2025 : Tool Reviews you buy, rent or borrow?

Crosley.In.AZ · January 10, 2025, 07:36:40 AM

I see Harbor Freight has 8 pages of Clearance items , available in store only. If your local store has the items...

Some items on clearance make me wonder if H-F has new tools coming behind the sale items? A few Bauer cordless impacts are on clearance.. What will replace them?

Couple weekend coupons.. Usual 15 or 30% discounts with limits on dollar amount. 30% on 10 dollars or less as I recall.

Crosley.In.AZ · January 11, 2025, 10:36:26 AM

I've bought a few 1 or 2 time use (?) tools in recent months for this house we bought. Most of the mods in this house by the former owner were done mostly wrong or 115% wrong.

This 22 dollar crimp tool is for duct work to modify the metal so it will slip inside another duct work piece. Duct work usually slips inside the next pipe in the direction the air flow is. The former home owner here had the round duct work backwards of course.

SO I modified a few pieces that I was adding which attach to pieces that go thru the roof. It is all sealed via 40 year life span caulk and the foil tape now. I re-sealed the outdoor vent trim on the roof with Henrys black goo.

I will post later on the mess for the bathroom exhaust vent up thru the roof too. Kripes.

chimp koose · January 11, 2025, 02:09:48 PM

Does it take much pressure to get those crimpers to work ?

Crosley.In.AZ · January 11, 2025, 04:40:36 PM

Quote from: chimp koose on January 11, 2025, 02:09:48 PMDoes it take much pressure to get those crimpers to work ?

Actually not much pressure was needed.. I lightly crimped the tube ends I was down sizing to fit inside another tube.. Bit by bit I got the correct size

chimp koose · January 12, 2025, 02:07:38 AM

do you think it would be able to shrink heavier material?

Crosley.In.AZ · January 12, 2025, 05:41:42 AM

Quote from: chimp koose on January 12, 2025, 02:07:38 AMdo you think it would be able to shrink heavier material?

I do not think these crimpers would be up to the task of much thicker metal. At least not the galv coated steel I was working with. It is very thin duct work stuff. Maybe aluminum ?

chimp koose · January 12, 2025, 10:34:57 AM

thanks , was just wondering

Crosley.In.AZ · January 17, 2025, 07:39:55 AM

Had to step up and buy a new shop vac. The old craftsman 16gal unit I got used 30 yrs ago still mostly works, but : 1 of 2 lid latches broke. I can not find a filter for it. This filter is much larger than current offerings.

Harbor Freight had a coupon. Bought their version of 16gal shop vac. Has larger rear wheels which makes it WAY easier to wheel around here. My old Craftsman vac had smaller wheels that each wanted to go different directions at times. LOL

HF shop vac has a filter and option for additional vac bag on the inside of the tub. The bag contains real fine dust from my drywall mud sander with hose attachment to the shop vac.

The power unit on the HF shop vac is removable to use as a dust - leaf blower. Not sure I would ever use that option. I have 2 leaf blowers here. Gas and 40 volt Ryobi electric powered

58 Yeoman · January 18, 2025, 10:21:26 AM

I bought this Delta miter saw maybe ten years ago at a garage sale for $5, and it works great. I used it the other day to cut some short pieces of lumber to use for kindling in my wood stove. The blade was really dull, so I took it to the shop and got a new carbide tipped blade that I bought at another garage sale for $2 and put it on, so now I'm ready for another ten years.

chimp koose · January 18, 2025, 01:01:20 PM

58 yeoman , I bought a pair of new in box snap on work boots size 11 from a garage sale years ago for $20 ! Went to try them on and ONE was size 11 the other was size 8 . I should have sent them to Don Garlits , maybe he could use them

58 Yeoman · January 18, 2025, 03:27:37 PM

Wow, Chimp. What a bummer. I guess that's why the check-outs always check the shoes/boots in the boxes when you buy them in the stores, to make sure they're both the same size.

We've learned to check boxes at sales. We've found cd/dvd boxes empty, and even one camera box empty. The woman having the sales said the camera was in the box earlier.

Crosley.In.AZ · January 28, 2025, 10:49:40 PM

Needed to build more coax cables the other day. During my previous boondoggle with my first RG6 coax cable cutter tool , I did some reading and got on Amazon to order a Klein brand coax cutter VDV026-211 tool at 2.5 times the cost of my first cut tool. After I discovered the coax cable I was cutting was a different size and that was the problem with adjustments on the tool

I can safely say now the Klein coax tool works like a champ. I had to make 6 cuts and each one was spot on position and depth. Should have bought the more expensive Klein tool first. Now I have 2 RG-6 coax tools

enjenjo · January 29, 2025, 01:03:26 AM

You know which one will go missing.

Crosley.In.AZ · January 29, 2025, 08:18:39 AM

Quote from: enjenjo on January 29, 2025, 01:03:26 AMYou know which one will go missing.

Are you saying that I am not organized ?

The Klein tool came with a nifty zipper bag for the tools. As I type this , I can see the bag . LOL , I can see the first coax tool I bought too. Its in a small box

On the flip side: I am not organized guy. I try. Daily I can spend 20% of my time Looking for something I just had in my hand minutes earlier.

58 Yeoman · January 29, 2025, 01:25:08 PM

Yeah, I know about missing tools. Last Saturday, I bought a 1930's mantle clock that didn't run, unless I had it tilted (after some sleuthing on the 'net). I have two of those little levels that will hang on a string or sit on a table, which would work great to see if the clock is level. Can't find either one. I've looked everywhere.