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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:03:43 PM EDT
[#1]
OP,,,I'm almost 70 and grew up working with my Dad and Uncles. You can't imagine how many holes I punched with a "brace and bit" while doing rough in electrical in the 60s-70s. Only then did "corded" tools become common let alone battery powered tools. I'm SOOOOOO glad I know how to work with my hands and I'm even MORE glad at the hand, grip and arm strength those days gave me for life. Your Son will be VERY glad for ANYTHING you teach him about how to work as one day he'll truly be on his own.
Take him to garage sales and estate sales for 2-3 weekends. Spend $2-300 and you'll have enough stuff to set him up for a long run doing work with his hands. I'm NOT paying $4000 for a new 16' "flatty" utility trailer. I'm building my own. I could write a check for hundreds if I wanted to. I wanted to make mine like I wanted it and NOT like somebody else "thought" I should have. Give your Son that gift. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:09:58 PM EDT
[#2]
I still have a large amount of wood hand tools. They do come in handy some times. My kids love hand sawing random scraps of wood.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:13:08 PM EDT
[#3]
If collecting tools for the future, I would wait on the battery stuff. I wouldn't hesitate getting a good set of hand tools.
I own and use both all the time. I will say that cordless tools just make it easier. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:15:20 PM EDT
[#4]
I have battery, air, and hand tools. Everything gets used.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:15:49 PM EDT
[#5]
Whatever gets the job done with the least amount of blood and tears...
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:19:20 PM EDT
[#6]
I do have doubts in twenty to thirty years we wont see companies like Milwaukee dump the battery style to force obsolete the tools they sold. They should be ashamed if they didn't. The advancements in tech in that kind of timeframe would be astounding, and current batteries (assuming regular use) would have long since exceeded their rated lifespans. Cordless tools are awesome. No, they're not a total replacement for hand tools and never will be, but they often allow tasks to be performed quicker and safer than hand tools when used properly. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:22:34 PM EDT
[#7]
Quoted: Was having a discussion with some friends and I was a bit surprised some of them thought tools like the M18 impact drivers and wrenches replaced much of the need for their hand powered version. I know they have come a long way, but I still feel they are a convience item to save time once you have the hand tool equivalent. Or maybe I'm just getting old. I do have doubts in twenty to thirty years we wont see companies like Milwaukee dump the battery style to force obsolete the tools they sold. I know there is a ton of tools out there, but the trend for tech seems to treat older tech as disposable. These companies could make bank like when media transitioned from cassettes to CDs. Ultimately I've got a young son interested in mechanical things I'm starting to put tools away for when he's older. Are hand tools still worth having or have things like bit drivers, and power wrenches replaced the screwdrivers and ratchets? Keep the old hand tools. I found a 1930's Stanley hand planer that belonged to my dad in my childhood home. Simple tool, sharp blade. I have used it several times working on the house. Nothing special but it has value to me personally. Old tools, particularly with a family connection, are keepers. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:29:54 PM EDT
[#8]
@xd675
I am 64 and grew up with all metal Craftsman jig saws, circular saws and etc. I had my grandfathers Skill saw for a while and he died in 1965....In my attic I have my gradfathers brace bits, cross cut saws and pipe threading equipment from the 1940's, even have one of his pump up blow torches. But as far as power hand tools today, I am all battery. I have a 7.5" 60v Dewalt circular saw that will run circles around my old plug in circular saws. The Dewalt 60v tools are beast. The only hold over I have and I dont use it much is a plug in Craftsman 4" side grinder. As soon as it goes, will go to battery operated. As far as I am concerned, I will never buy a plugged tool again |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:30:22 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If collecting tools for the future, I would wait on the battery stuff. I wouldn't hesitate getting a good set of hand tools. I own and use both all the time. I will say that cordless tools just make it easier. I always looked at quality, think snap on grade minimum, hand tools were a pretty common sense hedge on inflation or hard times. You could either sell them or use them with your skills to make some good side money. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:30:39 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If collecting tools for the future, I would wait on the battery stuff. I wouldn't hesitate getting a good set of hand tools. I own and use both all the time. I will say that cordless tools just make it easier. Vs my philosophy of buy it now and use the hell out of it. I'm not going to sit here waiting for the next big thing and go without necessary tools. I might not have picked the absolute best, but the same 20v battery format has been available for 12 years and the company just debuted a revised battery that is backward compatible (using stacked pouch cells vs stacked cylindrical cells for more juice in the same weight/volume). I may have to buy new tools in a decade or two when they discontinue the battery line and no one will rebuild them, but at least I won't sit around wishing I had something or be calling friends to borrow or cart my project to their house to use a tool. Kharn |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:34:35 PM EDT
[#11]
Decades ago, when I was young, I installed office furntiure. At that time it was hand tools, and electric (as in corded) drills. Oh, and we had "yankees"--which was at the time the high-tech professional's choice for driving screws if you had alot to do--which you did when installing office furniture.
Then--late 70's maybe? Makita came out with their 7 volt battery screw drivers. OMG, what a time and hand saver that was! Now of course they are used exclusivley and have made a huge difference in productivity. However, if you need to be careful with a set of screws, I still use a hand driver to better "feel" the screw, make sure I'm not overtightening it, etc. . . Finally retired from the office furniture biz earlier in the month. . . Working on developing a series for Netflix: "Loading Docks I Have Known". . . |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:36:33 PM EDT
[#12]
My hand tools have a place.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:52:25 PM EDT
[#13]
Sometimes yes.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 5:56:40 PM EDT
[#14]
Hand tools are still necessary for detail work. Generally though, I want my guys using power tools. More productivity and usually less injury from strains and other related issues.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 6:16:18 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I always looked at quality, think snap on grade minimum, hand tools were a pretty common sense hedge on inflation or hard times. You could either sell them or use them with your skills to make some good side money. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: If collecting tools for the future, I would wait on the battery stuff. I wouldn't hesitate getting a good set of hand tools. I own and use both all the time. I will say that cordless tools just make it easier. I always looked at quality, think snap on grade minimum, hand tools were a pretty common sense hedge on inflation or hard times. You could either sell them or use them with your skills to make some good side money. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 6:17:30 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Vs my philosophy of buy it now and use the hell out of it. I'm not going to sit here waiting for the next big thing and go without necessary tools. I might not have picked the absolute best, but the same 20v battery format has been available for 12 years and the company just debuted a revised battery that is backward compatible (using stacked pouch cells vs stacked cylindrical cells for more juice in the same weight/volume). I may have to buy new tools in a decade or two when they discontinue the battery line and no one will rebuild them, but at least I won't sit around wishing I had something or be calling friends to borrow or cart my project to their house to use a tool. Kharn Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: If collecting tools for the future, I would wait on the battery stuff. I wouldn't hesitate getting a good set of hand tools. I own and use both all the time. I will say that cordless tools just make it easier. Vs my philosophy of buy it now and use the hell out of it. I'm not going to sit here waiting for the next big thing and go without necessary tools. I might not have picked the absolute best, but the same 20v battery format has been available for 12 years and the company just debuted a revised battery that is backward compatible (using stacked pouch cells vs stacked cylindrical cells for more juice in the same weight/volume). I may have to buy new tools in a decade or two when they discontinue the battery line and no one will rebuild them, but at least I won't sit around wishing I had something or be calling friends to borrow or cart my project to their house to use a tool. Kharn |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 6:21:30 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have battery, air, and hand tools. Everything gets used. Yup. Different tools for different uses. When I'm building furniture I use a brace and bit. When I'm using an angle grinder in the shop I use air. When I need to cut some rebar in the yard real quick I use a battery powered bandsaw. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 6:32:40 PM EDT
[#18]
Not in my trade. I still use hand tools, corded tools and battery powered tools. I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 6:36:44 PM EDT
[#19]
I still use hand tools for working on my vehicles.
I don't wrench all the time so it makes sense for me. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 6:48:24 PM EDT
[#20]
Each has its place.
To me hand tools are kore precision and give a better feel for what you need to accomplish. Power tools either battery or air are just get it done, no questions asked. Have snapped a few fastners with power tools. Hand tools you can get a feel and sense for what is happening. My hand ratchets and wrenches fit in many places power tools won't. Same with screwdrivers and some wood working tools. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 6:52:30 PM EDT
[#21]
I don't think they are a replacement for hand tools, but in our shop they have replaced about 90% of air tools. All we really use our air hose reels for is to blow dust off the floor and fill tires, occasionally used for air hammers also.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:01:27 PM EDT
[#22]
For certain applications, they are better. For some things, not a good idea.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:10:12 PM EDT
[#23]
When I purchased an air nailer I didn't throw my hammer away.
The same is true of battery operated mechanics tools. An impact is great when it fits, but my ratchets and screwdrivers are not in any danger of being replaced. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:14:38 PM EDT
[#24]
Always use the right tool for the job. Always work smarter and not harder. If I can use a battery powered tool vs a hand tool, I'm grabbin that battery powered tool.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:18:12 PM EDT
[#25]
Quoted: Or maybe I'm just getting old. I'm old... but I feel like a freaking savage in a 3rd world country every time I pick up a wrench or a screwdriver instead over a power tool. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:22:29 PM EDT
[#26]
I have hundreds and hundred of pounds of hand and power tools.
I do 95% of my work with hand tools. That 5% is a chop saw/table saw/circular saw ripping up wood. I don't do that often working around the house or Jeep. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:24:54 PM EDT
[#27]
Absolutely not.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:24:56 PM EDT
[#28]
I have a theory of tools.
The typical "home owners toolkit" from any hardware store will do about 99% of the work around a house ... it's that last 1% that is a killer. 99% of the nails come out of a thing with ease ... it's that last 1% that is a killer. 99% of the lug nuts on your car come off with ease ... it's that last 1% that is a killer. A professional has the experience and tools to handle that last 1%. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:26:11 PM EDT
[#29]
I would say they have mostly replaced corded and air tools, rather than hand tools. Even then, it's only mostly, not entirely. There are still needs best met by air (or even corded electric) tools.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:30:01 PM EDT
[#30]
I have noticed that you'll see younger or less experienced people reach for a power tool for any little job. Yes it might be faster, but experience will tell you that when you break one of those little bolts off it will cause you more trouble that it was worth. Some fasteners you need to take your time and work them back and forth.
I still use hand tools for most things, and have some m12 tools that get used sometimes. Also use older corded and air tools when necessary. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:30:44 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Keep the old hand tools. I found a 1930's Stanley hand planer that belonged to my dad in my childhood home. Simple tool, sharp blade. I have used it several times working on the house. Nothing special but it has value to me personally. Old tools, particularly with a family connection, are keepers. Wonderful old wooden handles and real American steel. I treat them with respect but use them when needed - dad's 60-year old wrench set and grandpa's wood planes get lots of use. I have them in tool boxes and labeled as to their source as I recall. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:32:36 PM EDT
[#32]
I use my m12 goodies consistently, but they do not replace a traditional ratchet.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:33:16 PM EDT
[#33]
Always used air impact guns,air rachets etc in auto repair, my job 35 yrs. Always hand tools in interior spaces due to exhaust splewing oily air.
Last 3 yrs bought all electric rachets,impacts and screw gun. Only use actual hand powered tools pretty much never. What was the question again? |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:34:56 PM EDT
[#34]
I used my vintage Miller's Falls hand plane this weekend.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:42:02 PM EDT
[#35]
I work and use all my tools daily, and will never give them up.
I do use cordless stuff as much as possible, but there are times when they just don't work on a job. I'd keep collecting if I were you. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:47:53 PM EDT
[#36]
I remember my first Makita cordless drill. I thought it was the best for doing electrical trim work. The old long handle with drop in cartridge type batteries. No more wobble / yankee screw drivers now.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:48:19 PM EDT
[#37]
I use whatever produces the best result safely and efficiently.
I use a lot of cordless tools. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 7:50:52 PM EDT
[#38]
I still have my Skill 77 worm drive from about 30 years ago. I can handle it well but about the only time I use it now
is if I have to rip something. I grab my cordless circular a lot. Same can be said for my Milwaukee drills, only use them for drilling steel. I'm kind of amazed at the amount of cordless tools I have accumulated over the last few years. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 8:03:57 PM EDT
[#39]
I done the actual opposite. After decades of owning cordless power tools I went back to hand powered or corded electric tools.
In my sporadic use the batteries need replacement, chargers break or get lost etc. I rarely cut wood needing a cordless saw, or router. At least with electric tools they will work when plugged in, cordless not so much. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 8:05:19 PM EDT
[#40]
I still have my corded tools, but most of what I use are Milwaukee 18v.
Now some jobs, a hand tool is better, or a corded tool (router). Definitely get hand tools for your kid, those are the foundation. I don't mean he has to have a brace and bits if he's into woodworking, but a plane would be good if he is. Some things just make sense to modernize. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 8:08:17 PM EDT
[#41]
I used an old (decades) Craftsman block plane to shape the comb on my daughters shotgun. I recently built a drawer with handcut dovetails. Hand tools are sometimes quicker than setting up power tools for small jobs. I prize my hand tools, especially the old ones.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 8:09:45 PM EDT
[#42]
Quoted: Was having a discussion with some friends and I was a bit surprised some of them thought tools like the M18 impact drivers and wrenches replaced much of the need for their hand powered version. I know they have come a long way, but I still feel they are a convience item to save time once you have the hand tool equivalent. Or maybe I'm just getting old. I do have doubts in twenty to thirty years we wont see companies like Milwaukee dump the battery style to force obsolete the tools they sold. I know there is a ton of tools out there, but the trend for tech seems to treat older tech as disposable. These companies could make bank like when media transitioned from cassettes to CDs. Ultimately I've got a young son interested in mechanical things I'm starting to put tools away for when he's older. Are hand tools still worth having or have things like bit drivers, and power wrenches replaced the screwdrivers and ratchets? at least in the aviation world, no. Battery powered stuff has yet to really replace pneumatic, much less hand tools. and at least on my Ford's I can think of tons of things that a battery power tool can't do that you need a hand tool for. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 8:10:48 PM EDT
[#43]
The big place battery tools are taking out others is air and corded tools. Still some tasks need those for but getting smaller every year.
Delicate materials or tight spaces will need hand tools for a very long time yet. The vacuum cleaner didn't replace the broom just changed its job scope. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 8:49:05 PM EDT
[#44]
Certainly not usable for all purposes. But for the jobs they can do, it’s difficult to express in words how superior they are to a hand tool.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 9:00:32 PM EDT
[#45]
I dunno about hand tools, but they're definitely replaced pneumatic tools in a lot of applications. They were just coming into popularity towards the end of my wrenching career, and I thought they were game changers back then.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 9:03:10 PM EDT
[#46]
You are getting old, a 20v Dewalt battery can pretty much build a deck on a inpact driver. Some tools eat more juice like saws and even portable heat guns but for the most part battery tool are for 90% of the job.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 9:16:04 PM EDT
[#47]
your asking the wrong question.
Air Tools are on the way out, with the exception of maybe Paint Guns, and routine stuff(filling a tire or the blow gun for air).....but it seems to me the days of air impacts and die grinders etc. are starting to fade. The Compressor will still be in the shop, just not used for every task Battery and Hand Tools are here to stay. |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 9:18:24 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I dunno about hand tools, but they're definitely replaced pneumatic tools in a lot of applications. They were just coming into popularity towards the end of my wrenching career, and I thought they were game changers back then. Pneumatic tools are nice sometimes because they have the one advantage that you're not tied to the battery manufacturer and can buy Chinese at will. Like $50 to $100 for a pneumatic brad nailer or $250 for Dewalt tool only. If I was running a cabinet business I'm sure the latter would be far better, but for a 2-3 time a year thing, the former is good enough. Kharn |
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Posted: 11/27/2022 9:29:18 PM EDT
[#49]
Yes while we still have electricity. I have a small collection of manual hand tools at my disposal if the power grid goes down. I try to think outside the box, what tools I would need if the power was out very long term.
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Posted: 11/27/2022 9:31:30 PM EDT
[#50]
I don't have any battery powered tools. Everything is plug in. I should get with the 21st century though. Any deals on right now? There's lots of china stuff (I know its all made in china, but like china brands). I don't use a drill very often to be honest but I did love using battery powered when I did some handyman work with a friend.
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