Confessions of a tool junkie

[T42]

Wera tools. Is it just me? I wants them.

Not just you.  I haz them.  (Specifically, hex and torx rainbow allen keys of loveliness, and a set of the precision screwdrivers for electronicals.)

In a similar vein, Knipex.  Particularly the Super Knips.

Electrician chum used a complete Knipex tool kit on the job - big effort the size of a suitcase.  When he retired his boss told him to keep it.

[quixoticgeek]

In my on going shiny tools aquisition project:


I was lucky enough to get one of Matt Estlea's marking knives in his latest release. He had a lot of problems with the website being overloaded, so I had resigned myself to not being able to get a knife. But I somehow managed to get it. It arrived just over a week after purchase. There were some issues with the customs declaration, I've been charged VAT/BTW twice, I've emailed Matt, but have not yet received a reply, but did get a refund of the UK VAT.

The knife cost me £75, plus £15 uk VAT (now refunded), £8 postage, and then a further €28.90 in BTW when it arrived in the Netherlands. So this is not a cheap tool. But I've got a lot of useful info from Matt's videos, and viewed this partly as paying him for those as well as the knife.









I've not had a chance to use it properly, but so far I am really impressed by the quality of the workmanship. It feels lovely to hold, looks beautiful, and should be easy to sharp (i.e. replace the blades). It is not cheap, this was a present for myself, and I rationalised it a bit as supporting a youtuber I enjoy.

Now I just need to work out how to get a Swann Morton SM01 blade in the Netherlands.

J

[TheLurker]

I get "nice to handle" tools, but what does that give you that a standard Swann-Morton handle at 3 quid a pop of which I have (*counts*, *blushes*) at least 7 doesn't?

[quixoticgeek]

I get "nice to handle" tools, but what does that give you that a standard Swann-Morton handle at 3 quid a pop of which I have (*counts*, *blushes*) at least 7 doesn't?

It feels me with joy just looking at it. Hefting it in my hand. It's just *nice*.

From a financial perspective it makes no sense. But it's one of those tools that when you pick it up you think "this is a nice tool".

I couldn't make it for the price I paid, the cost of machining the stainless steel bit the blade goes into would be horrible.

I mostly see it as supporting a youtube creator I enjoy, while also getting something which is objectively Nice.

J

[Mrs Pingu]

Well, this may seem rather 'dur' to most of you but I have just discovered that socket sets aren't just socket shaped. I had no idea you can get allen, torx, pozi etc fittings...
Every day's a school day.

[T42]

And furthermore the shanks won't fit an electric screwdriver without an adapter.

[quixoticgeek]

Well, this may seem rather 'dur' to most of you but I have just discovered that socket sets aren't just socket shaped. I had no idea you can get allen, torx, pozi etc fittings...
Every day's a school day.

You can even get 1/4" socket to 1/4" (or is it 6mm?) hex adaptors, so you can then use any bit from your bit driver set. I find this very useful.

As is the reverse.

J

[Jurek]

Well, this may seem rather 'dur' to most of you but I have just discovered that socket sets aren't just socket shaped. I had no idea you can get allen, torx, pozi etc fittings...
Every day's a school day.

You can even get 1/4" socket to 1/4" (or is it 6mm?) hex adaptors, so you can then use any bit from your bit driver set. I find this very useful.

As is the reverse.

J

Comes up as 6.3 on the digi Vernier, so 1/4" it is.

[T42]

Sod's law provides that no matter how many adapters you acquire you'll need a different one for the job in hand.

[Jurek]

And furthermore the shanks won't fit an electric screwdriver without an adapter.

Mrs.P, if you can find an adapter like the ones below then grab it (and grab a couple for me!)


I've had these for at least 30 years, and to say that they are well worn is an understatement.
What it'll let you do (which none of today's offerings will) is:

• Drill a pilot hole
• Counter-bore it
• Counter-sink it
• Drive in the fastener

Very easy to swap the tool over - just pull forward the ferrule on the barrel and swap the ends of the tool.
It even has a tiny allen key in it which allows the pilot drill to be replaced
Alas, I cannot find anyone selling them, or at least I couldn't when I was looking to replace them a few weeks ago.

[quixoticgeek]

Very easy to swap the tool over - just pull forward the ferrule on the barrel and swap the ends of the tool.
It even has a tiny allen key in it which allows the pilot drill to be replaced
Alas, I cannot find anyone selling them, or at least I couldn't when I was looking to replace them a few weeks ago.

What is the name for it?

J

[Jurek]

Very easy to swap the tool over - just pull forward the ferrule on the barrel and swap the ends of the tool.
It even has a tiny allen key in it which allows the pilot drill to be replaced
Alas, I cannot find anyone selling them, or at least I couldn't when I was looking to replace them a few weeks ago.

What is the name for it?

J

I've no idea. Adapter?
Pick one/all of the four tasks I've listed above.
If I was more fluent than I am in German, I could probably make those four tasks into one very long word.

ETA - I'm pretty sure that mine would've come from Axminster Tools - But they certainly aren't selling them at the moment. They do similar, but nowhere near as versatile as the ones above.

[Neil C]

Is this what you are after Jurek?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DEWALT-DT7612-XJ-DeWalt-Flip-Drive/dp/B000Y8VQ6A

ETA - This looks even more like yours - https://www.ffx.co.uk/product/Get/Trend-Snap-Flip-Set-5027654529447-4Pc-Flip-Driver-Set

[quixoticgeek]

Flip drill bit, reverse drill bit, swap drill bit, seem to be the search terms to find it. I found this one from Rockler:

https://www.rockler.com/quick-change-countersink-drill-bit-driver-bit-set

but there's lots of others out there.

J

[quixoticgeek]

I've no idea. Adapter?
Pick one/all of the four tasks I've listed above.
If I was more fluent than I am in German, I could probably make those four tasks into one very long word.

ETA - I'm pretty sure that mine would've come from Axminster Tools - But they certainly aren't selling them at the moment. They do similar, but nowhere near as versatile as the ones above.

Btw, excellent use of cunningham's law. Nicely done.

J

[Jurek]

Is this what you are after Jurek?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DEWALT-DT7612-XJ-DeWalt-Flip-Drive/dp/B000Y8VQ6A

I saw those when I was looking for a replacement - they are probably as close as you can get to the one I have. The beauty of mine is that everything is self contained - you're carrying just the one item, as opposed to a box full of bits (no pun intended).

[quixoticgeek]

I saw those when I was looking for a replacement - they are probably as close as you can get to the one I have. The beauty of mine is that everything is self contained - you're carrying just the one item, as opposed to a box full of bits (no pun intended).

If you only want it in one size, they do sell it individually.

https://toolmax.nl/artemide-snelkoppeling-met-houder-maat-12-en-pz2-schroefbit-dt7603-xj-dt7603-xj.html

J

[Jurek]

I've no idea. Adapter?
Pick one/all of the four tasks I've listed above.
If I was more fluent than I am in German, I could probably make those four tasks into one very long word.

ETA - I'm pretty sure that mine would've come from Axminster Tools - But they certainly aren't selling them at the moment. They do similar, but nowhere near as versatile as the ones above.

Btw, excellent use of cunningham's law. Nicely done.

J

I had to look that up.
Disappointed to see that it has nothing to do with Richie Cunningham and The Fonz 

[Jurek]

I saw those when I was looking for a replacement - they are probably as close as you can get to the one I have. The beauty of mine is that everything is self contained - you're carrying just the one item, as opposed to a box full of bits (no pun intended).

If you only want it in one size, they do sell it individually.

https://toolmax.nl/artemide-snelkoppeling-met-houder-maat-12-en-pz2-schroefbit-dt7603-xj-dt7603-xj.html

J

That might work - TBH, in the time that I've had them, I've never found myself in need of a larger or smaller one than the one I have.
It's the mangetout in the world of adapters.

[Mrs Pingu]

You people are a bad influence...

[Jurek]

You people are a bad influence...

They are.
I've just given Bezos my hard earned for that DeWalt set.
Seriously thobut, if we were that bad we'd be saying things like Lamello and Festool to you.

[robgul]

Hmm, with a lot of "dual/multi-purpose" tools (e.g. screwdrivers with several blades in the handle) I find that they aren't really for serious use.  Someone gave me a set of quite reasonable quality drills with a hex shaft to go in a drill adapter ... accuracy was dubious at the best of times.

My current set-up for most work has two 18v battery tools (same brand/platform) - an impact driver with a spring-loaded bit holder and a drill with hammer feature for, err drilling.   

A couple of other cheapo battery drills are also in the workshop, permanently in  a) screwdriver (pozi) mode and  b) countersink 

I have numerous brad-point drills for wood that that have a countersink "collar" bolted on for single drill and countersink operation - they work fine as they are gripped well in the drill chuck.

[robgul]

You people are a bad influence...

They are.
I've just given Bezos my hard earned for that DeWalt kit.
Seriously thobut, if we were that bad we'd be saying things like Lamello and Festool to you.

You mean you bought the Black & Decker kit 

Have to say I was suprised to discover that B&D owned de Walt and has done since 1990

[Jurek]

You people are a bad influence...

They are.
I've just given Bezos my hard earned for that DeWalt kit.
Seriously thobut, if we were that bad we'd be saying things like Lamello and Festool to you.

You mean you bought the Black & Decker kit 

Have to say I was suprised to discover that B&D owned de Walt and has done since 1990

I've known that since B&D bought out Elu.
My first cordless was an Elu 9V.
B&D bought them out, painted them yellow and removed half of the windings  from the motor.
My (heavy) 9V Elu had considerably more grunt than did a 12V DeWalt of the time.
The NiCads for it became prohibitively expensive regardless of whether you bought the B&D or the DW batteries (they were interchangeable, but priced pointed as DIY or trade respectively).
Hence I ended up with Makita.

[hubner]

Apparently, Black & Decker bought DeWalt in 1960 and marketed DeWalt as a premium brand in the early 90s.