You opinion of Kobalt tools?

[Oldgator73]

A trick for paint brushes where you’re going to do several coats is to wrap them in a small trash bag and stick them in the freezer. It takes them about 5 minutes to thaw enough to use again. Then you only have to do clean up once. Works for oil or latex and rollers too. I don’t like the cheap brushes because they shed bristles onto your work.

I tried freezing the brushes and my wife came in from the garage and said “Don’t get these popsicles anymore. They taste like paint.”

 

[Chef Duane]

I’m pretty sure Home Depot’s house brand is Husky.

Yes, but I think tools are Husky and the lawn/yard stuff is Ryobi.

 

[Onyrlef]

Yes, but I think tools are Husky and the lawn/yard stuff is Ryobi.

Ryobi is a Japanese manufacturer of power tools, lawn and garden tools, automobile accessories, etc.

 

[Skookum]

Stanley Black & Decker owns Craftsman and Dewalt



There are still people turning over in their graves about that one. Stanley and Craftsman used to be bigtime competitors. This graphic is 5 years old but explains some of the consolidations.

The Handful of Megabrands That Make Most of the World's Tools

A new PressureWashr study shows how behemoths rule the tool game.

www.popularmechanics.com

 

[Steven L]

As handtools go for day in and day out use, pretty much any brand you can pick up at any BB and even Harbor Freight, will serve perfectly well considering their price over Craftsman, Snap-On or the other "premium" brand names.

 

[John From Detroit]

IMO Kobalt tools are like HF tools. As long as you aren’t making a living with them they will do you just fine.

I have purchased a few Kobalt things and they work fine for me. I think one of them (An angle grinder) failed that's over about 30 years or so.
As for Harbor Freight tools.
Some years ago I got their 20 ton Air/Hydraulic bottle jack Used it several times with the RV for one thing or another. (2005/6 is when I got it) Still have it.
I've met two tire professional using the identical same jack
And when I had to change tires on my class A... The Tire store did not have a jack big enough.
So we used mine.. It worked. Still does.

 

[Ex-Calif]

A trick for paint brushes where you’re going to do several coats is to wrap them in a small trash bag and stick them in the freezer. It takes them about 5 minutes to thaw enough to use again. Then you only have to do clean up once. Works for oil or latex and rollers too. I don’t like the cheap brushes because they shed bristles onto your work.

I saw a professional painter line a 5 gallon bucket with a trash bag, then poured the paint in. I had never thought of doing that even though I have been using roller tray liners for years.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Yes, but I think tools are Husky and the lawn/yard stuff is Ryobi.

They also have Rigid.

 

[DeckArtist]

I have had a 10" miter saw from Lowe's Kobalt brand now for four years and had zero issues with it. I think they are fine for light duty use.

 

[Olyteddy]

 

[DeckArtist]

Yep, but he can do that since the same company now owns both brands.

 

[gwinger]

I saw a professional painter line a 5 gallon bucket with a trash bag, then poured the paint in. I had never thought of doing that even though I have been using roller tray liners for years.

But you will never see a professional painter put his brushes in a refrigerator or freezer. They clean them after every use. I have some high end Wooster brushes that get cleaned every time I use them. Shaking the water out of the brush, it will dry overnight.

 

[8Muddypaws]

Cheap rollers are OK but brushes are for precision work like mounding , trim, and cutting in. No cheap brushes in my painting cabinet.

 

[Old_Crow]

I used to buy those cheapo "chip brushes" from Harbor Freight by the box. Good for paint stripper, POR-15 and other stuff that's hard to clean out of a good brush.
Also good as BBQ brushes for my gas grille, where I don't need those long handled ones.

 

[Oldgator73]

Cheap rollers are OK but brushes are for precision work like mounding , trim, and cutting in. No cheap brushes in my painting cabinet.

To each his own. I might paint a room every 5-10 years So a cheap brush does me just fine. I can cut in just as well with a $2 brush as I can with a $30 brush.

 

[Ex-Calif]

To each his own. I might paint a room every 5-10 years So a cheap brush does me just fine. I can cut in just as well with a $2 brush as I can with a $30 brush.

Yup - Me too. Every time I clean and save a 4 inch brush in a zip lock it's useless when I try to use it a year later - LOL...

I haven't painted a room in 20 years.

 

[Chef Duane]

Keep an eye on paint brushes that you use for BBQ sauce don't shed the bristles a lot. I was judging a BBQ Cookoff once and one guy's submission was quite good but there were paintbrush bristles in it. He got dinged for it.

 

[Babe2201]

Cheap rollers are OK but brushes are for precision work like mounding , trim, and cutting in. No cheap brushes in my painting cabinet.

I do not have a painting cabinet but I do use cheap brushes especially when I have a small project to do and it is going in the trash right after.

 

[Boat Bum]

The last thing I painted was a mental image and I ran out of paint...

 

[gwinger]

Yup - Me too. Every time I clean and save a 4 inch brush in a zip lock it's useless when I try to use it a year later - LOL...

I haven't painted a room in 20 years.

If you clean the brush properly after every use, it will last for years. My Woosters are over 10 years old. I use Dawn dishwash with some fabric softener added. No need to put the brush in a zip lock bag. Just wrap them in newspaper to keep the bristles straight.