Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...

[Fastpedeller]

DBSV8 said:

LeadFarmer said:

guindilias said:

Doofus said:

I've never used a torque wrench on wheel bolts. "Do them up until they're tight." is what I was taught.

Or if you were taught at Kwik Fit, "Do them up until it takes 3 men standing on a scaffold pipe to undo them. And if you forget, just leave them loose, they'll be fine".

Took my car in for wheel balancing recently, when I got home I decided to undo and torque the wheel nuts. I'm glad I did as I struggled to get them loose. Had I left them a few years and then needed to remove the wheel at the road side I would have been really struggling.

this

i had to purchase wheel studs and nuts for the Capri and replace them as some muppet had over tightened and stripped the thread of x4 nuts !! always torque up wheel nuts

I've encountered this, despite telling the 'tyre fitting experts' that I don't want them to use air tools. How to avoid this problem (aside from taking the wheels in another car to get the tyres changed)?

[classicaholic]

Bob-iylho said:

Just bought a first fix nail gun, 90mm nails x 3.1mm (6mm heads) love it.
Building a couple of field shelters for out field.

I dont have one but obviously should have one! Which one do I get?

[devnull]

wolfracesonic said:

AvE casts his eye over some Japanese tool porn; I already succumbed to the Nepros ratchet a few months back. You have been warned!

Oh stop it. I was immediately looking for the screwdrivers after that video!!

[basherX]

wolfracesonic said:

AvE casts his eye over some Japanese tool porn; I already succumbed to the Nepros ratchet a few months back. You have been warned!

I’m a bit late to the party but I think that AvE might be new favourite YouTube channel and, along with Mustie1 and Steve’s Small Engine Saloon, the gateway drug to acquiring a set of tools that I want but don’t (strictly) need. Now including some Nepros gear.

[honest_delboy]

tumble dryer said:

Celtic Dragon said:

Not a bought sooner, but a bought cos the old one broke / wasn’t man enough for the job scenario.

I’ve had my old Powerbase corded hammer drill for 20ish years, and it’s done every job I’ve thrown at it. Today, I had to drill 6 holes in a concrete slab and the chuck just couldn’t give enough clamp force on the bits and they’d spin loose.

So I popped into screwfix and fought a Titan 1500w jackhammer drill thing for £70 including spa selection of SDS masonary bits. Plugged in the first bit and no joke, 10 seconds later I was almost up to the chuck!

I swear this thing could drill through granite without flinching!

Impact drivers have already mentioned, so I won’t mention that toy :laught:

Yes, they're a revelation the first time you use them.

Hammer position on your dewalt battery jobbie; going nowhere.
Finger pressure only on the trigger and it's ball deep in an instant!!

Do you mean this ? I’m tight so picked up a second hand one on eBay to drill cores. Very impressed. Very heavy on my dainty girly wrists. Oh and dusty too!

[PushedDover]

Looking to joint the PH massive fan club of ‘impact drivers’.
I’ve a job in the paddock to put together a flat pack Field shelter for GF’s dobbin.
Seems fair I get to buy a tool.

Not hugely wedded to a brand (I have a dewalt 18v hammer drill of probably 8yr vintage)

Hobby / occasional use. Would be good for guidance on the drive bits / kit and useful if it would deal with coach bolts, screws and potentially wheel nuts.

Usual suspects are handy, Screwfix, B&Q, Aldi, Machine Mart and the default Amazon.
What’s best from where for the least

I will practise my dugsugdugdug noises while you get back to me

[33q]

Richie C said:

33q said:

Mine arrived today.

I’m a Team Yellow user so I have to wait for my DeWalt to Makita battery adapter to try it out.

Looking for a good deal on a Makita battery and charger as there are some things Makita that DeWalt don’t do.

Let us know how you get on with the adapter, as you say there are some interesting tools in the "Team Blue" range, but another set of batteries/chargers isn't appealing.

I messed up with the adapter....bought one to adapt Makita batteries to Dewalt tools....not the other way round. Looking at the positive I went back to the online river store and bought a Makita charger and a knock off 4 amp battery.

The Makita pump is really good. The adapter allows me to use my new Knock off Makita battery on my Dewalt stuff so all good really.

....I am now investigating my next Makita purchase.....choices...choices...

[Carbon Sasquatch]

PushedDover said:

Looking to joint the PH massive fan club of ‘impact drivers’.
I’ve a job in the paddock to put together a flat pack Field shelter for GF’s dobbin.
Seems fair I get to buy a tool.

Not hugely wedded to a brand (I have a dewalt 18v hammer drill of probably 8yr vintage)

Hobby / occasional use. Would be good for guidance on the drive bits / kit and useful if it would deal with coach bolts, screws and potentially wheel nuts.

Usual suspects are handy, Screwfix, B&Q, Aldi, Machine Mart and the default Amazon.
What’s best from where for the least

I will practise my dugsugdugdug noises while you get back to me

Batteries have changed - so won't fit - therefore you're basically starting again.

Decision 1 - will you ditch the old drill & buy a twin kit of drill & driver ?
Decision 2 - minimum battery aH - I went for 4 & 5's - others prefer more and smaller/lighter - depends whether you're working somewhere that makes charging easy.
Decision 3 - brand - up to you really, if starting out, likely whoever has the best offer this week.

For wheel nuts, I use a breaker bar / torque wrench to start finish & then the small impact driver with a 1/4" adapter in between

[Rich_AR]

Snow blower.

Granted, i've never seen one in the UK, but I had to buy one for where I live now. I moved house in March and spent the tail end of the last winter shovelling snow off the drive most days and watching my neighbours with envy as they use one of these machines.

252cc petrol, circa 10bhp, electric start, will throw snow up to 50 feet or snow etc

I owned motorbikes with less power and cars that cost less.

Edited by Rich_AR on Monday 5th October 18:59

[mcpiston]

I have recouped the cost already with all that I have been able to make, rather than buy.

https://youtu.be/Ot-JQEBfuF4

https://youtu.be/hmALYkayup8

[Bodo]

Rich_AR said:

Snow blower.
...and watching my neighbours with envy as they use one of these machines.

My gut says you could have had more for your money.


https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id...

The Unimog comes with two engines: one for the Unimog 5.6l 4cyl 69HP; one for the snow blower 10.4l 6cyl 180HP (Mercedes Bus engine)

• 10 cylinders and 16l displacement in total
• PAS
• 4x4
• heated cabin

Given it's got only 10,500Km / 1580 hours on the clock, €14k is a very manly steal.

[jimmyjimjim]

Rich_AR said:

Snow blower.

Granted, i've never seen one in the UK, but I had to buy one for where I live now. I moved house in March and spent the tail end of the last winter shovelling snow off the drive most days and watching my neighbours with envy as they use one of these machines.

252cc petrol, circa 10bhp, electric start, will throw snow up to 50 feet or snow etc

I owned motorbikes with less power and cars that cost less.

Edited by Rich_AR on Monday 5th October 18:59

I'm in Colorado and it's surprisingly marginal as to whether I need one or not.

Probably not for the two to three times a year where it would really help. So I've not bothered, 16 years in.

[Celtic Dragon]

honest_delboy said:

Do you mean this ? I’m tight so picked up a second hand one on eBay to drill cores. Very impressed. Very heavy on my dainty girly wrists. Oh and dusty too!

That’s the puppy!

[PushedDover]

Carbon Sasquatch said:

Batteries have changed - so won't fit - therefore you're basically starting again.

Decision 1 - will you ditch the old drill & buy a twin kit of drill & driver ?
Decision 2 - minimum battery aH - I went for 4 & 5's - others prefer more and smaller/lighter - depends whether you're working somewhere that makes charging easy.
Decision 3 - brand - up to you really, if starting out, likely whoever has the best offer this week.

For wheel nuts, I use a breaker bar / torque wrench to start finish & then the small impact driver with a 1/4" adapter in between

Thank you
1) not sure I need to- but with t rule it out
2) light / easy recharging sounds a good option
3) Agreed !

Screwfix have a cheap job with good reviews at £70odd all the way up to £300
How much or what is required to last a couple of years at least.

[Rich_AR]

jimmyjimjim said:

I'm in Colorado and it's surprisingly marginal as to whether I need one or not.

Probably not for the two to three times a year where it would really help. So I've not bothered, 16 years in.

I'm in the depths of interior BC. 6 meters of snow fall last year. Sod shovelling all that when I can use this puppy to pump it over into the neighbours garden.

Bodo said:

My gut says you could have had more for your money.


https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id...

The Unimog comes with two engines: one for the Unimog 5.6l 4cyl 69HP; one for the snow blower 10.4l 6cyl 180HP (Mercedes Bus engine)

• 10 cylinders and 16l displacement in total
• PAS
• 4x4
• heated cabin

Given it's got only 10,500Km / 1580 hours on the clock, €14k is a very manly steal.

Looks a bit underpowered for me use.

DBSV8 said:

several tools this month

hose clamps

and to undo the hoses from inside engine bay

Keen to know how good this is. I've been looking at getting one as well.

Edited by Rich_AR on Monday 5th October 21:59

[PushedDover]

Rich_AR said:

I'm in the depths of interior BC. 6 meters of snow fall last year. Sod shovelling all that when I can use this puppy to pump it over into the neighbours garden.

Then the multi tool that is the Unimog above is surely justified?

[Rich_AR]

PushedDover said:

Then the multi tool that is the Unimog above is surely justified?

Almost

[snowman99]

Finally got a sliding mitre saw - should have got one long ago, so much better and easier than hand cutting or a circular saw for most things.

Just need to get a dust bag as I had the dust outlet angled into the wind, which meant all the sawdust blew out into the air, then back into my face.

[S6PNJ]

mcpiston said:

I have recouped the cost already with all that I have been able to make, rather than buy.

Is that the Lidl one from the other month? If so, how did you find it in use?

snowman99 said:

Finally got a sliding mitre saw - should have got one long ago, so much better and easier than hand cutting or a circular saw for most things.

Just need to get a dust bag as I had the dust outlet angled into the wind, which meant all the sawdust blew out into the air, then back into my face.

Good shout! haven't had mine out of the box yet but hope to do so in the next few days. Any pointers as to what/where to get from?

[snowman99]

Just going to get the standard Metabo dust bag - a hoover would probably be better but I've spent enough money for now. On the wishlist.