I have a bunch of these. They work pretty well, though the bars rust after a while.
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I think a lot of it is specialization and dwindling free time (as well as fetishization of “new” such as peeling off the plastic wrap).
Specialization (or maybe just me and my peers being knowledge workers) think of things like a black box. I had a microwave door break last month. It took a couple hours to take it apart and look up to see if I could buy a replacement part. I ended up glueing part of a chopstick and it works better than ever. But calling a repair person would have cost almost as much as a new microwave in labor for a house call. Driving it out to a shop might be cheaper, but I may end up having to buy a new one anyway and be without for a few days.
I often have a queue of broke household items I’m meaning to “get to.” I’ll still often buy a new one because we need it and I’ll get to it later. When (And “if”) I do fix it, I’ll use it as a back up or donate it for someone else to reuse.
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These are used at my local makerspace. They are quite good other than every single one has had its battery cover fall off and disappear.
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I socket what you did there.
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You’re right! I should have said snap-on. Used due to guaranteed replacement if tool fouls up in some way (as I did!). Thx.
So I’ve noticed.
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Be nice. That sextant made it all the way from China and you doubt its navigational prowess?
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We will not stand for this!
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Indeed, highway robbery! We shall make Jack stand and deliver!
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I had two. The retaining ball that secures the socket fell out of the first. I returned it and used the second successfully a couple of times, then twisted the head off a valve cover bolt while the readings indicated torque was properly set. Replaced with a cheap one from auto parts store that works fine. I trust HF anywhere durability or precision aren’t factors, but after having a portable wood vise crack in half on some pine 1x4’s due to poor casting, no longer trust for anything else.
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Well, the ones I had all broke, so I no longer have them. Having said that and given your experience, it is likely that the ones I had were not the exact same ones I linked too.
Hazard Fraught tools flyer
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I want the dreidel and the Bono safety goggles.
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suppose that’s nothing to do with cheapo chinese imports
It has to be pre-90s Craftsman, though. They moved all their manufacturing offshore and gave up on quality control after that. Their stuff got really really bad very quickly.
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I’ve been building and running race cars for many years and I have to say please don’t use a HF torque wrench for anything. Wheel lug torque is important! It’s not just to keep the wheels on, it also ensures heat is transferred into the wheels from the brake disks, that the wheel isn’t warped (upsetting balance and tire wear), that the studs aren’t overstretched and fail someday, and lots of other things.
If a torque is specified, then it matters. A good torque wrench is an investment that will save your life someday. If you’re not willing to spend more than HF prices on a tool this important, get someone else to do your wheels-off servicing, or rent the tool.
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But the problem with that is I’m not a pro. My tools don’t make me money. That doesn’t mean I want cheap tools, however. At work we have Proto and Apollo (I think) with some Craftsman mixed in. Three or four times the cost for something I use a few times a month is hard to justify when looking at Snap-On.
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Both those new dehumidifiers were probably made in the same nameless Chinese factory with various labels slapped on. Reading recall notices is fun as it lets you find out that seventeen different companies"proudly make and sell…" the exact same dang thing and Gramma’s Old Fashioned Hand-Made Gerbil sausage is owned by ConAgra or an overseas holding company.
Add in a lot of former great American company names are simply licensed out and it gets hard to find non-junk stuff even if you spend a lot more.
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If we suddenly have a rash of container ships showing up in the wrong ports, we’ll know why.
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Not really.
Snap on is big in the automotive and fixed shop situations. That is why they have mobile trucks selling their wares. If an auto mechanic ( or any stationary mechanic ) buys a Snap-On socket he will probably keep that for the rest of his career. If he misplaces it, it usually shows up in a day or two. Those of us that carry our tools to various sites still buy good tools ( company money) but steer away overly expensive tools, since it is more likely you will lose or damage something long before it actually wears out.
About a month ago I was in a tight spot where I needed a 1/2 socket extension but it couldn’t be more than 5 inches. I took a 12 inch extension and cut it off with a portable band saw. I then put a pipe wrench on the cut end. It worked great. If that was a Snap-On extension it would have broken my heart.
Ask any electrician what the longest amount of time he has ever owned a pair of diagonals. No matter how great they are, one arc and they are done. Also sooner or later you have to snip some nails and your truck is blocks away.
