Yankee Drill vs. Yankee Driver
- Hi folks, I agree that the Yankee screwdriver device is not a great tool. And it replaces the regular screwdriver which is a fine tool already. HOWEVER, at times in your piece you mixed drill and driver terms. The Yankee Drill is a fantastic tool. It is the only drill I own. It is light, it never runs out of battery charge, I never have to find the powerpack to recharge it, it carries all of its bits within the handle. Mine is the classic that i got on day 1 as an installer/repairman for the old New York Telephone Company, standard Ma Bell issue. I got to keep it and it is fantastic. Make sure you do NOT confuse the marvelous Yankee Drill with the underwhelming Yankee Driver! -- Josh
- —Guest steinbej
Says you
- The Yankee screwdriver, like most tools, requires a tiny bit of practice to make it work right, but it's a wrist-saver when you're dealing with numerous screws and don't want to lug an electric gadget along, or find the electric gadget's batteries exhausted.
- —Guest TedPadgett
The only bad one
- The only one in your list that is true junk is the foam paint edger. I have used all of the other ones with out any problems.
- —olm911
You're kidding, right?
- I agree about the Yankee screwdriver. Mosy useless piece of metal and wood. Paint edgers are only as good as the walls are straight. I have not seen a straight wall yet never mind the unique tracks they leave. Another useless widget. However, having been an aviation mechanic I can vouch for the validity of the cresent wrench and, especially, the slip joint pliers. Ever see the size and variety of the fittings on a military aircraft? The ONLY tool that will loosen "canon" plugs is the slip joint. Ever do any plumbing work at home? If you had you would realize that slip joints are invaluable. With reference to adjustable wrenches, the new ones have locks for keeping the right width. Stud finders seem to give me a problem. Every time I walk through a hardware store, the stud finders leap off the wall and stick to my chest. ;>)
- —kitepilot
you aren't a tool guy, are you?
- The only thing on that list that deserves to be there is the foam edger- never going to work. The Yankee is just old technology, a better quality stud finder does work- they have for a hundred years, and the channel locks and crescent wrench are the two most versatile, useful and used tools in anyone's toolbox. This article is a total fail.
- —Guest scotta
You could not be more wrong
- 1) The yankee driver may seem lame now but it has been a useful tool for over a century. It does require coordination to use it. 2) The magnetic stud finder may not work well on wooden studs, but... it works very well on metal studs - a building material that has become increasingly common. 3) ok, I'll give you the edge painter 4) A cresent wrench is a great tool! Why carry around an entire set of box wrenches when you can carry one? I admit that it isn't the most ergonomic but it definitely not in the running for the worst tool award 5) Not to be aggressive but you have obviously not done much plumbing. If you had, you would know that a channel locking wrench is very useful. Again, not the best tool around but definitely not the worst. My take on some bad tools: The calk edging tool on info-mercials. Just take a peice of cardboard and cut the shape you want - don't spend $15.
- —Guest TRyan
Again, see the C-wrench
- Channel locks are handy, useful, and simple. I refer to the comment about the c-wrench. You're doing it wrong.
- —Guest Eric
Really, this?
- I use a crescent wrench nearly every day in the Theater/Entertainment Industry. It is the workhorse as far as tools go. It is THE requirement for all stagehands to carry. If you show up without your c-wrench, you can be sent home from work. If the c-wrench is causing this much grief, you're probably doing it wrong.
- —Guest Eric
Adjustable wrenches/pliers
- I was a maintenance supervisor for many years prior to being put on disability & a divorce. I had more tools than Carter has pills, but moving to an apartment meant the tool boxes had to be sold. For tools to keep I picked those that fill the bill alone, adjustable. True, I won't be doing the work that I once did, but to put together a barbque from K-mart, or tighten a light socket for my parents they do well. As far as the wrench coming loose, re-tighten it!
- —brakar9
Right On!
- hahahahahahahaha! These are great. My dad had a Yankee Driver that I hadn't thought of in years. The thing was fun to play with in your hands (very easy to manipulate it up and down) - but it NEVER worked in "real life!" Great column!
- —Guest Mark
hmmm
- There are plenty more candidates for worst tools, it strongly appears that the creator of the list isn't a tool user for a living, as most of the objections revolve around user error. There are plenty of tools that are far worse from concept to usage than these. Things like cold-heat soldering iron, and any number of other seen on TV tools fall into this category. Additionally many of the worst tools could be deemed as such because of astoundingly poor build quality. A junk screwdriver that itself strips the engagement pattern under normal use before the fastener strips is a good example. There are too many examples of tools that don't remotely work out of the box regardless of the operator, and these would have been much better targets to write about, but again, I don't think the topic was taken very seriously.. it sounds like a writer sitting down for 10-15 minutes and coming up with the list, and the reasons why. Perhaps this writer was in a sense the wrong tool for the job.
- —Guest jimboston
Useful tools
- Maybe I'm lucky, but the only one of your useless tools I DON'T like is the Mag Stud Finder. Too weak a magnet. I have no problem using the others! Of course, I only use them when needed, not as part of my job.
- —Guest gina
don't be so quick
- Usually ABOUT has some clever ideas but this isn't one of them. I'm sure there are useless tools but not the ones listed In this article. I have found all these tools useful certain circumstances, In this case I believe the fault lies with the crafts-person and not the tool. Years ago "This Old House" once reviewed a high frequency vibrating multi-tool and panned it. Yet I occasionally see this tool used on their projects. Just goes to show...
- —Guest Dave
USE the right tool for the right job!!!
- 1. Does the words Pilot hole mean anything to the author? 2. Crescent Wrench is a name brand the proper term would be adjustable wrench, and when USE properly it is a wonderful tool to have in a Road call, however, if you are not holding the wrench properly you will sustain injury to your hand or other body parts, is the surface that you are working on clean and free of lubricants? if not, wear your PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) 3. Channel locks another name brand are NOT meant to be use as a open wrench, closed wrench or combination wrench i.e. not to be use on bolts. once again use the right tool for the right job or suffer injury for not following directions. Most of all remember SAFETY FIRST. Have a nice day
- —Guest yellownp22541
RE: The World's Most Useless Tools
- If you can't figure out how to use Channel Lock PLIERS, maybe you should not be writing about tools. I would bet every mechanic has crescent wrenches and Channel locks in their tool boxes. Crescent wrench uses: You need a 14MM wrench and don't have one. If a bolt is rounded off you can file 2 flat surfaces on it and use a crescent wrench to loosen it. If a nut and bolt require the same size wrench and you only have one, put the wrench on the nut with your finger on the adjuster to keep it tight and loosen the bolt with the wrench. Channel Locks: We keep a large pair of channel locks at work to bend computer mounting brackets that were bent in shipping. Anything requiring holding pipes. Pulling auto hoses. I watched a guy pull 75 feet of pvc pipe out of a well using a large pair of channel locks. You are probably the worlds most clueless tool writer.
- —Guest jabular
