Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...
Discussion
CoolC said:
All good points.
Milwaukee being 3/8th drive is an advantage, as most of my sockets are 3/8th rather than 1/2 but the Ryobi is £30 cheaper with the Halfords Trade card.
As pointed out by Gareth, the Ryobi looks to be more powerful too.
Don't dick around, get a 1/2" drive for an impact wrench (by 3/8" sockets you have regular sockets or impact sockets?), if you are using it on a car, it is to attack stuck suspension bolts and alike so 15mm and up. You would pick up you 1/2 drive ratchet for that work, likewise with an impact wrench.Milwaukee being 3/8th drive is an advantage, as most of my sockets are 3/8th rather than 1/2 but the Ryobi is £30 cheaper with the Halfords Trade card.
As pointed out by Gareth, the Ryobi looks to be more powerful too.
Don't use your regular sockets with impact tools, they can, and do shatter if you do. Chrome Moly is used in impact sockets as it is harder, regular sockets are Chrome Vanadium stiffer, which results in regular sockets cracking or shattering when they give up, whilst CM sockets will deform, and probably still be usable, though a bit sloppy.
skwdenyer said:
As an engineering undergraduate a very long time ago, the really great modern calculators we wanted for our finals weren't within our grasp price-wise. However Argos had them, and we had student Barclaycards. So off to Argos, buy on a c/card, use for finals, return. Allegedly 
The graphing ones, which you could type loads of notes into and it would just look like you were doing the sums, when you were actually reading what the hell you were meant to remember?I still have mine. AND it has 3 colours.
This is the weapon of choice for that job..
wolfracesonic said:
...and the glass shop! You’re not the first, don’t worry
Thanks. It was a six hour round trip in a very slow truck on Friday to pick it up in order to beat the current silly lead times as well.I've got a big 2.5m triple glazed picture window still to do - not looking forward to it now
Well I've decided to pay a man to fit the picture window, so today has been hanging doors and painting the shiplap (to go inside the room), which brings me to this stuff. Not a tool but...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HGSOM7K/ref...
It's consistency is closer to swarfega than dulux, it's water based, goes straight on to unsealed, untreated timber in one brush stroke, doesn't leave brush marks, dries in 20 minutes and only needs one coat.
If all paints were like this, you'd never have to employ a decorator. Why I went to the trouble of sealing my new door with two coats of primer followed by two coats of satin which a week later still isn't dry, I don't know.
£80 for 20 litres and I've just painted 200m with about 20% of it.
This stuff is 10/10.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HGSOM7K/ref...
It's consistency is closer to swarfega than dulux, it's water based, goes straight on to unsealed, untreated timber in one brush stroke, doesn't leave brush marks, dries in 20 minutes and only needs one coat.
If all paints were like this, you'd never have to employ a decorator. Why I went to the trouble of sealing my new door with two coats of primer followed by two coats of satin which a week later still isn't dry, I don't know.
£80 for 20 litres and I've just painted 200m with about 20% of it.
This stuff is 10/10.
You could certainly use it, although I can't vouch for longevity as I only put it on today.
It is a very flat matte black, like a car with a matte black wrap. So in the sun it can look a little grey.
Photos below (which I've spoilered so as to not spam the thread) show it in full sun against a (dusty) satin black door, angled (which is what I would say is its true colour) and also inside where you can see how it responds to direct and indirect light. As I say, in real life it's much closer to that black than the grey.
It is a very flat matte black, like a car with a matte black wrap. So in the sun it can look a little grey.
Photos below (which I've spoilered so as to not spam the thread) show it in full sun against a (dusty) satin black door, angled (which is what I would say is its true colour) and also inside where you can see how it responds to direct and indirect light. As I say, in real life it's much closer to that black than the grey.
ben5575 said:
It's consistency is closer to swarfega than dulux, it's water based, goes straight on to unsealed, untreated timber in one brush stroke, doesn't leave brush marks, dries in 20 minutes and only needs one coat.
If all paints were like this, you'd never have to employ a decorator. Why I went to the trouble of sealing my new door with two coats of primer followed by two coats of satin which a week later still isn't dry, I don't know.
£80 for 20 litres and I've just painted 200m with about 20% of it.
This stuff is 10/10.
It's barn paint - they are all much of a muchness. Goes on well, soaks in well, dries fast, looks good for years if that is the finish you want. But it won't even look at a painted surface, it's meant to soak in to bare wood like barns or wood cladding or decking surrounds. Great stuff in the right place, just don't go thinking it is magic paint - and good luck painting over the stuff if you ever want to change the colour.If all paints were like this, you'd never have to employ a decorator. Why I went to the trouble of sealing my new door with two coats of primer followed by two coats of satin which a week later still isn't dry, I don't know.
£80 for 20 litres and I've just painted 200m with about 20% of it.
This stuff is 10/10.
So....Knipex Cobra. I bought one, this one in fact:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KNIPEX-180-Cobra-high-tec...
The thing is, whilst the jaw locks in its pivoting position(s) using the ‘button’, I cannot seem to get it to lock/grip onto the thing I’m trying to grip. The videos all suggest you squeeze it and then can just let go and it will stay in place (i.e. it’s USP). Some vids even show the person even stand on the top lever whilst it’s locked onto whatever. Mine won’t.
Am I missing something obvious?
Also, for those that ordered from Amazon, did yours come without any sort of packaging? Mine came loose in the cardboard Amazon sleeve..
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KNIPEX-180-Cobra-high-tec...
The thing is, whilst the jaw locks in its pivoting position(s) using the ‘button’, I cannot seem to get it to lock/grip onto the thing I’m trying to grip. The videos all suggest you squeeze it and then can just let go and it will stay in place (i.e. it’s USP). Some vids even show the person even stand on the top lever whilst it’s locked onto whatever. Mine won’t.
Am I missing something obvious?
Also, for those that ordered from Amazon, did yours come without any sort of packaging? Mine came loose in the cardboard Amazon sleeve..
the_engineer said:
So....Knipex Cobra. I bought one, this one in fact:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KNIPEX-180-Cobra-high-tec...
The thing is, whilst the jaw locks in its pivoting position(s) using the ‘button’, I cannot seem to get it to lock/grip onto the thing I’m trying to grip. The videos all suggest you squeeze it and then can just let go and it will stay in place (i.e. it’s USP). Some vids even show the person even stand on the top lever whilst it’s locked onto whatever. Mine won’t.
Am I missing something obvious?
Also, for those that ordered from Amazon, did yours come without any sort of packaging? Mine came loose in the cardboard Amazon sleeve..
are you pushing on the top handle? i think they need to work that way if you get me https://www.amazon.co.uk/KNIPEX-180-Cobra-high-tec...
The thing is, whilst the jaw locks in its pivoting position(s) using the ‘button’, I cannot seem to get it to lock/grip onto the thing I’m trying to grip. The videos all suggest you squeeze it and then can just let go and it will stay in place (i.e. it’s USP). Some vids even show the person even stand on the top lever whilst it’s locked onto whatever. Mine won’t.
Am I missing something obvious?
Also, for those that ordered from Amazon, did yours come without any sort of packaging? Mine came loose in the cardboard Amazon sleeve..
steveo3002 said:
the_engineer said:
So....Knipex Cobra. I bought one, this one in fact:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KNIPEX-180-Cobra-high-tec...
The thing is, whilst the jaw locks in its pivoting position(s) using the ‘button’, I cannot seem to get it to lock/grip onto the thing I’m trying to grip. The videos all suggest you squeeze it and then can just let go and it will stay in place (i.e. it’s USP). Some vids even show the person even stand on the top lever whilst it’s locked onto whatever. Mine won’t.
Am I missing something obvious?
Also, for those that ordered from Amazon, did yours come without any sort of packaging? Mine came loose in the cardboard Amazon sleeve..
are you pushing on the top handle? i think they need to work that way if you get me https://www.amazon.co.uk/KNIPEX-180-Cobra-high-tec...
The thing is, whilst the jaw locks in its pivoting position(s) using the ‘button’, I cannot seem to get it to lock/grip onto the thing I’m trying to grip. The videos all suggest you squeeze it and then can just let go and it will stay in place (i.e. it’s USP). Some vids even show the person even stand on the top lever whilst it’s locked onto whatever. Mine won’t.
Am I missing something obvious?
Also, for those that ordered from Amazon, did yours come without any sort of packaging? Mine came loose in the cardboard Amazon sleeve..
Just bought a splitting maul for firewood.
Oh my lord. So much easier than my Dad's ancient felling axe, and so much less scary than my chainsaw (although I still use the latter for cross cuts - bought a saw horse on this thread's advice and am less terrified these days).
Should have bought one of the below years ago. It is excellent.
Oh my lord. So much easier than my Dad's ancient felling axe, and so much less scary than my chainsaw (although I still use the latter for cross cuts - bought a saw horse on this thread's advice and am less terrified these days).
Should have bought one of the below years ago. It is excellent.
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