Wasted 80 bucks on one of those fancy cable toner kits from an online ad

Turns out the cheap 20 dollar one from the hardware store down the street works just as fine for tracing lines. Anybody else get burned by those overhyped budget tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

hollyramirez22d ago

My buddy Mark spent 60 bucks on one of those fancy toner kits from some Instagram ad. He was all excited to trace some cat5e runs in his dad's basement after a storm knocked everything loose. First time he used it the probe battery died and the tone was so weak he couldn't hear it over his own breathing. Next day he grabbed a 25 dollar one from Lowe's and it worked perfect right out of the box. He still gets mad about it every time someone mentions toners.

jones.blake22d ago

Man, I've been there too. Had a $80 Fluke toner die on me halfway through tracing a bundle of lines in a crawlspace, battery compartment popped open and the spring broke. Ended up borrowing a buddy's old $25 Klein Tools unit and it worked fine, even through drywall and insulation. @hollyramirez tell Mark he's not alone, I still keep a cheap backup in my bag just in case because those fancy kits can let you down hard. Did he ever try to return it or was he just stuck with it?