Surprisingly Decent Power Tools? Do Tell!

[tubatom91]

In doing barn/farm work I've learned a LOT about tools and how hard my father is on them . We have 3 DeWalt 18 Volt drills, All of which still work. The oldest one is a bit slower than the other two drills, the three are all different models because each are new and improved versions of themselves. All three have been used as hammers and run through a gauntlet. The newest is from fathers day and has a nifty light so you can see your screws or whatever in lower light situations. My only complaint: you cannot turn the little light off, that seems superfluous at times. We also have a few Mikita circular saws that have had their cords cut off and such that still work great! Another good Mikita tool is an old cordless drill that has fallen into a pool a few times and still works decently. Not a big fan of Black&Decker, we tend to break them quickly here.

[WakinAZ]

I have also had a poor experience with a Ryobi cordless drill. I replaced it with a B & D "Firestorm" (made by DeWalt per the tool guy at Lowe's) that seems to be doing well. I also have a 15 year old B & D corded drill that will not die.

[rant] Once one finds a make and model of something one likes these days, it is frequently hard to buy it again or recommend it to others since almost every company is now in the business of constantly reinventing themselves and their product line to satisfy the fickle buying public they helped create. Also many models made even by mainstream manufacturers are made specifically for certain big box stores and cannot be found elsewhere, discourages true comparison shopping.[/rant]

Eric

[Donn]

Bah! Acquired yesterday afternoon:



Label says Ingersoll Rand / Millers Falls, so it would be after '62, when Ingersoll Rand bought up the old and somewhat feeble Millers Falls - after deal to buy Black & Decker fell through at the last minute. These saws were expensive but sold fairly well up through the '70s. Works great!

[Donn]

Please, friends do not let friends buy Ryobi!
Do not confuse them with anything remotely "industrial" or commercial. If you use one 3 times a year around the house, you could make a case for spending a small amount of money [think deep sale] on one, but if you intend to actually use a tool, let it be something else.

QED

Porter-Cable, Bosch, most Milwaukee, the better Dewalt, and, surprisingly, the higher-end Panasonic stuff---all are brands you can hardly go wrong on.

DeWalt bound

So, how do you know the better DeWalt, from the worse DeWalt? It's not like it was a decade or two ago, right? where they were pretty much all heavy duty tools aimed at the pro market.

[scottw]

DeWalt bound

So, how do you know the better DeWalt, from the worse DeWalt? It's not like it was a decade or two ago, right? where they were pretty much all heavy duty tools aimed at the pro market.[/quote]

There are several models [from Dewalt, as well as other brands] that are produced expressly for the big-box home centers and not available from tool supply/ lumber yards [real ones!]/ supply houses. These are the ones you are advised staying away from if you are going to use these tools everyday for a living. Think plastic parts instead of metal, gimmicks instead of functionality, poorer batteries, etc.There are a few companies which do not make special models for this market, but I have forgotten which are which.I am pretty sure Bosch is one of them--they are nice tools.

[MartyNeilan]

Looks just like the one I used in Wood Shop in Junior High, circa 1984. I probably learned more there than in almost any other class in school. FWIW, a few years later I got the urge and bought a mitre saw at Sears or Channel (remember them?) that wasn't nearly half as good.

[WakinAZ]

Makes me wonder about how much progress we are making as a society when we buy cheap crap (like Ryobi drills) over and over instead of nice things (like this obviously well-constructed saw) once or twice.

The beer bottle is a nice touch...

Eric "disposable society" L.

[steve_decker]

Makes me wonder about how much progress we are making as a society when we buy cheap crap (like Ryobi drills) over and over instead of nice things (like this obviously well-constructed saw) once or twice.

The beer bottle is a nice touch...

Eric "disposable society" L.

I don't know that this has as much to do with cheap crap as it does with people not caring for the items they purchase (cheap or otherwise). My Dad always chose the more thrifty option when it came to power equipment and tools but, with proper care, the lifespan of that stuff has been unbelievable. The weedwacker I use to this day is one that he bought at K-Mart over 20 years ago. For the first 8 or 10 years that thing was around it was used to clear a trail approx. 8' wide and 1/4 mile long. To this day it starts on the first or second pull... even after sitting in the shed all winter. Most of his stuff has a similar story. When I was first out on my own, I decided to take the alternate path of spending the money to buy quality stuff. I still remember him chuckling and shaking his head with some of the items I bought and I still appreciate his simple 'yes' when I would have to borrow something from him because mine was broken. From it, I take away the valuable lesson of more $$$ isn't always better. Now, like he always did, I typically find the most cost effective item that fits my needs. It has saved me a lot of money and frustration. Of course it also means that I no longer expect my 3/8" cordless drill to perform like a 1/2" plug-in. Whether you're talking about a tool, a car, or a person, unmet expectations are often times the result of unreasonable expectations to begin with.

And yes, the beer bottle is a very nice touch.

[Donn]

Makes me wonder about how much progress we are making as a society when we buy cheap crap (like Ryobi drills) over and over instead of nice things (like this obviously well-constructed saw) once or twice.

The beer bottle is a nice touch...

The bottle was for scale, but may also serve as a reminder - power tools and alcohol don't mix! (So who needs power tools!)

Time will tell, maybe this saw will do it for me, maybe it's just the latest piece of junk. The main care and maintenance item for this thing is sharpening that big backsaw, and I'm not going to use this one to learn to sharpen saws, so hopefully will be able to get that done when needed for not much more than the cost of the whole thing. Then I'll feel like I have left the disposable society behind.

Looks like previous owner(s) barely used it.

[tubatooter1940]

I bought a new Ryobi cordful skill(type)saw with a nice light focused on the cut line. After only a few months of moderate use the motor burnt up after I bragged to so many people about that handy light. I hope the people I bragged to about the light didn't buy one.
My Ryobi cordless drill is doing fine so far.

[cambrook]

Not quite a dinosaur, more of a woolly mammoth

[Dean E]

. . . . I have a B and D 1/2" single-speed drill that belonged to my father [he died in 1961!!] and to date has never been serviced and will pull your shoulder out of joint with the torque. I work it pretty much every day.

First, I bought a B&D 1/2 inch drill about 1967. I also have the same model from my father's toolbox after he died. I know he must have bought his in the 50s or 60s. Both drills are still hard workers. Some day I may have to replace the brushes, but that has not happened yet.

Secondly, a new tool which I really like is a Makita 7.2 Volt, ratcheting, Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Screw Driver. It's quite powerful, and the battery lasts for hours in framing and drywall work with drywall screws.

Finally, while not a power tool at all, I still use a 1966 copy of "Machinery's Handbook" that I bought when I began my four-year machinist apprenticeship. There is useful information on threads, tapers, sheet metal, heat treatment, and finishes, for example.