Thread: Cheap tools v Good ones

The black and decker 2 speed power drill that my father purchased for $5.00 brand new back 33 years ago.

It finally gave up the ghost boring some holes in an alloy bash plate on the weekend...

UNACCEPTABLE I SAY!!!!

I expect warranty and/or a full refund.

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Hi Steve
Yet another top post,you are the man.!!!!!!
OK divide it into mechanical and power tools as I have 2 totally opposite ideas.
Electrical,GO GMC cheap crud they arent that bad BUY IT NEW,HEAPS cheaper than the big brands but with a warranty to match.Buy and abuse them and replace em if you need to undrew warantty.
Mechanical tools,TOTALY the opposite,you pay for what you get,sechondhand is the go,the good brands are good no matter how old,my trick is haunt the "cash converters from stolen goods" shops,offer them 1/2 the advertised price an its yours
Andrew

I do a very similar thing. Garage sales are great for the old Sidchrome tools, and they just keep going strong. I haven't managed to break very many at all - and it's my trade!

I have never skimped on power tools, thats a different ball game to hand tools, generally cheap power tools are what you pay for them, cheap.

Hand tools now thats a different story, i bought a 50 or 60 piece spanner set with some screw drivers and pliers from supercrap ages ago for $90 and they are still going strong, i havent busted any but i bent a couple of the ring spanners. The pliers are buggers, the side cutters took a chunk out of the head the first time i used them but the spanners are great.

I have a cheap $20 socket set i bought when i was in high school and whilst a few of the sockets are missing the ratchets are still going strong 10yrs later, the 3/8 ratchet is permanently assigned to the oil filter remover i bought.

I have slowly been working on building up my quality tools collection, such as Kingchrome socket set (1/2in drive), smaller sidchrome socket set (1/4 and 3/8 drive), kingchrome torque wrench, kingchrome ratchet spanners (imperial, hoping to get the metric ones for xmas), got a rolling tool chest for my birthday, plus a few other bits and bobs. Next thing on the list is an extensive set of kingchrome spanners..

Matt

G'day Folks

Have had my ETC industrial A/F combination spanner & Socket set for about 25 years now(EH and Sidchromes stolen) and the only thing that has 1/2 died (only works 1 way) is the ratchet,(killed it removing the shackle bolts on the 2a) my favourite shopping spots are Swap Meets,or the Sunday markets, I shop by brand now, Sidchrome(over 20yr old) Daniel-Forge, Dowidat, Dufor, Stawylie,Snap-on,or any good UK or USA manufactured brands, I have a fair range of A/F(SAE), Whitworth,BSF,and common Metric(german). the swap meets are best as you can usually haggle the price, got a 12inch knuckle head ratchet "Daniel Forge" for $10 just needed a clean with steelwool, and the garden-hose handle cover replaced
cheers.

When I first got into LR's I bought cheap tools (on apprentice wages that's all I could afford), some bits stood up and i still have then now, but others fell to pieces after a few uses (sockets mainly, cheap sockets are shyte )

I since bought better tools and now I have a few $$$ I can afford to fork out on Sidchrome, etc.. I bought a 1/2 drive socket set about 2 years ago and I broke the stubby extension, but was replace reluctantly by Glenfords who tried to weasel there way out of it, but replaced it no q's asked.

Also got a good set of Kingchrome 3/8 drive socket set, so far so good.

Air tools, Supacheap ones get the job done. Rattle gun was $39, 3/8 air rachet was about the same price, die grinder was about $50 with all the bits (used once). Air compressor was about $120 on special (equivelent to a $80 one now) and although it runs out a bit quick 4 years later it's still hammering along nicely.

Trav

Originally Posted by tombraider

The black and decker 2 speed power drill that my father purchased for $5.00 brand new back 33 years ago.

It finally gave up the ghost boring some holes in an alloy bash plate on the weekend...

UNACCEPTABLE I SAY!!!!

I expect warranty and/or a full refund.

I bought one of the old metal B&D drills from a swap meet for 2 pounds I had to put a plug on it, (50 pence). I must have used it for about 5 years then sold it again on a swap meet before coming to Oz, I got 2 pounds for it, Damn I'm out of pocket 50pence

My tools are a mixture of ultra cheap and expensive. I have found some of the cheap power tools can take a punishment. Also with a $20 cordless drill who cares when you slip and drop it from the roof. Do that with an expensive one and its annoying.
I started with a cheap socket set and as I find I can't do a job with it I then get the bits I need so that over time it grows with better tools all the time. The one tool I spent up big the first time on was my big compressor. Started with one that was given to me that none of the guages worked on, The safty cut of also didn't work so once you got it going it would just keep pomping till the pressure forced the motor to stop. So when doing the house I bought a farm one that should last my lifetime.

My hand tools are all name brands aside from a few items purchased for one-off jobs. Sidchrome, Proto, Britool, Armstrong, Allen, Blue Point, Dowidat, Stahlwille, Beta, Crescent, Unbrako.

Daniel Forge were Sidchrome's price leader for the discounting hardware chains, made in Taiwan.

Snap On, in my opinion, are just an average tool deliberately made with a pretty face, heavily marketed, and expensive by virtue of their pyramid franchising scheme.

The best all-round severe service industrial quality hand tools I have used in almost fifty years since apprenticed are Armstrong, not pretty, but everlasting (Armstrong Bros. Chicago). They also make the best and strongest lathe tool holders I have come across.