This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

If you’re looking for a great all around vac, look no further. You can check out the Ridgid vac I will be talking about here: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-12-Gal-5-0-Peak-HP-NXT-Wet-Dry-Vac-HD1200/304006023

The Ridgid 12 gallon 5 HP wet/dry vac is a vac that can tackle mostly any job and comes in at a very affordable price of around $85. Plus, the very first thing I want to mention about this vac is that Ridgid backs it with their lifetime warranty! Yes, a lifetime warranty…that is pretty awesome. So right from the start you get a 12 gallon, 5 HP, lifetime warranty, vac for $85. Pretty awesome deal.

Now lets get into some specs about this vac. It has a 2-1/2 in. hose with a locking system that allows for quick switching between attachments and a secure connection so you don’t have to worry about anything falling off while working. The kit listed in this blog is going to include a 2-1/2 in. x 7 ft. tug a long dual flex locking hose, 2 extension wands, utility nozzle, wet nozzle, car nozzle and a standard filter VF4000 (other types of filters can be purchased separately). If you’re using this vac for a wet clean up you will need to purchase a VF7000 filter (https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-Wet-Application-Foam-Filter-for-5-0-Plus-Gallon-Wet-Dry-Vacs-VF7000/202554976). This vac also features a patented Qwik lock filter that snaps on or off the vac for easy changing without any tools. You’ll also notice the drain at the bottom/front of the vac that will be used on a wet clean up.

This vac has a 15ft power cord so the use of an extension cord might not even be necessary, which is a big plus. The heavy duty side latches keep the drum sealed up tight for a good suction and also double as a convenient carrying option. You can also purchase a VF3502 size A (https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-High-Efficiency-Size-A-Dust-Bags-for-12-gal-to-16-gal-RIDGID-Wet-Dry-Vacs-2-Pack-VF3502/100390230?keyword=VF3502+size+A&semanticToken=222t01000+%3E++st%3A%7Bvf3502+size+a%7D%3Ast+cnn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D+cnb%3A%7B0%3A0%7D+oos%3A%7B0%3A1%7D+rt%3A%7Bvf3502+size%7D%3Art+dln%3A%7B563949%7D+qu%3A%7Bvf3502+size+a%7D%3Aqu) dust collection bag to keep the inside of the drum nice and clean. The hose storage on top of the vac keeps the hose neat and secure when stowing or moving from job to job. This vac can also be used as a blower if you switch the hose from the suction port to the blower port. The blower option could be useful for leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, and many other things.

This is really a great vacuum and I think it could be very useful to anyone from the homeowner to the professional. I know I will be using this a lot in the shop and at home, this will be my go to for vacuuming out the car! For the price ($85) its honestly very hard to beat, plus the lifetime warranty really makes this an amazing product. I have found from experience that you really get what you pay for when it comes to shop vacs. so sure, you could get a $30 vac and it might work alright but if you want something that is going to last and continue to perform; Ridgid is the way to go.

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is
partnering with me to participate in
the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of
the Program, I am receiving compensation in
the form of products and services, for the
purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All
expressed opinions and experiences are my
own words. My post complies with the Word Of
Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics
Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission
guidelines.

 

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Tired of dragging around that air hose and having to worry about having an air compressor on hand? Those days have come and past with most power tools. A lot tools out there that were once only available as an air tool are now offered as a cordless electric tool, and most will probably out perform their air powered predecessor. Companies like Dewalt are making that possible and I’d say they have a huge success here with this 20-Volt framing nailer!

This tools runs off of Dewalt’s 20-Volt battery line, which has tons of great tools that run off the same platform. You can pick up the kit pictured above from The Home Depot here: Dewalt 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless Framing Nailer for $399.00. It comes with a bag, charger, 4AH battery, and the tool. If you want to get even more extended performance I’d recommend picking up a 6AH battery, you can pick one up here: Dewalt 20-Volt MAX XR Lithium-Ion Premium Battery Pack 6.0Ah with the 6AH battery you’re going to get a really great run time and an all around better cordless experience.

This nailer offers a tool-free selector switch for sequential or bump fire modes and a tool-free depth adjustment for precise nail placement. It also has a stall release lever to reset driver blade in the event of a jam and an adjustable rafter hook. It will actually prevent nails from firing when low with its dry fire lock out feature. The 21° magazine holds up to 49 plastic collated nails to keep you moving with plenty of nails! And like mentioned above, it comes with a nice carrying bag, so getting it to your worksite is easy and can easily be stored away in the bag.

This nailer has an upgraded engine design that increases power and drive quality compared to previous Dewalt cordless nailers. For the power this tool offers it still manages to stay pretty compact and light weight, which are both very important when using this for long amounts of time. This would make a great addition to any Dewalt 20-Volt lineup you currently have and could be used for a number of different jobs. Some applications this tool could be really helpful with would be framing walls, building or fixing a deck, and even building or repairing a fence. I could see this being a very good tool for fencing because of the fact that its cordless, which would eliminate the need to drag an air hose around the yard with you. I’m sure there are endless uses for this tool and just the fact that it is cordless makes it that much more versatile.

All and all, this is such a cool tool from Dewalt. They put out some great tools for around the house, the yard, and the worksite; this is just another one to add to that list. If you have a basement you’ve been thinking about finishing or a deck that has some rotting boards…this would make the job some much easier! I’d highly recommend checking this out and really anything from Dewalt because they’ve never let me down! Stop in at your local Home Depot and see what all they have to offer. Thanks for checking out the Garage Blog, make sure to follow it by entering your email below!

 

 

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Do you need to make some small cuts but don’t want to break out the big guns? Do you need to do some light sanding but don’t want to have wear your hand out? Do you want a multi purpose tool that can do all of this and more? Look no further! The Dremel 5 amp oscillating tool can come in handy for all those odd jobs that you may only need to make a few cuts or get into a small or tight space. So what really is an oscillating tool? Lets talk about that now!

The definition of “oscillating” is to move or swing back and forth at a regular speed, and that is exactly what this tool does. Basically the head moves back and forth 10,000 – 21,000 OPM (oscillations per minute) which allows it to perform a wide verities of jobs from cutting many materials to sanding. It has a oscillation speed setting dial at the base of the tool which allows you to select the speed best suited for the job at hand. This tool has a patented Quick Lock accessory change system which allows you to simply and quickly change between different accessories. Basically it has a lever on the head of the tool that can be twisted over to engage and disengage the quick lock. It has an easy one on/off switch that can be operated with one hand, along with a 7ft power cord.

This tool can be used for a wide variety of jobs. It can be used as a dry wall jab saw, making cutting out holes for outlets and switches a quick task. It can also be used as a grout removal tool to help speed up what would normally be a daunting task. With the hook and loop head accessory this can be a powerful sander that can easily get into tight corners and spaces. Overall this is a really great tool and you can pick it up with a 28 piece accessory kit and carrying bag at the Home Depot for only $129 Dremel Oscillating Tool Kit which I feel is a very good prices for such a universal tool.

Lets talk some optional accessory kits, both of these pictured above can be purchased separately either as an add-on or replacements when the stock cutting/sanding  pieces wear out.

This kit above comes with everything pictured and can be purchased here: Dremel Accessory Kit for $37.20 and comes as a 13 piece set. This set is going to include most of the basic cutting accessories that you will probably want.

This next kit is going to come with 3 wood/drywall blades and 2 wood/metal blades. These are probably going to be the most commonly used blades which makes this a nice set so that you have back ups. You can pick this set up here: Dremel Accessory Cutting Set for $29.97.

If you’re in the market for a universal tool that can do many different tasks…this is it! Dremel makes very solid, high quality tools so I have no doubt that this tool will last for many many years. Be sure to check out all of their other tools for your next project, I’ve even featured one of their tools in a past blog post Super handy tools to have around the house. Hope you enjoyed this blog post, make sure to follow the blog to get future updates!

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is
partnering with me to participate in
the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of
the Program, I am receiving compensation in
the form of products and services, for the
purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All
expressed opinions and experiences are my
own words. My post complies with the Word Of
Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics
Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission
guidelines.

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

As a homeowner, it seems like there is always a new project waiting to get done. From cleaning, to decorating, to building…there is always something to get done. Well today I have some super handy tools that are going to aid it some of these task around the house! If you follow WCG you know that I am very clean and keep my stuff nice…well this translates over to all areas of my life, so the fact that both of these tools are going to help be get stuff perfectly level and perfectly clean makes me a happy camper. We’re going to be checking out the Bosch Self Leveling Cross Line Laser Level and the Dremel Versa Cordless Power Cleaner Tool to see what all they can do to aid in your daily projects!

Let’s get right into the Bosch leveling laser. First thing that comes to mind with this tool is hanging stuff, from TV’s to pictures this would be some extremely helpful. One great thing about this tool is how simple it is to use, it has a single button to turn it on and that is about it, just secure it and point it were you want to align something.

Bosch made it super easy to secure this tool by adding a really nice flexible mounting device that can clamp to multiple surfaces, allowing you to clamp this tool almost anywhere to get that perfect position you need. This tool is honestly so simple to use that it almost feels like you’re not doing something right but I assure you that is not the case. Just switch it on and set it up, the tool will automatically level (just make sure you have the tool pretty level itself because it has a pendulum system that may not work right if the tool is somewhat sideways). You can pick this tool up for $79.97 at The Home Depot and it’s going to come with a carrying case (belt mount), the mount, and 2 AA batteries.

For that price I really think you’re getting a great deal, this will make hanging things in your house some much easier and leave you with a way better result. I’m sure there could be a ton of other uses for it as well from building projects to even some arts and crafts type projects, the possibilities are really unlimited.

Alright, now this tool I’m pretty excited about. The Dremel power cleaner, there are so many uses for this tool that I can’t begin to cover Tham all. At first you don’t really realize it but this thing is so useful. Around the house this tool is a lifesaver, from cleaning bath tubs to stove tops, this tool will make a normally time consuming task into a couple minute job. You can even take this thing out of the house and use it on rusted up grills and patio furniture or even clean the wheels on your car.

Before we go on, I’m going to go into what this tool is. It is a hand held scrubbing tool that has a hook and loop system to hold on all of the different accessory pads. This tool comes with 4 pads: An eraser pad (the least abrasive out of the 4, good for light jobs), A non-scratch pad (this would be good for a tougher mess on a surface that you don’t want to scratch or mess up), a bristle pad (this would be perfect for clean car wheels and things that grooves and cracks), and finally the heavy duty pad (this would be good for grinding rust off of metal and heavy cleaning jobs, this will remove a lot of material so be careful!).

It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can be charged by a universal micro USB adapter in about 2-hours. This tool has plenty of run time on a full charge and should allow you to get pretty much any project around the house done in a single charge. It can also be used for both wet and dry cleaning and comes with a splash guard, which is super nice when using in a wet setting! This tool is just all around super handy to have, and for $49.97 at The Home Depot you really can’t go wrong. I think you will find some many uses for this and be extremely happy with it…so go buy it!!

So those are my new handy tools for around the house. I think both of them can be great addition to any homeowners tool collection. I know I just keep finding new uses for both of the tools, especially the Dremel power cleaner! As an automotive technician, I can think of a ton of uses for the power clean, its basically a cordless die grinder. If you’re reading this make sure to follow the Garage Blog and also check out my Instagram and YouTube channel! Thanks for your support and hopefully you found these suggestions helpful.

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is
partnering with me to participate in
the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of
the Program, I am receiving compensation in
the form of products and services, for the
purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All
expressed opinions and experiences are my
own words. My post complies with the Word Of
Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics
Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission
guidelines.

If you’re in the automotive field, you know flat-rate. It really can be a love/hate relationship. When you’re busy (and have easy jobs one after another) you love it; but when you get that car that’s kicking your butt or you’re really slow, you hate it. So how exactly does flat-rate work? Every repair on a vehicle has a predetermined amount of time that said repair should take someone to complete. Let’s say you’re replacing a broken engine mount and the flat-rate book time is 2 hours, no matter how long it takes you to replace that engine mount…you’re still getting paid 2 hours of your hourly rate. You can see how this can be a great thing but at the same time be a really bad thing. You could work a 40 hour week but turn 60 flat-rate hours or work a 40 hour week and only turn 30 flat-rate hours.

There is kind of a science to this whole flat-rate thing really. To start with, you have to know what you’re doing and be skilled, which comes with time and training. After that, you have to find the balance between speed and accuracy. You can’t work so fast that you’re screwing up all the time and breaking things but at the same time, you can’t work so slow that you’re not getting any vehicles out the door. One good way to get faster is multitasking. For example, while you have the rotors turning on the brake lathe, go back to the car and get the oil draining and set tire pressures. Just little things like that will save you 5 or 10 minutes here and there but it all adds up over the day. Don’t just stand there and watch the oil drain, that will kill your productivity. Another good way to beat flat-rate time is by not always following exactly how the service manual says to do a repair. I’m not saying to do it wrong or hack it up, it’s just that most of the time you can do things more than one way. For example, the service manual might tell you to completely remove a bumper to change a light bulb, when in reality you can just undo one side enough to squeeze the bulb out and in. Remember to always think outside the box, and always work smarter not harder.

One huge thing you want to avoid with flat-rate work are comebacks. Comebacks are basically a result of getting in a hurry and not doing a good enough job the first time. Whether it be mis-diagnosed or just a lousy repair, you should do everything you can to avoid this. When you get a comeback it makes you look bad, plus it makes you lose money because now you are looking at/fixing that car for free. Comebacks are going to happen in the automotive world, so don’t beat yourself up if you have one every now and then. When you find the sweet spot of speed vs accuracy though, you will find that the comebacks are almost nonexistent.

So is flat-rate worth it? Can I actually make good money? Yes and yes. Flat-rate, when mastered is a great thing. You can work an 8 hour day and get flagged for 20+ if you know what you’re doing. A well experienced and highly trained flat-rate tech can make in the $25-30+ an hour range. So you figure $25-30+ an hour at 60+ flat-rate hours a week, well you do the math. Flat-rate isn’t easy and it’s not for everyone but if you can get the system down and do good consistent work, you can do very well for yourself. So for all the guys just starting out, stick in there and learn learn learn. Hard work and dedication will pay off in time.

That is a quick overview of what flat-rate is and how it works. Hopefully it was helpful for you, and as always if you have any questions feel free to contact me. Keep up the hard work out there!

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

When I’m not working on cars I do enjoy building things around the house, I do not claim to be any type of ‘builder’ or ‘woodworker’ but I do enjoy it as a hobby when I’m not wrenching. This weekends project was to build a pergola for the back patio. I am super happy with how it turned out and also super happy with the awesome tools I used to build it. If anyone might want to build this for themselves I can make a guided plan with all the supplies needed, so let me know if that’s something you might want and I will make it into a future WCG blog post! For today though I’m going to be focusing on some of the tools that helped me get this project done super easily!

To start off I used the new Dewalt flex volt 60v Max brushless worm drive style circular saw….and wow! This saw is really amazing, if you’re not paying attention you might think that it is corded tool. This saw is designed with the blade oriented to the left of the motor and the handle positioned at the rear of the saw for an easy line of sight, which makes it easy to see where you are cutting. It also has an electric brake so whenever you release the trigger the blade stops turning right then, which is super awesome because without that feature it can be kind of an annoyance to wait for the blade to stop each time you’re done with a cut. The kit I have comes with the saw, a charger, a 60v 9Ah battery, a blade, and a bag. You can pick it up here DEWALT FLEXVOLT 60-Volt MAX Wormdrive Style Circ Saw I think if you’re looking for a good circular saw this is your answer. I was personally extremely impressed with the performance of this saw. Dewalt knocked it out of the park (as always) with this one. Also, after my whole project my battery indicator was still full, so I’d say battery life is going to be very long. 

I needed to trim up some 4×4’s and some screws in spots so I turned to the Makita 18v LXT Lithium-Ion Sub-Compact Brushless Reciprocating Saw. For the size of this saw I was impressed with how well if powered through the 4×4’s I needed to trim up. I think my favorite thing about this saw is how it looks…I know that sounds dumb but come on, the all black body with white lettering looks so good and clean! The compact size and power of this saw really makes it a valuable tool to have available for any project! And like everything cordless that is coming out now, it is brushless so that is going to help get longer battery life. If this sounds like something you’d like to check out you can see more here Makita18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Sub-Compact Brushless Cordless Reciprocating Saw Makita has some really awesome cordless tools out right now and I am looking forwarding to trying some other ones out, I think Makita is a great option when it comes to cordless tools.

Lastly, for this project I wanted to take my Dewalt saw to the next level so I added a Diablo 7-1/4in. x 24-teeth tracking point framing saw blade to it. You can pick this blade up here Diablo 7-1/4 in. x 24-Teeth Tracking Point Framing Saw Blade This blade is made to last up to 5x longer than your standard blade which is a pretty impressive statement. I can say from experience that this thing cut through all the wood for this project like butter! I think this blade you turn you cheap saw into a mean machine, and for the low price tag on it I think its a must have. So whether you’re adding it onto a cheap saw or putting onto the Dewalt 60v, I think you’ll be happy you went with Diablo.

Alright so here it is!

If you want to build this yourself leave a comment on this post or shoot me an email and I can put together plans on a future blog post! Thanks for stopping by the WCG blog.

Also as a side note…I never had to get out the extension cord for this project! Cordless is the way to go!!

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is
partnering with me to participate in
the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of
the Program, I am receiving compensation in
the form of products and services, for the
purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All
expressed opinions and experiences are my
own words. My post complies with the Word Of
Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics
Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission
guidelines.

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Ok, this is a little out on my expertise but this tool is really something special and I feel like I need to tell you guys about it. If you do any drywall work, this is for sure something that you should check out because I really think Ridgid did an amazing job on this tool. I am no drywall expert but after putting this tool to work, it really does make a huge difference in the finished product along with saving a ton of time! The model number for the kit I have (which comes with a very nice bag/case, the screwdriver, 2 batteries, a charger, collated attachment, and needed bits) is R86630K and can be picked up here: Ridgid 18v Screwdriver Kit for only $199!

So lets talk about this kit. To start with Ridgid offers a lifetime service agreement if you register your tool within 90 days of purchase. Yes…you read that right, LIFETIME! That is a pretty amazing perk to buying Ridgid tools in my opinion because as long as you register it, they’ll fix it if it breaks. So if you do pick this tool up (or any Ridgid tool for that matter) make sure you register it within 90 days of purchase for the lifetime warranty. If you’re not already sold by the industry’s only lifetime service agreement on this tool, lets talk about some of the really great features it has to offer.

This screwdriver has push-to-drive technology which is basically exactly what it sounds like, you apply pressure on the screw and the motor engages and drives the screw in. This feature allows for minimal noise and maximum runtime by engaging the motor automatically when contacting the work surface, this feature can also be turned off and used like a normal screwdriver. One thing I really liked about the screwdriver is it actually has a separate button to turn on the LED light in the front/bottom of the tool, which is super awesome when you need the light but don’t want to accidentally turn the motor on. This screwdriver also allows you to adjust the depth in which it sets screws by simply turning the nose of the tool, a feature I found extremely useful (and needed) when it comes to drywall. This tool is also brushless which is going to give you over 50% better battery life and motor life!

As mentioned above, this kit comes with a collated attachment which allows the use of collated screws. The attachment can be set in 8 directional positions allowing the collated attachment to be oriented in multiple positions to gain access to tight spots. With this attachment in the kit, its really going to allow you to speed up projects and save a lot of headache. All and all, I think this screwdriver is really awesome and I could actually see myself using it on other things rather than just drywall, especially since you can set the depth that is drives screws.

Now lets look at the rest of the kit. You’re going to get a really nice soft case for this kit, which you can easily store everything inside and keep it nice and safe. It comes with two 2Ah Lithium Ion batteries which will allow you to never be left with a dead battery because you will always have a fully charged one waiting for you on the charger. These batteries do have a charge level indicator on them, which is very useful to have so that you know when they’re getting low (most of the time when Lithium Ion batteries are dead, they’re dead). The batteries also have a nice grippy bottom on them, so thats a huge plus! The charger is very straight forward and has all the charge indicator labels on it so that you can easily identify what is going on with your battery while on the charger. The kit comes with all the needed bits and an adapter, so nothing additional will be needed for you to use this tool right out of the box.

 

This kit is a no-brainer for me. It is going to make your drywall job so much easier and give you a finish that you can be 100% happy with. And with the huge variety of tools Ridgid has to offer, along with their insane lifetime warranty, I think the Ridgid 18v line is a great option to invest into. For the price ($199) I think you’re getting a great deal for a really top notch tool. I would not be recommending this tool if I didn’t believe it was a great tool because we all work hard for our money and don’t want to throw it away on junk. With that being said, go buy this if you do drywall work/need to do some drywall work around the house, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

 

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is
partnering with me to participate in
the ProSpective 2018 Campaign. As a part of
the Program, I am receiving compensation in
the form of products and services, for the
purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All
expressed opinions and experiences are my
own words. My post complies with the Word Of
Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics
Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission
guidelines.

Ok guys, so it has been awhile since I posted a blog. I have been back and forth on keeping up with WCG in the past but I have been working on a lot of things in the background over the last month or so. With that being said, be on the lookout for new things coming soon like YouTube videos (a new and very uncomfortable venture for me haha) and some other really cool things that I can’t talk about yet! Make sure you subscribe to my blog and YouTube so that you can get all my updates as they come, and as always follow me on Instagram as that has been my main form of posts and will continue to be one of my main outlets for posts. I also do have a Facebook and Twitter account if you us either one of those platforms!

In addition to all of this, I am going to try and shift the main focus of WCG from automotive work to just any blue-collar, working class trade out there. Automotive type stuff will still be most of what I talk about but I’m just trying to be mindful of all trades and include anyone who has a blue-collar job. My main reason for this is that I want to build a community of hard workers that can be there for each other and help keep each other going. I want WCG to be an outlet for people to talk about the blue-collar world and everything that comes along with it. There really won’t be any noticeable changes and I will continue to mainly talk about automotive type stuff but I just want to keep everyone in mind while reviewing tools or talking about work ethic because that applies to all of us no matter what you’re doing or working on.

So basically here is what you need to take from this: go subscribe to my YouTube if you haven’t already (I plan on putting an update video up within a week or two at the longest, still working on getting my video equipment all put together) and also please subscribe to my blog because I am going to be writing a lot of blogs in the near future and I would love for people to read the content. I really appreciate each and every person who has supported WCG so far by following me and being involved in what I am doing. This has already went a lot further than I would have ever thought. So if you want to see some reviews on some really awesome tools and posts about tools, the working class, and anything else that falls in between you’re in the right place!

That is a very quick update of some stuff going on in the WCG world, and a lot more will be rolled out soon! I really appreciate your time, and as always…keep working hard and moving forward, and never let anyone hold you back!

So I recently got rid of all of my 18v Snap-on cordless tools. I wasn’t very happy with them, mainly the 3/8 impact and just wanted to move on to something else. One main reason I wasn’t happy was the fact that I had to send the 3/8 and 1/2 in to snap-on within the first year of use, which I talked about in a pervious blog post. After I got them back from snap-on I could tell a difference but I still wasn’t completely happy and was worried about the longevity of the tools. My thing was for the very steep price tag on both tools, I just had a high expectation that was not met. So would I recommend these tools to someone? The 3/8 no, not at all. I feel like it is very underpowered and way over priced. The 1/2 on the other hand, sure if you want to send $700+ on an electric impact. I feel like the 1/2 would hold up for a while and it was pretty powerful.

Ok, lets move on. The DeWalt 1/2 completely blows the Snap-on 1/2 away, both in price and power. The DeWalt is a beast, it has been tested by many people and it puts out at least 1000 ft-lbs of working torque. The Snap-on is rated at 600 ft-lbs, so it’s really not even a comparison. You are getting twice the power at half the price with the DeWalt. All I can say is that I wish I would have never wasted my money on the Snap-on 1/2. The Snap-on isn’t by any means junk, it’s a very nice tool but there are just so many better options out there. My final word: If you’re a die heart Snap-on fan, buy the Snap-on 1/2. If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, DeWalt is the only way to go. Another side note, Mac Tools makes a Mac branded version of the DeWalt 1/2 and its the exact same thing, just a little more expensive and it has a Mac Tools body. Another great feature of the DeWalt is that it has 3 power settings, which makes the tool very easy to fine tune depending on what you’re working on.

The Snap-on 3/8 18v…don’t buy it. Save your money and buy something else. It’s way over priced and way under powered. If you’re wanting to stick with Snap-on I would go with the 3/8 14.4v impact, it has about the same power as the 18v and is about half the size, which is sad because the 18v is supposed to have 230ft-lbs versus the 14.4v’s 120ft-lbs. I replaced my 18v Snap-on with a Mac Tools 3/8 20v max impact and the Mac impact once again blows the Snap-on away. The Mac impact is rated at 325ft-lbs and is cheaper by at least $100 than the Snap-on 18v 3/8. Another great thing with the Mac impact is that is a Mac branded DeWalt tool so all your 20v DeWalt batteries work in it. I also feel like the Mac is more compact than the Snap-on which is defiantly a plus. So for the price, size, and power the Mac 3/8 is an awesome buy if you’re looking to bridge the gap between the DeWalt 1/2 1000ft-lbs power house and the lower powered cordless tools.

I also got rid of my Snap-on 18v drill. I really have no complaints with it, I just thought it was pointless to keep if I was getting rid of all my other 18v Snap-on stuff. I may add a DeWalt 20v drill to my collection in the future, but for now I’m just going to use my DeWalt 12v drill.

In conclusion, I am a DeWalt fan. I have never been let down by anything I have owned by them. So if you’re asking me, I would tell you to save your money and buy DeWalt. I will say though, Snap-on’s 14.4v line is awesome and I will continue to use my 3/8 impact and both ratchets from that line. I also got a 20v DeWalt light in a package deal with the 1/2 and 3/8 impacts and it is an awesome light, I’ve used it a ton since I got it. I pick it up over all my other lights now. Below is a picture of my current cordless set-up. It will probably stay the same for a while now, might part ways with the porter cable grinder just because I don’t have anything else porter cable and don’t really plan on getting anything else.

 

Ok, another thing for new techs…tools. Having your own tools is one of the most important things about becoming a tech. I’ve seen guys come in with little to no experience and drop A LOT of money on tools they aren’t even going to use for a long time; don’t do this. Instead, learn what you need for the job you’re doing right now, ask techs around you for advice of things to buy. I’ve always went but the rule, if you have to borrow it 3 times go buy it. You don’t have to own every single tool made right when you’re starting out, it’s a marathon and you have to pace yourself and get what you can as you go. Another bad thing I see new guys do it go out and get a $7,000+ toolbox and not even be able to fill one drawer, your toolbox doesn’t make you money, your tools do!! Get yourself a decent little box, my first “big” box was the harbor freight 11 drawer cabinet and it was great for me at the time! Then once I out grew it I moved up to a Mac tech series. Just buy tools first and a box later, it will benefit you in the long run.

So what to buy just starting out? I’ll list things that I believe are needed for a new tech that is just starting out. I will talk about brands some afterwards.

1. 1/2 impact wrench
2. 1/2 deep impact sockets (try to get a full set, it will save you money in the long run)
3. Torque sticks (I personally like torque sticks, some people don’t. If you don’t use torque sticks I would use a torque wrench on wheels)
4. Combination wrenches (also try to get a full set)
5. Oil filter wrench, sockets, pliers (varies depending on what you will be working on)
6. 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4 ratchets
7. 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4 deep and shallow sockets
8. 1/2, 3/8, and 1/4 extensions
9. Cordless impact driver (will make your job much easier)
10. Brake and tire  tread gauge
11. Air pressure gauge
12. Bit set with torx and hex bits

That pretty much covers the basics to start out with, you may need to other small things depending on what makes you’re working on.

So lets talk brands, I feel like this is where a lot of people mess up. There is nothing wrong with buying the big names off the truck but you have to think about what makes sense for you at this time in your career. There are so many great brands that make tools at a very affordable price point. I’ll make a list of brands and what I would recommend buying from them.

1. AirCat is the way to go if you’re look for a great air impact wrench at a good price point. This may also be one thing you might want to invest in more than others because your impact is going to be one of your most used tools. I personally love the Mac tools AWP050 impact, it is a beast and is well worth the investment.
2. Grey Pneumatic impact sockets are awesome. I have all kinds of them and they work great, no complaints at all. Lifetime warranty and they are very affordable.
3. As far as torque sticks go, Harbor Freight all the way. You can get a pretty large set for about $70. I have had mine for many years with no problems at all.
4. Gear Wrench makes awesome wrenches (along with just about everything else) you really can’t go wrong with gear wrench. Although I will say, Snap-On has the best wrenches hands down but that is more of an investment to make later on down the road.
5. Oil filter tools I would just buy off the truck. All my oil filter wrenches, sockets, and pliers are Mac and they work great.
6. Ratchets…if you want to save money just go to Harbor Freight, they actually have some pretty decent ratchets. If you want to invest a lot here, buy the new style Mac ratchets. The new Mac ratchets are the best ratchets I’ve used in my opinion and having a good ratchet with save you a lot of headache sometimes.
7. Grey Pneumatic if you want all impact sockets and gear wrench if you want chrome sockets. Snap-on makes awesome sockets but its not worth investing in right out of the gate, save your money for now.
8. Extensions are the same as sockets, grey pneumatic for impact and gear wrench for chrome.
9. DeWalt is the way to go when it comes to cordless tools. Get a 12v impact driver and you’ll be good to go.
10. Brakes and tire tread gauges may be supplied by your shop, if not just grab them off the truck.
11. Tire air gauge, buy a good one. Don’t waste your money on a cheap little gauge. Astro Pneumatic makes a good gauge that you can pick up for about $60.
12. Harbor Freight for the bit set, they have a lot of options. I would get some extensions and things to make getting to some air boxes easier.

So basically starting out you want to keep your overhead low. Try to pay cash for everything you buy and don’t acquire a bunch of debt right off. Like I said before, its a marathon, you have to get what you can as you can. This leads me to my last part, toolboxes. If you’re just starting out all you need is a roll cart. Harbor Freight makes some really great options at very cheap prices. If you want to invest a little more and get something nicer, I would recommend the Mac tools mb197uc or something similar. The mb197uc is a great cart and holds a ton of tools, it will take you awhile to out grow it.

Hopefully this all is helpful to you and I answered some of your questions. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions at all or need advice. Keep up the hard work.