Tools you've never used

[Nigel_O]

On a few occasions, I've bought tools I didn't know I wanted - the epic Tools you wish you'd bought sooner... thread is often the cause of this.

However, whilst tidying up my tool cabinet this morning, I came across a tool I've never, ever used. I bought it when I had a kit car and I was always tinkering, but about a month after I bought it, I sold the car.



My wife bought me one of these for Christmas a few years ago and I've never even plugged it in, much to her dismay (makes up for saxophone I bought her when she was convinced she wanted to play it, but never did...)



So - let's have them - tools you REALLY fancied the idea of, but have since sat untouched in a drawer / cabinet / cupboard, just waiting for the right moment.

...and I don't mean the 9mm ring spanner, weird spline bit that came with a set, daft size impact socket etc - we're looking for dedicated tools, rather than a weird size amongst a set

[Simpo Two]

Nigel_O said:

My wife bought me one of these for Christmas a few years ago and I've never even plugged it in, much to her dismay (makes up for saxophone I bought her when she was convinced she wanted to play it, but never did...)

How about you take up saxophone and she tries metalwork?

[Doofus]

Digital vernier calipers. Every time I go to use them, the fking battery is flat, so I use the manual ones.

Hub puller. Bought it, have never needed it.

Slide hammer. Ditto.

[Sporky]

[ARH]

Doofus said:

Digital vernier calipers. Every time I go to use them, the fking battery is flat, so I use the manual ones.

Take the battery out before putting them away. I have a large 300mm set that gets used once in a blue moon, battery is removed and its lasted years.

[Doofus]

ARH said:

Doofus said:

Digital vernier calipers. Every time I go to use them, the fking battery is flat, so I use the manual ones.

Take the battery out before putting them away. I have a large 300mm set that gets used once in a blue moon, battery is removed and its lasted years.

I don't need to take the battery out, I have two sets of manual calipers.

[biggiles]

ARH said:

Doofus said:

Digital vernier calipers. Every time I go to use them, the fking battery is flat, so I use the manual ones.

Take the battery out before putting them away. I have a large 300mm set that gets used once in a blue moon, battery is removed and its lasted years.

Exactly this. The battery lasts "forever".

But now I've realised how to use the manual ones, I use them all the time if the accuracy is sufficient. Top tip: you can get a pack of several 3"/6" verniers for nearly £nothing online, and they're accurate enough for many purposes.


Tool I never used: Kreg pocket-hole jig. Better joining methods abound.

[Super Sonic]

Sporky said:

Isn't that what firemen use for rescuing people out of crashed cars? Do you keep it clipped to a bracket clipped to your dashboard in case you crash and have to rescue yourself?

[Doofus]

Super Sonic said:

Sporky said:

Isn't that what firemen use for rescuing people out of crashed cars? Do you keep it clipped to a bracket clipped to your dashboard in case you crash and have to rescue yourself?

It's a Fubar. For smashing stuff up.

I want one now...

[Sporky]

Doofus said:

It's a Fubar. For smashing stuff up.

I want one now...

Get a Wera Koloss too. It's a ratchet and a hammer! (yes, I've got one, and no, I've never used it).



I have used almost all of my tools, honest.

[ARH]

biggiles said:

ARH said:

Doofus said:

Digital vernier calipers. Every time I go to use them, the fking battery is flat, so I use the manual ones.

Take the battery out before putting them away. I have a large 300mm set that gets used once in a blue moon, battery is removed and its lasted years.

Exactly this. The battery lasts "forever".

But now I've realised how to use the manual ones, I use them all the time if the accuracy is sufficient. Top tip: you can get a pack of several 3"/6" verniers for nearly £nothing online, and they're accurate enough for many purposes.


Tool I never used: Kreg pocket-hole jig. Better joining methods abound.

Manual calipers are as accurate as electric ones, they go down to 2 decimal places. I always used manual ones in a workshop with others as no one remembered how to use them, therefore they never "borrowed" them.

[WrekinCrew]

ARH said:

Doofus said:

Digital vernier calipers. Every time I go to use them, the fking battery is flat, so I use the manual ones.

Take the battery out before putting them away. I have a large 300mm set that gets used once in a blue moon, battery is removed and its lasted years.

I did that and the third or fourth time the battery terminal broke off. So I bought a Mitutoyo and the battery has lasted for years, as unlike the £10 ones the circuitry fully shuts down when "off" is clicked. It's no more accurate, but it is a thing of beauty.

[DickyC]

They're useless as adjustable spanners.

[Wacky Racer]

Bought a top quality Williams Torque wrench in 1977, still unopened.


Also an unopened full 10litre tub of Waxoyl I bought in 1971.

I was intending rustproofing my Mk1 Ford Escort but never got round to it.

The outside of the can is rusty though.

[98elise]

My brother bought me a makita battery drill for Christmas.

Only problem is I already own 2 decent drills, and I standardised all my battery tools a couple of years back to Bosch for DIY, and Ryobi for garden.

Its sat in its box in the bottom of a cupboard.

Edited by 98elise on Saturday 13th September 15:57

[Monkeylegend]

I have one of those handheld laser type things which you point at a wall and it tells you how far away it is.

Whenever I need to measure a room size which is not very often I use a tape measure which I keep in the same drawer as the laser thingy.

[OMITN]

98elise said:

My brother bought me a makita battery drill for my Christmas.

Only problem is I already own 2 decent drills, and I standardised all my battery tools a couple of years back to Bosch for DIY, and Ryobi for garden.

Its sat in its box in the bottom of a cupboard.

Sell it.

My dad bought me a nice (corded) Dewalt multi tool. Unfortunately I already had a cordless Makita. Didn’t want to disappoint my dad - though should have done so he could have got a straight refund - so ended up selling it for a reasonable price. Then bought another Makita tool with the money.

[Chrisgr31]

Monkeylegend said:

I have one of those handheld laser type things which you point at a wall and it tells you how far away it is.

Whenever I need to measure a room size which is not very often I use a tape measure which I keep in the same drawer as the laser thingy.

I have 3 of those, and I use them or the one I can find at the time. But then I am a surveyor so use them for work. Have 3 as twice I have been hundreds of miles from home and found I havent taken it with me. Incidentally unless its a decent laser measure you're better off using a tape anyway.

Fairly sure if I look in the garage I'll find some tools from Lidl's middle aisle I have never used. However as they are impulsive purchases I dont know they are there!

[Riley Blue]

O/H bought me a very expensive pro socket set about 13 years ago.

Soon afterwards my Dad died and I inherited all his tools and it's those I been using ever since, the £200+ socket set case has never been opened in anger.

[oblio]

I bought an electric engraving tool from Aldi thinking that I'd have loads of things to engrave our name, post code etc on.

After messing around with it on a few old pint glasses, it is now languishing in the garage!