what are the shittiest tools you have ever used - /diy/

Anonymous08/26/25, 02:04No.2940847

What are the shittiest tools you have ever used?

167

Replies

Anon08/26/25, 02:16No.2940850

Other than the shit just stamped 'China' or 'Taiwan' the worst shit I've used is probably Husky. Stripped out several of their 1/2" ratchets, no hassle getting a replacement tho

Anon08/26/25, 02:54No.2940859

Husky pliers. Mine all corroded within a year or two of owning I've bent couple needle noses just pulling cotter pins.Honorable mention goes to HF's 12 ton press: mine disassembled itself violently when pressing some control arm bushings (although it went back together fine).

Anon08/26/25, 03:08No.2940862

Aldi lawn mower

Anon08/26/25, 04:01No.2940871

My Harbor Freight/Atlas electric lawnmower works great while it has a charge, my Atlas leaf blower is super convenient, but my Atlas weed whacker is unbalanced, extremely difficult to reload, and the auto feed never works. I hate that thing.

Anon08/26/25, 09:12No.2940892

Black&Decker angle grinder. Got it as a gift from my grandma when I was a kid, who got it on discount at the hardware store. Had it lying around for a few years, since I was using my rpm-controlled fein (yep, had one as a kid - saved up for a year, but it was worth it) for everything. Fast forward a couple years, and I'm cleaning my first car's underfloor of rust. Was cleaning the PVC coating with a wirebrush, then the rust with a csd, so I figured I could just use two grinders so I wouldn't have to shift discs all he time. Put the wirewheel on the B&D. Lasted a whole 20 min, then it started shaking like crazy. Disassembled it, and found the bearing was worn. Said bearing is pressed into a cast aluminum piece with no way to remove it, you need to change the entire head to fix it. Contacted B&D, they wanted ~120€ for that piece, while getting the same grinder new would've been 140€. For comparison, on the Fein (where I checked just in case), the bearing is a standard ball bearing, held in place by two screws, with spares costing 15€. Buy cheap, buy twice, I guess.

Anon08/26/25, 13:48No.2940919

Yo dawg, I heard you was looking for some of them single use tools.

Anon08/26/25, 14:00No.2940920

>craftsman breaks >get new craftsman >millennials don't understand why then craftsman are designed to break (again)

Anon08/26/25, 16:09No.2940959

Wera screwdrivers

Anon08/26/25, 22:43No.2941049

Off-brand Mercedes (telescoping) spring compressor. I don't have high speed footage, but I swear the "cast" discs and/or the central pinion deformed enough to let go at full compression. Fortunately I wasn't in the way and the car to the side wasn't even damaged, but I'm never removing Mercedes springs again.

Anon08/27/25, 06:53No.2941111

The free Allen keys that come with ikea funitureWalmart brand called workman’s choice

Anon08/27/25, 07:11No.2941114

Lol. This faggot is still pissed that he can't fix anything himself.

Anon08/30/25, 14:17No.2941851

Grizzly 1/4" drive ratchet. Out of the box it didn't work, it would just ratchet in both directions. Left it out in the rain and the rust took up the loose tolerances and made it work.

Anon08/31/25, 11:36No.2942028

Bought a $20 corded impact wrench thinking I could rotate my car tires faster. RATATATATATATAT shit this one is really stuck TATATATAT did that for like 10 minutes before grabbing the breaker bar and it loosened right up like nothing. Put it away, haven't thought about it since until now.

Anon08/31/25, 12:16No.2942029

i bought an Ozito electric lawnmower for my brothers one square meter of lawn, the fucking thing stalls on 3cm of grass. like, i get that tool batteries are 18v and fuck all amps, but holy shit. my mains voltage weed whacker does some good work, even with a MUCH smaller motor, so i'm guessing its just the battery letting it down, but holy shit, i was hoping it would at least do better than the literal meme push mower i got him for his last birthday.

Anon08/31/25, 18:57No.2942077

I don't think I've ever successfully used this tool.

Anon09/01/25, 15:35No.2942233

i don't consider them shit, but most ppl here would, so here's my hoarded total tools collection for your viewing pleasure.

Anon09/08/25, 03:04No.2943687

one time i used a sharp rock as a screwdriver, that was pretty bad

Anon09/10/25, 12:44No.2944172

All my tools work great i dont like shitty fine screwdrivers for electronics. Its gotta be wiha.. shitty screw drivers and stripped screws can really piss me off but im good at avoiding it.

Anon09/10/25, 12:45No.2944173

Shitty digital calipers are another annoying tool. All i own are shitty calipers becuase I dont want to buy a good one.

Anon09/10/25, 22:50No.2944284

>buy chineseum measuring tape >open package >rubber ass smell overwhelms me >hands become greasy just touching the rubber >peel off the rubber but the smell is stuck to the plastic For $2 what can I expect.

Anon09/10/25, 23:06No.2944286

-can openers -battery weed wacker -old bandsaws -whirlpool washing machines -the oil filter wrench with chain and the chevy metal housing wrapping 75% around the oil filter -the straw for expanding foam after one use -spanner and blade wrenches I can only find when I don't need them -chicago electric trim router, angle grinder, everything tbqh

Anon09/11/25, 01:33No.2944297

One of those vibrator things. The 6 gorillion in 1 oscillating tools.Supposed to be great at everything, only good at making cuts without drilling a hole first (if you don't have space for a circular saw) yet you'll see dozens of attachments for them, the only one of which works (and only for shallow cuts) is the saw.

Anon09/11/25, 15:24No.2944359

I bought a very cheap spare welding helmet. It had a nice glass on it, but the helmet's mechanism for tilting was bad out of the factory, you couldn't possibly set it to a normal angle. After drilling extra adjustment holes, I could set it to a normal angle, but it would either constantly flop down, or never flop down. I threw it out after 5 minutes of use, it was unsalvageable.

Anon09/12/25, 12:03No.2944482

Borrow a tool from a Hispanic person, angle grinder with a cracked housing that flexes as you use it is the best condition shit they’ll own10mm socket so worn that it just looks round

Anon09/13/25, 09:11No.2944641

silverline. all their tools are made of chinese butter.

Anon09/13/25, 11:40No.2944658

Cheap consumables are the worst. Recently, it wasn’t this brand but maybe they’re from the same shitty Chinese factory, work decided to save some money on wire wheels. I got hours out of the last DeWalt wire wheel, and then stuck the generic ass one on there and within 15min of grinding off paint, every single wire was stuck in my gloves and pants.On the parts/tools reorder list: “4.5in wire wheels for angle grinder. Name brand please. They are 5x the cost but last 10x as long and are not grenades”Cheap sawblades are fucking terrible every time too. Even if you get real carbide teeth on a circ saw blade, it’s real fun when they’re not brazed properly and fly off at thousands of RPM.And drill bits, save yourself the trouble and stock up on DeWalt like 15pc sets when they’re on sale for $10 at Lowes and Home Depot.

Anon09/14/25, 18:50No.2944891

Craftsman 3/8 ratchet. I bent the teeth on it because I put too much force on it breaking a bolt loose on my old motorcycle. >Use a breaker bar dumbass There's no reason a tool should break, when I'm using it one handed with no cheater bar on the end of it.

Anon09/16/25, 03:53No.2945115

harbor freight knockoff bosch rotary hammer/chipping gun absolute garbage used it for the day i needed it, doing sidewalk, returned it the next day. it barely survived

Anon09/16/25, 04:34No.2945117

It's not the shittiest ever but I've found the quality control on milwaukee portable bandsaw blades to be terrible. Some of them last forever, some of them immediately strip teeth off. I had one that snapped on me and I then proceeded to break it into little pieces with minimal effort. The thing was about as brittle as dried pasta. I tried this with the next blade from the same box after it broke and it was much more difficult to break. I like the portable bandsaw, but finding a blade that isn't a dud has proven very difficult.

Anon09/17/25, 17:01No.2945389

Rectal thermometer

Anon09/27/25, 19:58No.2947356

>What are the shittiest tools you have ever used? >ryobi anything >bosch routers (x3) >metabo drill (not the HPT the made in germany one) >bosch batteries and their impact driver >stanley fatmax chisels >dewalt finish sander tools i have broken/had fail on me over the years

Anon09/27/25, 22:22No.2947388

Anyone can break a Crescent-style wrench but that's one case where old Snap-on versions are glorious. Mine is so well plated and machined it works smoothly without lubricant (though I use motorcycle chain wax for such things).

Anon09/27/25, 23:15No.2947400

is this a special kind of steel with this patina? my 250lb friend used a 6ft cheater bar on the wrench and it cracked.i have no clue where i got this wrench (prob side of the road) but it had like no play in it, very nice tool. where can i find an affordable replacement? flea market?

Anon09/27/25, 23:19No.2947401

Anon09/28/25, 00:21No.2947408

I once had a small hammer, I would call it a little old lady hammer only good for hanging up pictures with a gentle tap. The head came off the hollow aluminum shaft the very first time I tried to pry a nail with its claw.Also, the dewalt cordless 20v drills actually have pretty good batteries and motor force but the handle is only held on by a couple of tiny rivets pressed into plastic. If you need torque from them, they snap in half in your hands.

Anon10/02/25, 00:58No.2948255

I dont even know if this thing is shit compared to other plate compactors but I fucking hate this thing.

Anon10/02/25, 21:44No.2948418

Anon10/03/25, 16:21No.2948539

It remains to be seen, but things aren't looking the best for this so far. School bought and installed four of them over the summer, yesterday was the first time students ever used them, and one is already broken down. (I was on the next machine over and saw that the guy using it didn't do anything retarded either.)Also maybe it's just because they're new but man some of the controls are insanely stiff.

Anon10/03/25, 17:31No.2948553

super poorfag friend bought some no-name impact socket set from aliexpress for like $5. was a huge set. The sizes we used all did fine for ~5 uses then deformed and started slipping and rounding bolts on his pickup. He was pretty disappointed, we had to drive to my place and grab my tekton set to finish the job. He decided it was worth spending a little more for a harbor freight set, lol.For me personally, a few of the super dirt cheap tools at harbor freight stand out in memory. I needed a basic screwdriver set and some pliers to leave in the dump truck we use to haul water around the farm. Tried the el cheapo pittsburgh shit at harbor freight and jesus christ I knew I was buying bottom of the barrel but I didn't realize how deep that barrel went. the pliers have teeth as soft as butter, the screwdriver tips turned into fine metal shavings after less than 10 uses. I read the "doyle" demolition screwdrivers at HF were some tough shit and upgraded to those, and they've held stout for several years now, just grabbed some channellock pliers the next time I went by atwoods (think regional tractor supply variant) which have been fine

Anon10/03/25, 21:01No.2948599

pic rel broke after like 4 uses

Anon10/04/25, 07:39No.2948688

936 soldering iron hot air combo. Shit is so underpowered its sad even. Hot air part is fine, but soldering iron is just pathetic.

Anon10/04/25, 17:52No.2948773

>2004 >Shitty contractor I was working for was paying $10/hr and expected us to buy our own tools >Bought $10 Chinese framing hammer >Take first swing at masonry nail and a chunk of steel chipped off of the hammer head and hit me in the face >Couple more swings to drive it home >Probably 4-5th swing of the hammer and the wooden handle sheared clean off near the headAlso, Harbor Freight abrasive wafer blades for cutoff saws circa 2010 would grind down in pieces to the size of a grinder blade before cutting through a piece of 3/4 rebar.Dangerous tools and I don't know how they get away with selling this shit without lawsuits from people getting hurt.

Anon10/04/25, 21:41No.2948811

does anyone buy tools from Ross tool isle? I bought knee pads for super cheap like 10 bucks. also got a set of no name screwdrivers on clearance for 7 bucks. just gonna keep them outside i think for hitting shit with, they even have a little metal nub on the bag designed to be hit like a chisel, like they knew you didn't really want a nice screwdriver, just a cheap ghetto chisel/pick/pry bar

Anon10/05/25, 17:48No.2948933

Growing up all we had for screwdrivers were theseMy white collar dad would buy the cheapest tools for one job then just keep them forever and attempt to cheap out on the next jobWe moved and didn’t have a harbor freight for about 10 yearsSo every Phillips screw I’ve ever attempted from age 7-16 was automatically stripped unless I managed to use my friends screw driver set for the jobThat was over 25 years ago and I still automatically drill out and extract every Phillips from the jump

Anon10/06/25, 13:50No.2949100

>All bi hex sockets I use strip >Any no name socket extenders >No name hex nuts that come with hardware with cheap, or unknown, grade tools I feel anxious if I don't have multiples

Anon10/09/25, 01:04No.2949727

I had two different duralast two ton scissor jacks collapse on me as soon as I got the wheels off the ground. Which is whatever, I bought a harbor fright floor jack instead, but one of them collapsed while people were underneath the shitbox too which was a bit more danger than I care for. Always throw the a rim under the car when you jack it.

Anon10/09/25, 01:12No.2949731

i use ryobi at work. i've had my current grinder and impact for like 4 years, lol. the sawzalls do suck ass, though. i go through at least 1 a year. i get a lot of shit for it, but i'm also not in debt to the company on a payment plan for $1,200 in milwaukee shit like a goddamned retard. plus you can get them used on marketplace for dirt cheap and they're not burnt to shit garbage some mexican pawned for meth, like pawnshop milwaukees or dewalts, since they're used by homeowners who did that one project that one time.

Anon10/12/25, 05:08No.2950347

he's been here literally the whole time retards

Anon10/14/25, 14:45No.2950823

>What are the shittiest tools you have ever used? none. I buy tools for a purpose. sometimes I buy the cheapest shittiest tool because I need to modify it for a specific job. The funny thing is that those tools still work after decades.even the cheap harbor freight air tools I bout in the late 80's are still going strong. Their $9 grinders rock on.ironically it's the expensive ones that often break from "abuse" like knipex flush cut flush cutters that you accidentally try to cut something that is hardened. Or the Aven flush cutters that people raved about, that arrived misaligned.No tool is shit if it gets the job done. OP's pic is not a shitty tool, it's the wrong tool for whatever someone ugga dugga'd on.The only tools I have ever broke were because I used them in a way they were never designed for.

Anon10/16/25, 22:05No.2951208

any kind of bolt extraction tool. i tried them all and when a stuck bolt snap they dont work. might as well go straight to drilling it out and retapping. no gizmo tool is magically gonna get out a bolt that was so stuck you just snapped it jumping on a cheater bar. yet i always try them hoping this is the time it will work...

Anon10/17/25, 03:14No.2951252

Harbor Freight 3/8" torque wrench. No, I don't know the specific brand, my dad bought it for himself and I borrow it. The last time I used it was when I was replacing my transmission fluid and filter, and the fucking thing failed to click one of the times and the bolt head ended up snapping right off. I just filled the hole with RTV to prevent the threads from corroding until I can extract the bolt and replace it. I'm never using that worthless crap again.

Anon10/17/25, 06:25No.2951264

Husky tools, had husky lopper break while cutting and the thing was not even year old.