Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Hyde 17-in-1 Painter's Tool
Tools of the Trade: I used to work with a former painter who could do just about anything with an ordinary putty knife. In addition to the usual prying, scraping, and spackling, I once saw him use one to open and eat a can of tuna at lunch break. One can only imagine what a guy like that would do with a 17-in-1 Painter’s Tool—maybe build a skyscraper or something.
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5 comments:
I'm generally suspicious of any product that claims to have more than 3 uses- I find that generally things like this have a few practical applications, but in the end it's better to just have a few tools (maybe including a few that have multiple uses) rather than one tool that can do ALL THE THINGS. For example, in a paint shop, this tool might not be especially useful- all the appropriate tools are accessible enough that it would be a little silly to use this. However, I can imagine this tool being very useful indeed in certain situations, such as if you were working outside or somewhere where you didn't have access to many tools, or where transporting and dealing with lots of tools would be inconvenient. I do think it's 16-in-1, not 17; I think calling it a "hammer" just because you can hit things with it is kind of cheating (you could make the same claim about basically any tool with a heavy handle.
Holy moly that is a lot of uses for one tool, 17 I can hardly believe it. Granted you can probably have a couple more tools and get all the same functions out of it. This does look like a cool tool though and would definitely come in handy. One thing I really love about tools like this with so many different practical "work" functions there is almost always a bottle opener. I do not know about you but on the calls I have been on recently I haven't had the need to crack open a bottle, Regardless of that I would probably buy this and have it in my shop. It is valuable to have even one of these and maybe have a few single functioning items that are incorporated into this one too, just in case. Finally, I have to agree with Sarah's last statement, you can turn most anything into a hammer.
I would agree that tools marketed as having an absurd amount of uses usually don't live up to the hype. I'd rather have a tool that does one or two things incredibly well than a tool that does 10 things poorly. In this case what are the practical applications of some of the uses? Do you really need two sized wrenches? What use would a painter have for that? I see the same issue with the bottle opener. Now your painter can crack open a cold brew while they are working, great. I also don't see the need for the screwdriver attachments. In the time it takes to pull the end cap off and put in the right bit you could just walk a few feet and get a real screwdriver that will probably do the job better. I would also agree with Sarah that calling the hammer function a tool is totally cheating.
This is a funny video (The guy is even getting covered up by the logo like Mike from Monsters Inc.), but I doubt it's as useful as they make it out to be. Sure, paint scrapers, can openers, wrenches, screwdrivers, and everything are cool and useful, but they really don't add much to a painter's job. I carry around my muti-tool and a paint can opener with me most days. Aside from that, I usually don't need more than a wrench and gloves on any given day. Brushes are what painters need, and other tools don't need to be combined. If you need to bring your tools with you, compactness isn't in your favor, quality tools are.
As are the previous commenters, I'm usually fairly skeptical with tools that have many uses. However, I see a lot of potential in this one. I think with something like this though you need to look at how many tools it claims to be, and then divide that number in half. In the time it takes to open up the screw driver portion of the tool, you could run and grab a proper screw driver that would work better. Also, IT ISN'T A HAMMER. Just because it has a flat face made of metal and can be used to hit a nail doesn't mean it's a hammer. Going by that logic, most tools can be called hammers (and as long as they're owned by Carnegie Scenic I have no problem using them as such). That being said, as a tool just for painters, I can see some of these crappy tools being somewhat useful. If the head of a nail is sticking out of a surface that you're trying to paint, by all means give it a whack. Also, I think that having a bottle opener on a paint tool is not very sanitary. As much as I applaud Hyde for trying to encourage on the job drinking, that's kinda nasty. Overall, for something less than 15 dollars I would consider buying it, but I would only be buying it for the five things in can actually do well.
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