New Tool Test


 
Interesting. If I didn't have three corded ones, I would probably be on the prowel for a Ridgid one to go with my other Ridgid tools and batteries.
 
I have the Milwaukee only because everything else I own is also Milwaukee. I don't play the "better than" game. If it works for you, that's all that matters. The only thing I will add is that I chose the paddle switch model over the the slide switch model and don't care for it in hindsight. It's finicky and sometimes a PIA to disengage the safety when trying to turn it on.
 
Tom: I have a three corded angle grinders. Two HF $9.99 specials and a Dewalt. I have used all three on my grills and they all work but the Dewalt is clearly better. One thing that I like about other than performance is the paddle switch. I don't have any problems with getting it engaged but the best thing is that if the tool jumps out of my hand, I don't wind up doing the Angle Grinder dance in the front yard. I was getting pretty good at it with the HF grinders when I used to grind my cook boxes. If you ever drop one of those things with a 4" cup brush on them in a grassy yard, you will learn the Angle Grinder dance quickly as well.
 
Bruce said:
Tom: I have a three corded angle grinders. Two HF $9.99 specials and a Dewalt. I have used all three on my grills and they all work but the Dewalt is clearly better. One thing that I like about other than performance is the paddle switch. I don't have any problems with getting it engaged but the best thing is that if the tool jumps out of my hand, I don't wind up doing the Angle Grinder dance in the front yard. I was getting pretty good at it with the HF grinders when I used to grind my cook boxes. If you ever drop one of those things with a 4" cup brush on them in a grassy yard, you will learn the Angle Grinder dance quickly as well.
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You only have to let one get away from you once to learn a lesson, that's for sure. I cut my teeth (not literally) on a corded Metabo grinder (great tool!) and over the years managed to survive just about every mistake a knucklehead could make with a grinder along the way. I've had some good paddle handles in my hand as well...but the Milwaukee is not among them.
 
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I had hoped to cut my grinder use to close to zero, but the nice little sand blaster outfit down the road from me looks to have closed over the winter. Sign gone. The owner and his wife were both fighting cancer, so I am afraid things may have taken a bad turn. I really liked working with him. I doubt I can find another place that will be as reasonable and flexible.

So now I have to look at my grinder collection which is down to 2. My cheap HF is pretty much that, but it does work. I also have the higher end "Hercules" grinder that is very powerful. It seems to vibrate more than necessary, though, so I do wonder what a quality name brand one would be like in comparison.
 
Jon, that is too bad about the Sand Blasting outfit. Once you get things going and start doing more grills, you are going to really miss not having that option. I hope you can find someone else in your area. Even if you have to drive a ways, just save up three or four cook boxes at a time.
Good luck.
 
TomRc said:
I have the Milwaukee only because everything else I own is also Milwaukee. I don't play the "better than" game. If it works for you, that's all that matters. The only thing I will add is that I chose the paddle switch model over the the slide switch model and don't care for it in hindsight. It's finicky and sometimes a PIA to disengage the safety when trying to turn it on.
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Remove the safety.
 
I am in so deep with DeWalt that it is hard to see switching now. However, if I was starting from scratch, I am not so sure I would go with the DeWalt 20v max ones again. I do want to try their new battery. I like some of the tools very well, but I am pretty disappointed with the cordless hammer drill. Maybe I just got a lemon. Milwaukee would be on my alternative list, but so would Ridgid for reasons that Bruce mentioned.

I had always thought that Ridgid was just a made up name that Home Depot used. I found out, though, that Ridgid is a long-time American maker of hand tools. I guess they licensed their name to Home Depot for power tools. I occasionally dabble in restoring old tools, and one that I did was a Ridgid monkey wrench with a cool offset angle designed for tight spaces:

IMG_4868 (1).jpegIMG_4915 (1).jpeg
 
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Jon Tofte said:
I am in so deep with DeWalt that it is hard to see switching now. However, if I was starting from scratch, I am not so sure I would go with the DeWalt 20v max ones again. I do want to try their new battery. I like some of the tools very well, but I am pretty disappointed with the cordless hammer drill. Maybe I just got a lemon. Milwaukee would be on my alternative list, but so would Ridgid for reasons that Bruce mentioned.
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Jon, I think a lot of us find ourselves in that situation now. My now massive collection of 18v Ryobi tools started innocently enough, I needed a new cordless drill. I don't think I spent a real lot of time looking at all my choices at Home Depot. That was several years ago and still have, and have been happy with that drill. Most of the subsequent tools I've also been happy with. Let's face it, the batteries for these tools are expensive so it makes sense to stay brand loyal through thick and thin. That being said I've seen battery adapters which allow you to use one brand's batteries on another brand's tools which could be interesting.
 
Jon Tofte said:
I am in so deep with DeWalt that it is hard to see switching now. However, if I was starting from scratch, I am not so sure I would go with the DeWalt 20v max ones again. I do want to try their new battery. I like some of the tools very well, but I am pretty disappointed with the cordless hammer drill. Maybe I just got a lemon. Milwaukee would be on my alternative list, but so would Ridgid for reasons that Bruce mentioned.

I had always thought that Ridgid was just a made up name that Home Depot used. I found out, though, that Ridgid is a long-time American maker of hand tools. I guess they licensed their name to Home Depot for power tools. I occasionally dabble in restoring old tools, and one that I did was a Ridgid monkey wrench with a cool offset angle designed for tight spaces:

View attachment 46309View attachment 46310
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Rigid, Ryobi, and Milwaukee power tools are owned by the same company, TTI. Cool thing about Rigid, if you buy the tool with the battery as a kit, the batteries are warrantied for life.
 
My buddy in the UK tells me it's all they use and have been using there. He thinks pretty much the same through the EU as well
 
I observe a lot of new construction in our beach house town. ALL of it is built with Pex plumbing. These are homes that range in price from
$3 million-$23 million. I'm pretty sure the only people complaining about Pex are old head plumbers that reminisce about sweating copper joints and the bloated contracts they got for doing it.
The current guys make up for it with speed and efficiency with Pex.
 
I am friends with an "old" master plumber. He swears by pex.
Our House is mostly Pex but some of the lines in the basement bathroom were done with copper. I have had two of those copper lines rupture along a seam in the pipe. We have high lime and other minerals that don't play nice with metal and I am just glad the whole house wasn't done in copper.
 
I'm a big fan of Pex too, and shark bites. I've sweated some connections too, but I feel like, at my non tradesman status, I'm safer using pex and shark bites than sweating pipes.
 
THyde said:
I'm a big fan of Pex too, and shark bites. I've sweated some connections too, but I feel like, at my non tradesman status, I'm safer using pex and shark bites than sweating pipes.
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Shark bites make it sooo easy. Couldn't sweat a joint to save my life. When I did some Pex plumbing, was a piece of cake.
 
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