Fishing tools

[TT009]

I had my doubts as well before buying this tool.

This tool you may say is not worth the money and you can get it for $97 dollars cheaper, but I will say this is the best tool I own.

You can find magnets at a store for $3, but the roller magnet is what sets it apart from the others. You can roll this tool right down the wall without hurting the surface.

Ten seconds or less?
I have my doubts.

Yes 10sec. to fish an insulated wall. I timed it.

 

[MAK]

I had my doubts as well before buying this tool.

This tool you may say is not worth the money and you can get it for $97 dollars cheaper, but I will say this is the best tool I own.

You can find magnets at a store for $3, but the roller magnet is what sets it apart from the others. You can roll this tool right down the wall without hurting the surface.



Yes 10sec. to fish an insulated wall. I timed it.

Do you drill an offset hole like that? I don't know why but it just seems wrong to me. I saw the video but it does not convince me enough to drop $100. on the product.

 

[bikeindy]

I had my doubts as well before buying this tool.

This tool you may say is not worth the money and you can get it for $97 dollars cheaper, but I will say this is the best tool I own.

You can find magnets at a store for $3, but the roller magnet is what sets it apart from the others. You can roll this tool right down the wall without hurting the surface.



Yes 10sec. to fish an insulated wall. I timed it.

We are not trying to say the tool is not great. We just prefer to make up our own and save money. I hardly use a magnet and chain. and fishing a wall includes the time to drill a hole and place your fish device 10 sec is an exaggeration but I will give it to you I have pushed a fish tape in an insulated wall and had it fished in 10 sec as well. Every wall is different, like the ones with fire block in them.

 

[aline]

I had my doubts as well before buying this tool.

This tool you may say is not worth the money and you can get it for $97 dollars cheaper, but I will say this is the best tool I own.

You can find magnets at a store for $3, but the roller magnet is what sets it apart from the others. You can roll this tool right down the wall without hurting the surface.



Yes 10sec. to fish an insulated wall. I timed it.

I own this tool as well.
I have yet to fish a 10ft. insulated wall in 10sec. or less with it.
It takes me more than 10seconds to climb into the attic.
What about drilling the hole in the top plate?
What about cutting the opening in the sheetrock?
What about attaching the cable to the pull chain and pulling it up the wall?

If you don't have a helper you have to climb back out of the attic and use the roller magnet to guide the leader to the opening, attach the cable to the pull chain, climb back into the attic and pull in the cable.

I can push a flexible rod down an insulated wall in less than 10 seconds.
I don't consider the wall fished until the cable is installed.

I'd really like to see you video tape yourself fishing an insulated wall in 10seconds or less.

I still have my doubts.

 

[mivey]

I own this tool as well.
I have yet to fish a 10ft. insulated wall in 10sec. or less with it.
It takes me more than 10seconds to climb into the attic.
What about drilling the hole in the top plate?
What about cutting the opening in the sheetrock?
What about attaching the cable to the pull chain and pulling it up the wall?

If you don't have a helper you have to climb back out of the attic and use the roller magnet to guide the leader to the opening, attach the cable to the pull chain, climb back into the attic and pull in the cable.

I can push a flexible rod down an insulated wall in less than 10 seconds.
I don't consider the wall fished until the cable is installed.

I'd really like to see you video tape yourself fishing an insulated wall in 10seconds or less.

I still have my doubts.

He is obviously talking about the portion of the exercise where the roller magnet is applied.

I have performed this step in just a few seconds with a coat hanger, on an easy fish of course. I have left the hard ones alone for a day and come back later (double/triple walls with insulation and purlines on an outside wall with low sloped roof, etc).

 

[Ohmy]

How do you avoid hitting the wiring stapled along the joists?

There is big risk when using flex bits but in the right hands there are bigger returns. We install hundreds of can lights a month and are known in the area for not making any holes ever. Maybe once a year we hit something in the ceiling or come out in wrong spot. Its no good, but things happen. We pay to have whatever we hit professionally repaired and thats the end of it.

Like Larry is getting at. You should have enough money in the job to cover mistakes quickly and professionally. Sparky420 can add "flex bit" mistakes to his list of business expenses if its not there already.

Nothing peeves me more than going to a kitchen and seeing 3 or 4 holes where the "electrician" fished the wires. They are always as good at sheetrock repair as they are at fishing wire.

 

[bikeindy]

There is big risk when using flex bits but in the right hands there are bigger returns. We install hundreds of can lights a month and are known in the area for not making any holes ever. Maybe once a year we hit something in the ceiling or come out in wrong spot. Its no good, but things happen. We pay to have whatever we hit professionally repaired and thats the end of it.

Like Larry is getting at. You should have enough money in the job to cover mistakes quickly and professionally. Sparky420 can add "flex bit" mistakes to his list of business expenses if its not there already.

Nothing peeves me more than going to a kitchen and seeing 3 or 4 holes where the "electrician" fished the wires. They are always as good at sheetrock repair as they are at fishing wire.

Hundreds of cans a month? I want to know how you are advertising yourself. Except for the Hundreds of cans a month part Ditto Here. We do hundreds a year but I want to do hundreds a month.

 

[LarryFine]

Hundreds of cans a month?

Yeah, and in 10 seconds, too.

 

[Ohmy]

Hundreds of cans a month? I want to know how you are advertising yourself. Except for the Hundreds of cans a month part Ditto Here. We do hundreds a year but I want to do hundreds a month.

Oh you know. Word of mouth, church flyers, and nice business cards. All that other stuff like yellowpages, SEO, and direct mail is for suckers

 

[Ohmy]

Yeah, and in 10 seconds, too.

When we use the magnet roller

 

[readydave8]

As far as diversibits go I've had places where they've worked and others where they have'nt.

What do y'all do when there is a diagonal cross brace in the wall? The bit won't start , it just slides up or down to the stud. I don't remember if I'd ever tried the placement tool when this happened, now I can't find it. If it works I'll buy another one.

I had 15 sconces to fish and had to make extra holes that need to be patched at two of them. Do I know how to fish? Depends on which sconces you're looking at.

 

[charlietuna]

I have tried most of those posted--but for the past 15 years we have used a 30 section of 1/4 fish tape.
Across ceilings and down walls (insulated or not) you can fish it anywhere. We like an eye on it about 5/8 diameter which sides back inside 1/2 flex and with a little tape on the beginning of the flex, it will follow the path of the fish tape! In ceilings, you can bend the tape to go where your shooting at ! Rolls up easy=stores easy=cheap=can't wear it out !

 

[bikeindy]

I have tried most of those posted--but for the past 15 years we have used a 30 section of 1/4 fish tape.
Across ceilings and down walls (insulated or not) you can fish it anywhere. We like an eye on it about 5/8 diameter which sides back inside 1/2 flex and with a little tape on the beginning of the flex, it will follow the path of the fish tape! In ceilings, you can bend the tape to go where your shooting at ! Rolls up easy=stores easy=cheap=can't wear it out !

I've never seen a fish tape drill holes in joists. outside of that i am with you it is one of my favorite tools. but I have them all in one form or another because some jobs just go eisier with a different method.

 

[~Shado~]

As others have said....different jobs require different means to accomplish task.

I too have several mentioned.....typically I use an old 25' measuring tape that the end tore off, so I just bent it back and taped it closed. Works great for fishing insulated walls as a one man deal. The auto rewind keeps things going smoothly while I push what ever I am fishing up the wall.

 

[jmellc]

So you like those? Maybe I will try them. I have used various 5 and 6 foot bits and found that many of them dull up after only a couple of holes, for sure aren't good with nails. I get more and more wary of blind drilling too, after cutting some audio cable once and having a near impossible job of splicing it through a cut out joist.

 

[jmellc]

Rods

Rods

I have 2 sets of fiberglass rods. I like them a lot. I also have a collapsible pole with hook, 24 foot I think. It's great for reaching across an attic or inaccessible crawl space. I keep a bundle of ceiling hanger wire too. Excellent for some fishing. And if you ever work somewhere with a compactor, look for long thin wires with a loop at one end. They are good too.