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Do what yer' Momma said...
Go Play!
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Which RV Toolkit? - View Thread
I was about to purchase the RV complete toolkit from Avery for approx $1800 when I discovered a similar kit from ATS for approx $1400. Has anyone any experience / opinions on the ATS kit. Someone told me the Avery kit hand squeezer has interchangeable heads for dimpling. I am not sure if the ATS kit has the same. Also which rivet gun should I go for? 2x or 3x - I am building an RV7a.
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Which RV Toolkit? - RE: - View Thread
Well, I orginally bought my tools from ATS. Then I bought real tools from Avery when I discovered how bad the originals really were. So I got to pay for tools twice, and learn a lesson I should have learned long ago. Quality is worth the price.
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Which RV Toolkit? - RE: - View Thread
Almost everything I bought from ATS or (choke, gasp) U.S. tool, I had to buy again from Avery or Cleaveland tool. You will actually save MORE buying the proper, quality tool ONCE. As opposed to buying the cr@p tools, then having to buy the quality ones in the end. Many times I said "geez, I wish I'd had this one all along". I could go on at length about the alleged "squeezer" I got from U.S. Tool. Had to replace that boat anchor really soon. And the bucking bars didn't have any face at right angles to the handles. That made for some clinched rivets before I figured out what was happening. The list goes on. Lastly, would you fly a plane where the manufacturer said "here, fly this plane...it was built with the cheapest tools we could find!"
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Which RV Toolkit? - RE: - View Thread
The avery tools are all very high grade, precision tools any will do an excellent job, especially his dimple dies. The other cheaper stuff just doesn't compare. I bought the cheap stuff and was disappointed and ended up selling the stuff cheap at the Aeromart and buying the good tools from Avery and Cleveland.
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Which RV Toolkit? - RE: - View Thread
Go to Van's homebuilder's dinner at OSH, chances are you'll be sitting with Bob Avery or someone from Cleaveland. When the door prizes are drawn, the stuff is from Avery or Cleaveland, not ATS. Send Bob Avery an e-mail sometime with a problem, he'll write back and fix it. Not only is that great customer service, they're one of us. We know them, we can talk to them etc. I'n sick of being WalMarted and HomeDepoted to death. Sometimes lower prices aren't worth the loss of customer service from people we know. Sometimes, we have to step forward and support businesses because they're worth supporting even if it costs us a couple of dollars more, because in the end, we'll be much better off.
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Which RV Toolkit? - RE: - View Thread
I was about to purchase the RV complete toolkit from Avery for approx $1800 when I discovered a similar kit from ATS for approx $1400. You'd have to compare the contents of the kits and if pretty much the same, then find out where the cheaper kit is cutting corners. Two rules when building an airplane: 1. You get what you pay for, and 2. Always buy expensive tools - and only cry once. Has anyone any experience / opinions on the ATS kit. Someone told me the Avery kit hand squeezer has interchangeable heads for dimpling. I am not sure if the ATS kit has the same. The dies, not the heads, determine the function. A "no-hole" yoke, or "zero-length" yoke is an exception. Also which rivet gun should I go for? 2x or 3x - I am building an RV7a This is a personal preference. Depends on your build, the strength of your hands, your sense of timing... it's something to learn by trying the different guns. The 2X hits lighter but more frequently at a given air pressure. The 3X will hit a little harder but not as fast. Lighter folks tend to like the 2X as they can control it better. Bigger guys tend to like the bigger guns. These are my personal impressions from our chapter members and personal experience. I like the 3X cause it will seat a rivet faster and I have less opportunity to screw up. I can finesse it easier as well (two or three taps to finish off a shop head). But that's just me. Whatever you do, remember rule 2!
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Which RV Toolkit? - RE: - View Thread
My experence with Avery has been vary positive. Never a problem with their tools. I can't say about the other guy. Most of their tools are imported knock offs. You'll be dealing with people who not only know tools but also know the RV aircraft. Spend the extra bucks, be happy.
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Which RV Toolkit? - RE: - View Thread
All things being equal.... $400 is quite a bit of money. However..... paying a few dollars more for outstanding customer service and supporting an "RV Guy" would make it well worth it. I would call Avery Tools to see if both kits are apples -vs- apples. If Avery is still priced higher.... make them an offer or tell them what ATS will sell the same tools for. I got a 10 % discount from Avery last time I made a purchase and they matched/beat their competitor with no questions asked. I've never spent money with ATS, but Avery has always been great! My money is on Avery being the better supplier.
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Which RV Toolkit? - RE: - View Thread
I bought some stuff from ATS a long time ago that was not up to the standard of Avery or Cleaveland. The dimple dies marred the skin, and I eventually tossed my squeezer from them into the junk bin after buying Avery's. I think there was a couple of other tools I bought from ATS that I ended up not using too much because the quality wasn't there. At the time, I was new to building and didn't know any better. I think Avery does a good job, and it is worth the extra money for high quality tools. Maybe ATS is better now becuase that was a long time ago, but my experience was bad.
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| The "cover your butt" section |
This website was built to document my work on my RV-9A in
compliance with the FAA requirements needed to certify my aircraft. My experiences and comments are by
no means to be considered as instructions on how to build an RV-9A or any other aircraft.
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