Tools!

[achirdo]

Picked up the 5 drawer mechanics tool box with side tray at HF. It had gotten good reviews. See below video for comparison (not mine)

So far I'm impressed with it for $180, it will work well as a mobile box I can move around the lift and keep tools I use more often in there instead of having to walk across the shop to my bigger box.
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Man I want one of those HF boxes but I'm already pressed for space in the garage and can't justify losing any more of it. Those HF boxes are the best bang for your buck that you can get imo. And shockingly good quality

Every day. What are you looking to do/measure? Ive had Hilti, Bosch, and Stabila laser measuring devices. Here's my current one I got for free with a puchase of their "baller" status high end manual levels LD 220. It's OK, but not for long distances.

Yea, I tried them and they suck. Went back to sharpie. I carry black, gold, and silver so I can use it in most situations. I also carry pencils, crayons, spray paint, clear paint, chalk lines, etc. etc. (not kidding)

Precision measuring within 50'. needs to be within 1/16-1/32. Angle measurements would be cool too. Budget is not a huge concern. Willing to spend more $ for a quality piece of equipment. I was looking at the fluke 424D

 

[Oswego]

Man I want one of those HF boxes but I'm already pressed for space in the garage and can't justify losing any more of it. Those HF boxes are the best bang for your buck that you can get imo. And shockingly good quality



Precision measuring within 50'. needs to be within 1/16-1/32. Angle measurements would be cool too. Budget is not a huge concern. Willing to spend more $ for a quality piece of equipment. I was looking at the fluke 424D

We need iron workers like you over here if you're holding to 1/32" tolerances.

Oh....that's a fancy one. 3x longer distances than my Stabila, but mine was a freebee.

Ive never owned any Fluke equipment so I can't comment there. My only recommendation is to check the warranty and insure if you drop it you can have it re-calibrated or fixed under warranty. Some of them are just pure throw away junk when dropped. Nothing like bricking a $300 + tool when you drop it the first time.

My Stabila stuff doesn't like cold weather so I have to bring it in the night before I measure a job. Leaving it in the car in sub 20* temps means I need to spend 30min warming it up when I get onsite.

 

[achirdo]

We need iron workers like you over here if you're holding to 1/32" tolerances.

Oh....that's a fancy one. 3x longer distances than my Stabila, but mine was a freebee.

Ive never owned any Fluke equipment so I can't comment there. My only recommendation is to check the warranty and insure if you drop it you can have it re-calibrated or fixed under warranty. Some of them are just pure throw away junk when dropped. Nothing like bricking a $300 + tool when you drop it the first time.

My Stabila stuff doesn't like cold weather so I have to bring it in the night before I measure a job. Leaving it in the car in sub 20* temps means I need to spend 30min warming it up when I get onsite.

Good advice. I will most likely drop it the first time it gets used

 

[Oswego]

Good advice. I will most likely drop it the first time it gets used

some more tips from my mistakes

Ive gotten into the habit of measuring a window frame with my laser then double checking it with my tape measure before I measure the actual job. Basically I never measure anything with a laser unless Ive checked it.

Another thing I learned the hard way....always I mean always check to see where the laser is measuring from (front or back). I typically place my laser's back against a wall then shoot and it gives me the total distance from wall to wall. There is a button that swaps that to start the dimension at the front of the laser vs the back so you end up with a dim that doesn't include the length of the laser. Yea......I didn't notice that one time and blew an entire jobs worth of dims. Hilti made that hard to do. Stabila has the *&$%#! button in the wrong spot and I catch myself hitting it by accident all the time. That button has cost my company thousands

 

[achirdo]

some more tips from my mistakes

Ive gotten into the habit of measuring a window frame with my laser then double checking it with my tape measure before I measure the actual job. Basically I never measure anything with a laser unless Ive checked it.

Another thing I learned the hard way....always I mean always check to see where the laser is measuring from (front or back). I typically place my laser's back against a wall then shoot and it gives me the total distance from wall to wall. There is a button that swaps that to start the dimension at the front of the laser vs the back so you end up with a dim that doesn't include the length of the laser. Yea......I didn't notice that one time and blew an entire jobs worth of dims. Hilti made that hard to do. Stabila has the *&$%#! button in the wrong spot and I catch myself hitting it by accident all the time. That button has cost my company thousands

I guess I'll verify the laser is accurate before I use it each time. I mainly want it for spots where it's really difficult to get a tape measure. I was doing a patio cover the other day, the wind made it difficult to get the long span measurements accurately when we are 10' up in the air.

 

[Oswego]

I guess I'll verify the laser is accurate before I use it each time. I mainly want it for spots where it's really difficult to get a tape measure. I was doing a patio cover the other day, the wind made it difficult to get the long span measurements accurately when we are 10' up in the air.

That makes me think... might be a pita to use for you but wind will never bother you again. Will also make you need assistance MUCH less depending on what you are doing. I rarely need help anymore unless it's something crazy. If you don't hold it steady its very hard to get an accurate reading. The farther away you measure the more they jump due to small vibrations. They also have issues reading shiny surfaces that are reflective. Over the years Ive become accustomed to using my fingers as shims to hold it in place. Since nothing is level or plum these days you can't just put the laser in a corner and shoot it across without some custom shimming of sorts. That said make sure what you buy shoots a constant beam before you hit the button to measure. You'll need to see the constant beam to aim it properly. Also if you can find one that's shoots a green laser - get it. I'm not even sure if they make them, but red sucks to see in bright areas.

 

[achirdo]

That makes me think... might be a pita to use for you but wind will never bother you again. Will also make you need assistance MUCH less depending on what you are doing. I rarely need help anymore unless it's something crazy. If you don't hold it steady its very hard to get an accurate reading. The farther away you measure the more they jump due to small vibrations. They also have issues reading shiny surfaces that are reflective. Over the years Ive become accustomed to using my fingers as shims to hold it in place. Since nothing is level or plum these days you can't just put the laser in a corner and shoot it across without some custom shimming of sorts. That said make sure what you buy shoots a constant beam before you hit the button to measure. You'll need to see the constant beam to aim it properly. Also if you can find one that's shoots a green laser - get it. I'm not even sure if they make them, but red sucks to see in bright areas.

This will be used pretty much exclusively in bright outdoor settings. I've never been able to use a regular visable light laser level due to not being able to see the line. Is this gonna be useless for me?

 

[Oswego]

This will be used pretty much exclusively in bright outdoor settings. I've never been able to use a regular visable light laser level due to not being able to see the line. Is this gonna be useless for me?

Could very well be useless for you. If you have a local tool store call them and see if you can demo one on a bright day in their parking lot.

if the laser ends up being useless check out measuring sticks. I have one and it's great. Little pricey but all the European high tolerance well made stuff is. Wind should not effect it at all. I bought this one for myself after screwing up a few dims where my laser couldn't push down the thick paper temp floor covering so my measurements came up short on like 5k worth of materials I had to end up eating. I have this exact one, but they make a ton of different sizes. Nedo F380213-185 - Measure Fix Compact 10ft Telescopic Rule (24" to 119")

 

[CowboyTaco]

You Milwaukee fanboy guys will be proud of me. I upgraded my drill bits this weekend.

Milwaukee Cobalt Drill Bit Set (15-Piece)-48-89-2331 - The Home Depot

One of the cheap screws that came with the cabinet hardware we purchased broke off inside the drawer face. I broke several bits trying to drill it out. I eventually took the face off the drawer and took it down to my cousin's house to use his drill press. The majority of my DeWalt bits are now either broken or dull. I will say that they were a nice upgrade from the previous set of Craftsman that I had, but they wore out over time. Hopefully these will last MUCH longer.

 

[achirdo]

You Milwaukee fanboy guys will be proud of me. I upgraded my drill bits this weekend.

Milwaukee Cobalt Drill Bit Set (15-Piece)-48-89-2331 - The Home Depot

One of the cheap screws that came with the cabinet hardware we purchased broke off inside the drawer face. I broke several bits trying to drill it out. I eventually took the face off the drawer and took it down to my cousin's house to use his drill press. The majority of my DeWalt bits are now either broken or dull. I will say that they were a nice upgrade from the previous set of Craftsman that I had, but they wore out over time. Hopefully these will last MUCH longer.

Those have been my go to bits for a while now. Takes me a long time to wear them out. On more than one occasion I've stacked up like 15 pieces of 1/4" plate, put one of those 1/2" bits on my mag drill and cut them all in one go.

 

[Silverback]

Good to know. I have 2 sets (29 piece) of the Irwin cobalt bits and a Drill Doctor. But I do have some broken bits. Might have to grab a set of those to fill in some of the smaller broken ones.

 

[Oswego]

We use Dewalt SDS bits successfully for coring concrete here at work. Seemed to last just as long as Hilti but less $$. Like anything I'm never a brand fanboy ~ Even the best companies make bad products and even the worst companies make a good product it seems.

 

[CowboyTaco]

Those have been my go to bits for a while now. Takes me a long time to wear them out. On more than one occasion I've stacked up like 15 pieces of 1/4" plate, put one of those 1/2" bits on my mag drill and cut them all in one go.

I'm glad to hear the good review. I'm tired of crap in a box with a fancy label.

 

[Anathollo]

Don't know if I posted this yet or not but I forgot I owned this guy and just used it for the first time today. Pretty sweet tool!

 

[CowboyTaco]

 

[Anathollo]

Image isn't working for me on PC.

 

[Silverback]

Image isn't working for me on PC.

x2

 

[CowboyTaco]

Image isn't working for me on PC.

x2

Enter promo code: "FREEMIX"

Free 10-pack flap discs mix at benchmark abrasives.

 

[tx_shooter]

I have plenty right now; but that is a good enough deal I might order more just for the extras. They are great discs.

 

[balakay]

Won't be buying Lenox bits again.