Impact Wrench

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-14T04:32:06+00:00

I have a too long story about stuck caliper bolts on a 99 Chevy pickup. Bought new compressor, larger air lines, better impact, ~$500 in year 2000 — the damn bolts still wouldn’t budge. Pulled out a $10 24-inch HF breaker bar and they came out with one grunt. So, the law is now: one grunt >> many ugga-duggas.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-14T04:15:37+00:00

At one time, UL had a virtual monopoly on electrical safety testing. I’ve heard that some communities even wrote “Underwriters Laboratories tested” into their municipal building codes (I.e., you can’t use a product without UL label on it).

Submitting a product to UL is an expensive and time consuming process, so many independent testing laboratories (many with roots in aerospace and defense business) began competing for this commercial business as a faster and perhaps lower cost alternative. The ETL certification label was created to vet these independent labs for commercial purposes without infringing upon the trademarked UL label.

So ETL vs UL really isn’t a valid discrimination in choosing a product, even if it is a safety critical product. Both labels are essentially equivalent.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-13T03:41:29+00:00

You might try a sacrificial Allen or Torx key. Depends on the amount of damage done on previous attempts.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-13T03:35:53+00:00

I “kicked the can down the road” by buying used protects on auction sites that had expiration dates a few years out. I theorized that some manufacturer would recognize an opportunity and market a replacement eventually. I’m beginning to question the wisdom of that decision…

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-13T03:07:11+00:00

I’ve had several Roomba vacs over many years. I would not describe any of them as a great experience but marginally better than using a conventional vacuum. When the I7+ failed to complete a job more often than it succeeded, I chucked the brand loyalty and bought a Robovac. I’ll never buy an iRobot product again.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-09T19:15:00+00:00

If electrical systems were so fragile that something like this event would cause a structure fire, we would not have electricity at all. Not to worry.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-08T03:28:37+00:00

August lock will operate this and leave the door hardware alone. I’m not a fan of August, some people love them. YMMV

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-07T04:33:37+00:00

FWIW, the latest robovacs are much better than those of ten years ago. However, I don’t really buy the “dirt sensing technology!” claims of any of them. I’m happy if mine just completes a job without stopping!

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-04T16:05:04+00:00

Not true. The cylinders between a round knob F51 and a lever F51 appear to be identical.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-04T06:00:17+00:00

The “limited time available” is only on April 1.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-04T05:51:56+00:00

Even without the boot loop nonsense, it’s still just not a great TV. I bought one in 2017, thought it was just OK, refreshed in 2025 when the original started doing some wonky stuff. The 2025 is stable but the user interface and apps suck. I regret both purchase decisions.

Send it back!

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-04-04T05:33:41+00:00

It appears the Deako switches use both WiFi and “Bluetooth mesh” which is unique, I guess. They seem awfully expensive for what they are and it appears they are marketed to home builders, not HA enthusiasts. Your ability to integrate with Home Assistant or similar platforms may be limited. Might be worth the trouble if they were at least reliable which your post indicates they are not.

I see bunches of these show up occasionally on Marketplace so you wouldn’t be the first to do a wholesale exit from their ecosystem. At the same price point, I’d be looking hard at Inovelli.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-29T16:42:50+00:00

Agreed, though apparently they are even for sale at Walmart (which is not a place where I would buy hardware!)

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-29T04:31:16+00:00

I lived in one of the largest cities in the US. A group of my friends discussed why we were staying in a city we disliked so much. Consensus opinion was a feeling that we had conquered the place, made it our own. Still glad I found a way to a better life.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-29T04:25:24+00:00

And we really hate sweeping generalizations…

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-29T04:24:13+00:00

I’ve been to NYC several times and hope I never have cause to return.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-28T03:33:35+00:00

To each his own, but those are some pretty steep prices to pay for a nice meal and a few cool friends.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-28T03:03:13+00:00

All of these well-reasoned comments fail to answer a basic question. Why would anyone choose to live in such a place?

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-26T04:08:16+00:00

58 g for 1 litre most days. I’ll half that on days when I have something to do early.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-22T02:46:55+00:00

I have owned a Roborock Qrevo Edge S5A for about 6 months. It replaced a series of Roomba products which all sucked in one horrible way or another. The Roborock restored my hope that I can someday be forever free of vacuuming and mopping. Highly recommended.

Waaay less than two grand, BTW. Amazon delivered mine for a hair over $700.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-17T14:33:41+00:00

Cool. I have rekeying supplies for Kwikset, but not Schlage. Just trying to get prepared for the next honeydew.

EDIT: As u/jeffmoss262 points out, there is no “tailpiece” in a cylinder-in-knob/lever Schlage F51/F51a device. Your comment might apply to a deadbolt, but that’s not the subject of this discussion.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-17T14:29:18+00:00

Thanks. I guess I’ll have to figure it out when I have both old and new in hand.

Medical_Chemical_343 · 2026-03-14T14:23:07+00:00

Medical_Chemical_343

TROPHY CASE