good. They had three left, one was an open box. I looked it over and it appeared to be in new condition, like maybe someone just opened it. I asked if they'd do a discount on it and I was out the door for 64 bucks :)  I wanted a new one and wasn't about to drop 150-200 on another one. I considered stepping over to Satan's Warehouse and grab their 30 dollar Chicago Electric  tool, but I'll never buy a power tool with a 90 day warranty, ever. It's too bad, because I did go to HF today to grab some sundries and saw that tool. It's heavy and solid feeling.

 

But to add to my tool purchases I got a 50 foot roll of rubber air hose on clearance for 20 bucks, a 17 piece air accessory kit with all new couplings and M connectors and since someone swiped my bullnose nail pullers in Florida, I got the Pittsburgh tool for 7 bucks. It's every bit as heavy duty as the 40 dollar set that vanished, plus it's got a lifetime warranty :)

 

Also grabbed a few packs of oscillating blades, 4.5 inch metal cutoff wheels for my angle grinder and got some Bosch crown moulding jigs for my Dewalt 780. Damn dewalt seems to have stopped making their own jigs and they were 30 dollars. The Bosch set is under 20 and fits the Dewalt saw just fine. Total win today

I cannot tell if I am happier about the PC saw or the air hose. I just bought an identical Dewalt rubber hose last month for 30 dollars and it had fittings on both ends. The HF hose had no fittings, but I got a quick connect and plenty of other goodies in my 17 piece kit.

 

Also grabbed a new PC 250 16 ga nailer Saturday . I just picked up a second trim job  and figured I'd leave one set of guns and a compressor at each house since both are vacant and I come and go as I please.

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10 hours ago, dwasifar said:

 

So is a cinder block.  :)

:lol:  and you know that cinder block has better tolerances built in.

 

I was kinda fascinated by that place. I almost have a hard time believing people buy their power tools. There are generally better options for roughly the same money from manufacturers who warranty their tools for an entire year. I cannot get over the 90 day warranty thing, especially on the Hercules line. I mean hell, they are charging big boy prices for their Hercules line, but still offering the ridiculous 90 day warranty. I highly doubt anything that's on the Herc line is better than any Rigid or Ryobi tool. Both of which come with pretty nice warranties. But I guess some people let their being a cheapfugger  override their ability to use logic and reason. I guess that's why the majority of videos for "miter saw" are for HF saws, with these goobers preening over their tools like a 16 year old who just got their first used Ford Maverick.

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2 hours ago, satchmodog said:

:lol:  and you know that cinder block has better tolerances built in.

 

I was kinda fascinated by that place. I almost have a hard time believing people buy their power tools. There are generally better options for roughly the same money from manufacturers who warranty their tools for an entire year. I cannot get over the 90 day warranty thing, especially on the Hercules line. I mean hell, they are charging big boy prices for their Hercules line, but still offering the ridiculous 90 day warranty. I highly doubt anything that's on the Herc line is better than any Rigid or Ryobi tool. Both of which come with pretty nice warranties. But I guess some people let their being a cheapfugger  override their ability to use logic and reason. I guess that's why the majority of videos for "miter saw" are for HF saws, with these goobers preening over their tools like a 16 year old who just got their first used Ford Maverick.

 

I saw someone do YouTube teardowns of some of those HF power tools.  There's a lot of corner-cutting to get them out at those prices, as you might imagine - flimsy bearings, cheap gearing, sloppy switches.  They have a 90 day warranty for a reason.  

 

I am a cheapfugger.  That's why I buy expensive tools.  It's cheaper to spend $80 once on a Makita or Milwaukee than it is to keep spending $25 on Chicago Electric over and over and over.  And that's not even taking into account the wasted time and ruined work from substandard tools.

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6 hours ago, rrich1 said:

Won a festool forstner bit set from the wood whisperer. Slightly used. And got a sticker as well. Woot! These can be used at an angle unlike regular forstner bits.@chriskfd20b08f8b956c51c38c2dcd75e9df78.jpg23add8a2cabe311348faa45354c97c34.jpgd703340e11b6a5cab0afee323a4b4215.jpg

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Congratulations bro! I’ve got a set and they are really really really high end. Also remember you can re sharpen them too!

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