2021: .. Tool reviews & suggestions

[enjenjo]

I have a job coming up where I have to remove 3/4" bolts in a place that is tight to get into. I don't have the hand strength to hand wrench them off anymore, So I went looking at short impact wrenches.I found this one at Harbor freight that claims 700 ft.lb. of torque. Hopefully it will do the job. I paid $$93.95 for it. The picture is kind of misleading, it's less than 4" long overall.

I used it today. It had more torque than I expected. I had some rusty 9/16" nuts, and it spun them right off. I was impressed. I still have to do the original job, but I thought it could use some breakin.

[enjenjo]

I have a job coming up where I have to remove 3/4" bolts in a place that is tight to get into. I don't have the hand strength to hand wrench them off anymore, So I went looking at short impact wrenches.I found this one at Harbor freight that claims 700 ft.lb. of torque. Hopefully it will do the job. I paid $$93.95 for it. The picture is kind of misleading, it's less than 4" long overall.

I used it today. It had more torque than I expected. I had some rusty 9/16" nuts, and it spun them right off. I was impressed. I still have to do the original job, but I thought it could use some breakin.

It did the job with no problems. It seems to work as good as my IR Titanium.

[kb426]

This arrived today. The Primeweld 225. I wanted to buy a new welder for years. I kept putting it off for several reasons. I wanted the pulse feature and stick. I have gave my son my ac dc stick welder so I'm with out that function. It's been a long time since I used that function but you know how that goes. I have read several threads about welder choices. This isn't the cheapest but has good reviews and features. It comes with a 25' cable for the foot pedal but a 12' torch cable? I disassembled the cable plug in and found that the torch cable had the same threads as my 25' torch cable. I connected everything and did a tiny test weld. It does power up and it does pulse. If there is a surprise, I will update my post later.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Bought this Dewalt blade to cut the counter top at my brothers house... Worked very well.  Counter top must be polymer or resin of some type.  Stinks to high H when cutting.

it was only 14 dollars at local Lowes..

[kb426]

I have an update on the Prime weld machine. I uncovered rust pinholes in the part I'm working on. The welder allows me to turn the current down with way more control than my previous welders. I was impressed at what it allowed me to do.

[kb426]

Pics for welder update

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Visited the Harbor Freight in Mesa on wednesday..  Returned my jack stands for the recall.

Bought 2 small 4 wheel dollys with a 1k rated weight.  LOL  i do not see these dolly holding 1,000 pounds.

Special project for these dollys , will take photos if I remember when finished.

There were many empty shelves in this store.  It was like the grocery stores in April and March.

Looked at hammer drills.  No purchase yet

[kb426]

Baileigh Tool had free shipping over the weekend. The vise I use came from the junk pile about 40 years ago. The nut started acting funny a few weeks ago. I disassembled it and took a look. Lots of wear. There's no name on the vise so ordering parts would be very difficult. I bought a 8" jaw width with 9" opening unit. It weighs 57 lbs. so I'm hoping it has enough iron to be good. It's listed as ductile cast iron. The stand I have will need to be modified to use this. Probably won't happen until the 78 is back together.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Never thought I spend money on a tool bag. You usually get a tool bag with cordless tool kit purchase.

i've been using a Craftsman tool bag that came with a Craftsman cordless drill kit years ago.  It has the elastic side compartments inside the bag.. the elastic was slap worn out.  I typically carry the tool bag in the trunk of my 1962 Falcon for side of the road repairs if needed.

Bought this Husky tool bag from Home Depot.  On Sale. $14.08 out the door. They call it a 15 inch tool bag.  It is a fuzz over 15 inches in length.  Compartments inside are sturdier.  Wire supports sewed in around the opening with sturdy zipper.

In the photos: you see large zip loc bags.  I have end wrenches in them. I have ordered a wrap type wrench holder from eBay. The 2nd zip loc bag has my 1/4 inch socket set inside it. I need something to contain that set too.

I have been using the Craftsman bag as my "go to" tools for the work on my brothers house in recent weeks.  This use brought out the need for a slightly better bag.  Not too big, not too small for me.  I hope.  LOL

:!:

[58 Yeoman]

Has anyone used the HF a/c electronic leak detector? The 63 Galaxie loses its' freon over time, so I bought this for around $53 after using a coupon. I put in a can and a half of freon (R134a, as the PO 'converted' it) and did a search. No leaks anywhere except the a/c hoses above the evaporator under the radio speaker. Will hoses develop leaks in the middle of nowhere?

I'm debating taking out the a/c altogether, and haven't decided if I want to spend $1500 on an a/c that would seldom get used.

Anyway, if you haven't used this tool, you just start it up in a fresh air environment to set it, then sniff around.  You can make it more sensitive or less.

https://tinyurl.com/ybeuvafh

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Has anyone used the HF a/c electronic leak detector? The 63 Galaxie loses its' freon over time, so I bought this for around $53 after using a coupon. I put in a can and a half of freon (R134a, as the PO 'converted' it) and did a search. No leaks anywhere except the a/c hoses above the evaporator under the radio speaker. Will hoses develop leaks in the middle of nowhere?

I'm debating taking out the a/c altogether, and haven't decided if I want to spend $1500 on an a/c that would seldom get used.

Anyway, if you haven't used this tool, you just start it up in a fresh air environment to set it, then sniff around.  You can make it more sensitive or less.

https://tinyurl.com/ybeuvafh

R134 freon can leak thru the hoses if a barrier type hose is not used. R134 has smaller molecules ...  In the early daze of converting from R12 to R134..  it was said the old hoses with old a/c oil soaked into the hoses would hold the 134 in..

[Crosley.In.AZ]

My roll up tool wrench  bag arrived today.

Canvas type material.  Seems sturdy enough for my use.  Tie strap on it loops around 2 rings

Fold the top over, roll it up.  Fits in my new tool bag.  Maybe a little less digging for stuff in the bag now?

[phat46]

Discovered ths today. The straws from the grandkids water balloons are the same as the missing straws from spray cans. We have gen through about eight of these in the last couple days, 33 on each set, so I should be good for a while! 😃

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Bought a Ryobi 40v leaf blower.  Comes with 4ah 40 volt battery.  Battery alone sells for 139.00 ...  I paid 186.00 for the whole kit out the door including tax

Works well around here. It has a "turbo" button that runs the motor higher rate of RPM.  Throttle trigger is progressive, not "on & off".

Wife can use this one for stuff she does..  Lighter and no need to prime , pump and pull the rope to start the gas leaf blower.

Will be buying a hedge trimmer : 40v Ryobi 24 inch  trimmer soon.  The 7 year old Kobalt  40 volt  hedge trimmer is near worn out.

[enjenjo]

Diablo tools.  https://www.diablotools.com/explore/drilling-boring  They make hole saws, flap discs, cutting discs, and more. My local hardware started carrying them about a year ago, they are also available on Amazon. They are on the higher end in pricing, but everything I have bought has been well worth it.