What’s the most useless tool you have ever bought?

[Kern Dog]

Anyone that has been to Harbor Freight has seen some single use tools or something that addresses a problem that a tool at home already fixes.
I’m interested in comments on any tools you bought that didn’t work, broke easily, you only used once, etc.

For me, for today anyway...it is this 15 lb piece of junk.
In construction, it makes for a better day when we can listen to music. In 2017 the Wife bought me this “Job Rocker”. It plays no tapes, no CDs but has AM-FM and Bluetooth. Well, it did.
Within about 3 months, I was working in light rain and the radio started cutting out. Then it started seeking stations and wouldn’t lock into a station. This was marketed as a Construction rugged radio but it obviously can’t take a little rain. This is like a car that runs great until you go to drive it.
Ok, fine. I’ll use it in my shop and just link it to the phone and play from Pandora or something else
The last three days, it won’t pair to Bluetooth no matter what I do.
Technology sucks when it fails. I guess for work I’ll revert back to my corded mini boom box that has about a half inch of dust on it.

 

[DeltaV]

A small click type torque wrench from AutoZone I purchased around 15 years ago. Doesn't click. Used once.

 

[DeltaV]

A large electronic torque wrench from Craftsman/Sears I purchased around 1987. Very sensitive, beeped and threw errors all the time. Then, after a year (of course) it stopped working altogether. Yeah, one year warranty.

 

[DeltaV]

Craftsman 15 mm socket split down the side. I was not abusing it. It was in a set I bought around 2003. The chrome is flaking off the other sockets.

 

[Cojohnso1]

I bought a $2 flashlight from Walmart. Chinese and they didn't put an on/off selector switch. I kept the flashlight as a reminder. And have gone back to Walmart since. Coming up on 4 years.

 

[w.Hudson]

Technically I didn't buy these but my mother did.

Back in the 80's when I was a teenager, my Mom bought me a 5 gallon bucket full of sockets at a garage sale.
I was very surprised and happy to find that they were all Snap On brand 1/2 inch drive chrome sockets !
Only one problem. They were all in 64ths and 32nds sizes. There must have been a dozen 17/64th sockets in there !!
The seller said that they came off of a government jobsite.
I have been a mechanic all of my life and never have found anything that those sockets fit on.
I still have them to this day.

 

[Badvert65]

I had one of those snap ring pliers with the interchangable tips. A big useless piece of doo-doo.

 

[WileERobby]

Toilet bowl plunger. I keep trying to suck up #1 piston to TDC through the spark plug hole with it, but it don't work !!!

 

[bolson6333]

Didn't buy it but the Drill Doc.I got for Xmas long time ago.

 

[Daves69]

One of these........

The heating element burned out on first use.

 

[69B7RR]

Purchased 2 Craftsman torque wrenches, one a 3/8 drive, and the other a 1/2. Used them for the first time several months later. Both head ratchets spun and would not set without manipulating the clockwise/counter clockwise lever multiple times. The 3/8 drive, snapped off a bolt, apparently from an improper factory calibration. Discovered both were made in China. Anyway, both were the cheapest, most POS tools I’ve ever bought. I trashed them both.......Happy Thanksgiving to u guys.....Jim

 

[SattyNoCar]

An inch pound torque wrench from Harbor Freight. Bought it to do the plenum upgrade on the 3.9 V6 in my Dakota. Used it ONE TIME, and it self destructed. Sounded like a bag of potato chips being crushed. Took it back, they didn't have another, wouldn't issue me a credit, pretty much forgot about it for 4 yrs until I moved earlier this year.

 

[SattyNoCar]

In construction, it makes for a better day when we can listen to music. In 2017 the Wife bought me this “Job Rocker”. It plays no tapes, no CDs but has AM-FM and Bluetooth.

At Home Depot several years back they were selling a waterproof single speaker for 'job use' that used bluetooth. It lacks some of the bass that a more expensive unit may have, but it plays pretty loud and clear. I use the free versions of iheart radio and spotify with it. I was using at work and usually use it in my garage. And its rechargeable. I paid all of $20 for it back then. Maybe find something comparable?

 

[Kern Dog]

Remember these?

 

[Kern Dog]

I actually did this on the job to mess with some young guy. I put an air compressor fitting on a power cord and told him the nail gun could use electricity or compressed air.

 

[493 Mike]

I bought a double flaring tool for use in tight spaces but, it doesn't clamp tight enough on the tube to stop sliding when making the first step of the flare. I believe I saw it in a magazine and spent my money for nothing (but the chicks are free)!

Mike

 

[3sloppydogs]

It was a stupid tool that holds the top of the the shock stud while you loosen the nut. The stud broke off in the tool and never came out. Visegrips work much better

 

[Kern Dog]

I bought a double flaring tool for use in tight spaces but, it doesn't clamp tight enough on the tube to stop sliding when making the first step of the flare. I believe I saw it in a magazine and spent my money for nothing (but the chicks are free)!

Mike

YES! Those are terrible. I threw down the bucks and bought an Eastwood unit and feel like a baller when it is time to flare lines.

 

[Charles Cook]

I bought like five 10 mm wrenches at one time before.Totally useless because I can’t find a damn one of them.

 

[Hilljack68]

"Useless tool"?? Oh man, I'm just dying to post something political, but I'll refrain.