Cheap Tools

[scottcrete]

Lets make this post.. a place to find cheap tools for novice younger builder and poor people like myself..

Ill start this off by posting a dremel that i bought and use.. that is very good.. comes with a stand.. a extenstion wand for detailed work and several bits.. I found this at tarket for 29.00 complete with all the workings.. just to give you an idea what it costs seperate for the real dremel brand..



Dont waste money if you dont have too.. we have to get more projects going here right.. and less money on tools.. post what you know..

dremal with link 89.00
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none
wand for tool 29.99 with link
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

bits for this thing..with link 19.98
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

stand for the dremel with link 25.00
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... key=Search

here is the dremel..link for the cheap one above.. that works great.. i use it daily. 29.00
http://www.target.com/Durabuilt-Elect-R ... ool&page=1

[Jared Haehnel]

Don't forget that you generally get what you pay for. Meaning that the cheap tools won't last as long as the nice ones. Not that I'm trying to discourage the sales of cheap tools....

A lat of hardware stores have "bargain bins" That always a good place to pick up a cheap set of sockets or wrenches. Some times they have a voltmeter, or a bucket of zip ties, a tire pressure gauge, 80's music, and other things. You'll be surprise what you might find there.

[scottcrete]

I agree totally.. Big lots have just about everything.. if your only gonna use it once or twice..(the tool) that is.. just wanted the younger people to know where to look.. since most of them only get to go where their parents take them.. now they can suggest somewhere other than say.. lowes or homedepot..

Great suggestion Jared..
Im off to get some 80's music.. lol
you know...... I am a 1980 babyboy lol

[Killjoy]

I love harbor freight. I've bought so many cheap tools from that that have taken more abuse and lasted longer then almost any name brand tool I've had.

Also traveling tool shows like Cummins and such are incredible for finding things. I got a refurbished drill press and 14" chop saw for less then a 100 dollars and after 2-3 years of a abuse they still work great and kick ass. I bought welding clamps which still work better then a friends name brand clamps for 10 dollars.

[BigGrib]

Dude I love harbor freight, I have an angle grinder that i got there and the brushes burned out on it, took it back, they gave me a new one with all the cutting disks and stuff. It's like a trap though, cause you go it for one thing and you end up leaving with like 5 cool things that you didn't need, but had to have.

[Jared Haehnel]

If you can find rebuilt tools they are the way to go. Especially if you have a tight budget. That goes just about anything.... if you don't mind that it has a few ding or dents... you generally get a pretty good deal.

[Bubba05]

Over here in Australia we just duck down to Bunnings!!
They got all the tools you could imagine and they range from the cheap knock offs to the real deal ridgy dige expencive stuff.
eg Trojan 8lb sledge hammer $39.95 compaired to the near exact thing from ROTOR for $19.85. Now thats always handy to save 20 bucks on the same tool.
The only thing that pisses me off is like one 15mm chisle is 25 bucks but you can get a set of 4 for 30????? I ONLY WANTED ONE CHISLE......but it was cheaper to buy the set and i sapose theyll come in hand one day....wont they?

Bubba

[scottcrete]

i have a harbor freight store 1 hour away.. .but never go there unless i have lost of extra money.. cause i feel like a kid trying to side on which candy to buy because i cant decide which tool i need more... lol

[Bubba05]

Yeah thats the most frustrating thing about going shopping for tools.. its always such a bloody tease. and then your like damn that could come in handy. and you never have enough cashe to get both....

Bubba

[hi]

i got the dremal knock off at costco for $20. it goest to 30k rpm an works great. ive had it for over a year, i dont know how i lived without it.

[potatoflinger]

Yeah, as a few other people have said, when you're looking for bargain tools, there's no better place than Harbor Freight.

[Bubba05]

yeah i got a cheap dremel for like 15 bucks and that was wow 3 year ago now! great for all sortsa jobs. My uncle genuine dremial is nearly 25 and still kickin just gets a bit hot after using it for a while!

Bubba

[BOMBOMBOMB]

Well i got most of my tools ect for free . my mothers boss is a handy man and i sometimes help him out. And when he gets newer stuff i get the other . Ive got stuff from tiny drill sets to a tool set worth 130 bucks brand new with dremel, drill, solder good one, stands excessories, and soem other cool power tools. I reckon GMC brand is pretrty good for their cheap prices. Anyways thought id jsut rub some of my luck in your faces

[Blitz]

Just wanted to point out... That Dremel you linked has everything you posted below it except the stand. It also includes a lot more that's not listed. I have the exact same one that you linked, I use it daily, and dremel has given me years of happy use prior (I had a VERY old cordless one that just didn't have the power for some things).

Tools are a mixed bag when it comes to price -- you get what you pay for with a lot of tools. In terms of hand tools, I buy almost exclusively Craftsman -- not only are they of good quality, but they have a lifetime warranty, and they never ask any questions. I had a 1/4" ratchet that broke and I had to exchange it... I've had it for like 12 years -- exchanged it with a brand new one, volia. Craftsman hand tools are usually pretty cheap in price, too.

Jared -- I always see those bargain bins at Ace hardware. Which unfortunately, they're expensive with almost every thing else... I did find a buncha spring clamps for super-cheap though.

[Gippeto]

For tools in Canada, Canadian Tire has weekly sales, watch the flyers.

The cheapest of the best. Mastercraft stuff usually has a lifetime warranty no questions asked.(because the staff generally don't know you shouldn't use a screw driver as a pry bar!)