Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...

They tend to make quite interesting tools and they tend to make them well. Their stuff is a system generally and everything compliments everything else which is nice (dangerously expensive).

Domino machine - brilliant and unique (although patent runs out next year)

Tracksaw (they possibly invented the modern day rail saw) - I replaced my Bosch system with it and it is much better as a package.

Rotex sander - brillaint...geared mode is fab.

TXS 10.8v drill...for something so underpowered, it is a work of art. Centrotec chucks/bits are brill too.

Midi Vac - great suction, lovely hose and the bluetooth remote is great.

Etc. Etc.

Don't get me wrong, I have other branded tools as well - but the Festool stuff is just nice to use.

Agreed. There's also a huge amount of 'quality of life' features and stuff there too - especially for easy and quick marking out/alignment.

However, whilst I adore my festool stuff, the vast majority is Dewalt. For 'most' tools, it's not worth the juice for me, but the stuff like plunge saw/domino I think it is...

Spoken like someone who has never used a Rotex 90 It's a specialist tool, but for refinishing doors, stair cases etc, there isn't anything better. Geared mode for quick stripping of finish, random orbit mode for the finish coat, pop on the bumper so you don't sand the cault/silicone away on a window cill, then switch to a delta pad for the corners...and getting in between the spindles on the stair case use the slot sanding base. Oh...and all done with zero dust. Nada. And when paired with the Granat sandpaper (which is very well priced when bought in large volumes), it just makes even more sense.

It seems farcical, but for high quality work, no other manufacturer makes it that easy. I am a bit of a junkie when it comes to sanders...I seem to collect them. Several bosch pro corded and cordless, Dewalt sheet sander, a little Metabo 80mm sander...but for the jobs you need it, the RO90 is indispensable.

I would like a RO150, but can't really justify it. But if I was regularly refinishing floors, worktop, tables etc it's a no brainer as geared mode saves about 90% of the time against a normal random orbit.

That looks very interesting.

Horses for courses but impact drivers are not for me. I've tried them but they just don't suit the type of work I do.

But yes, I know what you mean, those shiny boxes do grow on you.

I'm lost.

How exactly do these work, and where would you use them, and for that matter, how do you use them?

I doubt the plastic one would be strong enough and I can’t see how the metal one could lock on because it can’t turn unless the part between the top and bottom halves is a crush section *.

• as I wrote this I realised that’s the answer doh

Looking at the metal one, I think the two halves are mated on a circular sliding bearing. You close it, and you have an asymmetric nut with a continuous thread across both halves. That does mean the clamping surface is only 75% or so of a whole nut, and presumably there is some weird torque against the threads at the sides (any mechanical/stress engineers thinking the same?)

However, the loads that (quality) fasteners can take are always ridiculously high compared to most domestic uses. Amazing what some grade A M8s can take along their axis.

Ooh, that's tempting... Especially as they're plastic locknuts across every single tap in the house, two have already broken - and I'd quite like to replace all 19 in the house, along with fitting isolators... £120 doesn't seem unreasonable for a freezing kit to enable that.

I really want to avoid draining down the system... It's a megaflow that confuses the living heck out of me (I've no experience with plumbing at all) and reliably having hot water is really important for my disabled Mrs.

Tbh, I wasn't thinking of replacing all of them, but if there's a reasonably simple way to do it then I will!