PSA: Don't cheap out on drain snake cables like I did

I had a clogged kitchen sink last month and had to pick between a $20 manual snake from the hardware store or a $60 one with a drum and a better cable. I went with the $20 one thinking it would be fine for a few small clogs. Big mistake. The cable kinked up on the second use and I had to cut it out of the pipe with a hacksaw. Then I bought the $60 one and it cleared a 15 foot blockage in about 5 minutes. That cheap cable just can't handle real pipe bends or grease buildup. If you've got an old house with lots of turns, spend the extra money up front. Has anyone else had a cheap tool cost them more in the long run?

4 comments

4 Comments

wren63822d ago

Made the same mistake with a cheap auger a few years back. That thing got stuck so bad I had to pull the trap apart and fish the cable out with pliers. Ponying up for the decent Ridgid model saved me a ton of hassle since then.

murray.jana22d ago

Gotta love when a "bargain" tool turns into a full-blown wrestling match with your plumbing. @wren638 I'm picturing you hunched over that trap like a mechanic on a deadline, pliers in hand, muttering every curse word you know. My cheapo auger snapped inside a pipe once and I had to chip it out with a drywall saw, which really just made a bigger mess. Ridgid all the way after that, lesson learned the hard way for both of us.

ray_martinez8222d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, I feel this so hard... bought a "heavy duty" auger from the flea market once and it twisted itself into a pretzel before I even hit the clog. Spent the next hour trying to untangle it from the pipe like I was defusing a bomb.

rowan_thomas8422d agoMost Upvoted

Grabbed a cheap auger from a garage sale and it got twisted up so bad I had to cut the cable with bolt cutters right at the trap. @wren638 that Ridgid was a game changer, I got one after that and never looked back.