5 Tools To Throw Away (And What To Replace Them With)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ค. 2024
- It's only my opinion but these are the tools that I would replace with something better
if replacing them was an option. My rule is 'buy the best tools you can afford'. Sometimes that means that years later, you are going to want to upgrade it. My favorites: • Why I Love Tools
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My father is 83 I’m 25 now. When I first started out in the trades at 18 I walked onto the job with a bucket of his tools a mag 77 and his 95 dodge Cummins 2500. All of them older than me. Everyone looked down on me for having old tools but they got me by for years. A few still live in my bags today. Those old tools provided me a way to earn a living and led way to my 40-50k tool collection I have now. I hope one day my sons will come to me asking to take a bucket of my old tools to their first job!
I just subtracted 25 from 83. Wow! 😉
Dang your dad was still beating it up at almost 60. Hopefully I’m still going that strong when I’m that age.
Knipex are by far the best, however, the version that has a push button are SOOO much betrer. Has many more positions
Sponsored by blue chews
My dad called that bar a wreaking bar, still using it today “plumb” brand. The long straight one was called a crow bar.
This man is a legend...if we had gentlemen like this teaching shop classes...our nation would be so incredibly gifted, and our craftsmen would be prized individuals.
Totally agree!
But wait, then we’d have a bunch of happy people who built great things. Where would we get all the lawyers, middle managers, and politicians from??
@@failranch9542there would be just as shitty people making the industry suck no matter how educated people were by a good shop teacher
Schools would need shop classes
Well put, I couldn't agree more!
It should also be noted the Knipex doesn't smash the crap out of your fingers when you are really squeezing hard and it slips off.
Knipex doesn't slip off. You mean when the nut/bolt yields or breaks 😅😅 Good point though.
Exactly what I was going to say! Save your fingers.
I see experience speaking (smashed body bits)
@@Omnis2 yeah buddy! Watched a 5 in version cobra torque a big nut to 140 ft-lbs with a firm grip holding the handles together and a homemade cheater bar (plus extensions) powering the force to just one handle!
I squeezed a pair of Pittsburghs so hard it bent the handles so they touched.
Doesn’t matter if you would’ve been talking about tax regulations, sewage, broccoli or knitting - always interesting to hear a well articulate man speak with the right words loaded up in the chamber. And a total lack of ”kinda’s”, ”eeeemm’s” and ”like’s”.
And the lack of jump cuts. The amateurs stitch together their narration as a sequence of seconds-long clips. It must take them hours just to assemble a single sentence. This guy knows how to give a complete and persuasive speech the first time 'round.
That must be why I subconsciously like this video so much. I see other TH-camrs doing the 20 jump cuts to camera to get a 20 second long string of dialogue and it drives me a little bit crazy.
"It's better than the one we haven't got" is a mantra of mine that I can recommend, it lives in the wheelhouse of "buy the best tool you can afford" and "buy only when you really need it", both EC tips I've come to appreciate. While I save some paycheck for tools I have a 3 year old and a baby on the way. Sometimes the tool might be a high chair or a car seat.... my tool budget isn't just about me anymore, I see tools as benefitting the family and so they might not always look like workshop tools. Fortunately I have a bride who sees a skilled up, tooled up man as a benefit to her family so it's win win over here. Thanks for the great content. Please, more disdain for tools videos, I found it extremely amusing.
Teaching your wife to see the value in buying a $$ tool that will not only save $$$ over hiring out the job, but will last for many projects to come will save you a lot of headaches and time fumbling with inadequate tools. Nowadays she doesn't bat an eye when I buy a tool because she trusts that it's a justified expense for the project, and I guess in a weird way it's my "payment" for the job at hand. Rinse and repeat for a few decades and you end up with a decent set of tools.
It is so true about a craftsman and tools. I am 81 and my grandfather, long deceased, was one of the most talented men I knew. He was truly an artist, he could paint a full wall mural. He was also a harness maker and carpenter. I don't believe he had any power tools in the 40s and yet he made me a wagon, wheelbarrow, and a host of other wooden toys.
This disdain for the tools you hate is quite amusing. 😅 Good tools make all the difference in life.
As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt.
A low quality tool really grinds my gears as well.
I run Makita cordless tools, my elderly dad was trying to put screws in with a old corded dewalt drill. He was getting so frustrated, I went and got my brushless Makita impact and told him to try it… he was shocked on how well it worked. The right tool for the job is exactly that!
lithium batteries changed the cordless game. Back when cordless drills used NiMH batteries, they would just die randomly on you. I still have a collection of brand new ones with their batteries dead, someday I might convert them to lithium.
And Makita isn't even that expensive. But excellent and they last.
Your impact made quite an impression
@@D4no00 and then brushless motors came along too, which really sealed the deal - essentially closing the gap between corded & cordless tools
Then he tried Milwaukee...and never touched Makita again! 😂 Just kidding buddy! 😊
When you showed the 4 lb. hammer it reminded me of a Ford square hay bailers I bought one time. The man that sold it to me still had the manual and told me a story. In the manual it read “Adjusting the knotter.” It said to use a fine adjusting tool to move the knotter part. He said he called the factory asked about the “fine adjusting tool”. The factory technician said it was a 4 lb. hammer. It is heavy enough to just tap something and effect movement. That 4 lb. hammer is very handy. Thanks for the review. A Knipex employee at a tool show booth told me they are a German company. The K is not silent rather it’s a hard K in Knipex. ( ka-nip-ex). Thanks for another great video sir.
I used Knipex to adjust my mechanical gnu.
I love all my Knipex stuff - worth every penny for 'buy it for life' quality - but it is relatively pricy, so it's not a bad idea to be selective & make sure you'll get use out of what you buy.
And yes, it's pronounced with a 'hard K'.
Swedish style forging hammer?
I always enjoy this gentleman’s opinion, (I don’t always agree with him 100%, but hey) …I love my tools, as with most of us, I suspect, I began as a kid in the 40’s and 50’s, building balsa wood airplanes… then cars… then on to real planes… spent the last 50 years with the A12… SR71… F117… we had the best tools money could buy… no Harbor Freight in those assembly areas… you get use to using quality tools at work, you want them at home too! I dread to think what my wife will do with all my tools, once I’m gone! She has absolutely no idea, the true value of what I have stuffed in every knock and cranny in my shop… somebody is going to make out like a bandit at that garage sale…
I inherited no tools from my father, so I have assembled a nice set of vintage USA-made tools myself from estate sales and garage sales over the past 3 years. I will pass this set on to my children. Quality American-made tools give me a lot of pleasure to own and use.
Germans don't waste letters, the K in Knipex is pronounced.
I guess Americans don’t waste syllables lol
Yeah you are right. My brother asked the knipex rep at a conference and you do pronounce the k
I hope this man never stops, he truly is a legend and gift to all of humanity.
Slip-joint, Channelocks brand are my ride or die, I deliver and install appliances. My favorite tool. 31 years I can't live without them.😂
And made in USA. But I do like the various Knipex I have. My favorite is the twin grip. Amazing when you need it.
I’m in the same job in the uk. Have a look at the knipex siphon and connector pliers. The shape of the head allows you to get in places other water pump type grips won’t. Avoid the rothenberger style ones though. The slip joint is terrible and as soon as you open them it tries to move down the slip joint which then binds up when you squeeze them closed again. The knipex have a push button release for the adjustment.
@@mopedmarathon Thanks for the tip.👍🏼
Nobody makes a Channelock like Channelock. I have pinched my fingers too many times using other brands.
@@machintelligence I never pinched my fingers with Knipex Corba's.
For anyone even thinking about the Knipex . . Buy them.
World of a difference!
I'd suggest the alligator 10inch. Perfect size and feel.
Unmatched gripping.
Plus, they have a stopper built-in so that you cannot pinch your hand between the ends of the handles.
Agreed! I always hated using slip joints, holding them 1 handed & trying to reach a plumbing joint at full arms length behind a kitchen unit etc was a recipe for some extremely creative swearing!
As soon as I saw the Knipex years ago I just bought them straight away despite them being many times the cost of my slip joints & I've never used a slip joint since (& never will).
Spend a tad extra and get the Cobra. Much more precise adjustments, adjustment action is much smoother, and very easy to change the adjustment one-handed. Afterwards you'll consider any other type to be the stuff of plebs.
@@eyegrinder94 I've worked in a shop where vice-grips were considered the end-all-be-all. I was asked to weld a lever to a stuck threaded rod, because the trusted vice-grips couldn't do it. The cobra had no issues.
Haha, I use knipex now, and I didn't even realize that I don't pinch the end of my pinky when they slip off anymore til reading this!
Not gunna lie, as an electrician I’ll still pick up the Channellocks(has to be channel locks brand name) over the knipex every day of the week. Nothing beats a couple pair of 420’s when you’re running 1/2”-1” pipe. You can ream with em, tighten up connectors and couplings, and use the ends to beat KO’s out of boxes. That’s why most electricians you see don’t have any of the blue insulation on the ends of the handles, if not none at all. Those knipex handles don’t close up tight to ream like channellocks do, and the insulation doesn’t make well for a beater.
Scott,
In America, the "K" is generally silent as in knife. In Germany where Knipex tools are made, they always pronounce a strong"K" and they pronounce the name of their tool "Kuh-nip-x" and they even have t-shirts that they sell with the preferred pronunciation.
Keep up the good work,
Cal
I was hoping someone else would straighten him out on that. 😁
But it’s not kuh-nip, it’s knip. Like the word Clip but with an N instead of an L.
@@Omnis2 no, it isn't.
@@pamelah6431yes it is.
@@saigmundur get a life. See what their own company says is the pronunciation.
Knipex and Wera tools became the foundational tools in my serviceman tool bag. The versatility and ingenuity are unbeatable. A shout out to American tool manufacturer Ridgid of Elyria Illinois. As a gas pipe fitter for 47 years I always directed my apprentices to purchase nothing but Ridgid pipe wrenches and their other plumbers tools. I have an 18" iron pipe wrench that saw almost daily use for those 47 years. Dress up the jaws with a file once in a while and away you go. That tool with a 36" extender would allow me to rotate the moon.
As an electrician, yes to both Knipex and Wera. Excellent tools, a joy to use, and they outlast their American counterparts so much. I'll give an honorable shout-out to Wiha for making the best folding ruler I've come across, in addition to quality screwdrivers
You had me right up to the point you said sell my motorcycle...no can do good sir
I sold my Yamaha LS2 100cc twin when I got married. I've missed it ever since.
@soupofpossibilities8537 I've been married almost 13 years, currently have 3 bikes. I am culling the fleet down to 2.
@@EngineersHomestead what bikes do you still have, and was there a favourite you wish you still had?
@TrevorDennis100 currently have a DR650, TW200 and Vstrom 650 (newest). Selling the DR as the other 2 better capture what I need. Don't really have a "one that got away" bike. Only bike I've ever sold was my first bike a Nighthawk CB750, don't miss it too much.
I felt the same! SELL my MOTORCYCLE? Blaspheme! lol! I Have a DR650 too. I think I'd love a TW200 for some things as well, just haven't found the right one!
The large speed square is good for being used as a ‘fence’ at a cutoff station (saw horses).
You got it. Exactly what I do with mine plus cutting rafters under 10 inches in width.
I keep one on the horses for scribing different widths that I need to rip. Super handy for Azek jobs when the sidewinder blows the chalk line away.
yessir.. we cut LP Smart side off the stack and it's indispensable as a guide for making precise cuts with a skilsaw and doing layouts for complicated cuts.
"Saw guide" is why I bought mine, and it's great.
That's all I use mine for. 😂
It brings me immense joy to see someone enjoy a well thought out gift. And a well thought out tool IS that. Keep up the good work Scott!
I bought a Tajima chalk, box 25 years ago… I used it hundreds of times and it still works like brand new …. The fine line it snaps is easy to see because I always use the fluorescent orange chalk ! It uses a lot less chalk than those old Irwin boxes
Growing up kinda poor our screwdrivers were always soft metal and worn. Now I have a nice collection of quality screwdrivers that I can warranty if needed.
What are your favorite screwdrivers?
I’ve always liked Craftsman screwdrivers, the tips seem harder than Stanley or the other brands, but especially with their Philips head screwdrivers. I’ve had so many others the would the tips would break, chip, or bend but not the Craftsman ones. I’ve never tried Klein tools or the really nice German ones, mainly because I was happy with the Craftsman screwdrivers. I’m not sure how they hold up now that the other country is making them, the couple sets that I have are probably over twenty years old and still going strong. If you come up with a good brand that you can work hard, let us know.
@@yoshakiI've got Carlyle, Icon, and, Felo and they're all good
Sometimes you don't know you can get better and just live with what you have. Same here.
@@Hoaxer51 I love my craftsman set as well but I'm selective about using them now since if I break one I can't get another USA made with the warranty.
I was a pipe fabricator/ fitter in the petrochemical industry starting in 1974 as a helper. Before work you were expected to open your tool box and load your bucket with basic tools such as combination wrench’s up to 1-1/4”, channel locks, 12” crescent, squares, tape measure at least 16’ , chalk line, pencil, paper etc. Two of the most indispensable tools were a 4 lb maul and a pry bar. You could move pipe or beams around with these tools to obtain line up. They were essential in performance of daily work. I spent the last 20 years as a project manager with up to 300 people working for me so all your discussion of running a business hits home. I love your channel and keep up the good work.
Knipex have made an innovation again, their new button style pliers are a godsend!
Sounds like the Irwin vice grip groovelock. They are Button style, super easy adjustment and stays on the setting! Really like them!
Knipex. Truly the best.
Love the smooth jaw ones too.
Replaced a whole handful of Crescent wrenches.
I have a few and really like them. I'd like to get the small one to carry in my pocket.
I have used knipex long before the modern popularity. I was turned on to them in the 90's by a friend's father ( an aircraft mechanic) . They are my go too slip joint plyers. I was a channel lock guy before. I still have several pair of channel lock brand plyers and a drawer full of useless worn out knipex. The knipex are my favorite but they wear out faster than any other slip joints I have used . If you are a casual user I would definitely say buy a pair of knipex They will last you a lifetime but if you use them every day you will be buying new pairs every year.
They fit in tight spaces and when they are new they grip a nut or piece of all thread rod better than anything else but the steel is soft and wears out fast . When they become worn they are absolutely useles and dangerous due to slipping when you really need to get a bite on something .Just something to think about when weighing cost to survivability of the tool. It's a love hate relationship for me. I will never stop using them but they also drive me nuts at the same time
I carry a tiny Knipex Cobra 81-100 in a leather slip sheath in my pocket. Super useful and easy to carry.
Couple of favourite things. I’m a small engine mechanic.
1. 1/4” T-handle. Takes sockets or hex bits.
2. My ratchet wrench set.
Both game changers for me.
The T handle is nice !!👍
@@bstevermer9293
I ordered it from the UK. Wasn’t cheap but well built. Over the past 4 years, I’ve done about 600 tuneups/repairs. Every one has some interaction with that T-handle! 🙂
I’m sure over those years it has saved me from damaging components, had I been using a power tool.
I'm 82. I did my first carpentry job that I got paid for when I was 10 with tools I borrowed from my father's tool collection. I borrowed his CROW BAR then, and today I have several, in different sizes, exactly like the one I borrowed that day. They did just fine 72 years ago, and I keep them at the ready every day today. They do exactly what I have always wanted them to do. A great tool. On that first job that CROW BAR was the first tool I ever used.
I with you I've been a carpenter for 47 years and have collected at least 2 dozen types of pry/crow/flat /wonder/wrecking/Johnson/ pinch, bars and they all get used in different circumstances. Kind of like the same amount of hammers I have.🍻
My Dad was a civil engineer and had a collection of tools around the house. I still have many of them stored in an old tool box. I have always said that all you need is the right tool. Got my first Knipex pliers a year or so ago and have been slowly retiring all my other pliers. Thank you for your eloquent informative and inspiring lessons. I miss the house build.
My father-in-law has helped me with woodworking and repair work around our house over the years. He and I installed our washer and dryer at our new house and he had the Ridgid Robo Grip II channel locks. I can't believe how well they worked and they haven't been produced for years. I went on ebay and got a pair of them as soon as I could. They are hard to find, but of course, I could count on my father-in-law to always have a tool he's taken good care of and let me borrow as my tool collection grows. It's the memories we make in these projects that mean the most.
So glad I found this channel when I was building my deck. It helped me then but I just enjoy watching now.
Scott, I will go to my reward with an Irwin Chalk Box still in my bags. It has seen me thru so many projects that I would feel naked without it. It’s become an old friend that will see me to the end of my days.
Yep that’s the tool I was going to say “ditto” on as well. They were and still are very inexpensive and about as functional low-tech as it gets. I do remember a couple times (early on) where, while having it apart, replacing the line, I’d lose or misplace the felt piece in the tip, where the line comes out. Pretty messy to work with with out that one little piece. Also, we always used concrete dye instead of chalk. It just makes a more permanent line. Something about the dye, different from regular chalk though is it would eat the gears up in those speed-winder chalk boxes. I have no idea why. No such problem with the Irwin’s though. No gears to foul.
Thank you. You are actively helping this 10 year GC remember why I got in the game in the first place so I can continue to increase what I can provide for my family. These videos are like pep talks in a way and I appreciate it.
Just ordered my first Knipex pliers. I didn't know about them until now. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you bought the Knipex Cobra and not the Knipex Alligator shown here. Like nite and day difference.
@@channelview8854 I bought the Cobra. Thankful that I got the better of the two.
Nate, the production value of this video is your best yet. The control of focus and lighting is excellent. Thank you.
I bought a burke bar on your recommendation several years back, it's great for all sorts of stuff.
Thank you Scott for your wisdom, and just as important, your understanding about tools that were "hand me downs", or bestowed to you by your parents...So many times I have pulled a tool out of the box, or off the workbench, and a flood of memories or just a smile comes forth.
Be well, and thanks for doing what you do!
Amen, sir. You’re a great teacher, a smart man and an example of class and reverence.
I love your message at the end, about doing your best with the tools you have. Keep that up
I bought a burke bar because of this channel. What a game changer. Love this channel and these videos. Keep up the great work!
I need one. I'd make one but I'm not that good yet
Andrew Camerata uses his for everything from changing truck tires down to stirring his coffee.
Love to listen to this channel. He talks beyond the immediate and looks at the important.
I have my grandfather’s combination square and it’s one of those tools that I will cherish forever.
I started picking up garage sale tools such as a super cheap ball peen hammer, well abused and rusty as you'd expect, the hammer face was mushroomed unequally and the end was broken off the handle. Grinder trued up the head but I cut the broken splinters off and carved a good swell in the shortened handle end and it's now super useful in tighter spaces and the swell feels good in hand. Ever notice how some old hand round-nosed shovels feel better to dig with than others? Most modern ones are straight shafted but the old antiques have a super well designed carve at the handle ends that make them more pleasurable to use (but it's still digging).
Hey dont hate on that chall line. Im not a contractor I have the exact same one that im sure my grandfather and i got at a garage sale 30+ years ago (where we got a lot of our tools). I have a newer "nicer" one but everytime i grab for a chalk line that old one always ends up in my hands somehow. Its been dropped and thrown more times than i can remember but i love it. While i have a lot of new and more expensive tools, those old garage sale tools still bail me out here and there.
100% correct. I'm a carpenter layout foreman I snap lines all day . I have bought every speed line ever made and they last a few months or maybe a year till the gears strip out or they crack when dropped in the cold . Then I go to the bottom of my spackle bucket and pull out the same old boxes I have that I bought in the late 70's . Replaced the line many a time but they still work. If I'm snapping a line on a piece or rock or plywood I don't even think of using a bulky speed line. I keep a piece 0f 1/2 " pipe and put it over the handle and it becomes an instant speed line. 🍻
I bought a pair of Kinpex pliers about 20 years ago not knowing anything about them and they immediately became my favorites in short order. Not only are they easier to adjust but the gripping jaws are narrow and strong and I found they fit in many places that my other pliers wouldn't. All my other pliers sit unused these days.
I own mostly old Craftsman mechanic tools, but I absolutely LOVE using my Snap On ratchet! Bring satisfaction every time I use it.
The Knipex in the video are Alligators. Don't buy Cobras unless it has the QuickSet mechanism. With standard Cobras, you have to know exactly the size of nut/pipe you're grabbing and push the button to set the wrench first. It's a two-hand job. With Alligators or QuickSet Cobras, you just sling the top jaw over and close the bottom jaw onto it-- all one motion with the same hand.
Knipex are nice but the button to get them adjusted to the right size is why they stay in my box more ofter than my reguar ol channel locks do
I use the button cobras in every size every day and have no problem adjusting with 1 hand. And they stay the size I need.
@@warrenmichael918 Knipex are far better than Channellocks and I'd gladly trade my old Channellocks that I never use for the Cobra-Doyle clones from HF if I had the chance.
Jaws too wide- can't do tight/minimal clearance jobs. Jaws too soft and poor tooth pattern, don't grip as well. Range of adjustability is awful, can't get handles closer together for better leverage and easier time holding something with one hand while working with the other. Handles also pinch your hands, Cobras are designed intelligently to not do that.
And the grips aren't awful. They just don't slide off after oil exposure. Channellock (and Klein) need to do better on that front....
the quickset mechanism is weaker and they don't offer it in all sizes.
Cobras are still the best adjustable pliers you'll get. They're better than alligators because of their extra adjustability range and strength over quicksets. It's also easy enough to adjust with one hand if you learn how. Maybe not as easy as others, but that's a small con against all the other things going for it.
@@jaywelker5566 I don't use these every day. In fact, I rarely do. Can't imagine anything that the quickset would be too weak to handle, but, I dunno, as a layman user/home gamer they're just a bit easier to use when I'm cursing under a sink or something.
Despite all of the knowledge he has imparted on all of us in terms of work and tool related things, that kind of message at the end is really why I started and continue to watch this channel. You are very wise, encouraging and always ready with advice. God bless you Scott. The world needs more of men like you.
Some of my favorite tools, are the ones that I made. Some as simple as a nail at the end of a dowel rod.
The best tool I have is really an organiser.
Dewalt t stack system tote bag. I have it loaded with all of my go to tools, with everything in its place, and I know exactly where each tool is.
Love having my gear organised, as it saves me heaps of time.
Thanks as always for your good work Scott!
The last things you said were key. Save a little money, buy a better tool, then earn/save a little more time. Tools are little investments that buy you time...over time.
I could talk about the tools ive used all my life for far too long but I thought about your question and for me the tool that impressed me when it came along was the Wonder Bar. A flat 12 to 14 inch pry bar that showed up in hardware stores in the 70s. As a builder renovator it immediately replaced any small pry bar you had at the time.
There is so many simple improvements to tools over the years that made big changes in productivity and ease of use that ill stick to my one observation and read the comments to see what others have to say. Cheers 🇨🇦
I second that. I beat up and got free replacements on Craftsman wonder bars when Sears was still a good company and stood behind their tools.
My favorite flat bar of this style is the Vaughan brand, I have 2 sizes, can't do without them. Still made in USA, I believe. Made with much better steel than other brands that have used.
Yeah, we used those. They were excellent.
Yea, "Wonder bars" , been using them so long I forgot there was anything else, LOL except for small crow's feet in some apps.
So much wisdom to be found here with you EC. Simply, thank you for the goodness you out out in the world to empower young men to go out and do good, honest work.
All the best from Victoria BC 🍁
Your nuggets of wisdom keep me coming back.
I love working with
good quality tools
Interesting Mr. Scott, I actually love my big 12 speed square, but I'm not in construction, more farm/ag, standing at the shop welding table, fabricating stuff the farm might need, getting a square angle put back on on a leftover piece of board or plywood left laying around that will be "just right" for this particular project ,and the 12" helps get more reach into the board, or the rusty piece of sheet metal I might be re-purposing for...?
I have a Swanson, Doyle, orange plastic one that shows up under the "stuff" that it crawls under, multiples of each, for when the plasma cutter torch might slip as you're using it for a straight edge! LOL😂
I love you stuff. Thank you for putting so much wisdom out there for all of us to soak up.
So many libraries get the doors closed on them without anyone ever reading the books that were in them.
When I first start working in decorative plaster, I would use the trowels, spatulas, hawks and other plastering tools my employer provided. After several years on the wall, I began investing in my own tools. I discovered trowels that would cut my labor in half for certain situations and make achieving specialized plaster finishes much easier and very much less stressful. The only quality of my work reached a whole new level because I found new tools that would not necessarily replace the old tools but when used on conjunction, made for a better final product.
Probably thee most relevant video I've watched in years! No, not about the tools....it's about the last 20-30seconds. I wish all the young men out there busy playing video games would have to opportunity to hear your closing comment. Amen brother, amen.
BTW, as a media professional, not a TH-camr, but a 30 yr veteran of tv, film, commercials, and now digital media.....your videos look great. Kudos to whomever has lit and shot them. Keep on.
"....a poor tool is better than no tool at all....? Ha! Loved this! Darrell
What a beautiful way to support family formation. Good bless you sir.
I am thankful for you putting me on to the burk bars. That tool has saved me time and frustration; and has likely avoided injury.
I couldn't begin to tell you how many blood blisters I've gotten from slip-joint pliers! The only maul, worse than the first, is the one with the moveable fingers in the head. It's the absolute definition of worthless! Great video! Lee PS: The best time to manually split firewood is 15 below Zero! It busts right open!
There's a difference between a beater tool and a Cadillac tool. A Cadillac runs true and smooth; and is sweet on the eyes.😊❤
So many words of wisdom, thank you! As a kid my dad didn’t mind if I used my money to buy tool instead of pissing it away and now I appreciate that. Many I still have today along unfortunately all of his which I treasure greatly.
That closing statement is solid!
Haha. That was funny. Monster maul. Sometimes you learn why a tool is good by using a bad one first!
Ain't it the truth.
I'm 71, retired Stationary Engineer, worked Plant Ops & Maintenance for a state facility 30+ years. Did a bit of pipe fitting, install & repair. We would do a day off/ busmans' holiday every year 1/2 the crew got to go to the Tulare Int'l Ag / Farm Show one day, 2nd crew go the next day, meet vendors, buy 4-H & FFL raffle tickets. I met a young vendor, new guy, had the proper papers to be selling . I bought 2 sets of 'Swedish form Pipe wrenches', 6,12,& 18", had never seen or heard of them. Imagine a heavy duty channel lock pliers, front leg is a round stock, threaded for a few inches to open / close the jaws adjustment(like Vise grips) , and the jaws are curved - not flat - and will NOT slip! I do love and use my rigid wrenches most of the time, but in a tight corner or crowded fittings where you might resort to a Sawzall, this will grasp an old union, reducer, elbow, etc.and pretty much did the job. My fellow engineers and plumbers laughed, until they tried it. For the next 20 years this was my test question for any new vendor rep, Grainger, McMaster, Fastenall, Snap On. Not one could find it. Harbor Freight just came out with it, call it the 'S-Jaw pipe wrench. I bought the 17", retired-don't need the two larger sizes. DO NOT GET THE H-F SWEDISH FORM WRENCH! Has square jaws, don't bite, do slip. Ask for the 'S-Jaw wrench. My only failures were due to corroded pipe & fittings. Sorry for the long comment, but it's a good tool for a bad job.
Harbor Freight introduced their version because they were riding on Knipexs coattails.
(Swedish Pipe Wrench-S-Type
83 30 010) Anytime either Knipex or Snap-on comes out with a tool and it becomes popular, Harbour Freight comes out with a cheap copy.
Don't mind the long comment. But the grammar and punctuation puzzle you presented is asking your reader to do a lot of extra work.
Im in Fire Suppression system installation. We run 1/2 EMT that aircraft cable runs through, and pipe our systems with 3/8 pipe. In the past we used to use old school hand tube cutters for EMT.... Absolutely horrible, forearms and wrists would be trashed at the end of the week. We now use a Milwaukee m18 little bandsaw and its AMAZING. Total game changer.
Love my large speed squares. Metal and synthetic. Use them frequently. Lots of uses. I don’t use it on the roof. Rafter squares seem to get tweaked out of square too easily. I admire your wisdom. Love my Burke bar I procured on your suggestion. Forged my crowbar into chisels.
Love them, very rarely hate them, I never throw tools away!
Same here, until my Craftsman ratchets kept falling apart and, instead of going AGAIN all the way across town to the only Sears left, I bought a $9 Harbor Freight ratchet which I still use 15 years later. Craftsman- in the trash.
Tools? I never throw away hardware, let alone tools. I have so many old tobacco cans or sour cream containers of rusty nails or random fasteners that my kid will curse me for keeping when I'm gone. But I know the second I throw one single thing in the trash, it's that exact thing I'll need the very next day. Every time.
Tools make me happy. This video makes me happy. Thanks Scott. Good day to you sir
Edit: the clunky large framing square is my GO TO tool to layout ductwork needing cut. I'm a commercial tinner foreman, 10 years now, and it is the handiest way to layout cuts and offsets on ductwork quickly and accurately
That said, that's all I use it for 😂
I always enjoy listening and learning from you. You have a gift!
Love the way you phrase things and the way you think.
In the landscape industry, my pruners and soil knife live on my hip 9+ months out of the year. I was astonished that during my first job as an intern, they had been in business in 30 years and never bought sheaths! No wonder they lost tools and always came to me to borrow mine! So, the AM Leonard Dual Sheath is absolutely necessary, in my experience. Not having your tools handy is as bad as not having tools.
Next has to do with quality pruners versus off-brand or cheapo pruners. It does make a difference if you're making thousands of cuts a day. :) I'm partial to Felco, Bahco, & ARS.
A crowbar is always better because we grew up with half life
'BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG'
Crow bar and gen1 glock 4 life
Please don't discount or exclude women in your discussions. I would have been thrilled to be gifted a set of good tools when I started out. As a landlord/remodeler I have a healthy collection. My husband, who is no slouch with tools didn't have near my quantity. When our neighbor asked if he could borrow George's compressor, I said no. "But you can borrow mine!" After a couple more of those, he figured it out. A a 10 year old I was dying to ride a Honda 50 my uncle brought over. He wouldn't let me because I was a girl. Instead he put my 8 year old cousin on it and he promptly ran it up a tree. I stood there disgusted. I've had 16 motorcycles in all genres over the years, have raced, and still have four. There are lots of women out there that use all kind of tools. See us!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Totally agree .
And I GOT TOOLS !!!! More than my Husband , and he was “no slouch “. 😉 😆
1 out of 10,000. If that.
Before you rag on me for my comment, 296,000 views, two women have commented.
Womp womp
@@prolifeunitybased
Dunno how I happened upon you but I really appreciate the advice you impart! Great to hear you speak with such grace.
I use a really nice microscope at work, I love it. It’s an Olympus SZ61 6.7x-40x. The picture is so crispy and detailed, it’s really a joy to look at small parts!
Yeah, with optics quality is a must.
Ergonomics has become super important to me as I've aged through my career. (10 yrs as a carpenter - age 29) I no longer wear large heavy bags. I've opted for small, light pouches that hold just enough to get the work done.
I used to lug around a large 12" miter saw and while the capacity was nice, the saw was heavy enough I didn't move it around the site. When you're working in 6,000+ sqft homes, every unnecessary step is money/time wasted. I purchased the small cordless Kapex and it's be AMAZING to wheel it in/out/around of the job without putting anymore wear on my body.
Your minimalist approach to tools and the level of work you're able to achieve with them has been a real inspiration to me and my team. Thank you for everything you do for our industry... and keep up the GOOD WORK!
So much respect. You remind me my good grandfather. Thank you.
I was just out of high school going to tech school for carpentry and got most of my first tools at second hand stores of yard sales. They weren’t what I use now 30 years later but they were quality tools that worked when I was broke.
My splitting maul has been a long handled door stop for decades. I agree that Knipex makes a dandy tool and I have a couple I use a lot but I still use my USA made Channel Locks, especially the large ones. Love your content!
You're a blessing. Thanks for sharing your values as well as knowledge.
Thank you for passing your knowledge, Sir
I was in the Navy and finished it as a career. As a Metalsmith the most useful manuals as a young apprentice one was Tools and their uses. Your last comment about tool is absolutely 100 percent accurate!
Big and small separates my tools.
My made in USA 18" flat screwdriver has a name, Jimmy! Next is either my Estwing framing hammer or my 20" Channellocks covers most larger tasks.
Knipex small Cobras, and my own modified assortment of Wera's with a T-handle ratcheting driver covers most medium and smaller ones.
These tools are with me every day.
The best all around multitool, for the price, is the Leatherman Wave+ (though I carried and lost my second Free P4 yesterday).
My electricians tools, cutting, and splitting tools are another realm.
I saw Knipex water pump pliers on a TH-cam channel, and got curious. I won't say they 'changed my life', but those are my go to pliers when I need to really turn something, and yet the jaws look almost new after several years. I now have over a dozen different pairs of Knipex pliers, and love them all. My only regret is not having them a long time ago.
Thanks for sharing your philosophy and practical comments. I have a terrible time getting rid of old and poorly designed tools, many of which I inherited. The comments here give me some inspiration.
Thank You! Especially for the final statement!
A few tools that I love, use and marvel at are: Starrett 12" combination Square (including center finder and angle heads); Knipex Pliers Wrench and Cobras; Japanese Ryoba and Dozuki saws, and vintage #4 Stanley Planes;Wera Tool-Check PLUS...to name a few. Also, the little VIM 1/4"flex head ratchet (3 piece).
I'm retired some years ago and I have come across a number of tools from a low cost tool store featuring tools not made in America or Europe including but not limited to box end wrenches that broke right out of the box first time I used it there by shutting my plant down (HAZMAT liquid pump) until I could get a helper with a wrench. Never bought there again and always had back up tools afterwards. Many years ago before I knew better. Knipex changed the game for me often. You know it's good when it disappears into another tradesmans tool box on occasion.
Good topic. Thanks for the video.
Knipex non-marring jaws are perfect for plumbing! Love them!
I have a blacksmiths hammer that I found abandoned at an old job site thirty or forty years ago, but which was perfectly designed, made and balanced, and has a longer handle finished with sweat and machine oil. I still treasure it today. The square-faced hammer you showed is a sculptor’s or stone-cutter’s hammer, often of a type included in a set of sculptors’ chisels rolled up in a canvas carry-all. The old slip-joint pliers are great for slipping off pipe joints you’re trying to tighten, while pinching flesh in your palms and causing painful blood bisters. I buy Knipex tools every time I can find them at the right price. Your comments on mauls were spot-on. Thanks for your common sense approach to choosing tools and getting your work accomplished. If you don’t have a Burke Bar, and need something to lift part of a truck or large, granite blocks, don’t overlook an old wagon axle which may be lying in a corner somewhere or is otherwise free.
My grandfather was a woodworker. Made some cool wooden art pieces like a portrait of a lake with boats and farmsteads. He literally only had a crescent wrench. No socket sets or anything. It's wild.
I had a rusty old 8" square that probably was out of square but my Grandpa gave it to me from his shop and it was at my critical moment in life where woodworking is now what I do for hobby!!
I love my 15 pound monster maul. Bought it new in about 1982 from an ad in Mother Earth News. I just got the edge rebuilt at a welding shop. A couple years ago I split up most of a 6’ diameter silver maple with it.
Now the knipex parallel jaw plier/wrench is a charm to use. The little one hides in my pocket and helps out with most things I run across. The way it works makes it almost as fast as a ratchet.
Loving the lighting and color balance on this video. As well as all the tips.
Buckin' Billy Ray Smith rules. I love that man's channel and your channel. Glad to see two greats lining up like that!
This was delightful as well as informative. I have a tiny [pair of] Knipex for my bug-out/EDCbag. Expensive but highly recommended, so I bought it. Thank you for explaining what I had never noticed about their construction.
I got a plastic larger speed square, i love it. Its a perfect guide for my cordless circular saw.
I also had many hand me downs from my Grandfather and Dad, which I still own at 63, I keep them and use them mostly as reminders of where I came from.
The Knipex tools are game changers, I have a few and agree that the slip joint pliers are in a class by themselves, well worth the money.
As a Professional Master Heavy Equipment mechanic for 40 + years, the Crescent Wrench was my nemesis, never used one and would not let any of my apprentices or crew use them either !
If I ever saw them use one ,I would throw it as far as I could and state :"Get the right tool for the job"! No hacks here!
Great channel and I greatly appreciate your views on workmanship and ethic.
I have been finding my 8" flat jaw Knipex are coming out of my tool bag more often (and for the same jobs I would have used) than my 6" Proto adjustable ("Crescent") wrench, which both are always with me. The parallel grab in the range that you set it to is slick and useful. And what to do with the old tools? Steel recycling, just do it.