You WILL pay 150 dollars for it.....and like it mister!!!!!!!

[Runs With Scissors]

So there I am the other day looking for another 3/8 battery impact. Mostly becasue if you have a "cottage", you need to have 4 of every"damn"thing .....

So I am 1,000%, dead set, on NOT buying a Dewalt one......Cause I am cheap, and I want a "knock-off" one for 62 dollars.....I WILL NOT PAY 150 DOLLARS...I swear on all that is holy, I am going to find one!!!!!!!

So I hit the Big A, and sure enough, there are tons of them, so I find one that is only 1.8 lbs and order it.







Well, low and behold.........surprise, surprise, surprise......There was some sort of "Chi-Com weight conversion factor" that happened........... This damn thing is 4.8 pounds.....


So, it goes without saying that this thing is headed straight back to the Big A......

But now I get this "hard headed" thing going.....I want a 2.1 lbs 3/8 electric impact....and I WILL NOT settle for even 1 ounce heavier



Well sir, I focused on the "inter'web" for a mind numbing 3 hours, looking for the EXACT model I want .....and it ends up that a DCF890 is the only one that light....Hmmmmmmm?????????

Then reality hits me square in the face......They discontinued that model, and now I am at the mercy of Flea-Bay if I want one.......

Embarrassingly, ............it's on its way, ..................I guess I showed them....

 

[Elliott in GA]

18V ONE+ HP Compact Brushless 1/4" Hex Impact Driver Kit

RYOBI introduces the 18V ONE+ HP Compact Brushless 1/4 in. Impact Driver Kit. This next generation of HP compact brushless tools utilizes ONE+ HP Brushl...

www.ryobitools.com

1.85 pounds $99 with a small battery and charger. Not a great deal if you do not already have other Ryobi tools/batteries. The Torque Test Channel tests usually show Ryobi performing well, and they match their specs.

Is Ryobi the best tool for a contractor? No. Is it a good choice for occasional use around the house, especially considering their sales and battery deals? It is for me. YMMV

 

[Runs With Scissors]

18V ONE+ HP Compact Brushless 1/4" Hex Impact Driver Kit

RYOBI introduces the 18V ONE+ HP Compact Brushless 1/4 in. Impact Driver Kit. This next generation of HP compact brushless tools utilizes ONE+ HP Brushl...

www.ryobitools.com

1.85 pounds $99 with a small battery and charger. Not a great deal if you do not already have other Ryobi tools/batteries. The Torque Test Channel tests usually show Ryobi performing well, and they match their specs.

Is Ryobi the best tool for a contractor? No. Is it a good choice for occasional use around the house, especially considering their sales and battery deals? It is for me. YMMV

Yes, I agree that Ryobi is a good choice in as far as "quality vs. dollars", but as you eluded too, Long ago I invested in DEWALT 20V stuff so I just have to "suck it up" once in a while I guess

The interesting part of this fable in my opinion, is that it really has more to do with the psychology of hearing "NO, you can't have it". Once I found out I can't get one anymore, all bets were off....I had to get one......

I think it "triggers" something in me.....almost to a fault.

For instance, I could not have given a damn about pennies....UNTIL they stopped making them....Now I go out of my way to pay in cash and get as many pennies as I can.....And "yes I know it's stupid"....and "Yes I know it's childish".....But damn it I WANT/NEED/HUNGER FOR MORE PENNIES.......

I sure hope GM doesn't stop producing Vettes......Although I have never wanted one, it could get pricey for me......

 

[jimh406]

Good luck with the new tool. I don't use Ryobis that much, but they are still working fine years later and the batteries aren't really that much. Besides, batteries only last so long.

 

[NCL4701]

Around 1991 I started making furniture as a side gig, but I had zero free cash which is why I needed a side gig. The tools I started with were the absolute cheapest I could get away with. With one exception, they all worked at least well enough long enough to pay some bills plus pay for higher quality tools.

Most of what I built was Shaker style so not a lot of curves, but did need something to competently cut a curve once in a while. Figuring I wouldn’t use it much, I bought the cheapest jigsaw I could find. I think it was about $25 in 1992. After about 30 minutes of use, it wouldn’t cut a straight line. Blade wouldn’t hold an angle to cut perpendicular to a board face. The quill wandered all over everywhere to the point it was useless. Took it apart to see what came loose. Turned out the whole assembly of quill and eccentric is pressed into the plastic case. The plastic case is slightly harder than bubble gum. After a half hour of use, the whole mechanism was rattling around in the case. Couldn’t shim it back tight because the too soft case would have just wallowed out in another 30 minutes. I replaced it with a low end, yet quite servicable, 14” bandsaw which is what I really needed.

I didn’t save any money at all. I just wasted $25. I suppose I could have returned it, but instead I hung it on the wall where it’s been for the past 34 years. I don’t always buy the most expensive tools, but when my cheap ass is considering buying a $100 Harbor Freight special instead of a $300 Milwaukee for which I already have batteries, I look at that POS saw and buy the Milwaukee. As always, YMMV…

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

We used to buy almost all our farm tools from Acme in the US. I even bought a kubota tractor once from Acme. Never in my lifetime even with exchange rates, could I buy tools for the farm cheaper in Canada. US retailers clearly were way cheaper.

Now with the 35% tariff and the high inflation buying off amazon or Homedepot in canada is actually much cheaper now. Never thought in my lifetime I'd see this price reversal happen given the traditional high cost of business in Canada. But it has.

 

[JohnDB]

Figuring I wouldn’t use it much, I bought the cheapest jigsaw I could find. I think it was about $25 in 1992. After about 30 minutes of use, it wouldn’t cut a straight line. Blade wouldn’t hold an angle to cut perpendicular to a board face. The quill wandered all over everywhere to the point it was useless. Took it apart to see what came loose. Turned out the whole assembly of quill and eccentric is pressed into the plastic case. The plastic case is slightly harder than bubble gum. After a half hour of use, the whole mechanism was rattling around in the case. Couldn’t shim it back tight because the too soft case would have just wallowed out in another 30 minutes.

Looking at your photo reminds me that my experience with Black & Decker circular saw lead to a similar lesson. Found that the saw blade spindle had a plain bush instead of bearings. Junk after 2 years light use. Makita saw I bought to replace it was twice the price and still going well after 20 years.

 

[jaxs]

I'm still using Craftsman and Sears tools bought between 1965 and 1970 when I worked for them. Returns were sold at employee's catalog store. With their Money Back Guarantee , people would buy power tools and return them after finishing project. My mom would say "Sears had retail by the tail with down hill drag" and allowed self service discounters take it away.

 

[CTinline-six]

I have the Dewalt 20v stuff. The impact driver I bought refurbished on ebay years ago and is by far my most used and favorite tool. I use it for everything from assembling stuff in the house to working on cars out in the garage.

I previously owned some of the Harbor Freight impacts, and while they were great at first, I started noticing degraded performance over time. Even with a fresh battery, it got to the point where my 1/2" Harbor Freight impact wouldn't take lug nuts off anymore. Went with the Dewalt stuff since and haven't looked back.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I'm still using Craftsman and Sears tools bought between 1965 and 1970 when I worked for them. Returns were sold at employee's catalog store. With their Money Back Guarantee , people would buy power tools and return them after finishing project. My mom would say "Sears had retail by the tail with down hill drag" and allowed self service discounters take it away.

This sadly is one of the Sears downfalls.
And all of those lifetime warrantys on the tools went out the door with them.
Now Craftman tools are sold on amazon and they are not the same quality, or warranty.

 

[jyoutz]

I have had excellent results with Harbor Freight Hercules tools. A five year warranty and they don’t give you the run around. If you say the tool does work, they look up your purchase date and tell you to go get another one off the shelf if less than 5 years. But I’ve seldom had anything fail.

 

[Old Machinist]

I had wanted a cordless 1/2" impact and a 4-1/2" grinder for a while. Like you I was invested in DeWalt but didn't want to pay the price for tools I will seldom need or use. I broke down and bought both tools for under a $100 that use the DeWalt batteries. Not concerned about weight so they will work out for me. I don't like the placement of the forward/reverse button on the impact but I can live with it.

 

[armylifer]

I have both DeWalt and Ryobi tools. I needed to buy some batteries for the Ryobi grinder, drill, circular saw, and flashlight. All those tools were bought in a kit several years ago and had the NiCad batteries. I was looking for lithium batteries and I came across an adapter that allows you to use DeWalt batteries on Ryobi tools. I bought 4 of the adapters and now I use my DeWalt batteries for both the DeWalt and Ryobi tools. The adapter also works with Milwaukee tools too, but I don't own any of those anymore.

 

[Old Machinist]

I also use adapters for other tools. I have one for my Craftsman C3 tools and another for Workz.

 

[whatsupdoc]

I dont buy tools to match a battery system I own. I buy what is best for my use. So now if I need a battery powered tool I can get Metabo, Flex, Dewalt, Milwaukee and Makita because I have the batteries.