Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Power Tool Review
My son had bought a 1966 Mustang last year. He finally got it to our house to do some basic repairs to make it road ready. As he was doing the repairs he would come across another repair problem which led to another and another. You get my drift. We have now invested about $1000 in repair materials. Some of the materials were tools that we did not have.
The first tool that we purchased was an angle grinder. We went to a local big box DIY center to purchase it. We purchased a Ryobi
4.5 inch angle grinder model number AG452
. The grinder was on sell for about $40. It came with its own case and two grinding discs. A feature this grinder has that others do not is a handle which is easily rotated with the push of a button so you can hold the grinding wheel at the angle you need. It also comes with a three position handle. The trigger is located on the handle which I like versus the switch commonly found on a grinder. I would recommend this grinder if you are looking for one to purchase.
The second tool that we needed to purchase was a welder. We did not want to invest in a $300-500 welder since we were trying to watch our expenditures. We bought the cheapest arc (stick) welder we could find. When I say cheap this was as cheap as you can get, it was a Chicago Electric
ARC-120
welder, we paid $110 at a national store that sells mostly tools. Right out of the box it has to be assembled with the handle and electrical plug. The handle broke almost immediately after attachment; could not support the weight of the welder. The plug had to be purchased separately as the welder could be used either on a 120v or 220v outlet. Neither the box nor the retailer mentioned the fact that no plugs came in the box. So a separate trip to the local hardware store ensued. Once we opened the box and read the manual as one should, we discovered as well that the manufacturer recommended on a 120v outlet that it have a 30 amp circuit breaker. Now in my house most of the breakers are either 15 or 20 amps. The only 30 amp breakers are for the stove and icebox which the plugs are located inside the house. Maybe the electrical requirements are common knowledge but it was not to me or my son. We will still use it going with the electrical receptacles located in the garage which are of the 15 amp nature and hope for the best. If I could have a do over I would invest more and get a better welder, either a MIG
or Arc
from Lincoln electric
.
The first tool that we purchased was an angle grinder. We went to a local big box DIY center to purchase it. We purchased a Ryobi
4.5 inch angle grinder model number AG452. The grinder was on sell for about $40. It came with its own case and two grinding discs. A feature this grinder has that others do not is a handle which is easily rotated with the push of a button so you can hold the grinding wheel at the angle you need. It also comes with a three position handle. The trigger is located on the handle which I like versus the switch commonly found on a grinder. I would recommend this grinder if you are looking for one to purchase.
The second tool that we needed to purchase was a welder. We did not want to invest in a $300-500 welder since we were trying to watch our expenditures. We bought the cheapest arc (stick) welder we could find. When I say cheap this was as cheap as you can get, it was a Chicago Electric
ARC-120 welder, we paid $110 at a national store that sells mostly tools. Right out of the box it has to be assembled with the handle and electrical plug. The handle broke almost immediately after attachment; could not support the weight of the welder. The plug had to be purchased separately as the welder could be used either on a 120v or 220v outlet. Neither the box nor the retailer mentioned the fact that no plugs came in the box. So a separate trip to the local hardware store ensued. Once we opened the box and read the manual as one should, we discovered as well that the manufacturer recommended on a 120v outlet that it have a 30 amp circuit breaker. Now in my house most of the breakers are either 15 or 20 amps. The only 30 amp breakers are for the stove and icebox which the plugs are located inside the house. Maybe the electrical requirements are common knowledge but it was not to me or my son. We will still use it going with the electrical receptacles located in the garage which are of the 15 amp nature and hope for the best. If I could have a do over I would invest more and get a better welder, either a MIG or Arc from Lincoln electric.
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