I tried using a cheap fiberglass rod set from Harbor Freight to fish a wire through a finished ceiling.

The job was a retrofit in an old house in Tacoma, and I figured I'd save some cash. The rods felt flimsy right away, but I pushed on. About eight feet in, the tip snapped clean off inside the ceiling cavity. I spent the next two hours cutting a small access hole to retrieve it, which the homeowner was not happy about. I learned that saving $30 on tools can cost you half a day of labor and a lot of goodwill. The rods just couldn't handle the turns and pressure against the old lathe. Now I'm back to my trusty, more expensive set. Has anyone found a mid-price rod kit that holds up better than the bargain bin stuff?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_wendy3mo ago

Used to buy cheap tools too, until a snapped fish tape cost me a whole afternoon.

mark4363mo ago

A fish tape can snap?

elizabethmason3mo ago

My buddy's bargain tape snapped inside a wall, what a mess that was.

violaramirez26d ago

Wait, the tape actually snapped inside the wall? Like broke clean off? I mean, I've heard of cheap tape getting stuck or kinking up bad but snapping inside drywall is a whole new level of nightmare. @the_wendy I bet that afternoon was rough, but this sounds like a full blown day ruiner. That friend must have spent hours trying to fish out the broken end or just gave up and cut the wall open. Idk man, that's the kind of thing that makes you swear off bargain bin tools forever.