Are you still buying your hobby tools from the Dollar Store because they’re cheap? Do you have an account at Big Lots? Is that set of Chinese drill bits from K-Mart really any good? The answer varies as does the quality of the tools themselves.
If you spend a few minutes on the internet you can often purchase the same tools professionals use at very reasonable prices. The internet has made it possible to buy anything on-line. So why not industrial drill bits made from M7, high speed steel? On a good site you can pay the same for a high quality drill bit as you would at the dollar store. The big difference is the industrial bit will drill thousands of holes and may last a lifetime, and the dollar store bit may drill one hole, if you’re lucky.
Home hobbyist that make model locomotives, steam engines or any other accessories that require machining often think they need to purchase their cutting tools from the hobby shop. Instead of buying a quality carbide end mill, they end up with a Chinese made, high speed steel, end mill. Sure it works for a few cuts, then you have to “baby” it to finish the job. However, if you search “carbide end mills” on Google, you’ll find quite a few sites willing to sell to home hobbyist with a minimal shipping charge and no minimum order requirement.
Ladies, for whatever reason, you think you need to buy pink and colorful pliers. They may look cute, but usually they are not very precise. Many times the jaws don’t close correctly, and they fall apart in under a year. It doesn’t have to be this way! Wait until Sears has a sale on Craftsman pliers. You can get them for the same price as the “pink” ones, yet they’re guaranteed for life. They open and close the way they should.
Another product used by hobbyists, are taps. Taps are used to put threads inside of holes in steel and aluminum projects. Again, model makers, RC enthusiasts, steam engine builders and locomotive enthusiasts can buy taps on-line. Don’t buy “carbon steel” taps, they wear out prematurely. Go for the best product possible, high speed steel. At sites like Kodiak, you can buy these products one piece at a time, with no minimum. The prices are excellent, shipping is very reasonable and these are the exact same tools used in thousands of machine shops around the world.
No matter what your hobby, spend a little time and effort to research what the professionals use. The internet is a wonderful source of information and locations in which to make your purchases. Call the toll free number on the site and speak with a live person. Make sure the site lists a physical address, just in case you need to track them down. Once you’re sure the company is legitimate…..place your order. You’ll be happier with quality tools. They make the job at hand more enjoyable, and you can be proud of your tooling selection for a long time to come!
The author, Mike Wunsch, has been in the tooling and machining trades for over 20 years. Additionally he owns and operates http://www.kodiakcuttingtools.com , an on-line ecommerce site supplying cutting tools to machine shops and hobbyists around the country (USA). If you have questions or need help choosing cutting tools from Kodiak for your project, he can be reached at the 800 number shown at the Kodiak website.
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