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What's your advice for second-level around-the-house tools? (piefed.zip)
submitted 6 days ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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This sort of question comes around every once in a while; "what's your must-buy under $100", "what goods would you recommend for people just moving out on their own", and so on. I love reading these because, despite my simply vast experience[^1], I sometimes pick up new tricks.

This question is about second-level stuff; maybe not "must haves" that you'd recommend as a first purchase, but the stuff that makes life easier, that you might acquire after you've gotten settled. Things that you may have only discovered that you'd buy again if the house burned down.

For example, my wife bought a couple of these microwave tools years ago, and at the time I thought they were going to be gimmicky stuff we never used. Turns out, we use them all the time; whoever came up with the idea was brilliant.

A tool that loos sort of like pliers with curved jaws perpendicular to the grip action, and with silicone pads as jaw lining.[^2]

I like them because, unlike a hot mitt, if they get food on them you just wash them. They're way easier to use than mitts, and can be used more securely one-handed. I wouldn't trust them on stuff from the oven because of their size, but for plates and bowls from a microwave, they're surprisingly handy. It took me a dozen times using them before I realized the ring in the back actually works to clamp them to the bowl and turn them into a handle, rather than just using them as grabbers.

The thing I used today which prompted my post, and something I'd encourage people to buy if they don't have one, is a battery-powered rotary tool. My current one is a Dremel 8250, but many companies make them. They're handy and make short work of a lot of odd jobs, and IME if you have one you constantly find places to use them.

CLicG8eYgBj14cN.png[^3]

A kit like this one runs about $150, and I think it's worth the price. I think it's worth getting an accessories kit, but the bits that came with the kit are the ones I use most often and can take you a long way.

So, what are your tools, devices, or products that you've discovered which may not be a common, basic first-level "must have" household item, but which you'd not want to do without? Things which might be a little off-the-beaten-path but indispensable? Stuff you may have stumbled upon which turned out to be surprisingly useful?

[^1]: a.k.a. advanced age
[^2]: Image grabbed randomly from a web search
[^3]: Image from product page

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[–] 18 points 6 days ago* (4 children)

My advice is: Avoid buying anything until you really need it.

Otherwise, you end up buying a ton of stuff that you never need and it just sits around collecting dust and you're that much poorer for it.

Source: I have a bunch of stuff I bought over the years thinking I'd need it and much of it is rarely used. Save your money because money can be anything.

When you do need a tool, check out garage sales and estate sales first because you can get some top-notch stuff at huge discounts. Alternately, pick up a cheap version from harbor freight and use it until it breaks, then get a good one because you know you'll use it enough that quality becomes worth the extra cost.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 days ago

    My parents' garage is packed full of "tools" that are 50% cheap Chinese gimmick crap bought on a whim for a "maybe" problem they end up asking me to fix with real tools because by the time the problem happens, they forgot about the cheap gimmick thing bought to fix it.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 days ago

    While I agree with this sentiment, OP specifically mentioned buying a thing they thought was a novelty crap item that ended up being something they constantly use, and I kind of agree that sometimes you just don't know how useful something is until you try it. My bidet, for example, is just insanely useful and I wasn't sure if I'd even use it at first.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 days ago* (1 child)

    People say that a lot about harbor freight / cheap tools but what actually happens is you end up always having either the cheap one or then two of the same thing. It's actually really hard to break a tool. I am always working on stuff and I've only actually broken a tool to the point of being unusable like a handful of times.

    I'm not saying go out and get top notch stuff either. My tools collection is a random mish mash of stuff I've acquired over the years. I am absolutely terrible about losing drill bits so I tend to buy cheap ones for example lol. I agree second hand tools from flea markets, pawn shops, or yard sales is a great way to start a collection.

    Also harbor freight has really stepped up their game in the past few years. They still have the reputation of being the budget brand, which they are, but there's some great stuff there. I personally don't like the feel of some of their hand tools, but I just got a carpenter's vise that feels like top of the line despite being $70.

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