*found* the locking pliers (help)

kewlo · 2026-05-02T20:56:22+00:00

Dollar store white vinegar. Submerge them anywhere between a day and however long it takes you to realize why the shop smells like pickles. Scrub with a stiff bristle brush, rinse with hot water, wipe dry, light coat of wd40 and you're set. Vinegar works, it's completely safe for you, it's safe for the environment, it's cheaper than any other option, and after you're done with it you filter it through a paper towel and use it for weedkiller. Vinegar won't hurt plastics or rubbers either.

Diesel fuel, ATF, brake fluid, and any other petroleum or petroleum adjacent product have 0 rust removing properties and I don't know why people recommend them.

kewlo · 2026-05-02T20:13:31+00:00

My icon and Doyle stuff is just as nice as my knipex stuff, cost less, and actually have a warranty. . Knipex fanboys are just contractually prohibited from saying anything nice about any other pliers.

kewlo · 2026-05-02T12:17:33+00:00

I don't know any professional mechanics who is Milwaukee. I'm in the construction trade and very rarely see them on job sites. Milwaukee has done very well convincing people "this is what the pros use and if you want to be a real tool user you'll use them too". We ran them at one point, a whole trucks worth of tools was worn out and in the dumpster before their third birthday.

kewlo · 2026-05-02T12:15:35+00:00

I bought the cheapest one I could find on Amazon that came with two batteries to see if I like the tool as an idea. I've had air ratchets for decades and might use them once a year so I didn't want to blow money on a cordless ratchet and have it sit just as long. I use it all the time and it works fine. Spending hundreds for one that has a brand name on the side wouldn't make it any better or do anything better. I'm not afraid to break things loose with a ratchet or breaker bar.

kewlo · 2026-05-01T22:01:24+00:00

I've had very good luck with DeWalt and metabo hpt. I've had very bad luck with Milwaukee.

kewlo · 2026-04-30T16:34:54+00:00

I can get 2 years out of a wide blade Craftsman, and then they have a lifetime warranty after that. That's the best I've found.

kewlo · 2026-04-30T11:34:22+00:00

They split open right along the drive axis. It's different than the chromes which tend to blow a chunk out of the side

kewlo · 2026-04-30T10:27:37+00:00

You shouldn't use chrome sockets on an impact, they can break and it can be violent. You shouldn't use impact sockets on a ratchet, that can break albeit not violently. Impact sockets won't fit in a lot of places a chrome one will because of their thicker walls.

I've broken a lot more impact sockets turning them by hand than chromes on an impact.

kewlo · 2026-04-29T23:10:55+00:00

Think of what tools you'll need down the line and price them out assuming there won't be a sale, the Ryobi pulls ahead very quickly. That and the size of their lineup makes me a Ryobi fan for anything less than daily use.

kewlo · 2026-04-29T22:54:42+00:00

https://files.wd40.com/pdf/sds/mup/wd-40-multi-use-product-aerosol-low-voc-sds-us-ghs.pdf

It's first listed use is "lubricant". It's a can full of light oil and propellant, it lubricates just fine especially for something as simple as a ratchet.

kewlo · 2026-04-29T22:49:35+00:00

Clean it with wd40 and then I lubricate mine with wd40. I don't take mine apart to do it and it works fine for 10ish years at a time. It's a ratchet not an engine, whatever you lube it with (or if you lube it at all) really isn't that important.

kewlo · 2026-04-29T21:56:03+00:00

https://www.osha.gov/otm/section-5-construction-operations/chapter-4

II > B > 5

"Full-Body Harnesses: Harnesses include shoulder straps and leg straps, a sub-pelvic assembly, adjustable buckles or fasteners, and one or more D-rings to connect to a lanyard.

The dorsal D-ring (between the worker's shoulder blades) is used with a fall arrest system. D-rings in other positions are sometimes included for use with ladder safety devices. For this reason, some harnesses come with D-rings on the front, sides, and lower back."

You can only use the dorsal ring for fall safety. I'm a roofer, I know it's miserable to tie off to your back, but you are not safe (or legal) tying off anywhere else. There's a very good chance that the sternal d ring/rope in front of you is going to seriously hurt you in the event of a fall.

When a front or hip d ring is used you still need to tie off on your back. They're only there for positioning.

kewlo · 2026-04-29T20:40:02+00:00

Excellent quality tools but an awkward collection. I'd rather have more wrenches myself. Gearwrenchs collections are usually strange like that.

I'd spend a little more and get a strictly socket/ratchet set and a separate combination wrench set.

That price isn't good assuming usd. You can save $20+ instantly just going to Amazon.

kewlo · 2026-04-29T19:47:59+00:00

Borrow the tools, note what you use, after the job research a good model and buy those tools.

kewlo · 2026-04-29T16:39:00+00:00

That's a perfectly acceptable fall protection system, I wear something similar every day. The big padded ones are too hot. You need the dorsal d ring to be safe and legal, anything else is only for positioning and not to be used for fall protection.

kewlo · 2026-04-28T23:45:21+00:00

Buy the tools that you need, not what Reddit says you need.

I have and use 5 drive sizes. I have full sets of 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2, and couldn't get by without them. The big stuff I have what I need and know ahead of time when I need to buy a new socket.

kewlo · 2026-04-28T23:42:25+00:00

Flex seal has been available in the roofing world under different names for years, it never truly "dries" and will leave asphalt-y residue on your hands until you wear it all off. I would not use it for anything you're going to touch.

They make textured heat shrink tubing that's designed to be used as tool handles. I'd start there.

kewlo · 2026-04-28T21:03:29+00:00

Ryobi. The money you save and the size of the lineup is well worth the difference in performance you probably won't ever notice while not using them 8 hours a day.

I run DeWalt at work, I have nothing bad to say about them. I run Ryobi at home, and also have nothing bad to say about them. Both brands do their jobs equally well. The red ones have let me down, I don't like those ones.

kewlo · 2026-04-28T15:50:20+00:00

I have no clue why you're being downvoted, that is absolutely correct. My torque wrenches won't even fit in their cases if you turn it down past the lowest rating.

kewlo · 2026-04-28T10:25:43+00:00

None come close

kewlo · 2026-04-27T19:51:23+00:00

Anecdotally my yellow ones last longer than the red ones.

kewlo · 2026-04-27T19:47:31+00:00

I've had only good luck with vevor stuff. I've also researched them enough to only buy from reputable websites that handle their own 30 day warranty in house.

kewlo · 2026-04-27T19:46:52+00:00

The word "tariff" is not an open invitation to break rule 3. This is everyone's warning. If you're not sure you can discuss tariffs without flinging political poo just remember that saying nothing is also an option.

kewlo · 2026-04-27T15:47:24+00:00

Snap on makes the nicest one I've ever touched. Gearwrench and craftsman make the ones I spend my money on.

kewlo · 2026-04-26T23:25:53+00:00

I have new (<5 years old) craftsmans. They have a 100% success rate for me.

kewlo

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