I'm back up and running with a new and larger power supply thanks to some excellent and speedy work by Island Microtek.
This week Canadian Tire has the genuine versions of two often copied tools on sale. Wiss brand aviation snips are on for 35% off at $11.29. Also on, at 30% off are Picquic multi-bit screwdrivers from $4.89 - $9.39. If you are not familiar with Picquics check out my blog entry from June 27th, 2008.
If you find yourself looking at the Wiss snips and are unsure which pair to buy I'll give you a couple of tips. If you are buying snips for steel stud work, ignore the right hand vs. left hand designations on the packaging. They are correct for how you would use them in other applications, but exactly opposite for steel stud work. If you are right handed you will be best served with green snips and if you are left handed you will be best served with red snips. Many guys get caught up with what is on the package and learn to make do with the opposite pair and thus you will see an awful lot of red snips in use with right handed guys who would be better of with greens. As for the yellows, there are a lot of guys who use them, and there are other uses they are good for, but in my opinion yellows are not a good choice for interior systems work. If I have the time I will try to upload some pictures to demonstrate why the one works better than the other. If you already have the wrong pair and are kicking yourself, don't worry, you really need both. There are some applications like shadow wall mold where you have to make cuts from both directions. The difference is the amount of use you will put on the "off" pairs. In over 20 years of use I am only on my 3rd pair of reds, but have likely gone through 10 times that in greens. Wiss makes 2 other types of snips that are very good for some parts of interior system work. The first type is bull dog or notching snips. They feature heavy short blades for cutting thick materials. The other type are the Wiss Multi-masters with the long blades. They work great for cutting expanded wire lath. My last tips are to carry at least 2 pair in your tool box and a replacement spring. This way you can save your newest pair for finish work like t-bar ceilings and vinyl and metal trims, while using the older pair for framing. With a replacement spring you'll be back up and running when you inevitably break a spring
It's a good week to buy work cloths at the Tractor Supply Store, a.k.a. TSC. On sale are Dickies unlined cotton duck overalls for 25% off at $33.49. At 40% off, are Dickies work socks. Several styles of workboots are on for 20% off and Riggs denim and their cotton rip-stop carpenters pants are on for $23.99 at 40% off. For the girls, at 30% and 50% off respectively are Dickies' women's hooded flannel shirts and Dickies' women's work pants.
