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Tres Burritos posted:I bought one of these as a new desk and I'm super impressed with it. I've got a Husky box/bench in the garage and I like it a lot. 72" I think. All black with the attached pegboard. Soft close drawers, built in power strip, bottle opener, pretty nice.
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May 8, 2020 00:40
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I bought one of those around 4 years ago to use as a cheap standing desk and it works well enough I bought another last fall to form an L between the 2 of them. They're currently on top of rubber mats and the one was originally over the top of carpet, no stability issues even then. They aren't very deep so I consider a monitor stand that clamps to the back a must but otherwise they're a good way to save a few hundred on a standing desk.
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May 8, 2020 03:42
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How well built are they? I'm always looking for rolling tables for my shop and adjustable height would be awesome. 300# capacity seems low to me.
sharkytm fucked around with this message at 14:42 on May 8, 2020 |
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May 8, 2020 14:39
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I'm sure this gets asked on the reg, but I didn't see it in the OP or in the last few pages so you'll all have to suffer seeing it again. I would like to buy into a power tool system. At the moment the only power tool I own is a seven year old $20 corded drill. It has served me well, but I find myself in need of a reciprocating saw, and at that point, I figure I should pick a platform and stick with it, even if I won't necessarily be buying the various tools for awhile. I'm a new homeowner, with basic diy needs. I can't imagine buying more than a drill, saw, reciprocating saw, and possibly two to three more tools than that? I don't even know what they'd be, just that I can see myself finding a reason for a couple more things. Basically, breadth of the platform isn't a major concern. I generally prefer to buy higher quality, especially if it's something I expect to last a long time. I'm also not in a rush and like to shop sales, so being expensive doesn't bug me too much either. Given this, what's a good brand and platform to buy into? Milwaukee is on my radar, but I know there's also Worx, Ryobi, DeWalt, Kobalt, etc. I also see there's 12v, 18v, 20v, etc., and I don't know what to make of those differences either, other than that I assume bigger is better.
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May 8, 2020 21:42
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Whatever system you decide on get both a drill and an impact driver. Impact drivers are magical compared to the driver function on a drill. Are you going to be doing much circular saw work? Those use much more power than other tools so if you don't really really need cordless I'd recommend a corded one.
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May 8, 2020 21:57
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The Wonder Weapon posted:Given this, what's a good brand and platform to buy into? Milwaukee is on my radar, but I know there's also Worx, Ryobi, DeWalt, Kobalt, etc. I also see there's 12v, 18v, 20v, etc., and I don't know what to make of those differences either, other than that I assume bigger is better. I'd stick to Dewalt, Ryobi, Makita, or Milwaukee - those are the most popular and have the most tools. All with the exception of Ryobi are similar in price and quality. Ryobi is generally considered to be slightly less in the quality department, but more than sufficient for a homeowner. Ryobi is also quite a bit cheaper than the other 3. The 18v vs 20v is just marketing BS promulgated by Dewalt. They all use similar battery cells and construction. The 12v tools can be nice, because they are a bit cheaper, smaller, and lighter. I personally wouldn't start with 12v tools, however, unless your needs are very light. I prefer Milwaukee stuff, and I have M18 and M12 tools. The 12s are sufficient for most things, but when you need the extra power to drive lag bolts or long screws, they don't cut it like the 18v stuff. Basically, for all of these, buying the expensive batteries starts to lock you in to a brand.
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May 8, 2020 21:59
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oXDemosthenesXo posted:Whatever system you decide on get both a drill and an impact driver. Impact drivers are magical compared to the driver function on a drill. I would have expected all systems would have several drills and at least one impact driver. Do you think that's not the case? I did some circular saw work last year when I built a driveway gate. All told I've done less than 100 cuts in the last year. I need to put up another 10ft stretch of fence, but that won't be significant either. Basically, I'm sure I'll do an assorted amount over the years, but it's not like I'm regularly building wood structures. More to the point, I'm completely fine skipping a cordless circular saw and buying that independently. e: to provide a sense of scale, in the last year I installed a driveway gate that involved pouring something like 1,500lbs of concrete, and bought a live edge slab of wood that I cut down, sanded, finished, and mounted using invisible brackets. I'm doing more involved projects than installing blinds and assembling Ikea furniture, but at the same time, I'm not going to go build an addition onto my house. The Wonder Weapon fucked around with this message at 22:20 on May 8, 2020 |
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May 8, 2020 22:01
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Was able to snag this for $89, how'd I do for a first router purchase? https://slickdeals.net/f/14037095-ymmv-lowes-metabo-hitachi-router-with-plunge-base-on-clearance Any recommendations for budget router bits and are 1/2" preferable?
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May 8, 2020 22:02
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The Wonder Weapon posted:I would have expected all systems would have several drills and at least one impact driver. Do you think that's not the case? They definitely all have at least one impact driver option, I just wanted to make sure you didn't overlook it. I almost did when I got new tools a few years ago and it's been the most used tool I have.
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May 8, 2020 23:59
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Bob Mundon posted:Was able to snag this for $89, how'd I do for a first router purchase? Not bad at all. It's a decent router. I picked up a used one & case for chump change and I like the variable speed and graduated startup. There's lots of different sets of bits available, you don't have to go for the priciest, you do want to get carbide. And in most instances where the bit needs to hog more than a trifle, a 1/2" shank is far preferable, yes.
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May 9, 2020 01:54
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I advocate getting the absolute cheapest tools you can get your hands on and only upgrading as necessary. For example I I bought this thing in 2016 and have yet to outgrow the oscillating attachment https://www.amazon.ca/BLACK-DECKER-BDCDMT1206KITC-Matrix-Combo/dp/B00PK4XY90 The drill got dropped picked up a wobble so I replaced it with a dewalt with a 1/2" chuck. For the record, the drill was not significantly cheaper than the 6-in-1 B&D kit. https://www.amazon.ca/DEWALT-DCD791D2-Li-Ion-Brushless-Compact/dp/B0183RLVSQ/
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May 9, 2020 03:20
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Counterpoint: there's nothing so infuriating as working with a lovely tool. How much you value not being angry while you do your DIY projects is up to you.
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May 9, 2020 04:23
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I've been happy with lots of cheap tools, just do research before and be open to paying for something better if there isn't a good cheap option.
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May 9, 2020 04:26
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DreadLlama posted:I advocate getting the absolute cheapest tools you can get your hands on and only upgrading as necessary. I feel like this is good advice only if your time is worthless.
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May 9, 2020 04:27
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I had an old set of craftsman 18v tools that I retired to the lake when I bought a cabin thinking they'd be good for up there. I then replaced them with 20v DeWalt stuff at home. Whenever I plan on doing anything whatsoever I drag my DeWalt stuff up there because it's just so much better and makes everything easier.
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May 9, 2020 04:59
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I had an uncle who installed the sink in his bathroom by drilling many holes in a the countertop because he did not own a jigsaw. I maintain that a lovely drill and a lovely saw is better than a really nice drill and no saw.
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May 9, 2020 05:14
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I'll level with you guys, I'm surprised there isn't a consensus, or near consensus, on a brand or two for the "ambitious DIYer" crowd
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May 9, 2020 05:59
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If you are talking battery tools, it is whatever modern battery system you like the color of/that is on the best sale, they are all plenty good for an ambitious DIYer or more. Of course plenty of people will argue circles ford/chevy style about it.
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May 9, 2020 06:09
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According to some image I found pretty much everyone is Chinese.  Like Dewalt is Black and Decker and also Porter cable. There are youtube videos detailing which little plastic bits you need to cut from what battery to make them fit in X vs. Y tool.
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May 9, 2020 06:17
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The Wonder Weapon posted:I'll level with you guys, I'm surprised there isn't a consensus, or near consensus, on a brand or two for the "ambitious DIYer" crowd I seem to have a lot of red right now (and some gray/black Porter Cable drills/saws), so I am thinking of replacing my stud finder (yellow) with a red one. It's really just about color matching 
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May 9, 2020 07:32
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As someone who uses dewalt in a professional setting, I can very confidently say that the main brands are all completely interchangeable and color preference is pretty much as deep as you have to worry about for homeowner use. That said, dewalt and Milwaukee are overkill $ wise for home use, and ryobi is completely capable at a better price point with just as many tool options.
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May 9, 2020 13:34
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I like my Ryobi stuff because the day-glo green is easy to spot when I'm looking for something I haven't used in a while
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May 9, 2020 13:45
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I recommend Milwaukee for 12v due to their massive variety of tools. For 18/20v Ryobi is ok for the home gamer. I ended up with DeWalt, but Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch or Hitachi are all fine. I even have some corded HF crap.
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May 9, 2020 13:47
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Wrar posted:I recommend Milwaukee for 12v due to their massive variety of tools. For 18/20v Ryobi is ok for the home gamer. I ended up with DeWalt, but Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch or Hitachi are all fine. I even have some corded HF crap. Do they make brushless in the 12v line? I only have 2 12v tools (drill and impact, brushed DeWalt) and they're wonderful to use for so many things. I'd really like to add more 12v stuff.
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May 9, 2020 17:03
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I'm a DIYer and hobbyist woodworker, and the Ryobi stuff is totally fine (except the table saw, do not under any circumstances buy a Ryobi table saw) so I'd rather spend half as much money and have to replace it in 5 years. I'm not on a job site, I'm not putting 40 hours of wear on these tools. I charge my batteries like once a month.
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May 9, 2020 17:11
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The Wonder Weapon posted:I'm sure this gets asked on the reg, but I didn't see it in the OP or in the last few pages so you'll all have to suffer seeing it again. I was just recently thinking about this because I have friends ask periodically. Here's my take: Brand Top tier brands previously mentioned (Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt) are all pretty much the same as far as quality. There will be slight differences but you probably can't go wrong with any of them. I went with Milwaukee because I found some good combo deals and they seem to carry a good selection of their tools at Home Depot so I could actually look at/feel them, but it's mostly up to preference. Bosch and Hitachi are also great, but I don't know if their variety of battery tools are as thorough as the big three I mentioned. More budget brands like Royobi are probably ok for occasional use, but if you are looking to invest in a "system" rather than to fill an immediate need I'd probably recommend tools that are a bit more durable/feature rich. Battery Power (12v vs 18v/20v) That said, evaluate your needs. You are in probably the most common category ("New Homeowner with basic DIY needs"). Once upon a time I would have said "Get an 18v system if you think you are going to do real DIY work someday". However, I've changed my mind recently, and I think 12v is a great choice. Overall, the 18v tools are much better in terms of power, battery life, and features. Milwaukee often has 12v and 18v models of a lot of different tools, but the 18v version is usually more feature-rich (more adjustable, more accessories, etc.) in addition to being more powerful. There are also certain kinds of tools that just don't exist in 12v versions (like grinders) or which might be arguable in 18v but a little pointless in 12v for all but the simplest cases (such as a circular saw). For Milwaukee the 12v line generally targeted at "DIY homeowners who want solid tools at a decent price" while the 18v line is more "actual professional/prosumer tools meant to be used on a daily basis". If you plan to do a lot of work (demolition/remodeling or building a deck, for example) you're going to be happy you have the 18v tools both for their power/durability and quality. That being said, the 18v tools tend to cost 1.5-2x as much (even as bare tools). But maybe more importantly, they are also (a) bigger and (b) heavier. I originally got an 18v Drill and Impact Driver combo set and I loved them, using them for all sorts of things. But man, that 18v battery and the motor that goes with it got pretty drat tiresome after holding it above my head at odd angles for a while. Eventually I splurged and bought a m12 drill/driver just so I'd have something compact (easier to fit in awkward places) and light (less tiring to hold there). It's now what I use for probably 80% of things around the house. Meanwhile, I recently picked up the m12 oscillating multi-tool (for cutting into drywall and other random things) and a m12 jigsaw. In both cases I can't imagine really even wanting the m18 version -- both are powerful enough to do exactly what I need them to, and the benefits of the m18 versions aren't really something I'd notice unless I were using them all day, several days a week (and even then might not be worth the maneuverability trade-off). So ultimately... Wrar posted:I recommend Milwaukee for 12v due to their massive variety of tools. For 18/20v Ryobi is ok for the home gamer. I ended up with DeWalt, but Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch or Hitachi are all fine. I even have some corded HF crap. I'd recommend the Milwaukee m12 line. It's more rugged and higher quality than Royobi tools, but at a much more approachable price point than the m18 tools. There is a great variety of things which will cover your most common homeowner DIY needs, and in fact the form factor may make the m12 versions better suited on a lot of cases. Accept the fact that if you want to do more serious DIY work you may want to expand into either corded or m18 tools as well for specific things, but just accept that as part of the up-front cost of expanding your tool line. Yes you will have to buy a different set of batteries, but you'll also be saving enough on the m12 versions of the tools that the added cost is at worst a wash (with the benefit of now having access to both light/compact and heavy duty lines).
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May 9, 2020 17:46
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Father's day is coming up. A whole gang of poo poo will be on sale. Scope out the box stores that sell all the name brands, and buy which ever set gives you the most poo poo for the least money.
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May 9, 2020 17:50
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Also, since tool belts/bags have been coming up lately, I wanted to throw this out: I picked up this Dead On Tools "Electrician's Tool Pouch" a while back and have been using it for my traveling kit around the house and I love it. It's rugged, has a good number of pouches of exactly the right size, and the shoulder-bag style is great for things that don't justify a full-on tool belt. I highly recommend people check it out. It also looks like they have full belt-and-suspender style "tool rigs" as well if that's what you are looking for, and I am sure they are fantastic.
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May 9, 2020 17:51
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This is a great post that you made AFTER I already placed an order  Everything you said makes sense, though I ended up going with an 18v Ryobi set. Internet research told me that while Ryboi's quality is a tick below DeWalt/Milwaukee, it's considerably cheaper in many cases, and with so many people here saying "pick your favorite color," well, I did. I wanted something today for a project I'm in the middle of, so didn't want to wait for father's day. (I might pick up a multi-tool in the Ryobi line if one is on sale at that point.) I was a bit disappointed that none of them were brushless, but looking around, it seems that none of the brands offer much in the way of full brushless kits unless you want to lay out $$$. I figure I'll use what I've got, and if I find myself using one item way more often than others, I'll consider upgrading to a brushless model down the road. The decision point was that there was a DeWalt set on sale for 50% off for $400, but it included at least two tools I wasn't sure how much I'd ever use (cordless circular saw, grinder), as compared to the Ryobi set, which was $130 for two drills and a recip saw, which is basically all I wanted, save the multi-tool. If I end up finding that these 18v Ryobi tools aren't sufficient for my needs, well, I'm out $130 and can use them as backups, whatever. But given that I've been cutting through lathe and plaster with a drywall saw recently, I'd be surprised if I find the recip saw to be a letdown.
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May 9, 2020 20:14
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Hubis posted:I was just recently thinking about this because I have friends ask periodically. Here's my take: Milwaukee 12v stuff is aimed at trade professionals not diy users
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May 9, 2020 21:18
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Who does Craftsman warranty swaps now? I broke my 7/8" socket.
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May 9, 2020 22:09
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coathat posted:Milwaukee 12v stuff is aimed at trade professionals not diy users Not necessarily. I mean, of course they're going to market all their tools as 'professional grade'. To be even more confusing, Milwaukee often offers different lines even within a battery system. Their top-tier, professional level is 'Fuel' branded stuff. Their lines are usually: regular (brushed models) < brushless < Fuel. Not all the tools have the Fuel level, but the common tools usually do.
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May 10, 2020 00:28
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Mr. Mambold posted:Not bad at all. It's a decent router. I picked up a used one & case for chump change and I like the variable speed and graduated startup. Any recommendations? Would like to avoid dropping 200 right off the bat on Freud bits, but don't want to buy complete garbage either. Typically I'd think Harbor Freight for a cheap consumable to start off with but I have a rule if it can fly off and kill me not to go with them, imagine router bits fall into that category. *Edit*. These ok for a starting point? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079F34T71/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_xf1TEbQB0RTY4 Bob Mundon fucked around with this message at 01:58 on May 10, 2020 |
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May 10, 2020 01:53
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That's probably fine to start out. For router bits, as I understand it, the main differences between cheap and nice is that the cheap get dull faster and may not cut quite as nicely (increased chance of tearout/burning, but that can be mitigated with practice). But they'll still do fine for awhile, at least long enough for you to figure out which bits you use most frequently.
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May 10, 2020 02:08
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Bob Mundon posted:Any recommendations? Would like to avoid dropping 200 right off the bat on Freud bits, but don't want to buy complete garbage either. Typically I'd think Harbor Freight for a cheap consumable to start off with but I have a rule if it can fly off and kill me not to go with them, imagine router bits fall into that category. There's actually laws in place against that sort of thing. Bob Mundon posted:*Edit*. These ok for a starting point? They are absurdly ok for a starting point. That's 2 bucks per bit, 1/2" shanks. *Shakes head* Gat dang, back in the day when carbide bits were an expensive novelty....Freud have been around for a long time and have a deserved rep, but by now they're only cruising on that rep trying to compete with this. They have CNC in China and cheap raw materials, cheaper labor. It's sinful. TooMuchAbstraction posted:That's probably fine to start out. For router bits, as I understand it, the main differences between cheap and nice is that the cheap get dull faster and may not cut quite as nicely (increased chance of tearout/burning, but that can be mitigated with practice). But they'll still do fine for awhile, at least long enough for you to figure out which bits you use most frequently. There are grades of carbide hardness which some of the knowers itt may be able to better inform you. What I know is that if you cut particle board, mdf and other satanic derivatives, it's going to dull your carbide cutter no matter who made them. Sooner or later is not all that variable. If you run over nails or staples, it's all brittle and that will take out chunks. I honestly think there's such little variance in quality any more to justify the huge price differences- of course, there are exceptions. But, as an example, I've got router bits and (had before I gave the shaper and cutters to my son-in-law) a fishing tackle box full of shaper cutters I bought from Grizzly 30 years ago and they are still fine. They were Taiwanese made then, but I'd venture that mainland China overall, not every factory- is equal to that level of quality now.
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May 10, 2020 03:01
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coathat posted:Milwaukee 12v stuff is aimed at trade professionals not diy users And yet, basically any DIY type home owner can't go wrong with the adorable impact gun and drill.
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May 10, 2020 06:14
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Bob Mundon posted:Any recommendations? Would like to avoid dropping 200 right off the bat on Freud bits, but don't want to buy complete garbage either. Typically I'd think Harbor Freight for a cheap consumable to start off with but I have a rule if it can fly off and kill me not to go with them, imagine router bits fall into that category. Every woodworker needs a big, cheap set of random assorted router bits because sometimes you just need a 13/32" roman ogee or w/e random poo poo they throw in there. They're all about equally decent-those are fine.. If there's something you wind up using often or somewhere you want a really clean cut (like a spiral straight bit), it may be worth it to spend the money on a Whiteside or Amana or w/e.
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May 10, 2020 14:17
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E: thought this was the cat thread
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May 10, 2020 14:47
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kid sinister posted:Who does Craftsman warranty swaps now? I broke my 7/8" socket. Lowes is selling craftsman stuff now. Don't know if they'll cover warranty, but you might try your nearest.
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May 10, 2020 15:49
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Regarding battery choice, keep in mind that a lot of the 18/20V battery packs are dumb, so if you invest in one type but find a tool from another color you really really like, you can always buy an adapter into your ecosystem. I do that to use my Makita batteries on random Ryobi stuff I get. I have M12, Makita 18V and some 18V Ryobi stuff (flood lights, tire inflator, caulk gun). But I have adapters for Makita batteries to DW 20V, M18 and I think I have one somewhere for porter cable. Oh and I ordered the Ryobi 18V bandsaw for ocasional use (I have a Fein dry cut saw).
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May 10, 2020 16:06
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