Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Pub Talk). This thread is read-only.
I followed a few other channels early on besides TIA and they are either hardly posting any new content or are dead like Toolselect. It’s pretty noticeable change that happened over the past few months.
I noticed that too. The others were probably trying to make YouTube a full time thing and never had enough viewers.
Very true. Do you notice ToolSelect has 14,000 youtube subscribers. And they are not even around any more. What’s up with that. The TIA guys bust their ass and have had to earn every single new subscriber.
They did have about 35,000.
I didn’t know that.
I just don’t see much from people that used to be fairly active like A Concord Carpenter, Tool rank, or Tool Box buzz. The number of video reviews has really plummeted.
Tool Select had some money behind it so they were able to push out a ton of content and probably some advertisements.
Just to let Dan and Eric know this news should not stop the daily updates though I do enjoy them and a bunch of others do too.
Eric and Dan work their ass off. People don’t realize the amount of time invested in reviewing tools. It takes hours to do a video by the time you stage everything, shoot the video, edit and caption it, etc. you can easily have 10 hours invested in a single video. Not to mention the thousands of dollars of audio/video equipment required. Even writing a blog review takes hours if you’re thorough with it. Writing, research, photos, etc.
I hope they make a lot of money for their hard work. They deserve it! It’s all them. Doing everything. Lot of F’ing work.
I know what you mean Conductor it’s no joke writing a tool review. I know from personal experience now I can’t imagine doing videos on a daily basis. I was just surprised by the general lack of updates now by sites that were fairly active before. I wonder if those sites only review tools from certain companies now. I mean Dan and Eric review everything from a caulk gun to safety glasses. Other places don’t even touch those kinds of tools for the most part.
A very good friend of ours son is the owner of DCP productions here in Maryland. They do a lot of the GEICO TV spots. I have been lucky to have done some set work for them and I was shocked that amount of time it takes to make a 30 sec. spot. Just the little bit of time that I have seen tells me that Eric and Dan put a tremendous amount of time it to what they do. So my hats off to them.
If you would like to see some of the work and behind the seen video check out DCP http://www.dcpproductions.net/work/
When you take the time to read the reviews, watch the videos, have group discussions etc. you really get a feel for how great Eric and Dan and the rest of the staff do. I was a contributor and member at Tool Select and when I went on my nearly year long hiatus I discovered the site was gone. I liked Tool Select and met several great guys and gals on the site. That site allowed me to find TiA and become a member here. I don’t belong to Facebook or social sites per say but I have met a lot of people I genuinely care about through this site. I belong to another site and have seen some bashing from people in regards to TiA (don’t worry, I ” ” corrected ” ” those people and will continue to do so. Eric and Dan and you all too, do a great job. I have asked questions on TiA and you guys have always responded in kind. TiA is my home for support and direction as well as friendly banter. Period.
The problem is that you need views in the millions range to make some real money. Most tool reviews are in the tens or hundreds of thousands range and that isn’t real money.
I wonder what happened to tool select. I remember they had a website, now if your Google them it redirects you to YouTube
Well here and the nice hospital with the metal bars they keep me in. Kind of hard to type with that backwards coat on. Thank God for voice to text.
The only tool sites I check on a daily basis is TIA, and Tool Guyd his site is great for power tool rumors and news. The others I’ll check as time and boredom allows.
Tool Select was a high dollar operation. Lots of advertising money behind it. Accordingly, Tool Select was essentially a commercial. Very little critique or objective material. Manufacturers are being very conservative with their advertising money right now and as the money dried up, Tool Select folded.
Yea Tool Select was basically taking the idea of an infomercial and putting it on YouTube. They had reps show off tools all the time in the studio, and never said anything negative about tools and equipment they reviewed.
People like to see reviews that highlight a tools strengths and weaknesses. If you don’t offer the bad with the good you aren’t going to garner the trust you need to be successful. TIA is the most honest review blog out there IMO and the following seems to be very loyal.
I think that is true. The members seem to be completely true to TiA and it shows in the forum. Tool Select had a decent forum with some really good members that contributed regularly and some of them have come over here and continue to do the same. The members that I don’t see here, I miss hearing from. Some really skilled tradesman and regular Joe’s like me too that know quite a bit.That’s good, it’s good to see regulars contributing there knowledge on our forum here. When I found out about TiA a couple of years ago I was really stoked and have had some great help along the way by the members here and I like that. Additionally the plus is the video reviews that Eric and Dan put out high quality and funny as heck.
I don’t know if any of you remember what it was like before the WWW. I would log on to message and bulletin boards. It was all text no pictures. Their where tons of wood working boards and some tool boards, then the internet hit everyone that had a board try to make the jump. A lot of them disappeared some made it. At first, the ones that made the transition did okay but with more and more people coming in looking for updates, things of interest they could not, keep up and they faded away also. Then you tube came along some of the woodworking sites took that leap also and did okay. Now the tool guys started out okay then they started to turn into infomercials.
I started to watch TIA back around 2009 just two guys Eric and Mike in their garage telling you what they thought was their honest opinion and it always felt that way when you watched. I have watched over the years and Eric and Dan have turned it into two guys in their garage give us their honest opinion and it still feels the same as it did when they started out.
I was always a lurker on the forums joined in 2013 and just started to get active. There is a great group of people here willing to help and share info. That is what makes this this place so good to come to. I think that we owe Eric and Dan a lot.
We do owe them a lot.
I’ll be honest I can’t really remember how I got Involved watching TIA’s videos now. I might have been just searching on youtube for a power tool review at the time I was looking at the new Dewalt 20v lineup and I did end up buying it, but returned it because it was going to take awhile for Dewalt to add more tools, So I jumped over to Milwaukee when they launched the new M18 Fuel stuff, and became a big Milwaukee fan. I also tried the Ridgid X4 kit too, but the same problem lack of additional tools to expand to like an angle grinder or impact wrench.
Cordless tools have came a long way from 10 years ago. My grandpa is absolute bkown away at what they can do. Automotive cordless tools are better than ever now. The air hose is one of the biggest pains there are. My dad has a snap on cordless 1/2 impact that he bought used and it can take a wheel off of a school bus. Honestly the only thing a person would need a compressor for now is to air up tires.
Ryobi has a cordless tire inflator which has came in handy many times, It’s getting harder and harder to justify a compressor unless your media blasting, or painting.
Plus the compressor scares the crap out of my dog. Hello Ryobi Airstrike!
I don’t think I will give up my pneumatic nail guns but I can see my pasload nail guns being replaced with battery tools.
Yeah those guys are fun to watch. Even their off topic rants are entertaining. Like the other video I watched about their “review” of mcdonalds. These guys crack me up.
One of my favorites is how Eric stares at Dan while Dan’s talking and then it completely throws off Dan’s line of thinking, funny stuff
I liked the Dorcy flashlight review where Eric denied doing anything bad ever his dead pan reaction to Dan was effing hilarious!!!
I think it is funny when Dan asks Eric why he is laughing (in just about every video), but Eric is never laughing before the question.
I’m right there with you guys. I probably owe the most to Dan & Eric.
I feel like I owe them as well.
I think they owe me, because of their damn reviews I’m going broke buying tools! (just kidding, guys. Love the content!)
That’s the way this shit works BK. One day you’re cruising the internet reading about tools, the next thing you know you have 40 ratchets.
That is how I was conductor, except it was wrenches with me. I now have about 10 different sets of wrenches.
I know ratchets are your thing like a collectable Conductor, but I just can’t wrap my head around having 40 different ratchets :).
You’ve got me beat nick. I only have a shameful 7 sets of combo wrenches 🙁
I will count them tomorrow to get an exact number. You definitely have me beat in the number of ratchets, I have 15.
and i thought owning 5 drills was bad (i’m back to 3 now). you guys are nuts!
I’m not a woodworker like you guys. I do a lot of automotive work and metalworking. A lot of my wrench sets are specialty sets.
I take that back, I have 9 sets of combos. I forgot about the 2 26 piece Cratsman sets I bought last month to put away for Conductor Jr.
In addition to those I have:
1 16 piece set of Proto ASD’s in standard (1/4″ – 1 1/4″)
1 21 Piece set of Proto ASD’s in metric (7-27mm)
1 11 piece set of Proto pre-ASD’s in standard (5/16-1″)
1 11 piece set of Gearwrench Combos in standard (5/16-1″)
1 14 piece set of Gearwrench combos in metric (6-19mm)
1 8 piece set of stubby Gearwrenches in Standard
1 8 piece set of stubby Gearwrenches in metric
I also added Blackhawk ratcheting combos in standard all the way to 1 1/4″, but I don’t count that as a set.
I’m guessing I have around 500 sockets. I had close to 300, then I found a too good to pass up deal on some new old stock Blackhawk sets and ordered 2 100+ piece sets.
Probably 100 or so screwdrivers, probably 50 pair of pliers, and a dozen or do adjustables.
I have 15 sets of wrenches.
I bought a 12 piece set of Blackhawk ratcheting combos in metric this morning, so I’m up to 10.
15 is impressive
I don’t have near as many sockets, pliers or screwdrivers as you though. I probably have 250 sockets, 50 screwdrivers and 25 pliers. Basically half.
NicholasShetley wrote:
I don’t have near as many sockets, pliers or screwdrivers as you though. I probably have 250 sockets, 50 screwdrivers and 25 pliers. Basically half.
I’ve got a few years on you. You’ll catch up.
Once I get into tech school I will probably buy more tools. I need more metric tools and better cordless tools.
I’d save up and cash in on that Mac discount…..wish I got 50% off on the Mac truck!
I’m not much of an Internet buyer, so I guess I’m lucky there’s not a local source that I’ve found for Proto, JH Williams, Wright….