RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench • Hacker News Board

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#11

Post by roflyear » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 5:52 PM UTC

Eduardo3rd wrote: post #3

I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools. Too much money is thrown away in the name of "buy once, cry once" only to discover that you don't need the capabilities offered by the top of the line options.

True about some things, but there is a segment of tools where the first or second time you use it ever will be "this tool is garbage" and then you have to buy another one.

It depends on the tool. Personally, I have a ton of Rigid tools. They all work really well. I replace them with Rigid if they break, actually, because my batteries work with Rigid.

But, my table saw is a good table saw, because I want it to be safe, I want it to cut straight, and I want to enjoy using it.

My bandsaw is a good bandsaw b/c I need something that can cut thicker wood sometimes and don't want to deal with blades breaking and popping off a cheap saw.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#12

Post by dbg31415 » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 5:52 PM UTC

Eduardo3rd wrote: post #3

I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools. Too much money is thrown away in the name of "buy once, cry once" only to discover that you don't need the capabilities offered by the top of the line options.

I guess... what you're saying is not bad advice.

Maybe instead, aim to buy tools as cheaply as you can the first time.

I think it's best to just get your tools as gifts, or from garage sales.

But there are a lot of tools that are cheap, feel cheap, and will break on you.

Avoid using cheaply made tools -- this is also good advice.

A neighbor bought a table saw with really flimsy legs... and the whole things just shook when you put boards through it. Look, you don't want to use a table saw like that. For... all the common sense reasons.

Plus, with gifts at least, it's nice knowing my grandfather used the same socket set I have now. Emotionally-nice, and quality-nice... I know they aren't going to break on me since they didn't break on him.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#13

Post by waltbosz » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 5:56 PM UTC

The wrench in the article reminds me of that class of products engineered to maximize sales, not utility.

I teach my children that dollar store products are all junk. But I still let them shop there because it's an inexpensive way for them to learn the lesson that there are businesses that have no scruples about selling junk products.

I wonder how disheartening it is to be an engineer who designs these products. To be honest, they're probably just happy to be making a paycheck just like many of us. I've worked plenty of jobs that I didn't believe in.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#14

Post by cjensen » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 5:57 PM UTC

Eduardo3rd wrote: post #3

I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools. Too much money is thrown away in the name of "buy once, cry once" only to discover that you don't need the capabilities offered by the top of the line options.

There is also a safety concern with overly cheap tools.

For an example, the adjustable wrench in this article. What happens when you apply a lot of force on a stubborn nut? If the wrench experiences rapid unscheduled disassembly, you now have broken pieces flying in random directions.

In the US, the thing that most prevents this from being a problem is the threat of liability lawsuits. That doesn't apply to a tool made by a small company in China and sold by a fly-by-night outfit on Amazon's marketplace. I'm guessing Amazon is unknowingly the liable party here, but I'm not a lawyer.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#15

Post by waltbosz » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 5:58 PM UTC

h2odragon wrote: post #2

Poorly designed, poorly manufactured, barely works in use and rounds the nuts you use it on so that subsequent attempts will be harder even with better tools. It feels like there's been a strong Satanic / nihilistic philosophy at work among the hand tool industry for a while now. Started somewhere around the time period when the movie "Rambo" caused a fad for crappy "survival knives."

My ironic favorite are the cheap screw drivers that destroy themselves instead of stripping the mildly tight screw.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#16

Post by not_the_fda » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 5:58 PM UTC

Eduardo3rd wrote: post #3

I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools. Too much money is thrown away in the name of "buy once, cry once" only to discover that you don't need the capabilities offered by the top of the line options.

I strongly disagree. Cheap tools are a pain to use, and break when you need them most, and perpetuate throw away culture. If a good tool is too expensive to own find a rental or buy used, otherwise buy high quality.

High quality is a joy to work with and will serve you a long time.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#17

Post by PaulDavisThe1st » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 5:59 PM UTC

Eduardo3rd wrote: post #3

I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools. Too much money is thrown away in the name of "buy once, cry once" only to discover that you don't need the capabilities offered by the top of the line options.

This has been my mantra:

"There have been 3 great joys in my life: sex, food and music. Of these music has proved the most reliable."

but your comment makes me want to revise it:

"There have been 4 great joys in my life: sex, food, music and good tools, and of these, music and good tools have competed fairly to be the most reliable."

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#18

Post by bee_rider » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 6:01 PM UTC

waltbosz wrote: post #15

h2odragon wrote: post #2

Poorly designed, poorly manufactured, barely works in use and rounds the nuts you use it on so that subsequent attempts will be harder even with better tools. It feels like there's been a strong Satanic / nihilistic philosophy at work among the hand tool industry for a while now. Started somewhere around the time period when the movie "Rambo" caused a fad for crappy "survival knives."

My ironic favorite are the cheap screw drivers that destroy themselves instead of stripping the mildly tight screw.

Clearly a feature, not a bug.

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#19

Post by JKCalhoun » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 6:01 PM UTC

Eduardo3rd wrote: post #3

I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools. Too much money is thrown away in the name of "buy once, cry once" only to discover that you don't need the capabilities offered by the top of the line options.

And yet...

The free tools that come included with that 3D printer you just bought will slip and ruin at least one of the hex nuts holding the FEP to the vat and you will have to spend nearly $100 for a new vat when you could have instead spent $45 on a set of Wera hex tools, not trashed the hex screw, and have a damn nice set of hex tools forever. (And your bike will thank you as well.)

Re: RapidSlide Adjustable Wrench

#20

Post by gibspaulding » Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 6:03 PM UTC

roflyear wrote: post #11

Eduardo3rd wrote: post #3

I've long subscribed to the philosophy that you should buy the cheapest tool you can find and use safely, use it until it wears out, breaks, or your skill surpasses the capability of the tool - and only then should you spend money on high quality tools. Too much money is thrown away in the name of "buy once, cry once" only to discover that you don't need the capabilities offered by the top of the line options.

True about some things, but there is a segment of tools where the first or second time you use it ever will be "this tool is garbage" and then you have to buy another one. It depends on the tool. Personally, I have a ton of Rigid tools. They all work really well. I replace them with Rigid if they break, actually, because my batteries work with Rigid. But, my table saw is a good table saw, because I want it to be safe…

I recently inherited a much nicer table saw than the second hand Harbor Freight one I had before, and it was quite a revelation how much easier it was to get good results with it and how much safer it feels to use. I'd definitely agree on that one.

The other category where I like to spend more is tools I hate to use. Some things I have specifically for jobs that suck and anything that makes those jobs easier is worth it in my mind. I have a nice drain snake, and the most expensive toilet plunger I could find for this reason.