Buddy of mine (works commercial) swore the cheap orange wire nuts from the hardware store are fine for home stuff. I used them on my basement rewire last month and three of them literally fell off when I was buttoning up the panel. Had to pull half the circuits and redo everything with the tan ones that actually grip. Has anyone else had cheap connectors fail on them or did I just get a bad batch?
Just checked the runtime counter on my Milwaukee M18 drill I bought in 2021. 500 hours of drilling into studs, deck screws, and even mixing joint compound. That's way more than I expected from a $150 tool I grabbed at Home Depot. Anyone else track how long their gear lasts before something dies?
I was trying to build a basic shed frame last weekend and spent 2 hours just trying to get 12 nails straight by hand, three of them bent like pretzels. Borrowed my neighbor's Paslode for 5 minutes and finished the whole thing before my coffee got cold. Has anyone else had a tool they swore they didn't need totally change their mind after one use?
My $120 Columbia jacket zipper seized up halfway during a snowstorm in Buffalo last January, and after 10 minutes of swearing I remembered my grandpa's trick with a basic Dial bar. Has anyone else found a random household item that saved their gear way better than actual repair stuff?
Was out at Powell Butte last weekend testing a shell I dropped $180 on and by the time I got to the parking lot my shoulders were soaked. The seams were taped but the zipper flap just let water right through. Anyone else find a rain jacket that actually holds up in a real downpour?
I grabbed some Fiebings saddle soap from the feed store for $6 and after the first scrub the leather softened back up like the day I bought em, has anyone else noticed how much crud builds up in the stitching that you just don't see until you actually clean it?
Last month I finally got sick of replacing the cheapo flashlight I kept in my work bag, so I splurged on one of those fancy aluminum ones with the crenelated bezel from a brand everyone swears by. It flickered out after 14 days of light use in my garage. Meanwhile, the $12 Braun from harbor freight I bought back in 2021 as a joke is still going strong, dropped it off a ladder twice already. Anybody else got a cheap piece of gear that just refuses to die?
I popped into the Home Depot on Route 9 last Tuesday to grab a new 25-foot tape for framing, and the $35 one with the rubber grip felt solid in my hand. Got home and compared it to my old 15-year-old Stanley, and the new one was off by a full 1/8 inch over just 6 feet. I tested three different ones from the same rack, and two of them had the same problem. Has anyone else found that the quality control on these things has gone way downhill lately?
For years I carried a folding knife for cutting open soil bags and trimming small roots. Changed my mind after I was trimming some heavy weed fabric in my client's backyard in Nashville and the blade locked up on me mid-cut. Picked up a $25 Mora fixed blade the next day and honestly it's way safer for this kind of work since there's no hinge to fail. Anyone else find fixed blades more reliable for hard outdoor cutting jobs?
Went to Menards last Tuesday for a simple wrench. Stood in the tool aisle for 10 minutes. Every single socket set had different sizing systems mixed together. SAE and metric in the same kit but no clear labeling. Come on, just pick one system and stick with it. Anyone else get annoyed by this or is it just me?
Used to think a 16oz claw hammer was fine for ripping out old studs and drywall in a basement remodel in Akron. After three days of constant swinging, my elbow was shot and I could barely grip my coffee cup. Picked up a 22oz framing hammer with a milled face from a buddy's recommendation and the extra weight does most of the work now. Anyone else notice how much difference head weight makes on a job like this?