Which company is best /diy/?

Fein and Festool make great tools. We use them in our machine factory and they last for ages if you maintain them properly.

>>1171177
do not fall for brand loyalty meme, different tools are completely different with different brands some are good some are not good, pick the tool, not the name

>>1171182
Sure for a commercial environment they can be a good option. But for the average Joe their prices border on ridiculous.

>>1171194
True. I'd also encourage OP to not entirely dismiss Harbor Freight tools. Some of their stuff may actually be better than Ryobi at that price point. Also buy tools as you need them, not a Big Box store shopping spree. Maybe tell us what work you want to do and we could recommend specific brands.

>>1171194

This...some manufacturers build better drills, others build better routers...shit doesn't need to be colour coordinated...

I have Makita drill/driver, Porter Cable and Dewalt routers, Bosch trimmers and compact angle drill. Makita chop saws, Dewalt cookie monster, Fein oscillating saws...nothing matches anything really, just tried out some stuff/borrowed at work, then went and bought what I liked...

>>1171177
>Ryobi
Fuck no. Basically Horror Freight shit. At least get Ridgid, they have an excellent service program while being beefy enough to hold up to moderate /diy/ or entry level professional work.

>>1171249
Kinda wish people would stop this "horror freight" talk. Depending on what you want to do their stuff can often get the job done just fine; maybe the tool quality is a bit rougher or missing some features but it'll work. Many of my bench/power tools are from them and nothing's crapped out yet.

>>1171205
harbor freight salesman plz

>>1171261
>I wish people would stop shit talking a company that is well known for making garbage tier tools
Some of their shit might work okay for a few dozen uses but god, please don't defend them or pretend they're equivalent to anything that isn't direct from china tier.

Dewalt or Milwaukee, preferably Dewalt. Everything else is fucking trash and won't last long

I dropped my 20v dewalt drill 30ft on to a cement floor and it still works perfectly fine, not even a fucking scratch

>>1171261
whats with all the harbor freight salesmen in this thread? shouldnt you be at the store, swindling older homeowners?

>>1171182
My only idea of what Festool is like is based on AvE's track saw teardown, and it really struck me as being an amazingly designed tool, built as cheaply as possible without compromising enough to make it bad. It seemed like one tiny drop would kill it, but it would be one of the nicest tool experiences all around until that point. This as being compared to other saws, where there aren't any things WRONG, and they could successfully double as a hammer, but they're only what you'd expect from that type of tool. Is that a fairly accurate assessment?

Fein seems great though.

OP, we need more info. What are you guys doing(and how often. Hobbyist or as a profession?), what tools do you need, what tools do you absolutely need to be cordless, what's your budget(we don't need specific numbers, but are you okay paying Hilti prices, or can you only afford Ryobi)?

>>1171276
>>1171275
>>1171279
I never compared Harbor Freight tools to anything but Ryobi. Also I said the tools could often get the job done *at that price point*. Do you want a 180 dollar Fein Multimaster, or will the 20 dollar HF clone work just as well, or at least be *good enough* to get it done? That's for you to decide; personally my HF clone did the work for a fraction of the price.

Also all my HF tools have been going for years with many more than a few dozen uses. Do they sell some junk tools, or do models get changed for the better or worse? Sure. Plenty of websites and forums compile their own "HF tool buy or avoid" lists.

Maybe you should ask yourselves why you call anybody with a differing opinion a "Harbor Freight salesman". For what it's worth, I am a homeowner--and probably older than you.

I like the cheap prices of WEN tools. If the bust just throw them away.

>>1171177
DeWilt, willfuckye, and I think cryobi are all made by the same hong zao company in the same factory with the same bits. so it doesn't really matter that much.

I really like my Makita cordless tools. I own two drills, a recip saw, and a worklamp, all of which have taken one hell of a beating. The drills have been dropped countless times, and even dropped in water once over the course of 3 years, and they still work reliably! The only thing I don't like - the plastic tab on the battery that holds the pins to the charger have broken on me twice. Don't leave them in the bottom of a bag that's getting tossed around a lot, or keep them attached to the tool when you're transporting them.

>>1171194
>>1171206
>>1171283
OP here,
Were mostly planning on doing hobby work but are definitely going to run a small business involving a carvewright and metal casting

I'd say we have a budget of 1.5k at the absolute most. We would need a lot of items, considering we both have absolutely nothing, the list of items would be:
>miter saw
>drill press
>bench grinder
>band saw
>compact router *would prefer cordless if possible
>vise grips (dont know if you guys really prefer one over another, but theyre basically all the same right?)
>belt sander
>obviously handheld drills
>table saw
>basic hand tools

I might be missing something, but that would really get us started this summer. We're still working and saving up right now, going to buy in a couple weeks. I just need to plan ahead, I appreciate everyone's feedback so far.

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>>1171302
No. Ryobi/Ridgid/Milwaukee are the same company, Black & Decker/Porter Cable/DeWalt are the same. At some point, Chervon has made tools for Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee, and currently makes Kobalt's 24v stuff.
>>1171308
Yeah, you don't have the budget to worry about best, especially if 1.5k is pushing it. I would buy cheap on the expensive stuff, and expensive on the cheap stuff. Grip-On are top tier vise grips("locking pliers"), they're the OEM for Snap-On, and only around $20-25 each. Depending on how you plan to use them, buy the nice ones, or get whatever shit is at the local hardware store or on Amazon if they're expendable. Bench grinder, I know wood turners pretty much all recommend a Rikon slow speed, around $100. Spend money on your router, because that's one where the nice ones aren't THAT much more than the cheap shitty ones, and skip cordless. Drill press, Lowe's carries a nice enough Porter Cable one for $330 or so, but check Craiglist for the real deals. Band saw isn't one I'm up enough on to have a recommendation, read reviews. I know Porter Cable is a decent brand for belt sanders. Table saw, without a doubt, Craigslist. You'll spend the better part of your budget getting one worth buying if you buy new. Basic hand tools, just get store brands(Kobalt at Lowe's, Husky at Home Depot, whatever Harbor Freight has, Tekton or General something or another on Amazon) when you start making money with your tools, it'll be worth springing for the nicer stuff. Drills, they're all decent, it depends on what you need. Sounds like you won't be pushing it too hard, so just get whatever is comfy that isn't Black & Decker. If you're going to do big hole saws, get a corded drill too. Consider what other tools you actually NEED cordless, because a drill is generally your buy in into a cordless like.

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>>1171314
And seriously consider the drill/impact combos. Impacts are neat.

>>1171301

Wen makes a great 3x21 belt sander. I've put that thing through hell and it refuses to die. Dunno how the rest of their stuff is. I might try their small drill press eventually.

>>1171295
>I never compared Harbor Freight tools to anything but Ryobi.
Yes you did.
>Also I said the tools could often get the job done *at that price point*.
No you didn't.

>For what it's worth, I am a homeowner--and probably older than you.
It's worth nothing. Age=/= experience. Neither does you being a homeowner have anything to do with it unless you want to show us the projects you've actually done yourself. I've used HF tools for things and I would never buy them again unless it was literally all I could afford for some reason.

>>1171332
>>I never compared Harbor Freight tools to anything but Ryobi.
>Yes you did.
>>Also I said the tools could often get the job done *at that price point*.
>No you didn't.
Disregard, I was only looking at the post I specifically had replied to, not the other anons.

Anyone got reccomendations for soldering irons? I want to upgrade my shitty corroded wall plug one that I got off ebay for a fiver.
Studying Electronics eng and will do a lot of soldering DIY so might as well invest now.

People reccomend the FX888D for some reason, while others are reccomending other stuff

>>1171308

You can cheap out on the drill/driver. The Ryobi set of both is fine.

Table saw should probably get a big chunk of the budget as cheap table saws are, maybe not useless exactly, but an eternal headache. At least in my experience.

My favorite reasonably affordable miter saw is the Makita LS1040. It's a 10" non-sliding variety. Weighs about 25 pounds or so. This is the only miter saw I have owned that was nicely machined from the factory with no problems that needed immediate fixing.

>>1171356

I should say regarding the miter saw, if you're getting a table saw you don't necessarily need a miter saw. It does depend on what you're doing and your work flow but a table saw can do everything a miter saw can with the appropriate jigs.

>>1171308
Sounds like a fun project. I've never heard of a Carvewright before. What kinds of things are you casting?

>miter saw vs. table saw
There's some overlap on what these two can do. A sliding miter saw really ups the price point but makes a more useful tool. For a good non-slider a Hitachi or DeWalt 10 inch saw would be my choice. With your budget I might go for a good table saw first. Personally I liked the DeWalt DW745 saw. The rack and pinion fence is easy to set and locked down solidly. But check to make sure the rip capacity is enough for you.

>drill press
Are you going to be drilling metal? If so get one that can do slower speeds like 300 RPM. Watch out for quill slop when fully extended (a lot of wiggle in the column that goes up and down, above the chuck). That may be hard to avoid in many store bought drill presses today. If you can, search for good used older ones. If they have a split head design they can compensate for quill wear/slop. You might consider a set of screw machine drills. Note that a drill press can't handle side loads if you wanted to do milling work. Get one with a keyed chuck, and make sure the table slots let you easily attach clamps and vises. Also, get the largest one that is practical, and make sure there's enough swing. A DP with a 15" swing can drill to the center of a 15" circle, giving you 7 1/2 inches from chuck to column.

>bench grinder
For metal or wood? I've been looking into this too and might go with a bench belt/wheel combo grinder if I can find a good one. Rockler maybe?

>vise grips
Many different head designs depending on what you want to clamp.

>basic hand tools
All the Big Box house brands I've bought have held up but I'm not using them to make a living. If you have a Menard's nearby their Tool Shop brand has been good. Also Harbor Freight hand tools; saws, clamps, levels, calipers, hammers etc. have been good enough for me. Especially fond of the digital fractional caliper.

>>1171332
>It's worth nothing. Age=/= experience. Neither does you being a homeowner have anything to do with it
I only mentioned those things because I am the very person that I was accused of trying to swindle; an older homeowner.

>>1171279
>shouldnt you be at the store, swindling older homeowners?

I don't claim to be experienced. My projects are just average repairs and remodeling and not worth showing. If you don't like HF stuff that's fine, but claiming everything they sell is junk and should be avoided at all costs is a bit narrow minded. The OP's on a budget and I gave my opinion, using my time spent with those tools as a guide. I don't want to further derail OP's thread so maybe we just have to agree to disagree.

>>1171347
The FX888D has been a crowd favorite for years, can't go wrong there, but honestly, for the cost of a soldering iron, just check out Amazon and read reviews. They're cheap enough to risk it if you're worried, and plenty of the cheap Chinese ones use the same parts as the Hakko or Weller stuff, just because it's easier to copy than to create.

>>1171302

If you dont like DeWalt and Millwaukee what the heck do you recomend? Snap on?

Those are both very solid lines of tools. Yeah you are paying a little more for the name and yeah black and decker ownes dewalt. that dose not mean a dewalt drill is the same and a B&D. its all about the tolerances that go into the tools.

I need a new weed wacker. Any suggestions on brands? Home use

>>1171646
Speaking only as a Lowe's drone, not someone with a yard, we sell a LOT of Kobalt OPE, and a fair amount of DeWalt, Black & Decker, and that green shitty one. Greenworks? Greenworks is shit, DeWalt is overpriced for home use, and Black & Decker is Black & Decker. Greenworks and Black and Decker come back all the time, either for actual issues or just for being weak as shit. DeWalt rarely comes back, but we also sell so few, I can't really gauge. Kobalt occasionally comes back because of a problem, but it's a 5 year in-store warranty(3 year battery warranty), so that gets solved fastish(15m or so, while we try to get literally fucking anyone to answer the god damn phone and pull another one down from top stock, because we sell so many they're out of stock on the floor again) and we send you on your way, or very rarely because someone decided to just stick with gas powered.

If you have a huge yard, probably still worth checking out DeWalt or Milwaukee's offerings, but for the local hardware store brands, Kobalt is a super solid choice. Hoping someone else can chime in if Ridgid or Ryobi have OPE and are any good or not.

(Kobalt's OEM for power tools is Chervon)

>>1171314
>>1171356
interesting
>>1171385
A carvewright is basically a mini CNC system. My brother got it it sortve cheap a long time ago, so were going to make molds out of wood with it first, fill it in with greensand. Then take it out and pour the metal in. We plan on making a weight set for ourselves (from brass ammo casings), figurines (tanks for him), and a custom order for a business were going to run

I'll probably just get the table saw for now then. We will be drilling a lot of metal so thanks for the info on that too. The bench grinder would be for both. I figured the vice grips could be anything but I'm sure it'll range from only small to medium items.

>ryobi
>have ryobi drill.
>making evap cooler bucket project for pc cooling because why not
>doing some of the work in backyard sandpit for some reason
>get drill buried a bit in sand
>to this day, drill flings sand out of the cooling fan compartment
>still drills everything, brick, wood, plastic, etc.
>now use it as an outdoor only drill because I have a second ryobi because they're cheap.

Say what you will. I have 100+ hours of use from that drill after the sand incident and have noticed 0 loss of power. For a round the house diyer they're just fine.

Chicago Electric, Skil, Hitachi

>>1171177
Makita are fucking shite, the tools are good but they wont be delivered within 2 months at the moment.

>>1172130
Abrasives won't instantly destroy it, but they'll wear the commutator/armature(people who know motors, which is which again?) and the brushes hella quick. Just open it up and clean the sand out, they're really simple tools as long as you don't accidentally make the planetary gear box go sproing, and they're still not complicated if you do. Maybe smear some new grease on the gears too, I assume sand worked it's way in there too

>>1172156
>they wont be delivered within 2 months at the moment.

Not sure what you mean by this.

>>1171404
how long have you been working at harbor freight?

canada-friend here
whats a good rec for a hand drill for some pretty light use

are cordless drills a meme

>>1171316
What exactly am I looking at here? Neodiddlyum #2 tips?

Makita and Einhell.

I have several different brands. Porter Cable, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Skil, B&D
All are fine for the layman. I got a dud Skil drill once and I haven't bought anything from them since, but the jigsaw I have has served well.

Stay away from Craftsman though. Their hand tools are good but their power tools are garbage.

>>1172346
The only problem with cordless drills is that the batteries inevitably wear out and you can practically get a new drill for the price of pair of batteries. I've had my current one for 2 years with no signs of slowing down, but they don't last forever.
If you'll be doing anything more than 50 feet from an outlet you'll save yourself a lot of hassle with a cordless.

>>1172403
Wera diamond coated #2 Phillips bits and whatever drywall screws were handy.

>>1172102
That does sound like fun. So the molds themselves are greensand, and the casts are metal? I wonder if there would be a way to make metal molds too. The output detail on those Carvewrights looks pretty good, I can see that being a viable business. I've made two part molds from Ultracal 30 before; while the detail is good it probably wouldn't hold up to larger production runs.

I have drilled plenty of cold rolled steel and some case-hardened stuff using just Menard's Tool Shop brand titanium nitride drill bits. They hold up pretty well if you use a bit of cutting oil, moderate pressure, and frequently back out the drill bit to clear the hole and flutes of metal. But even with a center punched guide hole the bits can flex and walk.

A set of shorter screw machine drills with 135 degree split points or spotting drills might spare you some frustration.

>>1172557
Metal typically undergoes thermal expansion much more than silica or ionic compounds. Engine blocks are cast from casting sand of one sort or another, There's not much alternative for complex shapes where the mould has to be disposable. The metal you'd have to pick would be a particular alloy made for very low thermal expansion, such as Invar, but it's really not worth using because you have to cast it in the first place. Solid moulds only have a limited lifespan anyways, just look at the markings inside a crappy plastic toy.

There is certainly merit in using a mould alloy with the same thermal expansion coefficient as the metal you're casting, which would help avoid pitting assuming the casting metal has the same density solid as liquid, which I'm not sure on.