u/Ammo_sexual69

So, over the past few weeks I’ve been buying tools to replace the tools that were stolen from me when I moved to AZ from TX. Currently mid Divorce, just separated from my wife a few months ago, and i moved to AZ to help out my elderly parents since my mom is having a few surgeries this year(all orthopedic thankfully, nothing overly major) and my parents are nearly 80. Because i cant have a concrete schedule to help out with my parents, I’m doordashing full time and don’t have much spare money to play with or invest in tools.

A few weeks ago I was in walmart just killing some time between orders. I decided to check the clearance aisle and noticed there was a surprising amount of Hart and Hyper Tough products in the clearance section so i decided to go check out the tool aisle since there were actually a couple Hyper tough tools i actually wanted.

Lo and Behold pretty much every kind(not brand) of power tool that was stolen from me happens to be on clearance, many of the tools being well over half off. I decided it was time to invest in a cheap set of tools since i have to replace my Honda Element’s K24 engine very soon and i have a lot more automotive and at home DIY type work that i need to do for my parents.

I wasn’t able to afford to buy all of this at once. That said, i took advantage of my doordashing style(higher dollar higher mile orders that take me all over the place) and Walmart hopped every chance i got. This is the list of tools in order of acquisition:

$40.00 - 12v Extended Reach ratchet
$20.00 - 12v cordless rotary tool
$8.50 - Open/damaged box clearence 4ah battery
$27.00 - 12v cordless ratchet
$18.00 - 12v impact driver
$18.00 - 12v 2 speed drill
$20.00 - 12v Digital tire inflator
$60.00 - 12v max 3/8” Impact(not on sale)

I will have to admit, i get why the 3/8” impact is NOT on sale. It comes with a 4ah battery ($35 separately) and a fast charger ($25 separately), so it actually is a killer deal.

If you are in a situation like me and you really need tools for cheap, I highly recommend taking advantage of the hyper tough sale.

For those of you who haven’t been a part of my stolen tool replacement saga, heres a quick backstory: Im in the middle of divorce, just got separated a few months ago and had to move halfway across the country. During the move, not only was my car broken into while i was loading it, my storage unit was broken into and was essentially cleaned out… moved to AZ to help out my elderly parents with my moms surgery so im doordashing full time until all of that is done and over with. I also have to replace my engine AGAIN so i decided to get a budget set of power tools specific to automotive work and basic at home DIY stuff.

Well i wound up going back to Walmart for the Hyper tough 12v max 3/8” impact. Did some thinking about the tools i used most during my engine swap and transmission swap on my honda element and also the tools i didn’t have but wish i did. I have the “wish” category covered minus a die grinder and reciprocating saw.

During my trans swap i found myself reaching for my compact Milwaukee more than any other tool so i figured just going the compact route with HT was the way to go especially since it meant i would have a stockpile of batteries already. The only torque spec on my element higher than the nut busting torque of the 12v max impact are the CV axle nuts and i have a massive corded impact i like to use for those, so i realized i really don’t NEED a big impact for now.

Also managed to pick up a screw in my tire today, literally the day after i buy the tire inflator lol
So i quickly plugged it and threw the inflator on to fill it back up. Definitely isn’t the most powerful inflator and i wouldn’t describe it as anything close to fast with the 1.5ah battery in it, but when i threw in the 4ah battery, it sped up considerably and struggled much less at the higher pressures. Definitely a win. Going to pick up a second one if i can to put in my parents Lexus for emergencies with the plug kit i put in.

But for me, all im looking for now is the 12v die grinder and the 12v reciprocating saw.

The Hyper Tough 12v max impact was full price, $59.99, comes with a 4ah battery AND a fast charger (almost purchased one separately the other day, I’m really glad i didn’t). Haven’t tested it on anything yet but will have a chance this weekend when i replace my throttle body.

This is what a pieced together $200 clearance sale tool kit looks like. It may not be the same quality of the tools that were stolen from me, but they will give me back my mechanical independence and improve my quality of life quite a bit.

For any of you that are in a tight spot like me, I HIGHLY recommend taking advantage of the Walmart Hyper tough/Hart clearance sale. Ive even seen 1/2’ Hart impacts for sale for as little as $33 without a battery/charger and $50 with.

But to be able to have things like a rotary tool x2, electric ratchet, impact driver, brushless drill, a tire inflator, and a 3/8” impact, all WITH batteries and chargers, all for ~$200 is a big deal, especially since hyper tough no longer makes donkeycum quality tools.

So i already posted about the hyper tough line of tools at walmart being on clearance(along with the Hart brand but HT is the subject of todays discussion).

First off, Walmart dropped the price of the extended reach ratchet to $32 from $40. Thats less than half original price

I went in to pick up yet another tool on clearance, specifically the brushed impact driver thats on sale for $18 and noticed they had 2 different drills on sale too. The older single speed 12v cordless drill for $17 and the 2 speed for $18. Figured why not at that price point, especially considering a 12v 2ah battery by itself costs $25. Granted the tools only come with 1.5ah batteries, but the comparable value is insane.

Tomorrow im going to go back and pick up the 12v battery fast charging deck and a 6ah battery. If im feeling frisky I’ll probably wind up adding another tool to my Hyper tough collection.

And in case Y’all are wondering why I’m obsessively buying HT tools like this, it’s because of my current situation. Im in the middle of a divorce, just had to move from San Antonio to Phoenix to help take care of my mom for her upcoming surgeries, and im currently having to doordash full time to make a living since no job will let me work the odd hours i need with my mothers upcoming needs.

But to top it all off, before i moved, i had a full collection of name brand tools (for power tools I had Milwaukee and Rigid, for manual tools i had mostly craftsman) that my wife not only threw away, but the majority of tools were stolen while i was loading my Honda element up. Original plan was to make 2 trips from TX to AZ to get all of my stuff but whoever stole my tools literally cut my load in half and i was able to fit my whole life inside of a honda element…

So, im now in a situation where i am having to not only do all the maintenance on my vehicle(literally finished swapping my transmission the day before i moved), but im also having to Do a bunch of DIY home repairs for my parents NEW(they are the only people to ever live here) home. I had Thousands of dollars worth of tools stolen, along with my metal detectors(worth more than the tools), the majority of my coin collection, and even a bunch of random documents/photos. I amassed those tools since i was in high school(graduated 2009) and a bunch of the tools were my grandfathers, including some VERY expensive and VERY specialized marble sculpting tools. In my current situation, i never would have been able to amass as many tools as i have with this Walmart/Hyper Tough Clearance sale.

So heres the list of tools I’ve snagged so far and the total cost pre tax:

$27.00 - 12v Cordless 3/8’ Ratchet
$40.00 - 12v Cordless extended reach 3/8” ratchet
$20.00 - 12v Cordless rotary tool
$18.00 - 12v Brushed cordless impact driver
$18.00 - 12v Brushless 2 speed 3/8” drill
$8.50 - 12v 4ah battery(open/damaged box clearance)

Total: $131.50

So for less than $150.00 AFTER tax, i was able to get 5 power tools, 6 batteries, and 5 chargers that area all interchangeable and will do about 90% of the tasks i need power tools for.

Plan is to buy a few more 6ah batteries, the 12v brushless 3/8’ impact, 12v die grinder, 12v disc grinder, and MAYBE the 20v 1/2’ impact if things go well the next couple of weeks.

This way i will have a functional set of tools i can use until i can afford to piece together a new set of higher end tools.

Sorry for the novel. Ive been holding that in for a few months Apparently lol. The amount of stuff i have lost or had stolen because of this divorce is crazy. Ive never appreciated cheap tools as much as i do now.

In the next couple of weeks im going to be dong a ton of work to my honda element so im going to end up writing a big review of the hyper tough line coming from a DIY’er’s perspective.

Title says it all. A bunch of the 12v line of HT tools at Walmart are on clearance, presumably because they are rolling out new models.

I managed to get a 12v rotary tool for $20, a 12v ratchet for $27, an extended reach 12v ratchet for $40, and managed to snag an opened/damaged box clearances 4ah 12v battery for $8.50. That’s less than $100 for the tools with 3 chargers and 4 batteries.

Most of my tools were recently stolen during a move after my separation so money is tight and this is the absolute best bang for the buck I can manage to get for now.

Will be going back for a couple more things later this week.

Also, the ratchet with 3/8” to 1/4” hex bit adapter is amazing for assembling ikea furniture lol. I actually beat the estimated time in the instructions.

So I recently purchased an Arteck HB066 Folding Bluetooth keyboard specifically for the purpose of having a small portable keyboard I could use for gaming on the go since im a mouse and keyboard player

The Arteck is one of two folding keyboards i ordered to try out. My main concern was having enough keyboard to game while still being able to fold it up enough to fit in my travel bag. The Arteck is the smaller of the two keyboards i ordered and I have no question that it will fit in multiple places in my travel Ally x bag.

My main complaint is the fact that it uses a micro USB instead of a type C charger. This is literally the only device i own that still uses a micro USB charger so that means i have to carry an extra charger with me if i want to use this keyboard.

That said, it’s a fairly minor issue. I love pretty much everything else there is about this tiny folding keyboard.

My main concern with using a cheap folding keyboard was latency. Well i didn’t notice any at all while typing or while doing my 8 hour fallout 4 marathon.

The keys are smaller and more compressed than a standard keyboard. I actually didn’t find this to be an issue. The keyboard feels like it was pulled from a netbook and the keys are nice and tactile without being overly loud, which is also solidified by the fact that i didn’t wake anybody up in my house while playing overnight.

The hinge mechanisms do not lock so it’s a bit tricky to type with this keyboard on your lap. It’s really not made for that so it’s kind of a non issue but definitely something to note. Another annoyance to note is the fact that the escape key isnt a single key. You have to press Fn and Esc. Not a huge deal but it got me killed in fallout last night lol

There are a ton of shortcut keys and function keys that all work as intended. Not only that, this keyboard can be connected up to 3 devices at a time and switch between devices with a simple keystroke. I tested this with my ally x, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and a cheap android tablet. The keyboard worked perfectly with all of them.

The case is actually made of aluminum and feels very durable.

My only other real complaint is the fact that the keys are not backlit. Ive seen a few models with backlit keys but they always seem to be sold out.

The Arteck is currently on sale with a coupon on amazon in case anybody is interested.

100% reccomend. It’s honestly the best keyboard under $30 ive used. If you’re a mouse and keyboard gamer and you want a keyboard you can take on the go(literally fits in my pocket when folded) and you don’t want to break the bank, this keyboard is a fantastic option and pairs perfectly with my Asus ROG ally X

This is the update i promised last night!

I did an 8 hour marathon fallout 4 session on my Asus ROG ally X using the Arteck HB066 folding keyboard.

I really didn’t have high expectations because of its size but it actually surprised the heck out of me! Not only is it comfortable to type on but it’s comfortable to game on! Most importantly, there was ZERO latency issues. I compared it to my aluminum 65% keyboard plugged in via usb type C and i didn’t notice any difference in gameplay.

I actually found that the Arteck has a feature that prevents me from jumping by accident, which is a problem i have with all normal mechanical keyboards. The space bar on this folding keyboard has a partial lip around it, preventing me from accidentally pressing the spacebar when i rest my thumb on the edge of the keyboard.

All in all I highly recommend this for those of you who like to game on your ally x with a mouse and keyboard and you want a portable solution.

It pairs extremely well with my Deluxe brand sliding travel mouse

So I ordered a couple of folding keyboards to try out with my travel gaming kit. One is a mechanical keyboard that is still fairly chunky and then there is this one that showed up a week early from the expected delivery date, which will be the subject of today’s partial review.

My main concerns with a Bluetooth keyboard are latency, especially on the lower end of the price spectrum like this one is(currently on sale for $24 with coupon), how the keys feel, and how durable it is.

A little about my situation: Im in the middle of a divorce, just moved halfway across the country, and I’m getting ready to live out of my honda element full time so space is a major concern for me, so much so my ally x is not only my only gaming device, its my only computer i own so ive gone down an accessory rabbit hole, testing mice, keyboards, and other accessories aimed at mobile life.

So far i haven’t done any gaming with it, but i have been doing a ton of typing, taking advantage of the keyboards ability to switch between 3 different devices with a simple keystroke. I haven’t noticed any amount of latency doing regular tasks but that may change when the gaming commences. I actually really love the feel of the keys as they remind me of a netbook i used to have and love. The keyboard is a compressed 60% style so the actual keys themselves are smaller and closer together. I have very large hands and long fingers (6’2” 186lbs) and i find this keyboard very comfortable except for one thing. The backspace position… instead of being diagonally up from the letters its directly left of the letters which takes some getting used to but isn’t too much of an annoyance.

The keyboard also uses a micro usb port for charging which seems crazy this day and age, but im guessing is part of the reason why it’s on sale. Another reason would be the lack of a locking mechanism when it’s open. It’s hard to use this keyboard when it’s on your lap because if you put too much pressure on it the whole thing will fold up on itself. Having some kind of simple locking mechanism and adding a few bucks to the price would definitely be worth the money imho.

It pairs extremely well with my sliding/collapsible mouse and is about the same size of my iPhone 13 Pro Max when folded up

I still have the folding mechanical keyboard showing up in a week so look forward to that review, it’s the one im most excited to write. The idea of a folding mechanical keyboard excites the heck out of me.

So far, if i were just purchasing the Arteck to use as a general portable keyboard for basic PC tasks or to use with a phone or tablet, i would be super happy with it. It’s definitely going to become a permanent part of my travel bag regardless if the mechanical keyboard fits or not.

Will post a gaming review later tonight after my marathon fallout 4 session with the Arteck HB066 folding keyboard

If anybody wants the link ill post it

So I’ve been looking at a couple of folding keyboards for a while. When I logged on to Amazon last night I found one was on sale for $24 and the other had a used like new option for $32(regularly $52). I said screw it and decided to order both so I could do a comparison.

I wanted a keyboard I could use for gaming on the go or inside my Honda element since I’m a mouse and keyboard player. I have set up a travel bag that fits my ally x in its ROG brand case, my ONEXGPU, a travel mouse, 100w charger, JSAUX dock with fans, cables, and even a power bank. The keyboard is the last piece I’m missing.

One keyboard is a slim tri-fold keyboard and the other is a true mechanical keyboard that folds the long way lol. Both are aluminum and both are similar layouts(wanted to get two keyboards that do the same thing but differently).

The mechanical keyboard is the one I’m most excited for. My keyboard I use at home is a solid CNC aluminum case keyboard that I absolutely love so having a similar keyboard for on the go will be nice.

The other keyboard is essentially a laptop keyboard that folds up. Very interested to see how both function.