Thread
The special screwdriver for opening compact Macs...
mildly off topic gray area, but I have a trusty craftsman jig saw that's about 25 years old. the plate that you can set the angle of the cut is loose and unable to be completely tightened. do you think that would qualify as a replacement?
I have never had a problem with craftsman or stanley. hell even greatneck works good for my purposes. really the only tools I have had fail or break on me were cheapos from big lots or similar.
I have never had a problem with craftsman or stanley. hell even greatneck works good for my purposes. really the only tools I have had fail or break on me were cheapos from big lots or similar.
Craftsman, to me, is the mainstream DIYer brand. It's not something you'll find your carpenter using in general, but it gets the job done for most everyday things around the house. Example--I have a nice Craftsman drill that works well for the things I do (repairs, building smaller pieces of furniture on occasions where I don't want to use a drill press, etc). However, if I were actually making a living as a carpenter, I'd likely buy a high-end DeWalt (and keep that Craftsman for around the home because it's such a good drill).
I really don't have a ton of Craftsman stuff for hand tools. Most of my computer tools came together in a kit from Radio Shack, a gift from my grandfather when I first started tinkering with hardware. (He also got me a soldering gun and I think of him every time I use the tools). The Torx drivers are the only Craftsman products in my entire computer set. Of my workbench tools, outside of that drill, the only Craftsman hand tools I have are my wrenches (including a torque wrench), a ball peen hammer, nut drivers, and screwdrivers. Most everything else is Stanley, Nicholson, Wiss, or some defunct tool company from 100 years ago (a lot of my tools were my great grandfather's; they sat idly from his death until I was old enough to use them). My toolbox is Master Mechanic brand for what it's worth (my cabinets and workbench are F.L. Baret brand--that is, my great grandfather; I refurbished them years later).
Power tool-wise, I really only use one brand for the larger ones, and that's Delta. It's a professional line and I haven't been disappointed. I only wish I had room in an apartment for everything (had to leave my table saw, bandsaw, drill press, and router behind--can't wait to be back in Pittsburgh so I can go to the old house and build furniture again).
I did get a Craftsman circular saw, but it died within 13 years. I've been debating about repairing it, but I've found I only have needed a circular saw on one occasion since it died since I usually just use my other larger tools for that sort of stuff.
If any brand has fallen from glory lately, it's Black and Decker. Their stuff was pretty good 20 years ago, but I wouldn't dare touch it now aside from the AutoWrench (one of the cooler new tool ideas to come out recently). Since the mid-90s, I've been through two of their vacs, a Snakelight, two screwdrivers, and a toaster oven (which I had to return since it kept smelling like it was going to burn down). I still have my old drill (made in 1956!), a pop-up toaster (1994), and a very old toaster oven (1990) going strong. I'd still have a dust buster if I hadn't traded it once I inherited my grandparents' old Hoover PortaPower. VersaPak was perhaps the worst battery technology ever.
Enough about this--as you can tell, my other hobby is woodworking and I really want to get back into it now that my old woodshop will be within a few miles of whatever apartment I move in to instead of 480 miles north of me
I do have a vacuum-mounted vise and a few tools here, but nothing beats building porch rockers on those rainy summer Sunday afternoons.
I really don't have a ton of Craftsman stuff for hand tools. Most of my computer tools came together in a kit from Radio Shack, a gift from my grandfather when I first started tinkering with hardware. (He also got me a soldering gun and I think of him every time I use the tools). The Torx drivers are the only Craftsman products in my entire computer set. Of my workbench tools, outside of that drill, the only Craftsman hand tools I have are my wrenches (including a torque wrench), a ball peen hammer, nut drivers, and screwdrivers. Most everything else is Stanley, Nicholson, Wiss, or some defunct tool company from 100 years ago (a lot of my tools were my great grandfather's; they sat idly from his death until I was old enough to use them). My toolbox is Master Mechanic brand for what it's worth (my cabinets and workbench are F.L. Baret brand--that is, my great grandfather; I refurbished them years later).
Power tool-wise, I really only use one brand for the larger ones, and that's Delta. It's a professional line and I haven't been disappointed. I only wish I had room in an apartment for everything (had to leave my table saw, bandsaw, drill press, and router behind--can't wait to be back in Pittsburgh so I can go to the old house and build furniture again).
I did get a Craftsman circular saw, but it died within 13 years. I've been debating about repairing it, but I've found I only have needed a circular saw on one occasion since it died since I usually just use my other larger tools for that sort of stuff.
If any brand has fallen from glory lately, it's Black and Decker. Their stuff was pretty good 20 years ago, but I wouldn't dare touch it now aside from the AutoWrench (one of the cooler new tool ideas to come out recently). Since the mid-90s, I've been through two of their vacs, a Snakelight, two screwdrivers, and a toaster oven (which I had to return since it kept smelling like it was going to burn down). I still have my old drill (made in 1956!), a pop-up toaster (1994), and a very old toaster oven (1990) going strong. I'd still have a dust buster if I hadn't traded it once I inherited my grandparents' old Hoover PortaPower. VersaPak was perhaps the worst battery technology ever.
Enough about this--as you can tell, my other hobby is woodworking and I really want to get back into it now that my old woodshop will be within a few miles of whatever apartment I move in to instead of 480 miles north of me
I do have a vacuum-mounted vise and a few tools here, but nothing beats building porch rockers on those rainy summer Sunday afternoons.
Amen to that, making wood shavings just for the sound, tactile feedback and beautiful curls rolling off a well set up plane when pushing or pulling it through an aromatic board leaves absolutely nothing to be desired!
As far as Craftsman tools go, their mechanics too sets and boxes were marketed to compete with fully professional brands like Snap-On back when my grandpa was setting up shop. It's easier to go to Sears or buy tools mail order from them than it is to get the Snap-On truck to stop by your home or farm workshop.
Their Power tools were never warrantied for life, just the hand tools. Some of the early Craftsman Power Tools like Jointers and TableSaws were pretty nice. I don't remember which year it was, but when Sears switched to imported power tools, the quality went way down.
As I recall, Home Depot put the mill to work producing their Rigid Brand power tools, they're undoubtedly from offshore as well.
Offrshore isn't a bad word to me, I had an inexpensive horizontal bandsaw from the Rong Fu mill in Taiwan that was incredible. Some that looked the same were just terrible.
I haven't had the heart to look at a Delta 14 Bandsaw in years, my 1 HP enclosed base 14 is industrial to the bone, what I saw just a few years back clearly wasn't.
Dunno, life goes on . . .
As far as Craftsman tools go, their mechanics too sets and boxes were marketed to compete with fully professional brands like Snap-On back when my grandpa was setting up shop. It's easier to go to Sears or buy tools mail order from them than it is to get the Snap-On truck to stop by your home or farm workshop.
Their Power tools were never warrantied for life, just the hand tools. Some of the early Craftsman Power Tools like Jointers and TableSaws were pretty nice. I don't remember which year it was, but when Sears switched to imported power tools, the quality went way down.
As I recall, Home Depot put the mill to work producing their Rigid Brand power tools, they're undoubtedly from offshore as well.
Offrshore isn't a bad word to me, I had an inexpensive horizontal bandsaw from the Rong Fu mill in Taiwan that was incredible. Some that looked the same were just terrible.
I haven't had the heart to look at a Delta 14 Bandsaw in years, my 1 HP enclosed base 14 is industrial to the bone, what I saw just a few years back clearly wasn't.
Dunno, life goes on . . .
Don't forget, some domestically-produced goods are awful, too. I won't buy a car with an American-made transmission and while I don't want to generalize, every American car we've had in the past 20 years had major transmission issues; the same can be said for many of my friends. (Of course, a tranny is only as good as how you maintain it sometimes; I like to flush mine every 30K or so and actually will be doing that next week since I recently hit that mileage milestone. Still, my old Legend went about a decade between tranny flushes and never had a tranny problem).
Outside of transmissions, my mom had a very unreliable Eureka sweeper built in the USA. It was in the shop at least a few times a year. Why she held on to it for 13 years is the pressing question.
Sometimes, it's just a matter of preference. If you play piano, you've probably noticed a "tinnier" sound from some Japanese models (Yamahas in particular). It's not a question of reliability there, but more or less of style and sound. I actually have a Yamaha synth and a Baldwin upright (best of both worlds). I'm sure I could find other examples to use here, too, but this one comes to mind since I remember hearing a dramatic difference in sound when I played a Yamaha piano for the first time.
Outside of transmissions, my mom had a very unreliable Eureka sweeper built in the USA. It was in the shop at least a few times a year. Why she held on to it for 13 years is the pressing question.
Sometimes, it's just a matter of preference. If you play piano, you've probably noticed a "tinnier" sound from some Japanese models (Yamahas in particular). It's not a question of reliability there, but more or less of style and sound. I actually have a Yamaha synth and a Baldwin upright (best of both worlds). I'm sure I could find other examples to use here, too, but this one comes to mind since I remember hearing a dramatic difference in sound when I played a Yamaha piano for the first time.
yes you are generalizing.
What brands of cars are these? Some specifics would be nice.
Or you could buy a manual and not have to worry about flushing the transmission fluid and all the other crazy stuff that goes on inside of a slushbox.
off topic>
As for the tools, my process for buying them is much simpler than for anything else. I generally import any electronics with built-in software or with extensive panels of buttons for language and style reasons (home appliances like air purifiers and dehumidifiers on the Japanese market tend to have a lot of thought put into the design, while US-market ones generally look like something that belongs in a garage), and before I buy, I do a lot of research, read reviews, etc. Hand tools are easy, though, because there are no internal electronics and little to no mechanical parts to guess about, and they're basically the same everywhere. I just go to the store, look them over, handle them, and buy the one that seems the most solid and ergonomic. I've accumulated a number of different brands this way and I haven't really paid attention to which they are, or been unsatisfied with any of them.
off topic>
As for the tools, my process for buying them is much simpler than for anything else. I generally import any electronics with built-in software or with extensive panels of buttons for language and style reasons (home appliances like air purifiers and dehumidifiers on the Japanese market tend to have a lot of thought put into the design, while US-market ones generally look like something that belongs in a garage), and before I buy, I do a lot of research, read reviews, etc. Hand tools are easy, though, because there are no internal electronics and little to no mechanical parts to guess about, and they're basically the same everywhere. I just go to the store, look them over, handle them, and buy the one that seems the most solid and ergonomic. I've accumulated a number of different brands this way and I haven't really paid attention to which they are, or been unsatisfied with any of them.
Heres a torx 15 that i got from Amazon that worked perfectly opening my classic 2. Hope this helps anyone.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M0O17A/ref=pe_309540_26725410_item
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M0O17A/ref=pe_309540_26725410_item
Hey mods, is there a way to move the "American/not-American tools debate" parts of this thread to the lounge, but leave the "tool you need for your compact Mac" info here?
Dunno, maybe, likely way more trouble than it's worth.
It's more of an "good quality American Made" vs. "low quality IMPORT" kinda deal. Lots of very low quality tools were made here in the good 'ole US of A, as well as any other country. High quality tools are made wherever low quality tools are made, so the debate is really a non-starter if you think about it.
Some of my tools are German made and excellent, but I'll wager some pretty crappy stuff was made in Germany as well over the years. The best Lineman's I've ever laid hands upon are made in Germany and carried at Lowe's along with about every imaginable variation of these classic electrical work pliers. The great ones are $50, the cheapest comes in a kit made to hit a $10-$20 price point before Memorial Day/Father's Day/Labor Day/BLACK Friday/Christmas, etc., and then blown out at about half that right after.
@ ianj: overdrive 5-Speeds 4evAH! :approve: SLUSHBOXEN!!!
It's more of an "good quality American Made" vs. "low quality IMPORT" kinda deal. Lots of very low quality tools were made here in the good 'ole US of A, as well as any other country. High quality tools are made wherever low quality tools are made, so the debate is really a non-starter if you think about it.
Some of my tools are German made and excellent, but I'll wager some pretty crappy stuff was made in Germany as well over the years. The best Lineman's I've ever laid hands upon are made in Germany and carried at Lowe's along with about every imaginable variation of these classic electrical work pliers. The great ones are $50, the cheapest comes in a kit made to hit a $10-$20 price point before Memorial Day/Father's Day/Labor Day/BLACK Friday/Christmas, etc., and then blown out at about half that right after.
@ ianj: overdrive 5-Speeds 4evAH! :approve: SLUSHBOXEN!!!