Thought the decluttering trend didn’t apply to craftsmen? Think again! Everyone falls victim to cheap marketing gimmicks and poor spending habits, even those in the construction industry. There’s no chance your garage is overflowing with must-have, legitimate, and worthwhile tools. Let’s face it, there are a lot of junk gadgets and gizmos taking up valuable space. Next time you’re doing some deep cleaning, go ahead and toss these 5 useless tools.
1. Adjustable wrench – Great in theory, bad in practice.
Even staple tools like the adjustable wrench aren’t exempt from being deemed completely useless. Sure, the idea is great in theory. Instead of having to buy dozens of wrenches, you can simply haul around a one-size-fits-all solution for the perfect toolbox. The only problem is the adjustable wrench loosens on its own, keeping it from holding any size effectively. Considering the wrench’s job is to hold onto things tightly, this one’s kind of a deal breaker. Making space for a whole set of open-ended wrenches might be a hassle, but it’s not as bad as keeping a tool that simply doesn’t do its job.
2. Channel-lock pliers – Another adjustable nightmare.
Whether you prefer to call them channel-type or tongue-and-groove pliers, you won’t be able to find many applications for this supposedly dynamic tool. The channel-lock plier suffers from the same fundamental design flaw as the adjustable wrench. What’s supposed to make the tool more versatile renders it essentially useless. The grooves never seem to give you the right size to fit a nut or bolt head. It’s either slightly too big or small which means you just end up damaging what you’re trying to tighten or loosen.
3. Metal stud-finder – The lower-quality option that doesn’t work.
Stud-finders are a godsend when trying to find exactly where studs are behind a wall. Reliable versions use sensors to detect studs before setting off an alarm. Then you have the dollar-store variety of metal stud-finders that are designed to latch onto metal nails in the studs. The only issue is that these nails are sporadically placed, making this a nail-finder, not a stud-finder. Talk about a needle in a haystack. You’re better off spending a few extra dollars for the real version. The only wall a metal stud finder should be found on is a wall of shame.
Further Reading: 5 Tools You Need in the Back of Your Truck
4. Automatic hammer – A tool as bad as it sounds.
For some reason, one of the most well-respected tool manufacturers thought it was a good idea to automate the quintessential tool – the hammer. You heard that right! Craftsmen, of all brands, came out with an automatic hammer designed to save you from the terrible and backbreaking work of lifting up your arm and bringing it back down. The auto-hammer sounds more like a modified weapon out of a zombie movie than it does a serious tool. Admittedly, you probably don’t have the auto-hammer in your arsenal, so it’s nothing you have to get rid of. Just make sure you never get roped into buying it.
5. Paint edgers – Overcomplicating a simple project.
Painting is a deceptively easy job. It pales in comparison to the projects you tackle on the job site, but it’s challenging in its own way. The toughest part of the painting is hitting the edges of walls or ceilings without getting paint on doors, trim, windows, or anywhere else it’s not supposed to be. In a failed attempt to simplify this process, some inventors came up with the paint edger. In theory, the squareness of the tool is designed to make painting those corners effortless. In reality, these junk tools just smear the paint, leaving conspicuous streaks that clash with the rest of the paint job.
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