# Did you buy any cheap tools that surprised you with being actually good?



## tibi (7 Jan 2022)

Hello,

This is just a pool question. Did you buy anything that was relatively cheap (e.g. from big box store) that surprised you being a quality product? By quality I mean that it was perfectly usable for the intended purpose (maybe with minor tweaking). It does not need to have a superior finish or premium materials. It can be either power tool or hand tool.

A good example of such tool would be Paul Seller's find: Aldi chisel.


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## bourbon (7 Jan 2022)

My Aldi/ Sheppach bandsaw was surprisingly good out of the box, I will quantify that by saying that it was the first bandsaw that I ever owned. I still have it four years later and see no reason to replace it as it does all that I need it to.


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## D_W (7 Jan 2022)

HF has a set of chisels that are decent - which doesn't sound like much, but they were $10 for 6 of them. 

I bought a bunch of sets to regrind and admittedly reground about 4 sets and still have a bunch more (making chisels from scratch is more inviting, and older good english chisels are still better). 

Separately, lots of little trinkety stuff from china is fine - carbon steel card scraper sets, etc. Often, the cost of 5 is the same as 1 (and the shipping is usually free), giving you the freedom to modify some and not be precious. The only place they typically come up short is the surface finish is a little more coarse (and maybe edges), but you end up honing that off. 

24 grit tool room grinding wheel is better than CBN for grinding most tools, too (and cooler if dressed). Just a plain old gray wheel in typical (not soft) hardness paired with a cheap chinese T-style diamond wheel dressing tool. The difference in cost is probably a factor of 8 to 20 depending on CBN wheel style. An 8" wheel on a high speed grinder is still usable for bevel grinding with a light touch and will grind faster at the same coolness as CBN - the situation is flipped if the standard wheel is 46 or 60 grit. The only catch is even 36 grit wheels are much harder and not as cool grinding, so you have to track down a gray 24 grit wheel (they're more porous due to the coarseness). I can only find them at industrial supply here, so they're $30 for a full width 8" wheel, but that's decades of grinding for the average person.


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## Droogs (7 Jan 2022)

Empire combination square from B&Q, Tome Feteira files and rasps (esp. saw files), Maplin corded 3.2mm collette rotary tool, and last but defo not least the full kit palm router by KATSU when it cost £60 for all 3 bases and the tool.


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## tibi (7 Jan 2022)

D_W said:


> HF has a set of chisels that are decent - which doesn't sound like much, but they were $10 for 6 of them.
> 
> I bought a bunch of sets to regrind and admittedly reground about 4 sets and still have a bunch more (making chisels from scratch is more inviting, and older good english chisels are still better).
> 
> ...



Thank you David, I have 24 grit Bosch wheel that came with my 6" grinder and also I have bought the T shaped wheel dresser from China as well. Actually I have found no diamonds left on the dresser when it arrived.


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## D_W (7 Jan 2022)

tibi said:


> Thank you David, I have 24 grit Bosch wheel that came with my 6" grinder and also I have bought the T shaped wheel dresser from China as well. Actually I have found no diamonds left on the dresser when it arrived.



Bummer on the dresser - I've noticed on feather-style diamond files (which i use for non-standard things - not lots of them, but one or two a year) that all of the listings will say 300 grit, but sometimes, they show up with thin and fine diamonds on them and aren't much of a bargain for actually filing something. 

The T dresser that I have is probably 14 years old now and I thought for sure, the diamonds would be stripped off of it, but it's holding up fine. Only need to get one good one (they were maybe a couple of bucks more back then than they are now, and I'm sure there was junk at that time, too - the market of trinkets retailed directly from china now is just better than it was then)


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## grumpycorn (7 Jan 2022)

The block plane that came free with a set of marples chisels was a nice surprise. It's not amazing but I was pleased it didn't turn out to be a paperweight!


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## Spectric (7 Jan 2022)

I learnt my lesson many years ago, cheap tools are cheap for a reason and I found they were either inaccurate or had a very short lifespan. With spanners I learnt that lesson like many others, that is when they spread and let go of that tight nut and you whack you knuckles followed by that spanner taking a quick flight.


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## Sporky McGuffin (7 Jan 2022)

I got a few good tools from Clas Ohlson - some precision screwdrivers, and a set of perfectly decent combination ratchet spanners.


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## D_W (7 Jan 2022)

wrenches are an interesting topic (spanners in UK words). We have high cost and lovely (snap on, etc) and we used to have mid market and mid priced (craftsman, etc) and low market (has always been a grab bag). 

Over time, the craftsman quality dropped - I guess trying to meet price targets, the snapon stuff maybe got even more relatively expensive (if that's even possible - a 1/2 inch small socket set is $600), and some of the low cost makers are trying to go upmarket (was HF, maybe still is) and some of their wrenches are at least as good as craftsman was. 

Which leads to my thoughts - there are bargains available, but you can't just pull them off the rack. IT's a matter of knowing what's what, and then nothing is guaranteed (just like craftsman was always thought of as a good go-to if you didn't want to spend top dollar, they eroded a lot of their stuff to the level of knuckle busting ratchets, etc).


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## kinverkid (7 Jan 2022)

I have the T shaped diamond wheel dresser too. It must be around five years old now. Used it only this morning and it's probably as good as when I bought it. The next item probably doesn't qualify because I didn't buy it. My brother-in-law gave me an Avant number four plane still boxed up and un-used. I found the sole was flat straight out of the box which surprised me. I sharpened the iron and put it straight to work. It's now on the shelf with the other five Stanley number fours and often gets it turn being used.

Gary


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## Adam W. (7 Jan 2022)

Did you buy any cheap tools that surprised you with being actually good?

No.


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## Just4Fun (7 Jan 2022)

My tools are all cheap and/or old. I don't think I have ever bought a premium tool new. Most things I get are servicable, but bear in mind that I am a hobby woodworker, needing tools for light occasional use rather than day-in-day-out professional performance.

One thing I have been particularly pleased with is a couple of Silverline #4 hand planes. I bought 2 of them and they both perform well - much the same as my old Stanley #4. My 2 Silverline planes should of course be identical but surprisingly they are not, despite me buying them both at the same time. So maybe it is not always possible to swap parts from plane to plane like you can with "normal" brands like Record or Stanley. As an individual tool they are fine though, and the irons are decent - I quite like them for planing end grain for example.


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## Distinterior (7 Jan 2022)

I bought an "own brand" small compressor kit that came with a nail gun, 2000 brad nails, a coiled airline, a tyre inflator with pressure gauge and the 6 litre compressor, all for £99 all in from B&Q about 20 years ago.....Its still works perfectly and has been used extensively. 

More than satisfied with it considering how cheap it was....


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## Jameshow (7 Jan 2022)

Bahco Rasp/file....

Not surprised its good, more surprised that Wickes sell it!!

Home base 1/2" router over 10years old..trend copy does the job. 

Performance power sliding mitre saw still keeps cutting despite the abuse I've thrown at it. 

Cheers James


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## paulrbarnard (7 Jan 2022)

I bought a load of Lidl clamps. They are cheap and nasty but work just fine. One area where quantity out weights quality I think. 
I’ve never bought a cheap edged tool without it being a disaster.


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## Alpha-Dave (7 Jan 2022)

I bought a hammer and ring-spanner set from Lidl; they are ok.

I have given up on their power tools, life is just too short.


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## tibi (7 Jan 2022)

Alpha-Dave said:


> I bought a hammer and ring-spanner set from Lidl; they are ok.
> 
> I have given up on their power tools, life is just too short.


Does anyone have experience with Lidl's bandsaw?


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## johnnyb (7 Jan 2022)

I rarely pay for premium tools these days as I just get em from the car boot. I do enjoy fettling them up as well. that and I've already got most stuff.


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## Adam W. (7 Jan 2022)

I'm a big fan of secondhand too, but all of my stuff comes from ebay.


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## Ttrees (7 Jan 2022)

Best value tool I've bought, gotta be this welder for 50 euro, so about 40/45 pounds.
Coulda got something secondhand with a fan so I could weld for longer, but it wouldn't be the wee size of this wee thing.







And this Soba 150mm engineers square for a tenner from Axi


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## D_W (7 Jan 2022)

I woud've added this:


Amazon.com



but it's already discontinued. I bought one of these at the beginning of the year to do backs of chisels. It has enough tension, enough power and runs fast enough to actually use ceramic belts, it's direct drive, and has enough power to use a coarse belt and make knife or tool handles and I've had it running for an hour straight. There's still a 4x36 with 6 disc version (I bought the one with 8 - but don't have a use for the disc and the sheet metal over the disc from shipping is still on it. It actually had decent dust collection for a vac hookup (like fein size hookup - not exactly pentz approved, but caught most dust. 

The rest is a joke, but a person using the platen will never care about that, and the platen is graphite and smooth/slick, replaceable. 

I'd guess the 6" disc version will be replaced - shockingly good for the equivalent of $220 with shipping ($170 for the 6 disc version). 

Figure it's probably not available in the UK and I don't know what one would do with this kind of thing for woodworking, it's more of a supplemental tool for woodworking and knife making - but a good one that uses a cheap common belt size. 

discontinued for a replacement that uses the same design of belt and idler that the cheap over under belt drive sanders do, $100 more and the reviews say after 20 minutes, the new version overheats. 

The one I have draws 625 watts under load, which doesn't sound like much, but with direct drive, it's enough as the belt speed could need (you can't stall it without overheating whatever you're grinding).


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## no idea (7 Jan 2022)

Faithful no.7 plane and a modern, plastic handled Stanley no.5 plane. 

They both worked extremely well with only a little fettling out of the box. I have since replaced both their plane irons with ones from Ray Iles and they are lovely. I got these when I started to really get into woodworking 8-9 years ago and, once I got them working well, couldn't understand why anyone would need to pay more for Lie-Nielsen or Veritas planes. I do own some of those now too for the pleasure of it but the Stanley and Faithful are still the ones I use regularly.


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## D_W (7 Jan 2022)

mex stanley this year, too. But I did things to it that the average person might not do. 

Has a couple of quirks that older planes don't, and wasn't that cheap (about $50). Surprisingly good iron that appears to have some carbides in it - not just cheap lower carbon steel. No exactly a small mouth, but mouth size to control tearout is a beginner kind of thing. A 16th inch mouth here would be a lot better, though. I guess they cut them from the top with chainsaws these days.


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## Ozi (7 Jan 2022)

I'm a fan of Irwin, bought some spade drills and a set of chisels, if your a professional cabinet maker you wouldn't go near them but for the work I do they hold as good an edge as I know how to put on them. With a limited budget it's buy cheep until I have the minimum to do the job and upgrade if I have the cash next time. Most of my jobs go out at mates rates ie materials plus a bit towards the tool fund


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## southendwoodworker (8 Jan 2022)

I have a few things:

The Halfords screwdrivers, brought these years back for similar price and they have replaced all my other cheap screwdrivers.


https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/halfords-advanced-8-piece-screwdriver-set-ps810-with-codes-free-collection-lifetime-guarantee-at-halfords-3856235



a 400mm ruler and line scriber for £15 delivered from china








VEIKO TS Precision Woodworking Line Scriber Marking T Ruler Aluminum Alloy Hole Positioning Marking Gauge 300/400/500/600/760mm


Only US$29.99, buy best VEIKO TS Precision Woodworking Line Scriber Marking T Ruler Aluminum Alloy Hole Positioning Marking Gauge 300/400/500/600/760mm sale online store at wholesale price.




www.banggood.com





nice strong track rail clamps for £25 for a pair delivered from china. i will use them on my track saw rails, but i also use them to hold down stuff to my bench. works way better than my aldi/lidl clamps








VEIKO 2PCS Alloy Steel Upgrade Quick Ratchet Track Saw Guide Rail Clamp MFT Clamp for MFT Table and Guide Rail System Woodworking Clamp


Only US$39.99, buy best VEIKO 2PCS Alloy Steel Upgrade Quick Ratchet Track Saw Guide Rail Clamp MFT Clamp for MFT Table and Guide Rail System Woodworking Clamp sale online store at wholesale price.




www.banggood.com





t track hold down clamps for £13 for a pair delivered from china:








VEIKO 2 Set Quick Acting T-Track Hold Down Clamp with T Bolts and Silder Aluminum Alloy Woodworking Clamps for Routers Drill Presses CNC Table Saws


Only US$21.99, buy best VEIKO 2 Set Quick Acting T-Track Hold Down Clamp with T Bolts and Silder Aluminum Alloy Woodworking Clamps for Routers Drill Presses CNC Table Saws sale online store at wholesale price.




www.banggood.com





The links to the banggood stuff I ordered from china and it was delivered very quickly - one to two weeks, no customs duties or anything. At the time (november last year) they were on sale and I got for the prices I said above, it looks like they have increased them and added shipping costs. Hold out until they have their regular big sales. I'm guessing the price increase is because it is now approaching chinese new year and the shutdown for february.


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## Lefley (8 Jan 2022)

D_W said:


> mex stanley this year, too. But I did things to it that the average person might not do.
> 
> Has a couple of quirks that older planes don't, and wasn't that cheap (about $50). Surprisingly good iron that appears to have some carbides in it - not just cheap lower carbon steel. No exactly a small mouth, but mouth size to control tearout is a beginner kind of thing. A 16th inch mouth here would be a lot better, though. I guess they cut them from the top with chainsaws these days.
> 
> View attachment 126241


Those big slots are for beginners so they can try and take an 1/8 of an inch off each pass. You need the clearance to eject the chips. Just gotta go to the gym first to pump up the biceps


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## skeetstar (8 Jan 2022)

Aldi/lidl clamps, metal ones good, plastic pistol grip squeeze ones OK, just.
Ditto a drill bit set, excellent vfm
Best of all is their plastic handled pull saw, got two, use them all the time.
Had some junk from there too which has gone straight back.

Got a block plane from Axi that was 8ukp in the sale down from 28ukp, been excellent. That was some years ago though.

Upthread comments about Snap on.. when I had a Series 2 LR, I used to buy Elora brand spanners as and when I needed them. Expensive, but built up a set over the years. High quality, and worth every penny.


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## Insanity (8 Jan 2022)

southendwoodworker said:


> The links to the banggood stuff I ordered from china and it was delivered very quickly - one to two weeks, no customs duties or anything. At the time (november last year) they were on sale and I got for the prices I said above, it looks like they have increased them and added shipping costs. Hold out until they have their regular big sales. I'm guessing the price increase is because it is now approaching chinese new year and the shutdown for february.



I've noticed this too. Personally, I think they're getting greedy as more and more people are shopping direct rather than through a local retailer. I hope I'm wrong because this won't pan out well!


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## Phil Pascoe (8 Jan 2022)

Did you buy any cheap tools that surprised you with being actually good? Not that I can think of. I can however think of a few expensive ones that have been crepe.


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## southendwoodworker (8 Jan 2022)

skeetstar said:


> Ditto a drill bit set, excellent vfm
> Best of all is their plastic handled pull saw, got two, use them all the time.



I agree with the drill bits. Good value.

The plastic handled Lidl pull saws, totally agree. They are great. I noticed last time they have changed the handle to wood and twine, blade looks similar. There's the big saw and the small one both are excellent.


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## Sporky McGuffin (8 Jan 2022)

I bought an Ebay special mitre gauge last week, just fitted it to the router tabls. Under £40, stops every 5 degrees (and at 22.5° each way), the 90° is absolutely spot-on. I swapped the Imperial Allen bolts for the fence (also cheap off ebay) for metric thumbscrews, and it is now absolutely spot-on for a good chunk less than the name brand versions. Even has a set of grub screws for squaring the fence vertically - no reliance on shims and trial-and-error.

Ebay link (though its gone up in price already) - Aluminium Angle Miter Gauge For Bandsaw Table Saw Router Angle Woodworking Tool | eBay


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## Austin Branson (8 Jan 2022)

I buy old chisels off eBay. I generally only go for Marples or other premium manufacturers. Excellent value. I’ve recently bought a matching round and hollow, but they’re still in the UK. I live in France, and since Brexit the import charges are eye watering. 100% on some glue - and I still don’t have the glue.


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## henton49er (8 Jan 2022)

Alpha-Dave said:


> I bought a hammer and ring-spanner set from Lidl; they are ok.
> 
> I have given up on their power tools, life is just too short.



I bought a Parkside impact driver from Lidl to drive 4" screws as part of the assembly of a large polytunnel. Five years later the driver is still going strong. Cracking value for £40 (if I remember correctly).


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## heimlaga (8 Jan 2022)

As a rule cheap tols that I have bought have been useless junk.

Though there are a few exceptions breaking the rule:
1. A nameless Soviet made steel rule (I bought it as "new old stock" a couple of years after the Soviet Union fell apart)
2. My Soviet made Voskov scrub plane (actually it was secondhand when it came to me but it had been cheap in it's time)
3. Two cheap lump hammers and a ball peen hammer. The brand was "Red & Blue" and no country of origin was mentioned. They were sold everywhere for a short while some 25 years ago. I was a teenager then and did not know better so I bought my share of useless cheap tools. The hammers proved to be very good though. The nippers of the same brand were junk.
4. A set of Eastman spanners. Probably Chineese. I local industrial supplier tried to sell them as an alternative to the expensive brands and priced them accordingly but apparently they didn't sell. In the end they were sold off at what was probably the purchase price. I was short of money at that moment and in desperate need of spanners so thought they were worth the price as a stop gap solution until I could afford something better. To my surprise they proved to be good.
5. A set of cheap nameless turnscrews I bought in my teens before I knew better. A coupple were soft and useless. The rest were good and survive to this day.

Pretty much all other cheap new tools that I have bought have proven to be wasted money.


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## Digger58 (8 Jan 2022)

Back in 1979 I bought a really cheap set of screwdrivers, obviously made from Chinesium, they were absolute s..it as screwdrivers but I used the biggest one to hold in the bucket pin on my digger, they were such poor quality that I was able to put it through the bucket pin and bend it around, Did the job for the day! So it was excellent as a makeshift clip but I wouldn't have rated them for what they were intended for!


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## Digger58 (8 Jan 2022)

Spectric said:


> I learnt my lesson many years ago, cheap tools are cheap for a reason and I found they were either inaccurate or had a very short lifespan. With spanners I learnt that lesson like many others, that is when they spread and let go of that tight nut and you whack you knuckles followed by that spanner taking a quick flight.





Spectric said:


> I learnt my lesson many years ago, cheap tools are cheap for a reason and I found they were either inaccurate or had a very short lifespan. With spanners I learnt that lesson like many others, that is when they spread and let go of that tight nut and you whack you knuckles followed by that spanner taking a quick flight.


Same as that! Skinned knuckles because of this PoS so it got transformed!


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## Jonm (8 Jan 2022)

I bought a cheap unbranded set of ring open ended spanner’s from a local car accessory shop. Years later I was working on the suspension of a car, very tight awkward to reach nut. Could get a ring spanner on but not a socket. So I attached the cheap 14mm spanner, long tube on the spanner and heaved. Nut undid, bent the shaft of the spanner but it did not break and nut was in good condition. I have upgraded the spanner set to good quality, even though there is a bent one, I still use it.

Another purchase many years ago was a pair of pliers on the counter of a petrol station, cheap, made in China, at a time when Chinese stuff was generally rubbish. The jaws came together square and they looked good quality so I bought them. Used them extensively, lost them about 4 years ago.


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## eribaMotters (8 Jan 2022)

Evolution mains voltage 185mm circular saw from Screwfix. I think this is the current model:-
Evolution R185CCSL240 1200W 185mm Electric Multi-Material Circular Saw 220-240V | Circular Saws | Screwfix.com 

Colin


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## southendwoodworker (9 Jan 2022)

Sporky McGuffin said:


> I bought an Ebay special mitre gauge last week, just fitted it to the router tabls. Under £40, stops every 5 degrees (and at 22.5° each way), the 90° is absolutely spot-on. I swapped the Imperial Allen bolts for the fence (also cheap off ebay) for metric thumbscrews, and it is now absolutely spot-on for a good chunk less than the name brand versions. Even has a set of grub screws for squaring the fence vertically - no reliance on shims and trial-and-error.
> 
> Ebay link (though its gone up in price already) - Aluminium Angle Miter Gauge For Bandsaw Table Saw Router Angle Woodworking Tool | eBay



I have that same mitre gauge but not used it much because I bought the wrong fence :/ 

Do you have a link to the fence you purchased and the metric thumb screws too? - I'll buy the same


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## Sporky McGuffin (9 Jan 2022)

I bought the last fence they had I'm afraid - was this.









Aluminium Alloy T Slot Fence Stop 400mm 75 Type DIY Miter Track Woodworking Tool | eBay


Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Aluminium Alloy T Slot Fence Stop 400mm 75 Type DIY Miter Track Woodworking Tool at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!



www.ebay.co.uk





There are more like it - the slot in the back means the fixing screws are right at the top but it fits. I did a post about fixings here - [edit] only the M4 approach fits; as the grub screw holes are higher than the top of the slots I used those. 









Metric fixings and Imperial T-Track


Arfernoon all - thought this might be helpful for anyone else who wishes to escape the tyranny of Imperial T-Track and use good, honest, scientific metric fixings. I hope this is helpful, and interested to hear of any other solutions people have found that avoid buying weird Imperial stuff. On...




www.ukworkshop.co.uk


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## Phil winks (9 Jan 2022)

Alpha-Dave said:


> I bought a hammer and ring-spanner set from Lidl; they are ok.
> 
> I have given up on their power tools, life is just too short.


Give me a day on site nailing roofs up with that Lidl hammer  just saying


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## GregW (9 Jan 2022)

Digger58 said:


> Back in 1979 I bought a really cheap set of screwdrivers, obviously made from Chinesium, they were absolute s..it as screwdrivers but I used the biggest one to hold in the bucket pin on my digger, they were such poor quality that I was able to put it through the bucket pin and bend it around, Did the job for the day! So it was excellent as a makeshift clip but I wouldn't have rated them for what they were intended for!



there were no “cheep made tools” before 80’…. All sold were made to last, as market demanded one-time-expense products.


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## Jameshow (9 Jan 2022)

GregW said:


> there were no “cheep made tools” before 80’…. All sold were made to last, as market demanded one-time-expense products.


Stanley handyman?? 

Rb10 plane? 

I agree most were good quality. 

The ubiquitous orange B+D drill for instance...


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## GregW (9 Jan 2022)

Jameshow said:


> Stanley handyman??
> 
> Rb10 plane?
> 
> ...



can we agree that you are able to find fully functioning electrical equipment, house or workshop, and easily repair it to functionality if needed, only if it was produced before 90’ 

consumptionism created need to production fail trigger, and replacement practice in 2000 onwards.


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## MARK.B. (9 Jan 2022)

My Wife got me one of those telescopic thingumibob's with a mirror and a magnet on the end several years ago from Aldi cost about 2 quid, , it has seen frequent use over the years and is always to hand stuck on top of the band saw


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## Fergie 307 (10 Jan 2022)

I bought a Ferm sabre saw from screwfix about twenty years ago, I think it cost less than thirty quid at the time. Has taken some serious stick over the years but never missed a beat. Only thing wrong with it was the grub screw that holds the blade in. I think the original one was made of cheese or similar because the hex socket rounded out the first time I used it. New decent grub screw and it's been going strong ever since.


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## kinverkid (10 Jan 2022)

Fergie 307 said:


> I bought a Ferm sabre saw from screwfix about twenty years ago, I think it cost less than thirty quid at the time. Has taken some serious stick over the years but never missed a beat. Only thing wrong with it was the grub screw that holds the blade in. I think the original one was made of cheese or similar because the hex socket rounded out the first time I used it. New decent grub screw and it's been going strong ever since.


I bought mine around the same time. Used it only yesterday cutting up some more root-balls. Still going strong. I can confirm that the grub screw was made of a very soft cheese.


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## Spectric (10 Jan 2022)

Sporky McGuffin said:


> I bought the last fence they had I'm afraid - was this.


Looks like the same profile as Kreg uses .


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## jaro (10 Jan 2022)

I've been buying lots of stuff from Banggood, most have been tested and recommended via a YouTube guy called Hooked on Wood. Price is relative of course these tools are extremely cheap when compared to American companies like Woodpecker or Kreg, which the Chinese are copying. One example is Banggood's pocket hole jig the upgraded XK-2 which I bought recently which is a third of the cost of the Kreg equivalent. I've also bought some angle clamps, hold down clamps, kerf gauge and a super accurate tee square measuring ruler with a resolution down to half a mm. Most of the rest of my tools are cheap ones, mostly acquired second hand, or gifted to me. The only exceptions to this financially driven regime are costly Japanese saws but those are just a vanity purchase really.
I watch, like a lot of you guess do, lots of YouTube clips of American workshops. I'm always staggered by the value of the equipment they are using in these hobby shops, like you see entire walls with what seems to be Festool's complete range or table saws listed at north of $12,000!


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## Sporky McGuffin (10 Jan 2022)

Spectric said:


> Looks like the same profile as Kreg uses .


I don't doubt it. The mitre gauge itself is remarkably like the Incra, but at about a third of the price. Generally I like to support the people who design stuff, but there are limits.


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## powertools (10 Jan 2022)

In truth some of you don't know how lucky you are. When I first started buying tools a router for example was the stuff of dreams now you can buy one for less than half the cost of a tank full of petrol.


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## Droogs (10 Jan 2022)

In truth some of you don't know how lucky you are. When I first started driving, buying tanks of petrol for example was the stuff of dreams now you can buy one for less than half the cost of a Festool router


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## paulrbarnard (10 Jan 2022)

Droogs said:


> In truth some of you don't know how lucky you are. When I first started driving, buying tanks of petrol for example was the stuff of dreams now you can buy one for less than half the cost of a Festool router


The main fuel tank on my Landy is 156ltrs. It also has a 66ltr reserve tank so 222ltrs in total. Those Festools are looking pretty good value.


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## Sporky McGuffin (10 Jan 2022)

I've started just tipping three Systainers into the car. You don't get far, but it's cheaper than diesel.


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## Kaizen123 (11 Jan 2022)

tibi said:


> Hello,
> 
> This is just a pool question. Did you buy anything that was relatively cheap (e.g. from big box store) that surprised you being a quality product? By quality I mean that it was perfectly usable for the intended purpose (maybe with minor tweaking). It does not need to have a superior finish or premium materials. It can be either power tool or hand tool.
> 
> A good example of such tool would be Paul Seller's find: Aldi chisel.




I literally just posted that video on a different thread


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## clogs (11 Jan 2022)

I just bought the fuel Millwaukee 18v, 1/2 nut driver like an air gun....
bought it in Germany, quite a few suppliers...1/2 the price of the UK supplied tools....
only 21 euro's post to Crete.....bargain.....
will buy a few more this spring....
My old 18v Hitachi tools are getting tired....


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## Digger58 (12 Jan 2022)

GregW said:


> there were no “cheep made tools” before 80’…. All sold were made to last, as market demanded one-time-expense products.


You think????? There were always cheap dung tools, years ago it was Taiwan until the Chinese took over making rubbish. Maybe you're not old enought to rememmber!


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## paulrbarnard (12 Jan 2022)

Digger58 said:


> You think????? There were always cheap dung tools, years ago it was Taiwan until the Chinese took over making rubbish. Maybe you're not old enought to rememmber!


Remember avoiding “made in Hong Kong”?


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## Tony Zaffuto (12 Jan 2022)

paulrbarnard said:


> Remember avoiding “made in Hong Kong”?


The “Boomers” among us (particularly in the US) remember well the stigma of “made in Hong Kong” or even worse, “made in Japan”.

My long ago departed dad (2004), bought me a 1-1/2” wide western styled chisel, made in Japan, that I used for decades (bought around 1975). It took an edge and kept it, and today there is barely an inch and a half of blade left. Red plastic handle that could take hits from a hammer. I thought of rehandling it, but gave it a place of honor on the rack, still using it from time to time.


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## M_Chavez (30 Jan 2022)

Narex cabinet scrapers. Bought half a dozen on a visit to Czech Republic a few years ago. From memory, worked out about 60p each.
I've used home-made scrapers from ""good ole saw blades", Lee Nielsen and Veritas - none of which measured up to Bahco scrapers. But Narex are in a different league to all of them. Exceptional.

Have a collection of funny-looking Chinese carbide-tipped forstner bits that are great at about £4 each. Came in 0.5mm size steps, but the guy I used to buy them from has closed his shop.

Why no mention of Quangsheng butt chisels? Got a set of 4 for £45 delivered from China a while ago. Very good quality.

Quangsheng hand planes (when they used to cost £45 for a LA block plane and £85 for a bench plane, good old times huh) are excellent.

When you buy a cheap tool, your expectations are low and you get some good surprises.
I've bought expensive tools that I was severely disappointed in (thankfully, the big brand names made them easy to sell on ebay and recover most of the cost) and I've bought borderline unusable old-timer tools that the likes of Paul Sellers swear by (but let's not start a Saint Paul holy war here), so "cheap" and "cheap Chinese" tools are not on my list of the worst buying decisions.

The main problem with good cheap tools is that they stop being cheap very quickly as the distributors try to cash in on the bargain. QS No 4 seems to be £200 from some UK sellers, and I've seen Narex chisels going for £20 each while I used to buy them for about £8 each on average.
That's 150% "inflation" in less than 10 years.


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## M_Chavez (30 Jan 2022)

PS that looked like a cracking mitre gauge by the way - well done.
I've got an Incra, but it has cost me nearly 4 times more (even at that price, money well spent).


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## kinverkid (30 Jan 2022)

M_Chavez said:


> Have a collection of funny-looking Chinese carbide-tipped forstner bits that are great at about £4 each. Came in 0.5mm size steps, but the guy I used to buy them from has closed his shop.


It sounds like I have the same set. My intension was to use them on manmade boards and timbers that contain silicon so that I don't blunt my regular set but the quality and the cut impressed me and often use them on regular timbers. Other than they would be difficult to sharpen I would recommend them to anyone.

Gary


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## Jacob (30 Jan 2022)

Did you buy any cheap tools that surprised you with being actually good?
They've all been OK except one Stanley 7 which had concave sole and one Faithful 10 where the bits and bobs just wouldn't fit together. Both unusable.
OTOH have had a few goes with the alternatives higher end items and have not been particularly impressed. Sold them on as not really value for money, including Clifton 4, LN and LV odds and ends.


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## diytoolbox (30 Jan 2022)

Bought an old Rapier 500 plane for £12 from eBay. It is same as the standard No 5 plane.
It was rusty and the blade was blunt. Cleaned up and sharpened the blade, set it up.
Wow, it cuts like butter making thin shavings or flattening large hardwood boards very fast depending on the set up.
Quite pleased. Glad didn't pay through the nose for the usual No 5 planes.


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## M_Chavez (30 Jan 2022)

kinverkid said:


> It sounds like I have the same set.



Mine are "Huhao" brand, which is a Chinese manufacturer of decent quality CNC router bits afaik.
The seller (on Aliexpress) sold exactly the same bits in "standard" and "premium" quality at twice the price. I've bough bits in both grades just to see if he was conning the buyers and while the "standard" quality was very much acceptable (dare I say "good"), the "premium" ones were as good as anything you'd buy here. I suspect he used to just buy a box and pick the good ones out of it to sell at a premium.


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## Tony Zaffuto (30 Jan 2022)

Tools don’t necessarily have to be low cost, to be junk! 

Through the years, I’ve bought or have been given more than a few items that were to simplify certain tasks but in use, made said task take longer and less accurate.


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## Fergie 307 (31 Jan 2022)

jaro said:


> I've been buying lots of stuff from Banggood, most have been tested and recommended via a YouTube guy called Hooked on Wood. Price is relative of course these tools are extremely cheap when compared to American companies like Woodpecker or Kreg, which the Chinese are copying. One example is Banggood's pocket hole jig the upgraded XK-2 which I bought recently which is a third of the cost of the Kreg equivalent. I've also bought some angle clamps, hold down clamps, kerf gauge and a super accurate tee square measuring ruler with a resolution down to half a mm. Most of the rest of my tools are cheap ones, mostly acquired second hand, or gifted to me. The only exceptions to this financially driven regime are costly Japanese saws but those are just a vanity purchase really.
> I watch, like a lot of you guess do, lots of YouTube clips of American workshops. I'm always staggered by the value of the equipment they are using in these hobby shops, like you see entire walls with what seems to be Festool's complete range or table saws listed at north of $12,000!


The New Yankee Workshop used to really annoy me. No, " this is how you can do this if you haven't got the correct tool", because he always did have. Was particularly envious of his belt sander, with belts the size of a bedsheet, goodness knows what that must have cost.


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## Sporky McGuffin (31 Jan 2022)

I made peace with TNYW by regarding it as background noise, not as any sort of instruction or design programme.


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## diytoolbox (31 Jan 2022)

Some Amazon reviews say "You get what you pay for." or "Buy cheap and buy twice". I don't believe that is the case or truths. In fact they just sound total fool's cliches.

It depends on how wise one shops, not how much one pays for the tools. I have seen tools costing mega money, but just same as the cheaper version, sitting doing not much gathering dusts. It also depends on the user of the tools, how wisely and properly one knows about the tools, and make use of them. Price or brands are not the major criteria deciding how good the tools are. I have seen bad Makita and DeWalt tools, and good ones. Also seen bad cheap nasty nameless tools, but also good useable nameless cheap tools.


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## southendwoodworker (31 Jan 2022)

Fergie 307 said:


> The New Yankee Workshop used to really annoy me. No, " this is how you can do this if you haven't got the correct tool", because he always did have. Was particularly envious of his belt sander, with belts the size of a bedsheet, goodness knows what that must have cost.



I like the youtubers who use common tools. Over time you see them buying the nice expensive stuff from the money they get from youtube - fair enough, but I think it causes problems once they start using specialist tools.

I like to watch the videos as I get ideas on how to solve problems and do things with the tools i have, and without having to use the fancy tools (like the festool domino for example).

Once they start using videos that use these fancy tools to solve problems - I kind of drop off watching them because its just watching someone make stuff with expensive kit that I won't ever get.


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## CStanford (31 Jan 2022)

I've owned two L-N tools in my life (and a saw, once) and never could get bronzed baby shoes out of my mind. That's what they remind me of.

Good tools, but gilding (actually bronzing) the lily comes to mind. 

They seem to be having a harder time that most recovering from pandemic "supply chain" issues. I wonder if having to cast a lot of their tools in bronze has anything to do with it. Probably not, but just a thought that's crossed my mind.


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## D_W (31 Jan 2022)

I think casting in bronze (not sure about the "rubber bronze" they use) is easier aside from the cost of the material. 

They're whacked by two things:
1) limited workforce during covid (something about having to work with lower staff to follow distancing rules). 
2) every white collar office worker working from home thinking they'd like to woodwork at lunch

Compounded by a european market that was cut off from their supply even earlier (with a seemingly ravenous appetite for planes - when I sold my last two last year, the bronze 4 brought $550 (!!) and a #62 that I'd bought to see what buffing does for bevel up planes sold for $360 (to some guy in france who paid more in shipping and fees on top of that). 

I made some extra stuff for the #4 buyer out of guilt. Those were straight up penny auctions - I was hoping for 80% of new price at best. 

Unless something has changed, a third party does their casting, and I could understand if they didn't feel like relaying how fast they were getting castings -reporting slowness seems only to make buyers even more rabid.


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## Tony Zaffuto (31 Jan 2022)

I just sold a LN 4-1/2 that I got on trade about a half dozen years. Put it on the “for sale” section of another forum, for $180.00. Sold within minutes. Guess I left money on the table?

By the, I have both a Stanley and Sargent 4-1/2, and did not need the LN.


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## D_W (31 Jan 2022)

You may have, but I'll give you my mindset - if you have a plane and you're selling it and you just want to sell it, or anything, my thoughts have always been "put it on ebay at a penny auction and it'll sell". 

I've had some stuff sell for a fraction of the typical sale like that, but at least when you list it, generally it'll sell without any screwing around on PMs or people disappearing after they say they want something.


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## Shan (3 Feb 2022)

I purchased a set of 4 Rolson hooks and a bradawl some years back in a local high road shop probably only about £1.00. They've been great. Rubber handles so can get a good grip on them and have never broken or bent them. Have worn down the right angled hook a bit but that was from scrapping out the joints on a large wooden floor! Best bargain ever!


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## Jameshow (3 Feb 2022)

Jacob said:


> Did you buy any cheap tools that surprised you with being actually good?
> They've all been OK except one Stanley 7 which had concave sole and one Faithful 10 where the bits and bobs just wouldn't fit together. Both unusable.
> OTOH have had a few goes with the alternatives higher end items and have not been particularly impressed. Sold them on as not really value for money, including Clifton 4, LN and LV odds and ends.


Happy to take the fsithfull no10 off you!


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## Awac (3 Feb 2022)

diytoolbox said:


> Bought an old Rapier 500 plane for £12 from eBay. It is same as the standard No 5 plane.
> It was rusty and the blade was blunt. Cleaned up and sharpened the blade, set it up.
> Wow, it cuts like butter making thin shavings or flattening large hardwood boards very fast depending on the set up.
> Quite pleased. Glad didn't pay through the nose for the usual No 5 planes.


 Don’t tell people rapier planes are any good, they are still cheap! I have Stanley and Record planes but I enjoy the Rapier just as much, perhaps because I don’t feel precious about it, it’s fun? Cuts bloody well!
Have to admit my favourite is W.S. Planes though…akin to a religious experience to me, that brass cap oh my…lol


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## Awac (3 Feb 2022)

Some cheap Faithful chisels, I was away and bought a set to do a job and I actually quite like them, sharpen well and hold an edge. I quite like the square handle and must try to replicate the shape in wood….


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## grumpyoldchippy (3 Feb 2022)

Jameshow said:


> Stanley handyman??
> 
> Rb10 plane?
> 
> ...


Still have my orange B/D drill! Must be almost 50 years old but still going strong!


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## EvaBeaver (3 Feb 2022)

An own-brand air nail gun from screwfix and 20 years ago, still going now albeit on a new compressor and a god knows what 150mm grinder from the local diy store at the same time , also still going strong . Neither would be any good for trade or even regular use but as a diy'er I've had more than my money's worth.


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## Keith 66 (19 Feb 2022)

Lidl profix japanese pull saw, I bought two of the small ones about 5 years ago & they have lasted really well.
I had one at school & the kids loved it, compared to the usual school tenon saws it was a revelation to them!


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## JohnPW (20 Feb 2022)

Yes, small Lidl pull saw, came with 2 blades, £8

Lidl diamond needle files, 8 or 10 for under £5.

Aldi/Lidl chisels, giveaway price of £2 each or less.

I haven't seen them in Lidl/Aldi for years. Lidl still do the pull saws but they are not the same.


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## hlvd (20 Feb 2022)

An Erbauer Random Orbit Sander from Screwfix around eight years ago.
It was only supposed to be a stop gap between getting our Makita fixed but it’s outlasted that, two Flex sanders and another newer Erbauer, it’s indestructible despite being in use most days.
We’ve now got a blue Bosch and there’s a huge difference in noise and vibration so it’ll be our back up sander once again.


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## Nightwood (20 Feb 2022)

Chinese chisels picked 4 sizes just over £20 2 years now steel is good hardly worn use the 1 1/2 inch a lot too see them in my member picture that was my old little shop also magnets from Lidl to hold small and medium tools really strong magnets I aam always now picking up chisels from car boots when there on and dressing them up


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## Nightwood (20 Feb 2022)

I tend to buy the plastic screw boxes, Stanley or Dewalt, with different compartments from Screwfix when there on offer I get all my screws from them too but only when they are on offer I use Dewalt drills and Makita nail gun got those on offer too but my jigsaw is a McPherson's cheap only was for one job but used it several times now still going ok brought my compressor from SGS off the net 50 ltr on offer for £125.00 use it all the time works great too


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## seanf (20 Feb 2022)

A pair of long nose pliers from Wilko that cost me a whopping £1.75. I don’t use them all that often, but every time I do they are great

Sean


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## MichaelChou (21 Feb 2022)

This Bahco small socket set is amazing for the money. I use it all the time and it feels really well made. It was on Amazon for £18 until recently. 









Bahco 25pc 1/4" Socket Set | Halfords UK


Shop the latest The Bahco 25 Piece 1/4" Socket Set is a handy 1/4in drive socket set complete with 12 sockets made from hardened chrome vanadium, a bit set with a dynamic drive profile and a quick-release ratchet. at Halfords UK




www.halfords.com


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## JJ1 (21 Feb 2022)

I was contemplating buying a small Wera socket and screwdriver set, about £70 if I remember correctly. Way too expensive IMHO. I ended up buying an equivalent set from Aldi for £14. Fantastic bit of kit. I use it virtually every single day and have done for a few years, absolutely perfect. I'll buy another, next time I see them.

Wet and Dry vac from Lidl with power take off. Excellent buy and used very frequently as a dust extractor.

Japanese flush cut saws from Lidl. Work superbly and very sharp and useful.


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## Beanwood (21 Feb 2022)

Lidl pipe cutters for HDPE pipe. 
Cheap as chips and don't look particularly sturdy, but cut a really clean straight edge.


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## carpenteire2009 (14 Mar 2022)

I tend to steer clear of very cheap tools when I'm buying stuff but I have picked up some bits and pieces that were cheap and surprisingly good over the years, including:

A pair of budget 'Great Neck' chisels, horrible plastic handles and not very finely ground sides etc but perfect 'beater' tools with decent steel that take a good edge and I'm not afraid to use them to remove paint and glue from wood etc!

Beech mallets from Homebase- cheap as chips and with a bit of reshaping, sanding and some BLO you get a nice woodworking tool that will last a lifetime.

6 inch bench grinder from Aldi/ Lidl- nearly 20 years old, bought secondhand and still with original stones, once it was properly balanced and trued it gave and continues to give fantastic performance for everyday rough grinding and shaping.

Block planes from Stanley (made in Mexico)- needed a lot of fettling to get them right but now ideal for rougher work away from the bench. 

Cheap pozi screwdrivers from Lidl have proven to be pretty good quality and hard wearing.

I have bough cheap punches and striking tools to re purpose for special jobs- most often the steel is ok and I don't feel so bad about taking the grinder to them.

Best bargains of all though are old tools that can be bought cheap, if you're lucky, nothing beats quality old steel!


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## Tony Zaffuto (14 Mar 2022)

Though Jacob and David may think otherwise, this is an informative and enjoyable thread. 

The simple fact is, remove woodworking forums, blogs, YouTube videos, and most of us would not if what we’ve done for years, is right or wrong. Also, we would not know if the tool we are using is the right one or one that will get us banned from looking at the LN, TFFW or LV websites.


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## Sandyn (14 Mar 2022)

I bought a cheap pair of pliers 45 years ago. They are still may favourite general purpose pliers. They fit my hand perfectly, nice grip. They have slackened off slightly, but still work well. Made in the USSR.
I have two small nailers from AldiLiddle which lasted years. They did eventually fail, but I managed to fix both of them, They were about £25.
My B&Q small angle grinders, I got two of them half price, they have been great.
A small socket set from AldiLiddle have been great, Really nice ratchet action.


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## Rich C (14 Mar 2022)

MichaelChou said:


> This Bahco small socket set is amazing for the money. I use it all the time and it feels really well made. It was on Amazon for £18 until recently.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have a similar Bahco 3/8" socket set and it's been bullet proof. It's been used for some fairly difficult bolts on the car to the extent of having a 2 foot bar slipped over the handle and then been kicked. It just keeps going.


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (15 Mar 2022)

There are very few power tools I have purchased new. However, the second hand ones I go for are Festool and Elu. I also have a Mirka Ceros sander, also second hand. Purchased carefully, it is possible to get high quality tools for 1/3 of the new price. For example, 15 years ago I purchased a used Festo sander, the forerunner of the Festool 150/3, which was already 10 years old. And it is still going strong. The same can be said for the Elu 177e and MOF 97 and MOF98. I have just sold a Makita 4300BV jigsaw which I purchased 20 years ago. This is built like a tank and in good condition. I replaced it with a Festool Trion for less than a 1/3, in excellent condition. The old Makita lacked dust control, which the Festool has in spades.

One of the great bargains of power tools is this little router which all recognise as the Katsu (it goes under a few names) ...







I have the Makita trim router upon which it is copied (also purchased used), however the copy was so cheap that one can not argue with a new one of these. It works as well as the Makita once the collet was replaced. I do not expect it to last as well, as I doubt that the bearings are in the same class.

Used Elu routers must be the bargain of the century. I purchased a 177e new in 1990 (so it is now 32 years old), and it was not cheap - same price as a the large Festool 2000 router at that time. The Elu just was nicer to use. A few years ago I purchased another on eBay (UK) for very little, and it now powers my router table.

Two cheap great tools for the router table: MuscleChuck (above table bit changing) and Router Raizer (a LOT cheaper than a router lift) ..






Build your own router table and router fence: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered Tools and Machinery/RouterTableAdventure.html

Yes, another cheap way to get quality tools is to make them yourself! 

This 17 tpi dovetail saw with a thin 0.015" plate cost me $39 USD to make ...






I have made many saws, mallets, cutting gauges, hand planes, and the like.



Shop Made Tools



Balanced against these savings are expensive, premium equipment, where I did not skimp. I would happily have purchased these second hand as well, but they rarely come up for sale in my neck of the woods. Fortunately I have a supportive wife. 

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## BearTricks (5 Apr 2022)

JohnPW said:


> Yes, small Lidl pull saw, came with 2 blades, £8
> 
> Lidl diamond needle files, 8 or 10 for under £5.
> 
> ...



I think I got the Lidl chisels last time they sold them which I think was about 2016. I haven’t seen them since. Same with the pull saw which I’ve abused so it’s seen better days.

The chisels are great though.


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