Tools I hate

[Newlands]

Two things in the workshop that I have never been able to use:

Grease guns - these things squirt grease everywhere except down the grease fitting. Always. Without fail.

Impact screwdrivers - the chrome plated things you belt with a fbh. Marked with a cryptic arrow that ensures you have no idea whether the thing is going to loosen the screw or tighten it so hard it will never ever move again. And if you belt it too hard the spring wire circlip flies off and the whole thing falls apart.

 

[Nick DV]

Tools I hate - ummm, Silverline

 

[Cobbler]

Don’t forget Amtech, Black Spur, Ron something or other ........ Silverline is the dogs wotsits compared to those.

 

[hotponyshoes]

The ends on grease guns are a consumable part.
Just unscrew it and replace it with a decent brand.

Fully agree with you about the impact things though!

 

[My Old Landy]

Many years ago, I had a really good one of the impacts. British made and actually worked! Fast forward around 25 years and I couldn't find it so I bought one from Toolstation.....
It is still in the tin, awaiting disposal

 

[RWD3M]

Two things in the workshop that I have never been able to use:

Grease guns - these things squirt grease everywhere except down the grease fitting. Always. Without fail.

Impact screwdrivers - the chrome plated things you belt with a fbh. Marked with a cryptic arrow that ensures you have no idea whether the thing is going to loosen the screw or tighten it so hard it will never ever move again. And if you belt it too hard the spring wire circlip flies off and the whole thing falls apart.

Especially the impact driver!

I've got one but no idea why

I'd like to add the adjustable spanner to the list. Contentious I know, But I avoid them at all costs. Oh and yes, I have a set of these too

 

[Alan Reynolds]

Rolson was the name you were looking for. And Neilson!

 

[Munkul]

Oil cans. Mine always seem to dribble down and make a little puddle around the base.

 

[Cobbler]

Rolson was the name you were looking for. And Neilson!

It all seems to be the same rubbish with a different label. Unfortunately that seems to be all you can get now without going to a specialist tool supplier. The days of an iron monger having decent stuff has long gone.

 

[colnerov]

Hi, Ahh, yes grease guns. At the bus company we had basic guns that you just pushed on the end to pump the grease. The plastic caps were always stripping the thread so you had to be careful. One day one of my colleagues gave his a hefty push, the cap slipped off sideways and pumped the contents of the reservoir up the sleeve of his boiler suit. Not impressed!

Colin

 

[colnerov]

It all seems to be the same rubbish with a different label. Unfortunately that seems to be all you can get now without going to a specialist tool supplier. The days of an iron monger having decent stuff has long gone.

Hi, I haven't seen an ironmongers for a while let alone decent tools.

Colin

 

[Gragson]

Got an old Taiwanese Talco? impact driver, can't fault it, got me out of a lot of crusted fastener issues.
Cheap circlip pliers would be on my list as well as thumb pump oil cans - how hard can it be to make not dribble!

 

[whm_fab]

rolson and Neilsen give me shivers, total and utter tat. i paid €1.49 for a rolson single use caulk gun i planned on dumping after the job because i forgot my good one, and I still felt robbed.

I have to disagree with impact drivers though - i love mine! has got me out of some amount of binds. Cant understand why you would want to use one on tighten though, i just always have mine on loosen for big tight philips screws, its a gift! It is a Sykes-Pickavant one so that may have something to do with it, but i love it.

there seems to be a common theme here where we are just hating on cheap crap versions of tools, rather than the actual tool

bit holders, for drills for example that havent got a magnet in them so when you get to the top of the ladder and lift your drill the phillips bit falls out never to be seen again

 

[RWD3M]

Hi, I haven't seen an ironmongers for a while let alone decent tools.

Colin

I agree,

The last one local to me was Denton's in Chippenham:



closed a while back now and of course, this happened:



Real shame.

 

[Bryan Williams]

Stanley knives, loads of different designs all rubbish.

 

[Dr.Al]

I've got to agree with the hammer type impact drivers. I spend ages every time trying to figure out which way it'll go with the slider in each setting. I think I've only once ever managed to get a bolt undone with it and I've tried it countless times.

 

[Munkul]

I like my impact driver, it's a Facom one, and it's actually nice to use. It doesn't matter which way it's turning, you simply put it into the screw head/whatever, put some turning pressure on by hand and make sure it turns all the way to anticlockwise. Then give it a good whack. Keep lefty-loosey hand tight, and keep whacking. It's foolproof.

I've used Teng and sykes pickavant ones, both fine, but neither as nice as the Facom.

The Teng bits are chocolate, though... cheap compared to Facom bits, but I wasted 3 bits each on a single strike!

 

[Rannsachair]

I will add spring compressors: it feels like bomb disposal at times when you can just get them to fit but are not 100 % then they pop off when 3/4 tightened. I now have 3 sets of different types to reduce risks.

I have a good quality impact driver, only use it occasionally but a must have for me, it may ruin heads at times but it gets the steel screws out of alloy motorbike casings after many decades of not moving.

 

[Migmac]

Couldn’t tell you what make my impact driver is but it does work.

Don’t like wire wheels very much, they do a good job but I always seem to spend ages pulling bits of wire out of myself after using one

 

[Barking Mat]

Nobody's mentioned Berner tools...

Seized pliers.

Rubbish screwdrivers.

Sockets are ok, but the ratchets are rubbish, awful locks on the boxes, you pick it up, and it falls open all over the floor.

Etc.