[s-cars] Speaking of Cheap Tools

[Theodore Chen]

--- Bill Mahoney <wmahoney at disk.com> wrote:
> Having attended one class at uncle bobs university of cheap tool buying,
> today I'm stopping by Autozone store for the $16.99 floor jack.  As an
> infrequent user, I mean for 17 bucks how bad can it be.  (I do love the
> harbor freight one but hope to pocket $183 towards the $2000 Griotts
> Ferrari tool chest ha)
> And speaking of Harbor freight, I bought the $49 (usually $59) NON
> cordless impact wrench with case + $20 for deep sockets.  Used it only
> once so far but it worked fine.  A $69 total value IME for as long as it
> works.

bill,

with cheap tool buying, there are hits and misses.  i think a $16.99
floor jack qualifies as a miss.  BTDT.  a big problem with cheap jacks
like that one is that they're not very stable because they're too small.
when you've had a car fall because the jack tipped on its side, you'll
know what i mean.  yes, BTDT, and no, i wasn't under the car at the
time (i'm not that stupid).  next problem is the lift range.  little
floor jacks like that one usually don't have enough lift.  you'll find
out what i mean when you try to crawl under a car that hasn't been raised
enough and bang your head on the exhaust.

i highly recommend you go to costco and buy the 3-ton floor jack for
$59.  the lift capacity doesn't really matter, but it is much more
stable and has a greater lift range.  it's also longer and reaches
under the car better, so you can comfortably jack up the car instead
of having to crouch under the car pumping the little jack handle
furiously.

the costco jacks also have u-joints instead of star wheels, which i
consider a very good thing to have.  it gives you better control of
the pressure release, so you can easily control how fast the car goes
down, and it's more reliable than the star wheel (which is a common
failure point).

finally, make sure you buy some decent jack stands.  this doesn't
mean you have to spend a lot, but you should get at least 4-ton
jack stands, preferably 6-ton.  not because you need the extra load
capacity over 2-ton jack stands, but because they're larger and more
stable.  i use 4-ton jack stands myself.

do not get the 3-legged jack stands.  they are not very stable, and
should be considered a crime against nature.

the above is about as cheap as i'd be willing to go.  consider this:
if your cheap impact wrench fails, you have a doorstop.  if your
cheap jack or jack stand fails or tips over, you may die.

there are plenty of places to cut corners on your tools, but be careful
doing that with jacks and jack stands.  your life depends on it.

-teddy


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