Tool Discussion and Reviews New Thread Per Request

evilfij

evilfij

Well-known member
Interesting tool development: Amazon has launched what I think is sort of a low to midrange tool brand called Denali. Does anyone own any?

smile.amazon.com

Denali

Denali
smile.amazon.com

A lot of it seems to be the same stuff harbor freight sells in storage, but some of the pliers seem different. For example, the slip joint channellock style pliers have bigger jaws and the slip joint pliers appear to be hot riveted (I ordered a set as they looked interesting for $9). They also have duckbill pliers.

A lot of stuff Amazon does turns out to be excellent value (the Amazon basics tools I have are actually pretty decent), maybe this is another option. We shall see.
 
evilfij

evilfij

Well-known member
Denali is actually good quality, but it has one bizarre trait. The handles are almost square making them uncomfortable to use. I can’t recommend them for that reason.
 
MountainD

MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
I will just add on the tool front, since I had to cut one of the 3/4" bolts off my A-arm last night, that the new triple life Harbor Freight Hercules sawzall blades SUCK. 2 didn't get through 1 bolt. BOOOOOO! Milwaukee Torch blades it is...
 
evilfij

evilfij

Well-known member
Ya. The torch blades work well (hopefully you got the deal I posted back when). I hear Diablo are even better, but I have not melted all my torch blades yet to try.
 
evilfij

evilfij

Well-known member
In search of a decent inexpensive multimeter.

I wanted auto-ranging and idiot proof. I also wanted some additional features. I landed on one from Amazon for $20. It has NCVT, a flashlight, runs off aaa batteries, and has a lighted display. Much happier with it than my cheap klein. But the best part is that it has a setting to check 12v so you just switch to that and it tells you whether your alternator is working or not by giving the exact voltage it is putting out. And you can test 9v and 1.5v the same way too. Leads are pretty good quality too. Not sure if it will last, but for my purposes this is great.

AstroAI Digital Multimeter, TRMS 4000 Counts Auto-Ranging Ohmmeter Voltmeter 1.5v/9v/12v Battery Voltage Tester Measure Voltage Current Resistance Diodes Continuity Capacitance with NCV Function​


 
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KGH

KGH

Well-known member
evilfij said:
Ya. The torch blades work well (hopefully you got the deal I posted back when). I hear Diablo are even better, but I have not melted all my torch blades yet to try.
Click to expand...

I have cut Discos to bite sized pieces with Diablo. Chassis too. +1 Diablo!
 
rocky

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
Having one of those nothing is going to go right weeks.

Sockets with magnets to hold nuts and bolts do exist. Just never thought about it before I spent thirty minutes retrieving one with a “grapple “.
 
evilfij

evilfij

Well-known member
There are various “holding function” sockets available. If not used for daily use they seem to hold up. They work based on things like ball detents not necessarily magnets which increase the length.

Wera has a set although I am not convinced of the long term reliability.

Wera - 5004203001 004203 Zyklop Socket Set with Holding Function 1/2" Drive Metric: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Wera - 5004203001 004203 Zyklop Socket Set with Holding Function 1/2" Drive Metric: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement
www.amazon.com


They use a band and I believe a ball detent.

I find the “magnet on the stick” is an invaluable tool for retrieving things.
 
mitherial

mitherial

Well-known member
For the tool-enthusiasts on this thread, in the process of researching which battery platform to buy into starting from scratch, I did a deep-dive on the site www.toolguyd.com --and it really is "different-in-kind" than the vast majority of tool review sites out there. Rather than simply hyping whatever new tool the company sends him for free (which is most tool reviews on YouTube), or alternately, burying you in a pile of "scientific" tests of the tool that don't really tell you that much, he (sometimes 'they') actually takes the time to analyze the purpose and and use scenarios of the tools in question. AND, he still writes articles (instead of low-information content YT)--and manually moderates the unusually strong comment section--in short, it is everything positive that some of us will remember about the early Internet.
 
mitherial

mitherial

Well-known member
FWIW, I ended up with Milwaukee because of their excellent quality reputation and the fact that they offered everything I wanted on the same battery platform(s): strong auto-repair selection, plus misc. construction tools and outdoor yard equipment. Yes, you end up having to buy into both the smaller M12 and larger M18 platforms, but that's true at least the chargers usually accept both types, so you don't end up with a giant rat's nest of power cords.

The only real negative is price--buying a full complement of tools and batteries is a substantial expenditure, but unlike the old crappy consumer-grade battery screwdrivers and drills I used to have, these tools are now generally comparable with (and sometimes exceed) the power of plug-in-power tools. Dewalt seems equally good on the "quality" factor, but does not have as many auto-repair specific tools. And I live much closer to a Home Depot than a Lowes.
 
evilfij

evilfij

Well-known member
I look forward to reading it. The link just goes to the main site though. Dewalt is getting better as they finally have ratchets (in both 12v and 20v).

I have Dewalt 20v at both houses, M12 at one and Dewalt 12v at the other. For budget stuff I have black and decker 20v at one and Ryobi 18 at the other. I sort of regret not getting better stuff as I have killed the chain on my black and decker chainsaw on a stick, but they have served well. The black and decker is getting phased out for Dewalt 20v and I just got all the Ryobi so I have not used it enough, but it is dirt cheap and has lots of household stuff I use like a sprayer.

If I were to do it again, I would get Milwaukee M12 (because the battery form is nicer as it goes in the handle) and Dewalt 20v. If I could have only one, and I think you easily could, it would be Dewalt 20v as Milwaukee does not make an 18v ratchet and Dewalt makes a 20v ratchet.

Dewalt 20v gets you pretty much anything you need. 3/8 Ratchet, 3/8 3 speed impact, 1/2 3 speed impact, 1/2in mid torque (1/2 high torque if you want too), drill, grinders, saw and all the household stuff you could ever want. Milwaukee has some additional items (right angle impact, die grinders, the surge style impacts etc.) but you really need both M12 and M18 to get a full set of tools. Dewalt you don’t need 12v.
 
evilfij

evilfij

Well-known member
Home Depot tends to have crazy sales on Ryobi. That’s what prompted me to get it. I got like 8 tools and spare batteries and such for like $350 or something.
 
rocky

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
I’ve picked up even crazier deals at Toolsdirect.com. They have a store in Greenville SC where I go monthly.
God I can’t wait to get the outlaws house sold. Getting tired of those drives.
 
mitherial

mitherial

Well-known member
rocky said:
I’ve picked up even crazier deals at Toolsdirect.com. They have a store in Greenville SC where I go monthly.
God I can’t wait to get the outlaws house sold. Getting tired of those drives.
Click to expand...

Wish I knew that when I lived 40 mins south of Greenville.
 
evilfij

evilfij

Well-known member
Other than the odd old style battery format, the only other downside I see to Ryobi is that they are only now getting brushless tools and they tend to charge Dewalt/Milwaukee level prices for those tools. But they have most everything (including a ratchet etc.)
 
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