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Jonny Quest posted:My pile of TEKTON stuff is pretty limited, but looking at the reviews if you say ANYTHING remotely critical of an item a TEKTON rep is there to get more details and do whatever it takes to make you happy. My guess is they use the same Cro-Moly Taiwanese manufacturers as everyone else, so the sockets shouldn't immediately shatter on you. Some of the TEKTON stuff I've seen I could swear appears identical to things I've seen at Harbor Freight.
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Aug 27, 2015 18:52
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sharkytm posted:It's not your imagination. My old truck ('04 2500HD) was incredibly simple, pull a pin and the whole headlight assembly pops out for service. New truck? Gotta remove a bunch of stuff to get access to the back of the headlight, and the bulb is tough to extract. There is a Saturn and a Subaru out there that, to do it the right way, calls for taking the whole front bumper off. (so you can pull the headlights out so you can get to the bulb) And on my new bosses Cadillac STS-V, a burnt bulb calls for a whole new headlight housing/assembly.
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Aug 28, 2015 01:30
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ultrabay2000 posted:Some of the TEKTON stuff I've seen I could swear appears identical to things I've seen at Harbor Freight. Weird. Almost like...noooo!!!
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Aug 28, 2015 07:53
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ultrabay2000 posted:Some of the TEKTON stuff I've seen I could swear appears identical to things I've seen at Harbor Freight. Agreed, it's likely the HF Pittsburgh Pro stuff but in plastic cases and "free" Prime shipping, usually for a third more than the bare tools at Harbor Freight.
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Aug 28, 2015 13:46
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Jonny Quest posted:Agreed, it's likely the HF Pittsburgh Pro stuff but in plastic cases and "free" Prime shipping, usually for a third more than the bare tools at Harbor Freight. You mean I don't have to drive about an hour trip to the nearest HF in 108F temps (or ride my motorcycle if the wife needs the car) and instead the tools will show up at my door in 2 day with a plastic case and the price is only a few dollars more? Count me in. I already have prime for the shipping, music, and streaming of future Top Gear episodes...
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Aug 28, 2015 17:28
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Regardless... I picked up this Gearwrench set for 3/8 and 1/4 for a decent deal compared to both sets together. I wish it had the color coded "feature", so I was thinking of tasking my wife with painting a colored band around them all as well as the numbers for easier reading. Is there a specific paint I should get for applying to these or is any nail polish going to do the trick? I have a feeling she will be more into it if she can paint them all sparkly red and blue.
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Aug 28, 2015 23:18
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I used hobby enamels (the kind in the mini jars made by testors or whomever). It works well, but I can't say how resistant they are to the nastier stuff like brake fluid or acetone.
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Aug 29, 2015 00:20
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Some of the Tekton stuff is actually made in USA. I just got one of these, for example, and it feels really nice, definitely on par with genuine Channellock (unlike the Harbor Freight orange-handled slip-joint pliers I've dealt with): http://amzn.com/B00KLY1IYC
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Aug 29, 2015 03:00
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Knipex or busted knuckels. 
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Aug 29, 2015 03:14
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ultrabay2000 posted:Some of the TEKTON stuff I've seen I could swear appears identical to things I've seen at Harbor Freight. That's because a lot of it is. Tekton is a really small tool company in, I think Michigan. They design and make some of their own stuff like most of their pliers, but anything that's not labeled as made in USA is pretty much straight from the same mfg Harbor Freight uses. They regularly post over on the Garagejournal forums, and it seems if you email their rep directly they are more than willing to ship out warranty replacements at no cost.
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Aug 29, 2015 03:56
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I just finished "Poorly Made in China". I think it was a goon in this thread who mentioned it, but I now feel a lot less enthused about HF hand tools after reading. It seems that the variable quality we all comment on is likely the factory seeing what they can slip past the vendor. Anyway, a good but depressing read.
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Aug 31, 2015 04:01
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Mercury Ballistic posted:I just finished "Poorly Made in China". I think it was a goon in this thread who mentioned it, but I now feel a lot less enthused about HF hand tools after reading. It seems that the variable quality we all comment on is likely the factory seeing what they can slip past the vendor. Anyway, a good but depressing read. Ditto, I just returned my copy to the library after finishing it as well, and it's an absolutely fantastic read. Really explains a lot of the dynamic for lovely products (especially tools) and why quality is so variable, such as the factory making their own cost saving substitutions at will, leaving the importer very much at the factory's whims. There's basically zero accountability, especially to foreigners. One particularly interesting point was that a lot of factories will produce things essentially at cost for contries with strong intellectual property protections (eg US, Germany, etc) so they can learn how to make things, steal the designs, and run extra on the production to sell at an upcharge to developing economies since none of them are any good at design or creativity beyond copying. This is why dollar store stuff in the US will cost 2-3$ in Brazil and the rest of the developing world.
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Aug 31, 2015 13:43
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Mercury Ballistic posted:I just finished "Poorly Made in China". I think it was a goon in this thread who mentioned it, but I now feel a lot less enthused about HF hand tools after reading. It seems that the variable quality we all comment on is likely the factory seeing what they can slip past the vendor. Anyway, a good but depressing read. I worked at a lawnmower factory for a couple of years after college and they decided to outsource some of the work to China for whatever reason. Reworking like 90% of what we got from them because it was so far out of spec probably didn't save them any money. I'd imagine they got it worked out after I left, but this was pretty simple poo poo like "hole at this place in square tubing" kind of stuff. Nothing even remotely complicated.
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Aug 31, 2015 14:44
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fknlo posted:I worked at a lawnmower factory for a couple of years after college and they decided to outsource some of the work to China for whatever reason. Reworking like 90% of what we got from them because it was so far out of spec probably didn't save them any money. I'd imagine they got it worked out after I left, but this was pretty simple poo poo like "hole at this place in square tubing" kind of stuff. Nothing even remotely complicated. You just don't understand though. We are saving money! I cringe when people say we would be better off if the government was ran like a business, because I see businesses do some of the most bone headed poo poo in the name of "shareholder value" or think its saving money. Penny wise, $1000 foolish.
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Aug 31, 2015 15:42
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BrokenKnucklez posted:You just don't understand though. We are saving money! If the business were run by the govt, exactly the same as above would be happening. Except, the outsourcing would be priced at 10x what they used to pay locally.
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Aug 31, 2015 16:28
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Splizwarf posted:Nissan headlight bulbs are all pretty easy, in and out in under five minutes on any current model. That is the most false loving thing I've ever heard, unless Nissan has changed in the last 5 years.
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Aug 31, 2015 17:37
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spog posted:If the business were run by the govt, exactly the same as above would be happening. Nah, the outsourcing costs half as much. It's the final assembly(and rework) in the US that ends up costing 10x more than before because unions. 
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Aug 31, 2015 20:06
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oxbrain posted:Nah, the outsourcing costs half as much. It's the final assembly(and rework) in the US that ends up costing 10x more than before because unions. Now we have proof that outsourcing creates good American jobs 
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Aug 31, 2015 21:42
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OSU_Matthew posted:One particularly interesting point was that a lot of factories will produce things essentially at cost for contries with strong intellectual property protections (eg US, Germany, etc) so they can learn how to make things, steal the designs, and run extra on the production to sell at an upcharge to developing economies since none of them are any good at design or creativity beyond copying. This is why dollar store stuff in the US will cost 2-3$ in Brazil and the rest of the developing world. I think that's just a consequence of the Chinese government's policy of growth at all costs. They will run factories on basically no profit margin just for the sake of running a factory. That screws everything up because the profit from the factory is pretty important. In China you just have a bunch of factories trying to make something as cheap as possible instead of trying to make as much profit as possible. stinch fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Aug 31, 2015 |
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Aug 31, 2015 22:41
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Bajaha posted:Now we have proof that outsourcing creates good American jobs It's proof that american workers are lazy and overpaid and we should outsource final assembly too. And when quality drops it's the fault of those lazy and overpaid american engineers, so we should outsource that too.
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Aug 31, 2015 23:51
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oxbrain posted:And when quality drops it's the fault of those lazy and overpaid american engineers, so we should outsource that too. Hey now, let's not get crazy! So, I'm long overdue on bleeding my brakes. This should work on my 2007 (MKV) VW GTI, right? http://www.amazon.com/Motive-Products-Bleeder-Adapters-European/dp/B0002KM5L0/ref=sr_1_1
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Sep 1, 2015 00:10
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RIP Paul Walker posted:That is the most false loving thing I've ever heard, unless Nissan has changed in the last 5 years. Well, I haven't done an NV van's headlamp bulbs, but I didn't think of them right away because the Nissan dealer I worked for didn't offer them on-site and they're pretty new still for burnt bulbs. But yeah, all the other current models. You might be terrible at it? v  v Because I have less wiggle room than the average tech with these absurd bear paws for hands, and I don't have a problem on anything in the current lineup, or the stuff that got replaced this year or last year. Hardly anything has an obstruction that doesn't come out in under a minute.It helps build speed to not get paid anything if a customer buys the bulb at Parts and then asks if we could put it in 
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Sep 1, 2015 03:59
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I'm trying to tame my mess of tools and am wondering, are there any tool boxes with wheels that can hold a full set of SAE/metric wrenches, sockets, and other small random stuff? I don't have a proper garage so something mobile that I can move around is important. However it needs to be pretty darn heavy duty since all this stuff weighs at least 60-70 lbs (and something without wheels is a no go--been there, tried that and have the back aches to prove it). Most of the big wheeled toolboxes I see are more for contractors who need to dump a table saw, drill, etc. in a box and go--they don't have any drawers or dividers to keep all the stuff separate. Anyone seen anything that might work? I'm thinking something like this might be my best option: http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-16-in-88-lbs-Rolling-Cantilever-Toolbox-Black-DWST20880/205533355 However I don't think it has enough drawers/containers and I don't like the cantilever design since you can't get to stuff without opening the whole thing up. Would be nice to be able to keep this in a closet and grab a tool here and there when I need it, or roll the whole thing out and go. edit: This one looks a little closer to what I want: http://www.amazon.com/BOSTITCH-BTST...85%3A2470955011 Kinda iffy quality though from the reviews. And I think I found what I need, Dewalt's TSTAK IV line looks perfect: http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWST17...P3RRXYMDZB40VY9 For about $150 I can get a couple big drawers, a couple double drawer sets, a dolly, and a top toolbox. Nice! mod sassinator fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Sep 1, 2015 |
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Sep 1, 2015 18:34
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Uthor posted:Hey now, let's not get crazy! Yup. This thing works well but be prepared for it loving leak all over when not in use.
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Sep 1, 2015 18:41
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Splizwarf posted:Well, I haven't done an NV van's headlamp bulbs, but I didn't think of them right away because the Nissan dealer I worked for didn't offer them on-site and they're pretty new still for burnt bulbs. But yeah, all the other current models. You might be terrible at it? v I'm probably bad at it. But an... poo poo, 2007? Altima is a total pain in the dick. As is a newer Xterra and a google confirmed that I wasn't alone in my hatred of Nissan headlight bulb replacement.
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Sep 1, 2015 20:29
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BraveUlysses posted:Yup. This thing works well but be prepared for it loving leak all over when not in use. Don't fill it with brake fluid, just use it as a pressure source.
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Sep 1, 2015 20:35
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revmoo posted:Don't fill it with brake fluid, just use it as a pressure source. I haven't bled brakes before. So you're saying top up the reservoir, attach the bleeder, do a brake at a time, and check the level frequently? Filling it with fluid sounds like it would be a waste of all the fluid in the reservoir that you don't use. You're not supposed to store brake fluid once the container has been opened, right?
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Sep 1, 2015 20:39
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No you're not, and it makes a huge mess if you do it that way. You do have to remove the cap to top up your reservoir several times during the process so it's not quite as easy as simply filling the jug, but it's a lot easier to just finish the job and stick the bleeder on a shelf once you're done.
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Sep 1, 2015 20:48
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revmoo posted:Don't fill it with brake fluid, just use it as a pressure source. nooooo Uthor posted:I haven't bled brakes before. So you're saying top up the reservoir, attach the bleeder, do a brake at a time, and check the level frequently? just dump it back into the original container. only has a 1 year shelf life after opening.
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Sep 1, 2015 20:59
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BraveUlysses posted:nooooo If you don't end up needing the remaining brake fluid, it works well as a paint stripper and/or to extend a can of stripper that might fall short of any paint removal work you're doing.
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Sep 1, 2015 21:14
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mod sassinator posted:I'm trying to tame my mess of tools and am wondering, are there any tool boxes with wheels that can hold a full set of SAE/metric wrenches, sockets, and other small random stuff? I don't have a proper garage so something mobile that I can move around is important. However it needs to be pretty darn heavy duty since all this stuff weighs at least 60-70 lbs *Yours for the low low price of $1,600 Please post pictures so I have something to add to the spank bank, please and thank you. stinch posted:I think that's just a consequence of the Chinese government's policy of growth at all costs. They will run factories on basically no profit margin just for the sake of running a factory.
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Sep 2, 2015 02:49
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mod sassinator posted:I'm trying to tame my mess of tools and am wondering, are there any tool boxes with wheels that can hold a full set of SAE/metric wrenches, sockets, and other small random stuff? If you have a harbor freight nearby check out the black 4 drawer cart or the red 5 drawer cart. There's coupons for both floating around the internet.
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Sep 2, 2015 05:11
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OSU_Matthew posted:Ditto, I just returned my copy to the library after finishing it as well, and it's an absolutely fantastic read. Really explains a lot of the dynamic for lovely products (especially tools) and why quality is so variable, such as the factory making their own cost saving substitutions at will, leaving the importer very much at the factory's whims. There's basically zero accountability, especially to foreigners. Ah, so this was were I read about that book. Thought it was the chat thread. I binged it the other night, and it was interesting. The part I found the most interesting was the discrepancy between the reputation, and legal liability, of the importer and the factory.The Chinese factory can basically do whatever they please and shift the headaches to the importer, who actually has a legal liability, plus a reputation to uphold. Also, the bit about it being in no one's interest to do any QA on the products, especially WRT hazardous chemicals.
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Sep 2, 2015 08:28
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Think my favorite phrase from the book was when an importer "knocks up the factory" By having them sit on stock that was not ordered.
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Sep 6, 2015 20:50
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Different subject but that hazet collapsible tool trolley everyone was drooling over? There are 2 on UK Amazon, slightly different sizes, £450 & £540 but they're tiny: 72*40*110cm and 68*35*100cm I'm sure you could build a pretty good analog in the size of your choosing with the tough white really useful boxes, castors, screw-flange bosses. The poles would be the awkward part.
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Sep 6, 2015 21:50
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velocross posted:If you have a harbor freight nearby check out the black 4 drawer cart or the red 5 drawer cart. There's coupons for both floating around the internet. Going to second this one. I managed to snag one off of a FB classifieds group for $20 and it seems very sturdy.
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Sep 7, 2015 04:51
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Cakefool posted:Different subject but that hazet collapsible tool trolley everyone was drooling over? There are 2 on UK Amazon, slightly different sizes, £450 & £540 but they're tiny: 72*40*110cm and 68*35*100cm I've seen one in real life, and I wasn't terribly impressed, especially not at the price. I might kinda see the point in a factory setting where you need to wheel your tools from one location to another while at the same time being able to keep them under lock and key, but for an enthusiast... not really.
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Sep 7, 2015 07:23
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QuarkMartial posted:Going to second this one. I managed to snag one off of a FB classifieds group for $20 and it seems very sturdy. HOLY BALLS. That is a steal. When my dad bought me mine he paid like 150 because he wouldn't ask me for a coupon. To hear that someone would let a toolbox that awesome go for 20$ it's just crazy. In tool news I'm really thinking about getting a powerprobe. From what I have seen online there good in every variation. Does anyone hear have personal experience with any generation?
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Sep 7, 2015 15:04
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SouthsideSaint posted:HOLY BALLS. That is a steal. When my dad bought me mine he paid like 150 because he wouldn't ask me for a coupon. To hear that someone would let a toolbox that awesome go for 20$ it's just crazy. Get the basic power probe and then you can get the bells and whistles as you need them to save some money. Coworker has the hook and its really fancy and all, but basically just combines some tools you may already have so might not be worth the money depending on what your doing. I love my basic one although watch out for 5 volt reference wires cause one push of a button and your replacing computers, clusters and modules real fuckin quick.
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Sep 7, 2015 15:16
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Preoptopus posted:Get the basic power probe and then you can get the bells and whistles as you need them to save some money. Coworker has the hook and its really fancy and all, but basically just combines some tools you may already have so might not be worth the money depending on what your doing. I love my basic one although watch out for 5 volt reference wires cause one push of a button and your replacing computers, clusters and modules real fuckin quick. Thanks I'm mostly looking at it for testing wiper and window motors. And the other electrical nightmares that are Midwestern rust buckets. Ive found the previous gen on amazon and craigslist for a decent price.
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Sep 7, 2015 15:20
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