What are you planning to do with your stimulus money?

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
@doublejj
Not that I was planning on blowing shit up outdoors out here, you know me, i’m more indoor kinda guy. The pollen we get sprayed with from that hemp farm near by sucks for the regular crop. Selling lb’s for 700 :-( it’s not even seeded bad but people are little bitches. not worth it to me. I can get 2k+ for indoor, year round :-) but i’ll still have an outdoor regular crop too just not that big
 

doublejj

Well-Known Member
@doublejj
Not that I was planning on blowing shit up outdoors out here, you know me, i’m more indoor kinda guy. The pollen we get sprayed with from that hemp farm near by sucks for the regular crop. Selling lb’s for 700 :-( it’s not even seeded bad but people are little bitches. not worth it to me. I can get 2k+ for indoor, year round :-) but i’ll still have an outdoor regular crop too just not that big
Yeah I forgot about the Hemp fields.....that sucks.
 

DrUgZrBaD

Well-Known Member
Do you have overdue bills to pay? Are you planning on making a purchase? Saving it? Investing it? Forfeiting it?

I am torn. I've been waiting for Porter Cable to make a cordless blower to add to their cordless lineup. But with the acquisition of Craftsman it appears Porter Cable is now dead in the water. So I was thinking of investing in a new power tool suite. But I can't decide if I want to join the camps of Dewalt or Makita. I like Makita tools better for reliability but I think Dewalt for longevity. I'm worried Makita being their own brand will eventually maybe be bought and fazed out. Just like my Porter Cable and my Hitachi before that. I do feel lucky that these are the tough decisions I have to make in regards to my stimulus. I realize to some this is just a bandaid on a bullet hole.
Go dewalt, makita batteries are terrible, I’ve taken them in under warranty and been told 60 charges is plenty!
I had a dewalt 20v battery kick the dust the other day, I’ve had it since 2014 and it’s been used and abused hubdreads if not a thousand times.
The new 20V/60v lines are awesome as well
 

neosapien

Well-Known Member
I run a Milwaukee M18 1/4" impact, and it's an absolute beast. I've used Dewalt and Hitachi drivers, as well as the Ridgid brand from Home Depot. I would definitely recommend the DeWalt over Porter Cable, you'll notice the difference immediately. DeWalt is basically the industry standard. They perform great, are reliable, and decently priced.
That being said I'm all Milwaukee when it comes to electric hand tools. I've got a drill called the Boss Hog or something, its older than dirt and still runs like a dream. My M18 has a couple extended batteries, and it's a rare day when I go through more than 1 battery on a jobsite during the day. Milwaukee to me seems to be brute power. When I built my cabin, I was running 12" long screws through 2 true 6x6 posts, no hesitation. But so much torque will snap a screw if you arent paying attention.
When you're looking at new tools, look for repair parts. Higher quality tools are meant to be repaired, not discarded. I just put new brushes in my M18 a couple months ago. I've been using and abusing this driver for 7 or 8 years now, still works like the first time I used it. Good luck in your choice, it's always exciting to get new tools!!
I'm planning on using my stimulus to build a bedroom/bath addition onto my cabin for my Mom.
Go dewalt, makita batteries are terrible, I’ve taken them in under warranty and been told 60 charges is plenty!
I had a dewalt 20v battery kick the dust the other day, I’ve had it since 2014 and it’s been used and abused hubdreads if not a thousand times.
The new 20V/60v lines are awesome as well
I started out with Dewalt. The 14volt NIMH back in the day. No cause for complaints really. Just wanted to expand and the price point fresh out of high school was a deal breaker. So I went to Hitachi. Still in NIMH days. They weren't bad, used them for a couple years. Then came lithium ion and I liked the weight difference. So I opted for Porter Cable. Been using them for about 4-5 years. Again with no cause for complaints. But I want a small blower . And PC appears to be dead. Thus my search. My uncles and cousins all use Makita and love them. So I have first hand accounts of their reliability. Never used Milwaukee but I know they have a reputation. Almost fanboy like. Dewalt almost feels conceited to me lol. I'll probably just wait a couple months and see who has the best Father's Day deal.
 

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
not grid tied right? Off grid?
Check out these guys. They’re outta Mt. Shasta
The dude will design a setup for you. The dude knows allot. Basically you want the panels facing South for the best perfomance. You might want a ground mount? They don’t give a shit about permits. Permits are only necessary on grid-tied. You HAVE to get a permit on grid tied.
They don’t install though.
 

DarkWeb

Well-Known Member
I work with a lot of metal, wood and other materials. I like Makita but you have to do your research. Look at the specks......not just volts......there is different tools that look identical to ones in big box stores. Even across the same brands. Metabo makes some good stuff. Also when you get one of those "kits" it's a couple ok things but lots of filler crap. Nice to get a variable speed grinder with anti-vibe handle. Variable anything is nice since different hardness material will like to cut better at different speeds. Real money for real tools though. Sorry for the wall of txt :)
 

doublejj

Well-Known Member
not grid tied right? Off grid?
Check out these guys. They’re outta Mt. Shasta
The dude will design a setup for you. The dude knows allot. Basically you want the panels facing South for the best perfomance. You might want a ground mount? They don’t give a shit about permits. Permits are only necessary on grid-tied. You HAVE to get a permit on grid tied.
They don’t install though.
IDK for $5,000 I can buy a 22kw Generator with 200amp service. and get a 1000gl propane tank...
1586732904023.png
 

raratt

Well-Known Member
Yup. But with that tracking mount you’re talking a whole new level of money lol.
I know, even doing stand alone racks is more than standard roof mount. Shouldn't be that hard to make them though. Panels on the roof also help shade it which I thought was also a bonus. It would be cool to make adjustable racks for the change in sun angle.
 

DarkWeb

Well-Known Member
IDK for $5,000 I can buy a 22kw Generator with 200amp service. and get a 1000gl propane tank...
View attachment 4531783
I got quotes from 3 companies when I was going to do it. Sunriver Solar out of Grass Valley beat the others by about $4K. 25 year bumper to bumper warranty, They said they'd pay me $500 for referrals also...lol.
A electrician I know that deals with a lot of those up here (2nd home ski house) said those are easy money especially when you need to sign a service contract to keep that warranty.
 

raratt

Well-Known Member
A ground mount not only costs more, it’s fucking crazy how many poles you need to sink. Lots of work.
They aren't light, so it takes some serious posts.
A electrician I know that deals with a lot of those up here (2nd home ski house) said those are easy money especially when you need to sign a service contract to keep that warranty.
This company was including inverter replacement from an extended manufacturer's warranty with installation included, no contract.
 

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
They aren't light, so it takes some serious posts.

This company was including inverter replacement from an extended manufacturer's warranty with installation included, no contract.
Definitely good to have an extended warranty on the inverter/s.
With something like a not so big off-grid setup, you do the grunt work and then have an electrician hook up the panels to inverter etc. if you don’t know what you’re doing. Gonna pay out your ass to have a solar company do it all.
Not sure if I told you this yet. Turns out, that even though you have to have a minimum solar system on new construction here in CA now, i don’t have to. There was an existing house that had burned down on this property around 8 yrs ago :hump:
That and fire sprinklers. Don’t HAVE to do that either because replacing a house. Not to mention i’m saving around 6K of impact fees i don’t have to pay.

if i was rebuilding up in paradise, you have to have sprinklers no matter replacing a house or not.
 
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