Tier 1, 1.5, or even Tier 2 tools thread

[LittleLebowski]

Just ordered another Knipex. I like how it’s designed not to mar a nut.

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B000X4...t_b_prod_image

[Welder]

Your picture makes me think you might be better off using a blue wrench!

[LittleLebowski]

Your picture makes me think you might be better off using a blue wrench!

Whew, not my pic. In a perfect world, I’d love to get you out to Wyoming and have you fix some stuff at the ranches.

[Welder]

I would love to see Wyoming, your pics are beautiful. I'm just afraid that if I went west, I might never come back. And my service truck at 13 mpg hwy ain't cheap to get out there.

[LittleLebowski]

I would love to see Wyoming, your pics are beautiful. I'm just afraid that if I went west, I might never come back. And my service truck at 13 mpg hwy ain't cheap to get out there.

Well, all of the ranches have their own gas stations

[johnson]

I had a camelcamelcamel alert yesterday that let me know the Wera Hex-Plus set dropped under $35 ($32.01 to be exact) so I impulse purchased it since I already have a Bondhus set.

I also ordered a Stanley Proto J49007S2 roll pin punch set to help put together a lower receiver in the coming months.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ODV0OE

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BNGQZHC

Anyone have experience with Tekton vises?

TEKTON 4 Inch Swivel Bench Vise | 54004
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJXYKCW/

[Welder]

Anyone have experience with Tekton vises?

TEKTON 4 Inch Swivel Bench Vise | 54004
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJXYKCW/

That looks like the standard cheap, small Chinese cast iron vise that every foundry in China casts some slight variation of. You could substitute it for any of the others with equal results, meaning that it's not going to take the beating that an old American or English one would, but if you're just using it for homeowner stuff like holding lawnmower blades to sharpen, etc, it'll do just fine.

PS - I wouldn't use that "anvil" for actually beating on something; you can probably either break the casting in half or if it's ductile enough, fold it down to the vise slide with about 5 blows from a 3-lb hammer. Even with large American vises, using the "anvil" as an actual anvil is considered abusive.

[rob_s]

That looks like the standard cheap, small Chinese cast iron vise that every foundry in China casts some slight variation of. You could substitute it for any of the others with equal results, meaning that it's not going to take the beating that an old American or English one would, but if you're just using it for homeowner stuff like holding lawnmower blades to sharpen, etc, it'll do just fine.

PS - I wouldn't use that "anvil" for actually beating on something; you can probably either break the casting in half or if it's ductile enough, fold it down to the vise slide with about 5 blows from a 3-lb hammer. Even with large American vises, using the "anvil" as an actual anvil is considered abusive.

Agree with most of this.

However, I would say that expecting pretty much any vice of this size to function as an “anvil” is probably asking too much.

The little flat spot is great for things like tapping protruding nails straight to make them easier to pull out, bending over or flattening the edges of aluminum stock, and other light tasks like that.

[Welder]

Agree with most of this.

However, I would say that expecting pretty much any vice of this size to function as an “anvil” is probably asking too much.

The little flat spot is great for things like tapping protruding nails straight to make them easier to pull out, bending over or flattening the edges of aluminum stock, and other light tasks like that.

The "anvil" on any vise of any size is not to be used as an anvil, which is what I said in my last sentence. Higher-quality vises often don't even have the "anvil" area because the makers are aware of this issue. The area this manufacturer is calling an anvil is fine to be used for examples of what you're saying, but most vises are bolted to workbenches which are equally good for stuff like that, or better.

When I said that a small western-made vise would take more of a beating, I wasn't talking about on the anvil, I meant when stuff is locked in the jaws, which maybe I should have clarified. If the workbench is heavy enough to keep it from jumping around, I can cold-bend 1/2" x 4" flat bar (steel) to a 90 degree angle in a 4" American vise. Using the same 3-lb hammer mentioned above and maybe 10 or 15 blows. If I tried the same thing very often (maybe even just once) in a vise like we're talking about here, I'd break the front jaw right off of the slide and have a $50 lawn ornament. That was my point.

Again, nothing wrong with a vise like this for homeowner-type tasks, and I'd buy specifically on price. But if I were to find an old Athol, Starrett, Reed, Yost, Parker, Columbian, etc 4" or even 3" vise on CL or at a yard sale at the same price point, I'd greatly prefer that. A good vise lasts for generations and is something that's a pleasure to use.

[rob_s]

Again, nothing wrong with a vise like this for homeowner-type tasks, and I'd buy specifically on price. But if I were to find an old Athol, Starrett, Reed, Yost, Parker, Columbian, etc 4" or even 3" vise on CL or at a yard sale at the same price point, I'd greatly prefer that. A good vise lasts for generations and is something that's a pleasure to use.

this is an interesting point re: tools in general... (tangent follows)

Being into "woodworking" I'm on several pages, forums, etc. for the hobby/trade. One thing that comes up over and over again is "new tools suck, go buy used". This happens in particular when talking about larger woodworking tools like table saws, band saws, planers, etc. The thing is that, in the case of these tools specifically:
1) it's not true
2) it does (or can) require a MASSIVE time investment

As a new-ish woodworker 6 years ago when I finally got a house with a shop space, I wasted literally TWO YEARS shopping for table saws on the used market. They're just not really a thing, at least in my area, with my needs/wants, with the time I have to dedicate. and when I finally did pull the trigger, I didn't get what I wanted (Sawstop) I got what I thought I could "afford" Grizzly. And now I've regretted it ever since, PLUS the Sawstops are now even more expensive (their patent expires in the next year or so, we'll see what happens). The other thing is that the Sawstop, when comparing power (HP:HP) is a BETTER saw than any of the old crap that the "buy used" guys preach about. So not only could it have been a bird in hand, it would have been a BETTER bird! Yes, $:$ I theoretically can get a 25 year old Powermatic that has the same HP as a new Sawstop, but it's probably janked, missing parts, needs a cleanup at best, can't get new parts, probably doesn't have a riving knife, AND lacks the Sawstop safety feature AND accessory support, not to mention warranty etc. People like to look at a current production 3HP Grizzly and compare the price to a 3HP Sawstop and say "that's a lot to pay for a safety feature I've never needed in 25 years of woodworking". Thing is, that's WRONG. The Sawstop is a better saw all around because it has to be to justify the cost of the safety feature. They can't just build a $1k saw and add a $250 safety feature, but when they build a $2500 saw and add a $500 safety feature, they're in the right price zone.

all that to say, for the time and cost involved in tracking down a "nice" old vice, I'd buy two of those Tektons and soldier on. I bet they're better than they get credit for, and like a DPMS most buyers will likely never know if they aren't. and you can have two in your driveway by the weekend, in case they really are as bad as they're often made out to be.

and FWIW, I still dream about my ideal sawstop...