NO SPONSORSHIP to skew my views.
TOTAL GARBAGE – or Are there GEMS?
TEMU tools are here and they need to be tested. So in this weeks video I decided to buy 15 tools for £140 of my own money and gave them a test.
So many of these videos just open them and dont test them so here are a few that I have tested.
A few links to the tools you have seen
PICA FINE PROPELLING PENCIL – I got the one with the H leads to avoid breakage.
UK LINK – https://amzn.to/3LEzr0Q
OTHER PICA PENCILS
PICA PENCIL – UK LINK – https://amzn.to/3oEiQCm
US LINK – https://amzn.to/3MRBs9I
PICA REFILLS – UK LINK – https://amzn.to/3OTqVha
PICA BUNDLE – US LINK – https://amzn.to/3oWgVsM
NOT BENT MARKING SQUARE
UK LINK – https://amzn.to/46afCqC
US LINK – https://amzn.to/48CciX1
Starrett Combination square – UK LINK – https://amzn.to/3M8TwgN
US LINK – https://amzn.to/3HJRuRz
Self Centring Drill bits (BOSCH ) – UK LINK – https://amzn.to/45I05OV
US LINK – https://amzn.to/3WJNiHP
All UK links are for products that I have used. US links are the closest I can find. They are recommendations made from my experience, your may differ.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It is a small income to the channel at no extra cost to the buyer.
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Visit me at the following places.
email – startmaking2022@gmail.com
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/startmaking2022
Website (early stages). www.start-making.com
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#Woodworking #diy #woodworker
43 Comments
Let me know if there are any tools you have bought from TEMU that you recommend.
You only get what you pay for, always buy a brand name.
The tool to get the stripped screw out are called easy outs, you need to drill a hole first then use the bits….easy.
Thanks!
Mark!! It’s NOT you! You are amazing to spend your money to help us – so that we learn not to waste ours!! You are commended, my friend. Thank you for your dedication to your craft. We are the beneficiaries of your dedication!
P.S. I hate that the “SUBSCRIBE” saw points right into your head! Maybe raise it higher up?
The square when they come through not bent… they are not square. Compared 3 different ones to Woodpecker square by 731 woodworks and Flynndogg woodwork. The 90 degree ones you got may have been a fluke.
Hello. Not to be to lah-de-dah, but that is not how you use a screw extractor. The extractor needs a pilot hole in which to dig in to.. and then (by hand) you extract the screw with the reverse thread. smaller screws are tricky, because you need to drill the pilot hole in the shank, without destroying it and then use a small extractor.
A sincere congratulations Mark. You are the first “maker” of the many I follow who acknowledges that receiving free items (let alone a sponsorship), has a likelihood to influence a tool review!
The other makers (US based), all seem to believe that as long as they aren’t being told explicitly what to say by the manufacturer or reseller, (Temu for example), than they are free from influence bias when they are given gifts in the form of free items to review.
They may know how to plane a board, but they know little about psychology or journalistic standards.
I’m not bothered by influencers getting a commission, but what I find amusing is the emphasis on the fact that they earn a, “small,” commission on sales. True story, I own my own home, raised two children including paying for college, and have a comfortable retirement all paid for by 30 some odd years of making a sales commission that averaged @ 5-6%. Cheers
Banggood is much better
I find buying from China is more trouble than it's worth! If you're really short of money buy used vintage tools locally and restore them, if you can afford to spend more on respected brands do that, or more practically employ a combination of both options.
And breaking news (my wife is reading a news app while I'm typing, very weird coincidence)…. Temu steal your personal data! That'll explain why Mark is suddenly getting burried in spam (keep an eye open for unexpected bank transaction mate!). Is it worth getting into bed with a company that's ethically bankrupt, and very possibly catching a dose of cyber-clap just to save a few quid on tools that might arrive in an usable state? My advice… keep it in your pocket! (in this case I'm talking about your money, but you get where I'm coming from).
19:47 is there a link for this dowel jig please? Great vid thanks
Surely they should replace the damaged pieces?
Loved your honesty!
Just catching up on your vids. This one tastes like click bait 😉
Never heard of Temu till I watched this video.
I'm curious, did you try to return/get refunds on the broken/bent bits? My experience is they're more than happy to give your money back (as store credit instantly, or back to your payment method in a couple days) for things that got damaged in transit.
Another good honest assessment Mark. I’ve recently done something very similar and tried my luck on a number of Temu tools. I had to laugh as you found pretty much the same thing as I. Some of it is great for the price and will do but the real cheap stuff is just that. I’m waiting to fit my cheap router lift so I’ll hold final judgement. It really is hit and miss and son constantly reminded of the old adage, buy cheap buy twice. Keep going with the channel matey, I’m always happy to see your updated video footage. Regards, Wayne
A company like this WILL learn by it's mistakes and before we know it there will be Temu outlets bullying Screwfix etc. out of the market . We are already bombarded with Chinese products and we just accept it . Sad but true .
Fantastic vid. btw . Keeping us well informed and up to date, stay on it chief 👊
I watched your video on Temu tools last night. I just finished watching a US woodworker who spent $500 on Temu tools to see what they are. He has one YouTube video on Temu "gems" & another on Temu "garbage." He bought numerous different Temu squares & none of them were square he said. Your video was an eye opener to me. I've seen numerous Temu ads & essentially the same products sold under a couple other names too. After seeing how yours were pack & shipped like a bag of garbage, I'll never order anything from them regardless how cheap their prices are or how bag I want something. I use one of the US "Dollar Stores" for cheap low-use tools. In the last couple of years, I bought a miniature framing square that I can make perfectly square, a 1-ft. square with a plastic body for leveling small items, & numerous LED flashlights, some work okay some are junk. I also buy LED lightbulbs that seem to be okay. I like seeing video tool evaluations like yours because they point out that everything you see in ads isn't necessarily golden. The guy in the videos bought a set of the yellow plastic elevating tents like yours. He thought they were a useful product too.
I have ordered several times from them and have had to return a couple of things. They are excellent with returns! I hope you returned the items that were damaged or bad quality
Pretty much what I expected having tested similar sites previously. My lessons – only get what you need as their only aim is to get us to waste money on what we usually don't need and always assume the quality will be dubious so consider what you are buying with that in mind
Great video as always Mark that seems to be how it goes buying tools off that site so ok but some just trash thanks for sharing your experience. Can’t wait to see what you do with the inside of the new shop .
Interesting. I have found there are very few tools where buying cheap is good in the long run. I figure what i need, find a quality tool that will handle the job, and then i buy the next larger / size / better tool in the line. Why? because I find I under estimate jobs from time to time and the extra capacity from buying the next size up usually saves me. And…even though the tool can be quite pricy, i know I am going to still be using it 25 years later. Oh…and cheap tools just tend to do poor jobs.
I know there are exceptions…perhaps the squares you had on this video would be such a case, but I find the exceptions to be infrequent enough that i dont want to risk it.
Pause at 06:45 – lol. Sums up the way you were feeling…but being honest, if you go into Temu stuff knowing what to expect and don't go for the 'precision stuff', then it's reasonable, but the old phrase, "buy cheap, pay twice" may even end up at 'Thrice or more' with Temu 🙂
Glad you're having fun! Keep up with the excellent videos!
What ever did we do in the old days , Ive given up buying cheap tools on Amazon, ebay , and only buy brand names now Trend ,Bahco cause they work
I would just like to say thanks for the recommendation of the amazon square, at last a square thats perfectly square and doesnt cost the earth.
Nothing cheap is good and nothing good is cheap
Most of the squares you said you can keep I would not, they are too small. In reality you will find there is little use in wood working for these small tools.
I haVe the corner clamps. Mine are square. They work well.
Oh, and their return policy is pretty reasonable. They will take it back.
Thanks for this great review, Mark. Having watched a few review videos of Temu purchases, I'm wary of them, as it does seem a very hit or miss experience. Now I would say I've bought the odd thing from China, through Amazon, and generally been very happy. Got a couple of featherboards which were really well made. I'll admit that when you pulled out the bent square, I had to laugh. But obviously it's not funny when you've spent £12 on it. I hope you can return it (and the others). I'd say if it's something where quality and accuracy is important then it's probably better spending a bit more.
You've "hit the nail on the head", to coin a phrase. Its not just DIY tools, but electrical and other every day items. Some are fantastic value for money, others are just junk. You pays your money and you take your choice/chance.
For the concealed hinge jug (last Item), the jig settings for the cabinet clip appear to be correct. The usual approach is to fasten the mount to the cabinet using the slotted holes first to allow you to set uniform gaps etc, then drill for the round holes once alignment is finalised, and install those screws to lock in vertical alignment. When you placed the mount on the board simulating the cabinet, you appeared to be aligning the round holes on the mount with the marks on the simulated cabinet, thus setting the mount too far back. I have purchased a fair amount of odds and ends from Temu since they launched in Australia, and their packaging can be somewhat haphazard, but the only things I have had come through (US to Australia) that were damaged were some plastic extruded weather seals that had originally been straight but were rolled into a circle to ship, and were subsequently squashed flat during shipping, they retained kinks once straightened rendering them useless as they would drag in places and not seal in others.
1st time here —– item 2 Rip it open with force to bend it showing how bad the thing is lol 18:45 check for square where there is NO item and complain on the item which is not there ???? why such a raised voice ? it comes over so aggressive I'll not be back
One thing I will say is that Temu do give refunds on damaged goods. A lot easier to deal with than Ali etc.
Lovely honest video, thank you 🙂
One thing that I think you missed with the Ts was the precision of the marking holes
Hi, not seen you appear on the home page lately so it was a pleasant surprise. Now as usual I do enjoy your energy, voice tones, gestures, camera angles etc etc. A few questions for my own understanding:
We’re you judging delivery, packing and tool or just the tool? Your setup seemed to be focused on the tool yet mentioned p&p often?
Did you assume all Amazon purchases were prime and so no p&p applied or was the purchaser paying p&p? It makes a notable difference and of course the Prime fee is paid every month regardless if a tool was purchased.
You can of course get refunded (and they do!) for missing/damaged items.
Also, no Temu item comes with instructions!!
I have purchased most of what you had and was fortunate and none were damaged (other stuff was) it just comes down to where it was in the bag!
I found the pocket hole jig to be fine, the corner clamps fiddly but fit into tight places and if not 100% ‘true’ my vice and minimal pressure fixed it.
The screw together tool just needs more time to mess with and some ‘screw tight fluid stuff’ as they work loose.
The hinge jig has worked fine on the four so far, it may be I have done it all wrong of course! 😱 eek!!
Any cheap n cheerful Chinese site needs to be shopped with expectations of getting screwed , it’s the overall win I look for….£50 spent £80 of happiness a win! Be prepared to fiddle a bit with stuff and bin other stuff.
As for Temu, so far I am enjoying it very much however if one wants the really cheap deals then shop now! The money being pumped in by the massive parent company will cease/slow down as sales/mkt share grows.
Weakest part of Temu, well its delivery and that’s the bit we don’t pay for and they don’t do. I do feel like any deliveries a lot depends on your local man….. Second weakest… packaging well Temu are screwing down their 1000’s of small suppliers so hard everything is cut back hence the lack off instructions as well!
It’s all the fun of the Temu experience, as they say with gambling don’t spend more than you could accept losing!!
Enjoyed this very much……thanks
Bob
England
Temu is a garbage exchange.
the square clamps is definitely you mate.
Lol I ordered their "large" epoxy mold for a charcuterie board and it was like 1/8 inch thick and 4 inches wide by 7 inches long. Like anything can be done with that
I purchased the 90 degree angle bracket guide for my Makita track saw rails from Tumu, $18.00. It was 1/16 of an inch off over 48 inches, and I can live with that. A friend bought the same one from Amazon for $38.00 and it was also 1/16 inch off over 48 inches. The only problem I had with Tumu was they spammed my email box with at least a dozen emails a day. I subscribed from their emails and they instantly went away and haven't returned. Will I buy from Tumu again? That just depends on if I want to price shop for something. Good review, thanks.