Realized I need to renew my hand tools fleet.
Realized I need to renew my hand tools fleet.
So many lost or misplaced. Others damaged, broken or worn out. I really need to get new tools. I have so many things to do around the house.
I'm going to put that on my New Year Goals List.
I used to scoff at Harbor Freight, but if you have one near you, even if it's 30 minutes away, it's worth it. They're USA only, I believe.
The Icon brand that they have is really very good. They are more expensive than the Pittsburgh brand they also sell, but much better quality. Tighter tolerances, better metallurgy, etc. In review videos I've seen them compared to Snap-On and they do a very good job.
When buying tools, only buy the good expensive tools if they are replacing something that's been broken beyond use. If you're missing a tool and need to have it, buy the cheap one and use it until it breaks. Then you can better assess whether the expensive version is necessary to buy, or if just considering the cheap tool as "sufficient and eventually disposable" works fine.
If you need any hand saws, I highly recommend visiting any local building materials recycling stores, or anywhere that takes a variety of household donations including tools. I have found a number of high quality general-purpose, rip, and back saws at the local Habitat for Humanity re-store that only needed a bit of clean up before they were ready for regular use. A lot of these saws get donated and people don’t value them much.
Same may be true for screwdrivers but finding a particular manufacturer or match set may be challenging. I’ve assembled a good set of torx drivers over time without much effort, for example.
Lots of other deals to be had in these places as well, including sandpaper, hardware, and PPE of all sorts.
For screwdrivers, I swear by Vessel. They are fantastic but you pay for it.
I have gone that route, only with Lidl, and their tools simply lost their appeal.
I broke, bent, twisted, chipped and gauged more tools than like to admit. When screws are tougher than the tool, something is off.
I'm looking into a manufacturer that recently entered my market (Total) that, although positioned in the DIY segment, has been having a lot of good reception with professionals.
Knipex where their catalog has what you need is my recommendation. Probably the only "premium" maker whose quality justifies the cost
Project Farm on YouTube regularly puts tool through their paces. Knipex often shows why they cost as much as they do.
They're good tools. I find myself sometimes inventing problems to solve with my Cobra pliers lol
Just checked their offer in my country: way off of my buying possibilities.
Entirely fair, they are certainly priced and built for professional use
Sometimes I've found decent tools at Aldi. They usually have them until they run out. I have a 1/4" socket set from there that's been great.
I have gone that route, only with Lidl, and their tools simply lost their appeal.
I broke, bent, twisted, chipped and gauged more tools than I like to admit. When screws are tougher than the tool, something is off.
I'm looking into a manufacturer that recently entered my market (Total) that, although positioned in the DIY segment, has been having a lot of good reception with professionals.