Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...

[Mars]

donkmeister said:

I know I'm missing the point of "because convenient", but one of the things I love about my B&S petrol powered mower is that I get to mend it.

Being able to diagnose a problem (it's almost certainly going to be the carb membrane) and repair it (by removing the carb and replacing the membrane) gives me a warm feeling without the weary dred that sometimes accompanies mending a complex 21st century engine.

If I buy an electric one, how am I going to replace that part of lawnmower joy?!

I have enough hobbies and I hate gardening. I just want the ultimate convenience when it comes to gardening tools - lightweight, competent, and if the batteries are compatible with the rest of my DeWalt kit (I'm sure I have nearly everything they sell by now), then all good. Also, I have a 21 solar panels on my roof, so free power.

Djtemeka said:

Mars said:

I totally understand why the 54v system exists - I just don't want to invest into a different battery tech to the 18v ones I already have. The mower with 2x18v batteries should be powerful enough for my needs, and if I owned 6x of those batteries (I'll buy a couple extras with the mower), should last long enough too.

If you saw the crappy little Bosch mains mower I have currently, this will be a huge step-up in both power and convenience.

For maximum "Batman" I need a belt which all my batteries can clip onto (joking).

The 54v system kicks out MUCH more power than the 18v system.

With 2x 54v batteries fitted it effectively is a 110v mower.

The batteries also last longer.
The 54v system is also backwards compatible to 18v so not a waste if you’re into 18v kit

I really do understand this but 36v is absolutely powerful enough for my garden.

[Harpoon]

Having used old flat headed screwdrivers to open paint cans for years (inevitably chewing up the lid, tin or both after a few goes), I spent £3 on some proper paint tin openers. Bloomin' marvelous things.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401499301915

[Ham_and_Jam]

Harpoon said:

Having used old flat headed screwdrivers to open paint cans for years (inevitably chewing up the lid, tin or both after a few goes), I spent £3 on some proper paint tin openers. Bloomin' marvelous things.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401499301915

Just bought. Been doing the same for years

[zalrak]

These have been on here previously. They are well worthwhile having:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stainless-Painters-Profes...

[JimM169]

Ham_and_Jam said:

Just bought. Been doing the same for years

I've joined the club as well

[loudlashadjuster]

What now...?!!

[Craikeybaby]

I bought a cheap sacrificial screwdriver to keep with the paint tins to keep my good screwdrivers safe when the wife decides to do some painting. Having the correct tool for the job, even stored with the paint, would probably mean that my good screwdrivers get used

[bodhi]

Worth noting if you go with Valspar paints you'll need a different opener thanks to those wonderful plastic lids they use. They can be opened by hand but it's much easier to just get the £2 opener from B n Q, as it will save a lot of swearing.

[geeks]

loudlashadjuster said:

What now...?!!

I mean I'd rather sacrifice a screwdriver than attempt opening a tin with that

[M11rph]

The Hamilton Perfection Roller Cleaner is a bargain at £2.50


There's a thingy for opening paint tins, even plastic ones, and the curved bit gets about 95% of the paint out of your roller too.

https://www.brewers.co.uk/product/NT6605

[dirtbiker]

Excellent, free postage too. Ordered!

[ferret50]

I must have been opening paint tins for almost 70 years and I never knew that there was a special tool for the job!



But I'd most likely forget where I had put it, so I'll continue to butcher the tins with a screwdriver as bashing the lid back into shape is part of the joy of DiY for me.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

sod cleaning rollers just bin and replace

[ferret50]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

sod cleaning rollers just bin and replace

Clearly doctors earn far too much, if you can afford to bin tools!

[Trustmeimadoctor]

Even really good quality roller sleeves don't cost much in the scheme of decorating properly. And getting them properly clean is too much of a mission as you really need to wash them scraping paint off doesn't cut it if your wanting to change colour.

Then you need extra sleeves anyway while they dry after washing. Easier to bin em

[Bonefish Blues]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

Even really good quality roller sleeves don't cost much in the scheme of decorating properly. And getting them properly clean is too much of a mission as you really need to wash them scraping paint off doesn't cut it if your wanting to change colour.

Then you need extra sleeves anyway while they dry after washing. Easier to bin em

Bloody high roller!

[Mars]

It just turned-up. The box was too large and too heavy for me to lift it so I unpacked it where the delivery guy left it. No assembly required apart from moving the handle from storage-mode to jungle-attack mode.

The yellow part is steel which accounts for its weight.

I have only test-fired it on the driveway so far but it sounded far more convincing than my weedy Bosch. If it's dry tomorrow, I'll test it for real.



£469 from FFX - no batteries but I used this as an excuse to buy a couple more anyway and a double battery charger.

[donkmeister]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

Even really good quality roller sleeves don't cost much in the scheme of decorating properly. And getting them properly clean is too much of a mission as you really need to wash them scraping paint off doesn't cut it if your wanting to change colour.

Then you need extra sleeves anyway while they dry after washing. Easier to bin em

Apologies for any mental images that cannot be shaken, but I take them in the shower with me after I finish decorating for the day. Good flow of hot running water gets them clean fairly quickly. Alternatively, wrap with cling film if using again the next day.

I find that rollers need a bit of breaking in so chucking them after first use, while convenient, means you are never using as good a roller as you could be.

[TimmyMallett]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

Even really good quality roller sleeves don't cost much in the scheme of decorating properly. And getting them properly clean is too much of a mission as you really need to wash them scraping paint off doesn't cut it if your wanting to change colour.

Then you need extra sleeves anyway while they dry after washing. Easier to bin em

First - the packets rollers come in are often sealable ones so you can seal in-between coats and not wash.

Secondly, a Purdy, or any non branded curved scraper means you can clean a roller in less than a minute, it really is a 'game changer'.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

TimmyMallett said:

Trustmeimadoctor said:

Even really good quality roller sleeves don't cost much in the scheme of decorating properly. And getting them properly clean is too much of a mission as you really need to wash them scraping paint off doesn't cut it if your wanting to change colour.

Then you need extra sleeves anyway while they dry after washing. Easier to bin em

First - the packets rollers come in are often sealable ones so you can seal in-between coats and not wash.

Secondly, a Purdy, or any non branded curved scraper means you can clean a roller in less than a minute, it really is a 'game changer'.

i do wrap between coats, im not advocating chucking after every coat

i tend to use these https://decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/c/CDDSS12S...

as i rock a mighty 12" rather than the standard weedy 9"