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Name a tool you hate

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chris142

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Dec 19, 2011
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6,533
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apple valley,ca
I'm new here so maybe this has been covered already? Anyway. I bought a 9/16 Craftsman open end ratchet wrench at a yard sale a few weeks ago to try out. It's older and it looks well built.

It looks like this.

http://s.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00921937000?wid=500&hei=500&op_sharpen=1

The open end is absolutly worthless! It only works as designed on perfect nuts or bolts and requires a lot of swing to make it work. If the nut has a slightly damaged corner it won't grab it.

Since it's a 9/16 I have tried it on a metric bolt with a 14mm head and it won't work at all. A regular open end 9/16 will spin a loosened 14mm off w/o any trouble or damage to the nut or tool.
So far I hate it! A regular open end wrench works much better.

What tool do ya'll hate?
 
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Hiball

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Apr 30, 2009
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Missery
Screw Extractors... Not Necessarily the Tool but i know when i go to that Drawer, Something bad has happened.
 
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Rezarf

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Jul 16, 2011
Messages
211
Micro screw drivers and torx drivers... Mainly because I twist the heads off or drop the screws.
 
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lowendrider

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Apr 26, 2010
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95
Location
AL
I bought a craftsman 3/8'' long handle flex head ratchet about 8 years ago and a 1/4" ratchet at Lowes about 3 years ago. Both are pieces of ****...lots of "play" Both still look new because I cringe everytime I see either one and reach for something else.
 
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Coolabah

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Jun 6, 2010
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2nd Floor, 3rd on the Right,Narooma, Australia
jabberwoki said:
Drop lights! fkn hate those things
Click to expand...

Yeh , me too at first but I've had a lot less trouble with them once I worked out that their name is VERY misleading. They work better if you don't drop them....:lol_hitti

I have had a run recently of "bad" screwdrivers that I have put into various "keep on hand for casual use" toolboxes - you know the ones , the tools you keep in the kitchen drawer (or in the good car that never breaks down etc) ...so you don't have to trek out to the shed for that simple screwdriver. Well I just rounded off yet another a screw-again- using a POS screwdriver that I should have thrown out or at the very least pounded on my anvil and left strung up as an example to other POS cheap tools . So , I hate those cheap tools that I should have never used in the first place when I have so many GOOD tools..... my own stupid lazy fault tho' :(
 
P

porphyre

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Sep 2, 2009
Messages
1,321
Name a tool I hate? I would, but I get banned every time I insult another member.

:lol_hitti

But seriously. Vise grips. They're useful as all hell, I've got 5-6 pairs, but it seems like they're always more trouble than they're worth. Turnin' that stupid little knob to size 'em, then sometimes they're too tight and a ***** to release...

Anyway. I hate vise grips.
 
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cide1

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Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
508
Hmmm.....

I seem to have lots of these....

Dremel...little tiny grinding wheels seam to always break off 95% of the way through a job.

Grinder...always seems to take longer to remove amount of material than I planned

Reciprocating saw... seems to always move my arm more than cut the piece I need cut

Drop light... I drop them, bulb burns out. I have found the Dewalt 18 volt flourescant and 12 volt lithium-ion incandescant drop lights make a big difference here.

Fixed size oil filter wrenches... they never fit the oil filter I have in hand. I have like 7 of them, and yet they are useless. I bought a lisle adjustable, and it helps this tremendously.

Craftsman hex / allen sockets....Always seem to be a bit bulky for the area I need to get them in to

Adjustable clamps... never hold with as much force as I would like

Brake line bender.... never quite bends the line where I expect

Socket rails... either too easy or too hard to get sockets off

Craftsman brake tools.... seriously, these havent changed in 40 years, and I always get them out to do a brake job, but find that a big *** pair of pliers is much more suitable. What are they supposed to do? Why arent they at all usable? All the "plier" one does is cause me to shove the pistons in the wheel cylinder too far in one direction, so that in addition to installing pads, I have to bleed brakes as well, and pray I dont rip the rubber piece while I'm at it.

Harbor freight plumb bob....No type of string makes this hang vertically

Drill bits.... I don;t know where to find good ones, but I can tell you quite a few brands to not buy. No amount of slow speed and cutting lube seems to make hardware store drill bits last.

Adjustable crescent wrenches....People who don't know about tools always talk about these like they solve problems. All they have ever done to me is strip nuts. I have 50-60 wrenches and 400 plus sockets so that I never, ever, ever need to use one of these again.

That's all for now, but I'm sure I have more.
 
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cotjocky

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Nov 21, 2011
Messages
392
Rakes.

Because I know I'll be dragging it across the yard for weeks when I break it out. Bagged 207 42 gallon bags full this year.

I have a Echo PB-255 and a PB-770 and it's still a long and arduous job.

What I need is some kind of yard vacuum or serious mulcher.

I despise yard work! :rant:
 
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hammergodthor

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Oct 10, 2009
Messages
475
Grease gun. I can't even think about using it without swearing! :mad:

Trouble light; very aptly named.
 
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GRX

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Dec 4, 2006
Messages
2,032
Location
MD
Water hammers. Never could figure what they are good for. I like Screw Extractors personally. Used to make a lot of money removing them because few know how to use them properly.
 
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diesel research

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Sep 12, 2010
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Location
gulf coast, TEXAS
Adjustable crescent wrenches....People who don't know about tools always talk about these like they solve problems. All they have ever done to me is strip nuts. I have 50-60 wrenches and 400 plus sockets so that I never, ever, ever need to use one of these again.
Click to expand...

Sorry, not completely true as stated in sig below. I use them to repair mistakes made by people who thought they could do it with a wrench. What am I talking about? There are more types of fasteners than just "nuts and bolts". You might not need one for the things you do. I do on the other hand, lots of times for odd sized fittings. Sometimes the fittings are not manufactured to a correct size. Meaning a 1-1/2" fitting that isn't really 1-1/2". Then someone starts to round it with a regular open end (a flarenut may not fit on many hose assemblies) So in tha6t aspect, they DO solve real problems caused by "real" wrenches.

For regular nuts and bolts, it is usually highly inappropriate, and I am sure that is what you were thinking of. Equally sure you probably don't come across many of the situations I speak of, so that is understandable. We all work on different stuff.

For me:
flat tip screw drivers. Not unneeded, but rarely used. As such, everybody wants to borrow them as mini prybars even though I have a snapon mini striking prybar right next to it. Just hate that people keep asking for it, not hating the tool itself.

I hate those $#!++y crimpers/strippers that come in the cheap insulated **** connector kits. Even if I only had to make 10 crimps in my entire life, I think I would still get much more satisfaction from a better tool. Dollars aren't everything.

Hate the brace and bit I had to use in woodshop. Not because of tool design, but sheer amount of holes I had to drill with that thing to form sliding grooves for a mandatory project.

I think that's about it for now. Learned to appreciate tools more even if I don't currently have a need/use.
 
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wintermute

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Sep 4, 2011
Messages
450
Location
Mount Vernon, WA
Any claw/framing hammer lighter than 20 oz. Especially the little all-metal jokes that come in those cheap rubbermaid tool kits. Maybe "hate" is the wrong word, I feel that these are just useless. :lol2:
 
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Lomotil

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Mar 14, 2011
Messages
7,993
Location
South TX
wintermute said:
Any claw/framing hammer lighter than 20 oz. Especially the little all-metal jokes that come in those cheap rubbermaid tool kits. Maybe "hate" is the wrong word, I feel that these are just useless. :lol2:
Click to expand...

I thought about making birdhouses out of some scrap cedar as gifts for family members (I know, spare no expense, right?) Went out looking for a 5oz clawhammer like my grandfather's old Craftsman - lightest I could find was 7oz.

Not to say that I've ever gotten around to using it, but I'm still planning on doing it... :D
 
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WR250F

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Aug 28, 2011
Messages
481
Easy Out's - the worst single POS implementation of an excellent theory

They aren't easy, and they never get a bolt out.

They shatter or snap as soon as you give them a twist
 
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GRX

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Dec 4, 2006
Messages
2,032
Location
MD
WR250F said:
Easy Out's - the worst single POS implementation of an excellent theory

They aren't easy, and they never get a bolt out.

They shatter or snap as soon as you give them a twist
Click to expand...
They work great for me. Of course you knew someone was going to say that. :) One just has to remember that they are brittle & are not for stuck or seized bolts.
 
S

suss427

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Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
151
Location
Iowa
Flat head screw drivers... they just ****

Robinson or 'square' screw drivers. I never seem to have one when I need it, hardware stores never seem to stock it (other than in the interchangeable screwdrivers which I also don't like)

T-25 torx (seems to be the only tool and fastener I break consistently, does not seem to happen with any other size lol, otherwise I love torx)

Square drive pipe plugs (what is the point?)

Hummer H1 5 point bolts/ sockets on the dual beadlocking rims

Any VW/audi stupid specific fastener and tools ie triple square

Big +1 on grease guns, why do they all ****?

Craftsman premium ratchets... they **** for two reasons. 1 they reverse and jam, 2 they started my SO binge purchases to replace my Cman **** after I returned them.

New Chinese craftsman ****. If NT and HF can produce decent hand tools from china, why cant Sears at 5x the price?

The list would be a lot longer, but I am ruthless about ****** tools. If it fails, it goes in the scrap bucket, or is sold or replaced.

Multifunction tools, they don't seem to do any of the functions very well.
 
M

machine_punk

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May 14, 2011
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2,540
Location
Napa Valley, California
+1 on the grease gun. Really?!?! Just a few more pennies in components would make sure the grease only leaves the grease gun by the route you want it to.

Hex Wrenches. Lets design a fastener tightening tool with 35 standard sizes and 35 metric sizes, which don't have any practical way to keep them together, where the 'fast' drive method is still slow and the 'slow' drive method takes a ridiculously large/clear area to swing the wrench, where the torque required to remove a fastener is more than the base material can handle without snapping. On the other hand, the hex wrench brings us the single coolest-looking fastener in the entire world--the socket head cap screw.
 
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sdguy55

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Joined
Jan 26, 2012
Messages
2,424
Location
Pierre, SD
Allen wrenches....i have snap-on and i have a cheapo swivel ball end set i bought for a project i had to get done and couldnt wait for snappy. There is a big difference between the two. In my job when you come across an allen head it almost always means it is gonna be in there TIGHT which requires either super-human forearm strength or the old 'put a wrench on it as a cheater pipe' which always makes me think in the middle of it, just as its about to break loose the allen wrench is gonna snap
 
5

54FordPanel

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Aug 7, 2009
Messages
5,711
Location
Fort 54, Littleton, Co
Bench grinders. Most of my nasty accidents have been associated with bench grinders.

I also had a cheap Craftsman jigsaw that I absolutely hated using. I finally got a DeWalt with the quick loading blades, and I love that thing.
 
A

Appleyard

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Joined
Apr 16, 2011
Messages
203
Location
Elkhart, IN
The impact driver that you smack with a hammer to break screws loose (Like on Honda rotors). The 1/4" shanks always break. They need to be 3/8". Anytime I run into those rotors, I just grab the air hammer and chisel bit and just skip the headache.
 
F

fm2176

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Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
456
Location
Down South
DanarchyCustoms said:
The tool that I hate the most is the one that is sitting in my box while I am under my truck in the driveway needing it. :willy_nil
Click to expand...

I know what you're saying. My estimation and memory skills have deteriorated over the years, so I often grab a socket or wrench, get on the creeper, then slide right back out and go back to the box for the right tool.

suss427 said:
Robinson or 'square' screw drivers. I never seem to have one when I need it, hardware stores never seem to stock it (other than in the interchangeable screwdrivers which I also don't like)

....

Multifunction tools, they don't seem to do any of the functions very well.
Click to expand...

I have exactly one Robinson drive screwdriver. Picked it up at Sears on Tuesday for $0.97 on clearance. :)

As for multi-tools, they can work magic in the right hands. I use mine almost daily and could not fathom going to the field without one. Growing up, it was the Swiss Army knife, now I wonder how I survived without a Gerber or Leatherman. But, yeah, if I have the right tool I go for it instead.
 
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Jawn

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Jul 29, 2011
Messages
3,594
Location
Stuck in traffic, GA
Some of you poo-poo vise grips and crescent wrenches. I find they're both handy at times... vise grips for holding things (and their "locking wrench" for turning air tool fittings), and as already stated, crescent wrenches for things not quite made to either fractional or metric spec.

As to lighter claw hammers... I find that in my model railroad benchwork building, the 12oz claw I have is about perfect.
 
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rlb1953

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Joined
Oct 4, 2007
Messages
121
Location
Yorkton SK
Cheap table saws! The table to to small, the extensions are flimsy, and it is impossible to get the fence parallel to the blade. I got half-way though a home improvement project before I gave that piece of junk away and bought a good brand-name saw. What a difference!!!
 
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Matt018

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Joined
May 17, 2011
Messages
718
I think your grease guns ****. My boss has a lincoln battery powered unit and it works great.

I really hate having to go back to my box for a breaker bar or a bigger drive size, It ***** because you know that things arnt going to go smoothly at that point.
 
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