Game Changers - The successes and the flops?

[nicebutdim]

Rhino ladder clamps for van roof rack! There was nothing worse than needing your ladders off the top of the van in the pouring rain or when it’s snowing and then having to spin those old rusty ladder clamps that get stuck every half turn (hopefully everyone knows the type I mean!)

….and then the Rhino clamps came along, sorted!

Yeah, I bought a new set of them last month

 

[nicebutdim]

Also recently started using the Bosch PowerChange arbour and hole saws. Great bit of kit when drilling consecutive holes, quick release saves a lot of time.

Armeg smooth cutting hole saws are an incredible step up (also available from numerous other manufacturers).

Still have to watch for cutting landing on cables, but no danger of cutter going any depth into trunking and they cut beautifully smooth holes.

95% of holes I cut are 20, 25 & 32mm, so it's no great hardship changing arbors to other sizes.

 

[MJPD29]

Armeg smooth cutting hole saws are an incredible step up (also available from numerous other manufacturers).

Still have to watch for cutting landing on cables, but no danger of cutter going any depth into trunking and they cut beautifully smooth holes.

95% of holes I cut are 20, 25 & 32mm, so it's no great hardship changing arbors to other sizes.

They are 100 times better than standard holesaws, but very pricey

 

[nicebutdim]

They are 100 times better than standard holesaws, but very pricey

They last a long time - probably because I'm much more careful with them due to the high price tag,

 

[timhoward]

I suppose 3 game changers featured in todays work - all things that 5 years ago I couldn't have done.
Quinetic switches for all lighting, Quickwire T connectors and 1 splitter for the kitchen downlights, and a Dewalt cable stapler for clipping in the loft.
Between them I was able to pretty much first fix the lighting in a 3 bed house in about 2/3 of a day. (Floorboards were already up on landing)
Ok, I've still got to fit the receivers and the 3 core to the bathroom fan but I was driving home thinking that I'd never have achieved that much single-handedly in 2/3 of a day if I'd been chasing switch drops, running the extra switch cables, fiddling with downlight connections, and manually clipping it all in the loft.
Back to Earth and traditional methods with a bump for the socket circuits....

 

[nicebutdim]

I suppose 3 game changers featured in todays work - all things that 5 years ago I couldn't have done.
Quinetic switches for all lighting, Quickwire T connectors and 1 splitter for the kitchen downlights, and a Dewalt cable stapler for clipping in the loft.
Between them I was able to pretty much first fix the lighting in a 3 bed house in about 2/3 of a day. (Floorboards were already up on landing)
Ok, I've still got to fit the receivers and the 3 core to the bathroom fan but I was driving home thinking that I'd never have achieved that much single-handedly in 2/3 of a day if I'd been chasing switch drops, running the extra switch cables, fiddling with downlight connections, and manually clipping it all in the loft.
Back to Earth and traditional methods with a bump for the socket circuits....

No idea how things are in GB, but I'm not aware of anyone stocking Quickwire on this side of the Irish Sea - certainly no one does near to me.

I can order from Quickwire, which is generally how I get their stuff, but orders under £40 attract a £12 delivery charge. The only thing I needed recently was a couple of T-connectors and a few more wouldn't have gone amiss, but the product becomes unattractive when the options are pay through the nose for an already expensive product, buy far more than you want to or do without.

Rant aside, they're excellent connectors and I'd like to know more about cable staplers. Think efixx reviwed Dewalt & Milwaukee, but weren't impressed with the latter.

 

[IAmSparkytus!]

How much does the quickwire stuff set you back?

Not much use for it in the work I do, seems more for the domestic market?

 

[littlespark]

Big flop?

CFL light bulbs. “The energy saving next big thing”….. until the next, next big thing came along… LEDs.

 

[timhoward]

I'd like to know more about cable staplers

I kept nearly buying one and then giving myself a stern talking to that there's nothing wrong with a hammer and box of clips. The other hang-up being that I didn't use Dewalt or have their batteries. I do have Milwaukee M18 batteries but not M12 and their stapler is heavier and some reviews show it is possible to staple through a cable. So for about a year I wavered.
But the last rewire was a truly horrible loft and I'd quoted very high so decided to go for it. I don't regret it. For loft work (especially), joists, or first fixing in stud work it's brilliant and good fun to use! It's one size of staple, 25mm x 19mm (available at Screwfix) so it's not really for anything you want to look super-presentable. It can staple up to 10mm T+E.
Squeeze in mid-air and the torch comes on for 20 seconds, and it only fires when both sides and the middle are pressed, making it very hard to staple through a cable.
I got it for £289 inc vat with free shipping, including 2 batteries and charger and comes in a nice big T-STAK box. I admit it's a little bit of a luxury item but it seriously speeds up some domestic 1st fixing.

How much does the quickwire stuff set you back?

Not much use for it in the work I do, seems more for the domestic market?

Yep, domestic really. From Superlec they are £3.18 inc vat and a bit more for the splitter.
For sorting out typical kitchen-fitter downlight installs they are great.

 

[nicebutdim]

How much does the quickwire stuff set you back?

Not much use for it in the work I do, seems more for the domestic market?

Not much use in my day job either, but fairly useful of an evening or weekend.

 

[nicebutdim]

I kept nearly buying one and then giving myself a stern talking to that there's nothing wrong with a hammer and box of clips. The other hang-up being that I didn't use Dewalt or have their batteries. I do have Milwaukee M18 batteries but not M12 and their stapler is heavier and some reviews show it is possible to staple through a cable. So for about a year I wavered.
But the last rewire was a truly horrible loft and I'd quoted very high so decided to go for it. I don't regret it. For loft work (especially), joists, or first fixing in stud work it's brilliant and good fun to use! It's one size of staple, 25mm x 19mm (available at Screwfix) so it's not really for anything you want to look super-presentable. It can staple up to 10mm T+E.
Squeeze in mid-air and the torch comes on for 20 seconds, and it only fires when both sides and the middle are pressed, making it very hard to staple through a cable.
I got it for £289 inc vat with free shipping, including 2 batteries and charger and comes in a nice big T-STAK box. I admit it's a little bit of a luxury item but it seriously speeds up some domestic 1st fixing.

Yep, domestic really. From Superlec they are £3.18 inc vat and a bit more for the splitter.
For sorting out typical kitchen-fitter downlight installs they are great.

I don't have much use for a stapler, but it's one of those tools that regularly pique my interest.

I've noticed a few online wholesalers stocking quickwire, but the reasonably priced among them either don't deliver to NI or charge a ransom for doing so (superlec being one).

I bought from one reasonably priced stockist on ebay, but it was a nightmare. First order didn't arrive, then second didn't appear either. They finally admitted never having sent the connectors as they were out of stock, then went on to complain about T-connectors being a problem for them. Juding by feedback left recently, the only problem is their propensity for selling goods they don't actually have and then being stupid enough to get caught lying by one customer after another.

I worry that Quickwire will die a slow death, given the lack of availability I encounter, so it's good to know that GB customers have no such issues and will keep my fingers crossed that sooner or later everything settles down again with trade between GB & NI.