Why Cheap Tools Can Be Good

What's the biggest mistake Adam Savage made while working in model making? If Adam had to skimp on the cost of a tool, which tool would that be and why? In this live stream excerpt Adam answers these questions from Tested members @Silver Defender and @aussiemaker39, whom we thank for their support. Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam a question:

Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

[ElSelcho]

Whenever I start a project or hobby that requires new tools I get a relatively cheap set. When a part of that set breaks that means I use it a lot and replace it with a high quality one. The rest is usually good enough for the occasional use.

[ace]

Top Gears Richard Hammond taught me a life lesson in one episode. Buy the 2nd cheapest wine. I have taken that to heart my entire life. If you are gonna go cheep buy the 2nd cheapest. I also do this on the inverse, go with 2nd place. Go with the second best. It has done me wonders and saved a penny or two

[mrwoodandmrtin]

I had a very expensive wristwatch, lost it, and bought an el-cheapo $5 replacement to get me to the weekend - until I could go shopping for a decent one. That el-cheapo stayed on my wrist for 20 years and never broke.

[SolarWebsite]

In Europe, we have this discount supermarket chain called Lidl. They have their own brand of tools called Parkside. These are cheap but almost always fine for hobby work and light duty around the house. I have some electrical tools, a lot of screw drivers, wrenches, sockets, etc and 99% of the stuff has served me very well.

Of course, if you start to use it a lot, or misuse it, it'll break more easily than the DeWalts and Milwaukee's of this world.

[iojsnkp]

Cheap tools can be modified without worry. Many years ago I need a couple of wrenchs for tight spaces. I bought a cheap set and heated them with a torch and bent them to the shape/angle required.

[alaskansummertime]

I passed an illegal dump pile and made my apprentice go with me on the clock to raid it. My point was to show her all the free usable stuff we could get. Screwdrivers, high end calculators, paint brushes, bunch of stuff. She can leave it laying on jobsites to her hearts content as it was all free.

[animalian]

I used to go to a secondhand tool shop to get my hand tools, you could always find some incredible bargains

[GuitarSlayer]

Its important to have tools you'll own forever and tools you don't mind replacing. There are some jobs you just don't want to do with a tool you'll have forever.

[shanejayell]

I do love Adam's stories on early projects....

[davken]

People need to learn when you buy a tool you're not really buying the tool..You're buying the result. For example, when you buy a drill bit, you're really buying holes. If you need a lot of holes fast you buy a better bit. If you just need one hole, a cheap bit will do just fine.

[anathaetownsend]

Adam, next time you see a tool that claims to be "mil-spec", remember that the food that is served in an army mess hall is made to "mil-spec"

[eh]

Tale of 2 tools.
1/2" Breaker bar. Needed to remove 1 nut. Bought the "consumer" grade and broke it. Returned it, spent $10 more of the "professional" grade, removed the nut and it over the decades have used it here and there for other less strenuous jobs.
Angle grinder. Was told by foundation repair experts to buy the cheapest Princess Auto/Powerfist (think HorrorFreight) and a wire brush to clean spalling off my basement foundation - the dust will destroy everything, so treat it as disposable. I did. And still have and use that grinder for odd jobs today.

[parrotraiser]

I agree with you and another commentator. Start out with a cheap set of tools. If you use something enough to break it or wear it out, replace it with the best you can afford at that point. Some things in a set you may never use, in which case their quality is irrelevant, and the less you've wasted on them the better. What you use regularly may be worth upgrading for the aesthetic pleasure they may give in use.
The above advice does not apply to jack stands or hoists. :-)*

[Rick_Makes]

That second part needs to be it's own video so we can share the good word about cheap tools. Almost every time I see someone online asking about power tools there's a professional recommending dewalt, makita, etc. when a store brand tool that costs the same as a battery for the big brand tools would be perfectly fine for the person asking.

[leafy_]

The ball-tube thing blew my mind and made complete sense with your 5-second explanation. Why don’t they teach us this in school?!? 😅

[SocksAndPuppets]

I'm an artist working with pencil, ink, colour pencil.

I've found over the years that it's *really* important to me to have good quality colour pencils, if you try to colour or shade any work with cheap pencils, it's impossible to get good results. I feel bad for all those kids who are given cheap pencils that don't lay the pigment down well, and conclude they suck at art because they can't make anything look nice.

I really value good quality pigment liners for my ink work. Cheap ones tend to crack and spit ink around, or they have inconsistent line width, or they wear out fast, or they're not properly black. Using a Uni Pin or a Derwent Line Maker makes a big difference.

When it comes to the pencil I use for construction lines... it really doesn't matter much. Of course you can use a blackwing, or an expensive mechanical pencil (and I use an expensive mechanical pencil). But, if I use a cheap unbranded knockoff pencil, so long as I can get it sharp and the lead isn't shattered to bits, I can sketch out those initial lines fine with basically anything. Hell, Adam uses papermate mechanical pencils (and I think those are garbage!) but they get the job done, you could live out of that if you had to.

---

I think it's great to ask experts where to spend your money on tools, because some of them you need quality to use well, and some of them it's just a little quality of life.

[nicholastrawinski]

If i remember correctly, from the full story, the machine included a pitching machine to toss the balls, but it was turned down insanely low. Adam later learned its near impossible for a machine like that to accurately toss balls which is what caused the problems. He got paid in full and the suits in charge didn't even bother to use it in the end. "heres your check, we dont like the idea anymore, throw it away" type thing.

[garrettkajmowicz]

Buying a cheap first version also allows you to figure out what you need in a better version. Maybe you need one which is larger, or smaller, or longer, or more ridged, or whatever.

[EGOtyst]

Id love to see Adam do a series where he retries old builds like this, remaking them knowing what he does now.

[smob]

That word slip at the end is a good point for getting new tools. A 5 gallon bucket with a lid can be an alright toolbox/garbage can/chair for lunch time.