What a Tool!

[The Medway Handyman]

Hi All

Thought I'd mention the really useful tools I've acquired over the last year. Not the gadgets you still can't help wasting money on :-), but stuff that gets used regularly and makes the job easier;

Stubby 12 in 1 screwdriver. Kamasa & Draper sell them, a stubby screwdriver with 6 double ended bits in the handle. Pozi, Phillips, Hex & Flat.

Post Hole Digger from Wickes. Brilliantly simple & effective.

Taptool Universal Spanner also from Wickes. Fits almost everything & great for reluctant stopcocks etc.

Wickes wire strippers. Best I've come across, strips insulation & cuts cable. less that a £5.

Duo Tricut saws from Toolstation 45275. Never used anything so sharp.

Decking Installation tool from Toolstation 74517. I've built 5 decks this year (06) and its been a real boon.

LED Headlamp torch from Argos. So useful when grovelling about under sinks etc. Does make you look a pratt mind.

One Strike Filler. Wonderful stuff!

Irwin Cordless Multi Purpose Drill Bits. Really do work!

Irwin Carpenters Gloves. Worn so much I need a new pair.

Bonsai Claw Bar 10" from Screwfix. So useful.

Best power tool has to be the Makita Jigsaw, followed closely by the Wickes SDS.

[John Stumbles]

Seconded. Misleadingly they're in the Screwfix catalogue under their own brand name and without a picture, in sets of 2 sets of sizes, not the one on the other side of the page with the picture and the Irwin logo.

I picked up a reciprocating saw (Ryobi, £30 clearance from B&Q) which has proved its worth cutting everything from logs to 2" steel pipe.

[The Natural Philosopher]

And there was me thinking you were talking about Drivel again..is he back in the sanatorium? Not heard much recently..

[meow2222]

I could do with one of them, and ultrastubby one. Might try making one, as I've never seen anything short enough. A 1/4" socket to take the bit, wood or rubber block handle, and drill some holes in the socket to accept screws to prevent slippage of handle on socket.

I just got one of another make, means no need to lug the toolbox out, but the thing is always trying to slip off the nut and it takes 2 hands to use, one to keep the thing on the nut. Has yours got a spring or something?

I have to vote against headlights, I've not once found a use for one. A mains light on a long wire gives far better illumination, doesnt get in the way, doesnt look so goddam stupid, doesnt die when the batteries do, always works.

pry bars etc are somehow satisfying :)

NT

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Just the usual one on topic post to 20 or so talking drivel. So you've not missed much.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

At a recent tool exhibition I bought a set of Wera screwdrivers which considerably reduce the effort needed. I like to drive screws in by hand on many applications, and wouldn't have believed just how much better these work over my vast range of other types. They have diamond coated tips to grip the screws better as well as a special handle design. Not cheap, though, and only time will tell how long they last.

[Stuart Noble]

Mole grips might be better. I swear by mine but I know a lot of people don't rate them

A £1 torch from Halfords is small enough to hold in your mouth. I was able to wire up some lighting quickly in a cellar with it, and I wasn't too worried about what I looked like

[Ian Stirling]

The recent crop of lights are interesting - though they haven't really hit the shops in bulk yet.

For example, I've got a nice all-metal 1AA flashlight that is 1/10th as bright as a 25W halogen bulb, and cost 3 quid. (from the now defunct fifthunit.com) LEDs have come on by a factor of 4 or so in efficiency over the past 4 years, which helps with battery life.

best are now better than CFL efficiency wise.

has recently replaced an ancient minimaglite-solitare on my keyring.

Takes an AAA battery, is around the same size as an AA battery, and produces similar amounts of light to the above (on high).

[Steve]

I agree, I cannot get on with them. The shadow from my hands gets in the way. I normally take mine off and hang it somewhere where the shadow is less of a problem.

LOL, my SWMBO always becomes interested when it's time to get serious with something. Maybe it's something to do with her seeing her lump of a husband turn into a hulk and ripping up everything in his path... or even getting out of his chair.

My 12" crowbar came from one of the early "pound-shop" places about 10 years ago. I thought that it would be made of that bendy soft type of steel - reflecting its price, so common in cheap tools. But it has stood up to all sorts of abuse since then and now is one of the most used and cherished tools I have.

Maybe that says something about my DIY or my wife :-)

Steve.

[Doctor Drivel]

Don't think. It's not for you!!!!

[Doctor Drivel]

What exactly is this? Just bits?

I bought one for £15 from Aldi - Brilliant indeed.

[Doctor Drivel]

The pair of you must eff off as you both total plantpots.

[Doctor Drivel]

..and bang in the plastic pegs with the big blue plastic mallet.

[Huge]

Don't you tend to drool all down yourself?

[Adam Aglionby]

Bahco slip joint pliers, ones with the button to move ratchet, expensive but fit well and save the price in skinned knuckles and rounded fasteners.

Adam

LED is only way to go in torches, efficiency and battery life have come along a long way and they dont have a bulb to break when you drop them.

Adam

[Clive George]

A decent headtorch doesn't get in the way, and always works IMO. More importantly it's trivial to pick up and use, unlike trailing a mains light on a long wire for a 2 second job. I don't have a problem with batteries going either, and 'looking stupid' isn't an issue given that it's dark...

Of course I may be slightly biased here - I've done a reasonable amount of caving, so having a lamp on my head feels pretty normal.

cheers, clive

[somebody]

In message , The Medway Handyman writes

[snip]

I have the same Wickes SDS - the rebadged Kress and am quite impressed by it.

Best purchase I *think* for 2007 will be the Makita Impact Driver which just arrived today. No8 x 100mm woodscrew straight into a lump of 4x2 - it didn't even blink!

Regards Someone

[Doctor Drivel]

Bahco slip joint pliers, ones with the button to move ratchet, expensive but fit well and save the price in skinned knuckles and rounded fasteners.

[Doctor Drivel]

Superb quality and very robust indeed.

Impact Drivers are now a must have tool. The uk.d-i-y Lunatic Association (affiliated), think you hit them with a hammer.

[Tony Bryer]

Seconded: I bought a pair a couple of years back and ever since have wished I did so when I first took up plumbing.