Useless tools that should have been binned long ago

[MattF]

Anything with Silverline on it.

Some of their gear isn't actually too bad. You can tell it's made to a price, but it works.

 

[Richiew]

I think it's the usual Chinese gear lottery. Could be good or bad but never great. No repeatability either. Think white box electrodes if you've ever stick welded....

 

[Carl Wilson]

Re easy outs. When I worked on a particularly big maritime patrol aircraft, it would come in for major servicing and the first job was to de panel it. This meant as the name implies removing every single external panel and internal one, including all the floor panels.

This process took about a week. During that time I would use easy outs constantly. I never had one fail to remove a screw.

Re pop rivet pliers. Pop rivets are called Tucker pops on aircraft and the correct Tucker pliers are infallible. As are Tucker lazy tongs. You can get copies of them. Also used to use pneumatic tucker pop gun. Lots of other designs of blind rivets on aircraft that can be used structurally, but that's a story for another day.

Here's one bugbear though. Electronic solder that won't melt and won't wick in or stick. This new lead free stuff, it's crap. The old leaded stuff actually does the job.

 

[MattF]

Used this type just today, on some 4.8mm rivets. Had them a few year, but rarely use them. Actually quite nice to use. Obviously need decent grip strength though.

 

[Carl Wilson]

Roebuck is a good brand and that is a pretty close copy of a tucker. The handle is a bit less curved.

 

[qwakers]

bah, i just use this

Cordless Electric Rivet Gun Brushless with LED for Makita 18V Li-ion Battery Kit | eBay

Battery Type: For 18V Makita Li-ion battery(Not included). 1 x Electric Rivet Gun. Applicable Rivet: 2.4-4.8mm. Pure copper core motor, strong power, durable and long-lasting. Ergonomic silicone non-slip handle design, comfortable to grip and use.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Wedg1e]

We always knew them as an "Impact Driver".

Ah yes, I've had one of those since I started riding motorcycles in the 1980s... invaluable for shearing off or mangling the cross-point heads of the monkey-metal screws they insisted on using back then.

 

[Wedg1e]

Here's one bugbear though. Electronic solder that won't melt and won't wick in or stick. This new lead free stuff, it's crap. The old leaded stuff actually does the job.

Modern solders are intended to melt at higher temperatures, but the soldering iron makers haven't caught up yet. The hot air SMD rework stations usually include an iron that can go to 400C or even higher, but an old plug-in Antex will do well to hit 280C.

 

[Richiew]

And terrible performance.

bah, i just use this

Cordless Electric Rivet Gun Brushless with LED for Makita 18V Li-ion Battery Kit | eBay

Battery Type: For 18V Makita Li-ion battery(Not included). 1 x Electric Rivet Gun. Applicable Rivet: 2.4-4.8mm. Pure copper core motor, strong power, durable and long-lasting. Ergonomic silicone non-slip handle design, comfortable to grip and use.

www.ebay.co.uk

That's mad compared to the genuine Makita jobby, price wise. It needs a "Project Farm" comparison

 

[qwakers]

pulls stainless 4.8's up fine. might not be as rugged or refined as the genuine item but for what i use it for its perfect.

 

[Richiew]

Running out of money....

 

[Munkul]

Cheap C clamps and G clamps. Utterly useless.

 

[Keith 66]

The worst ones are when the handles are so un ergonomically designed that when the rivet eventually breaks you manage to hit the tip of your fingers on the other handle, sometimes quite violently.

I have a pair you squeeze. But I cannot squeeze them single handed. When the do close up they tend to trap an important fleshy part

Old time Tin snips were like this, made without a stop just behind the pivot, instead the handles meet, Easy to trap your gut or as i did once aged about 15 i was cutting some sheet lead up & the handles snapped shut through my jeans onto the end of my gentlemans sausage.
I had a large black mans pinch & morning glories lost their appeal for a while.

 

[pedrobedro]

Never had much luck with those tools for loosening things, you hit with a hammer. Can't think of the name in English.

I've got an impact driver still looks like brand new and I've had it over 40 years. It has been used to good effect to snap heads off many stuck screws and is an invaluable tool.

 

[Cobbler]

I've got an impact driver still looks like brand new and I've had it over 40 years. It has been used to good effect to snap heads off many stuck screws and is an invaluable tool.

I bought an impact driver from a charity shop probably about 10 years ago, still in the box, unused. Guess what, it’s still in the box unused. That was a waste of 3 quid then, thought it would be handy at the time.

 

[Seadog]

Some of their gear isn't actually too bad. You can tell it's made to a price, but it works.

I've a Silverline nail gun, and a framing gun. Both pneumatic, both have worked well.

 

[Bsmith]

Hope no-one else was stupid enough to buy a set of these.
Look good in the advert but uselss after cutting a few bits of light guage sheet metal.

View attachment 425320

Crowd of cheating *******'* (big flat coarse files).

 

[dobbslc]

I've a Silverline nail gun, and a framing gun. Both pneumatic, both have worked well.

To be fair I've got one of their chop saw adjustable height roller stand things that's been ok for a couple of years BUT on the first one a weld snapped first use, I suppose that says it all about the sort of quality you get, it's pot luck

 

[Greeves246]

I’ve got a useless tool but cannot bin it as I still need it to pee.

 

[redlig]

Yes, that's what I was looking for, but my brain has turned to putty.

Brains that turn to putty at the most inopportune moments.