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

[tibi]

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.

 

[bourbon]

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.

 

[D_W]

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.

 

[Droogs]

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.

 

[tibi]

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.

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.

 

[D_W]

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)

 

[grumpycorn]

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!

 

[Spectric]

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.

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

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

 

[D_W]

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).

 

[kinverkid]

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

 

[Adam W.]

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

No.

 

[Just4Fun]

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.

 

[Distinterior]

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....

 

[Jameshow]

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

 

[paulrbarnard]

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.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

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.

 

[tibi]

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?

 

[johnnyb]

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.

 

[Adam W.]

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