Let me know if there are any tools you have bought from TEMU that you recommend.

I actually really love buying tools from temu, and wish, but it is more like watching "plan 9 from outer space". I don't expect to get quality tools, but i do get to spend an afternoon laughing my ass off for way less than the cost of a movie. The fact that I get something actually useful once in a while is just a bonus. P.s. It genuinely is a great place to get mass quantities of cheap crap . Like if you need 50 copies of something that is just a basic piece of stamped metal, temu is excellent for that. If you need like fifty quadrillion 1/4 inch square bamboo dowels, they got you covered.

The screw extractor needs a hole drilling in for them to work there more ment for bolts

“I wonder if the free stuff would’ve turned up in one piece” spat my tea out at that one 😂 good video - you’re a braver man then me ordering from Temu!

I have Never seen a Starrett 4-inch combination square priced at $30/27£ - that is the lowest price I've ever seen on Ebay or anywhere. I bought my 4 in Starrett for around $85/£63 & my 12in one for $120/£95. That's great you found it for such a great price, congratulations.

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!

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.

Loving the shop walls! It's awesome to see how well your shop has come together. Yea, I've steered clear of Temu myself, glad I watched the vid, thanks for putting it out there!

Don't want to get all ethical as its not really the place but there is always a human cost behind stupidly cheap stuff. Great video though Mark. Always like your honesty.

Another thing to keep in mind- ALWAYS use the same tape measure/measurement tool that you start a project with! You will fill that not all measuring tools are exactly the same.

That's the most honest Temu video I've seen yet. Thanks.

The screw extractors are for bolts, you drill a small hole and then insert the extractor. for the screws there is a different model.

Never would I use that website, never.

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

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.

A proper "honest Bob" job. 😊 Also noticed you have boarding up now, workshop coming along nicely 😀

Mark, keep the jersey (jumper?) going. It's almost a trademark. My biggest concern with TEMU and those like them, would be giving up any of my personal information to the CCP. Some of the tips/advice you give in this video is bordering on expert information. Another good video, thanks.

3:25 “I hope you can see this” 😅 cracked me up, thinking we can see that from the moon 😅👍🏻

Nice vid, Mark. I’ve got a few things from Temu and have been mildly pleased, but then, I’ve only gone for some cheap items that I wouldn’t have minded if they didn’t work out. I’ve been pleased with my right angled brackets and pencils but I’ve not risked some of the pricier items. I like the look of the T-square with the marking holes. I’ve been after one of those for a while so might go get me one of them. Looking forward to some workshop setup videos in the near future…?

I've bought a lot of #2 phillips head bits and bit holders and have had no issues. I bought the dowel hole jig, but I haven't used it yet, so I'm so glad to see it actually works. After seeing the t-squares and the center finder I will be buying them. Thank you

They also appear to be grabbing info when you log onto their site. Apparently been fined before for ollegal data mining.

Great video, thank you, however..... you know the old adage, you get what you pay for!! Also I personally would not trust a combi square,(yep not even a Starrett) as a reliable square. Thanks again, looking forward to the next workshop vid, keep 'em coming! Cheers

Thanks for dropping the coin so we didn't have to Mark. Hey "cheap and shiny"! That's my nickname.

They seem to have lots of issues, but I’m so tempted by their 12 piece chisel set and cutting board juice groove router jig that both keep showing up on my Facebook feed. They’d be for occasional cutting boards and a beater set of carpentry chisels, but they’re likely not worth the headache from the looks of things. Thanks for doing these kinds of cheap tool videos

HI. The Jig for marking up cabinet door hinges.... you use the hinge portion of the jug to mark out the rear most screw positions only. So it's forward holes in jig = rear holes in hinge. Your rear holes float as they are slotted for alignment. You never drill the front holes until you align the hinge

Had a few bits from Temu , I’ve been quite lucky but it won’t be my go to. Good video and advice 👍👊

Excellent video and process. thank you. Their work pants are pretty reasonable. Therapy equipment is a bargain also...

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!

Kia Ora Mark.. Been down this road as well and yes tested them out and yes like some and ok for me at home.. Looking forward to more 😊

Good review Mark, I would say that your experience mirrors mine except recently I have bought some gear from Amazon that had to be sent back because the quality was poor (polite word inserted instead of the 4 letter one I wanted to use). One thing that a quick skim through the comments doesn't seem to have been picked up - the screw extractors. These were developed, I believe, for the engineering industry a long time ago. We were certainly using them in the late 70s. The demo you showed a clip of was utterly wrong. What should happen is that a small pilot hole just larger than the extractor tip is drilled down the offending screw or bolt. The extractor is then used with a hand tap wrench- not a drill. You could use a drill once you have the extractor started but only on a very low speed setting. I can't speak to the quality of Temu's extractors but it was not a fair test of the technique. However, they do not always work when used properly and if you are using woodscrews there are quite a few ither techniques that may prove more effective. I would provide links but at my age I cannot remember exactly what you tube channel I saw them on. Keep it up.

24:49 I got the little Square and found that if you loosen the bolts set it against a true square while you retighten the bolts it should then be square :):)

I've seen a rash of these temu videos lately. Great to see one that hasn't affiliated with temu. Brilliant video. 🎉

I have a nicer version of those corner clamps. No bend on the connecting rods though. They are frustrating to put together during a glue up, so most of the time now I just use small squeeze clamps and boom they're on and holding my project. There are much more affordable options for corner ninety degree setups, if you like me end up using clamps to install them anyway. Milescraft 4011 8" ClampSquares - 90 Degree Corner Clamp is the way to go. imo. Another enjoyable video. Thank you.

Great vlog as usual and very professional. I assume that you are aiming at a world wide viewer but please use the correct term for things. e.g. tapered holes in hinges and tapered screws are countersunk. Were the screws really Philips head or Pozi? (More common in the UK). Love the new workshop. I've decided French cleat racking is the way to go for my storage. Thanks for the idea. David

I appreciate your honesty and I too have bought from temu but have realised that they will flood the market and eventually kill off competition then watch the pricing. Just saying !!

I took a picture of my faulty object filled their form and was refunded in 10 mins. Better than Amazon. I did look up the bracket template and there was a video showing use including the other side of the hinge. I guess it was a different seller.

Brilliant….the last two, I’m away to purchase but elsewhere! Thank you.

Sweet! Just did the same thing, no real need for the tools, but I spent $40 on tools and a phone case and screen protector, lol. EDIT: About 6 minutes in: Crap...

These direct Chinese sellers can have some bargains...but because most manufacturers seem to have little to no quality control, about 20% of their items come with defects. The bad items cannot really be returned to China, and the sellers tend to play games trying to avoid a refund. It is easy to get burned.

The hinge jig back plate setting seeming too far back on the carcass side could be for inset hinges/doors.

Hey up Mark , the clamping squares.!? :- make your own from scraps of plywood, the rest is subjective , if you’re buying for a one off job that you’ll never use again so long as it works why not, I’ve been using a triton tracksaw that I bought to fit a kitchen worktop and it’s still going strong, 8 years later.!! I’ve bought other tools just to salvage materials and hardware from them because they were just so cheap..!!on the other hand I bought a Bosch heat gun to strip a painted floor!! With constant use I burn’t out two of them which were replaced with a raised eyebrow at the shop I bought it from.!!! Not something you can easily do when they come from China..!!! also furniture auctions for exotic wood, !!! You can buy old solid wood tables And cabinets and strip them for boards for a fraction of the raw material cost, …. If you can buy it at all…. Another great vid..👍💪🏻💪🏻

I have bought loads from Temu for my laser engraving and tools and out of the many items I have bought 1 item was rubbish and the rest are well made and no issues !!!

I ordered a 24" miter slot and insert, and 18" sliding insert, 2 sets of the short inserts with screw holes, and the "nifty" little red 3D speed square. I had very low expectations, but here are the problems I had: My expected delivery window was 04/30/24 to 05/07/24, however, about 24 hours after placing my order I got an email telling me "Your order is confirmed - it being prepared for shipping" and "78.3% are ≤ 10 days. Get a $5.00 credit within 48 hours if delivered after May 7" I got it 05/03/24. That's not the problem. They had put everything in a plastic bag. AND, the only things in the bag were the little red speed square and the short miter slot feet. The bag was ripped and the longer items were gone. After contacting them, they credited my money back and gave me a “20% off coupon” The little speed square was in two pieces that screwed together and not square. The marking on it are a joke. The miter feet fit the bandsaw slot fine but I don’t trust them.

That’s some good advice - For the tools you rely on: Spend it once. Spend it well. I’ve seen other reviews on TEMU tools and they are all fairly similar. Don’t expect good packing or instructions and I have yet to see anyone receive a square that was not bent like yours. Looking forward to seeing the completed shop with a tour and seeing you Start Making stuff!!

Shame the dowel maker didn't arrive. That's the one that keeps catching my eye. Ironically, even through you didn't take their sponsorship, Temu was still the first advert 😃 I've brought some clamps and the self centering dowel joining jig. Not used them yet but they seem well made.

I have bought a few woodworking tools from Temu and have not had problems

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.

Personally I have had loads of stuff from them and it's all been good and I have been a joiner for 40 years did you want it wrapped in cottonwool and that's why it doesn't cost £20 for postage

The carbide burrs are dental technician quality stuff (btw, used for plastic) sold to be used with a turbine (the professional equivalent of a Dremel) - while the temu garbage is made for wood (at least it’s supposed to be for it).

The screw extractor works, just drill a hole on the screw head with a steel bit, then use the extractor bit very slowly in reverse to grip the inside of the screw 🙏🙏 just did it myself the other day for the first time lol

If you have any kind of drill press, a scrap of wood and two bolts. You can make your own center marking jig so long as you can read a tape measure.

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

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.

Never heard of Temu till I watched this video.

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

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 .

Kreg sells the small pocket hole jig. Also, you should use a machinists square or something non-adjustable to confirm other squares.

Great video, I think I'll steer clear of them. Sorry to be picky, but your grey painted wall doesn't work well on video. The plywood was well suited to a woodworking channel.

Loved your honesty!

I've always assumed that you should first drill a small hole in a stripped Phillips head screw before trying to employ an extractor.

Well you get what you pay for. The triangles you could have made on your laser for almost free and the cabinet jig (along with most of my jigs) I just make them out of scrap and they work just fine. You need to check Izzy Swan's older videos. There's some great ideas that will open your thinking on new ideas and ways to do things.

I bought the right angle positioning squares from Amazon ($32) and they are almost exactly the same as Temu's. Everything is the same, even the packaging, but the hole placement is different. The ones I bought have holes that are equidistant from each other. I honestly have mixed feelings about them. They have their uses. I just don't fully trust them. It is possible that I might be missing something as well.

I was wondering if the red aluminium tools were actually woodpecker ones. I think the hinge jig is made to mount the door to the outside of the frame/carcass not the inside

The tool to get the stripped screw out are called easy outs, you need to drill a hole first then use the bits....easy.

Oooh finally, the Temu video I have been waiting for. Man, thanks for doing this Mark, I had my suspicion for some ot these Chinese rip off, and yout video have confirmed some of it. Well... first of all, about the ethical side of buying stuff from a dictator/tyrant led country... I guess some of the comments already addressed it and you already respond to them... soooo, let me move on to the products. As for the rulers, I think i have confirmed that it IS a gamble. Sometimes we get the right-on-square ones, and sometimes we got the flawed (and therefore useless) ones. You got... I believe... 2 faulty ones ? I also have the T-60, cost me about 7.5 pound (current exchange rate), as nobody sells woodpecker squares in my country. And it works with reguler mechanical pencil (0.5mm) As fo the hinge tool... I think you got ther wrong one... Those hinges... there are 3 types of them. The one in this video is the.. ummm.. let's call it "full straight" type. There are also the "Half Bent" and the "Full Bent" ones The "Full Straight" ones like yours is when you want the cabinet door in front of the cabinet frame. The "Half Straight" ones is when you have 2 door/flap on the cabinet, and both have hinges on the center (I hope this is not confusing to read... basically the cabinet have 2 door/flap, and the pull handle is on the opposite end of the cabinet, so the hinges are all in the center board) The "Full Bent" ones is when you want the door/flap within the cabinet frame, instead of on the front. I thik the tool you bought is for the "Full Bent" ones. which is why the marking is so far behind. The screw extractor... yeah they don't work. I bought one set, hoping to extract a fully rusted screw from an old shower holder... the extractor got strip by the rusted screw... --- Lastly... about the palstic ones... Look... in all seriousness... whe we buy these tools from China...we are basically idirectly stealing from the inventor, and giving our money to the Dictator and supporting modern slavery... Soooo... if w'ere gonna steal anyway... why don't we give our money to our local folks ? just a thought, please consider it. Because... these palstics ones... the 3d design is all over the internet. And if someonw in your local area sell a service of 3D printing, you can buy it from them. Heck I bet you that they already have the 3D files. And the Red Scribing Rulers the T-60 and the other one in this video (and also the bent one). The 3D printed version is suprisingly accurate. I know because I have one. Of course, you gotta specifically tell the 3D printer guy, that you need this tobe accurate. They will know which settings in theri machines will minimize plastic contraction and ensuring the end product is accurate

I bought a set of the corner clamps from Amazon 7.1 inches for a set of two was 37$ they’re on sale right now for 26 🤦‍♂️ But they were packaged very well and were a good 90

Amazon tends to wrap their products in paper...which Temu uses lots of plastic. Paper is better for the environment due to its biodegradability.

Ive wonder about stuff from Temu. Think I'll give them a miss from what I've seen. Have you watched Hooked on wood's China tool series. Very good honest reviews from Dennis. Workshop walls look good but i hope that is not the final colour. Makes it very dark inside. Paint them white, you need as much light as possible

I bought a small router table insert, all aluminium and very nicely made and reasonable price although I have since seen it cheaper on Temu.

about those grinding bits i rather pay premium fot he bit than the actual machine because the machines only job is to be somewhat straight in the shaft and rotate which basically cant go wrong. while the bit is the part that does the hard work. sure a cheap machine may be noisy and smell f burnt electronics but as long as it rotates its good enough for sure a more reputable brand may have a bit more umpf and for sure be perfectly straigt in the shaft but it depends presission reuirement on the work u wanna do with it if it is worth the extra cost or not while a cheap bit usually stay sharp for like one cut because they cheaped out on hardening or material so its basically unusable after the first time used. my best example is my knock of Dremel for like $30 i used for the last 10 years or so. The bits that came with it was utter crap and got blunt about the same day doing metal work while my Dremel/Bosch bit kit i bought for about $40-45 for it still mostly going strong ten years later. Sure some bits has broke because handling error aka brain fart or had to do something that it wasn't really intended to do but could do it knowing its probably gonna break so cant really blame the manufacturer for that one.

You're being unfairly harsh against that TEMU square. It can run a straight line around a slight corner! That's a feature you won't get elsewhere! ;)

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.

For your items without instructions, almost everything that NEEDS them have them available on the site in a PDF.

One thing that I think you missed with the Ts was the precision of the marking holes

One thing about Temu you really have to read the advertisements very closely. Temu tools are 50/50 of getting what you want.

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.

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 👊

That was a lot of fun. Thanks!

I haVe the corner clamps. Mine are square. They work well.

Super cheap but also consider the environmental impact of shipping trash across the globe, plus the labour ethics that you’re ignoring. These plus and the quality should mean an overall “don’t do it.”

I don't know why you Brits get all your orders from Temu bent broken or whatever, but I'm in Australia and have not had a problem with anything being delivered broken or damaged in anyway at all, and i have always got everything i ordered, only thing i do not like and it's not from Temu, and that is the packaging after Customs have finished checking through my order. I have been with Temu for over 3 years and not had a problem yet, especially tools.

Thanks!

the square clamps is definitely you mate.

The ethical question is interesting. Should Europeans stop purchasing American tools for example. After all they often have much poorer work placement rights. Often no maternity or paternity leave or pay, only 2 weeks annual leave/vacation time, no access or financially limited access to healthcare, more work place fatalities per capita etc.. I get that this doesn’t compare to life in a sweat shop but where should the line be drawn and how can the consumer know the origin of the product or its parts- often is not clear..

I think you may have used the screw extractor incorrectly. Normally they are threaded in reverse. So you use them clockwise to undo the damaged screw. I may be wrong, but it's how the ones I've used have worked.

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

Concerning Chinese tools I only buy those from reputable manufacturers like Wnew, Enjoywood, Ganwei and Fonson Tools. I only buy them from sellers that I have good experience with.

Does the longer delivery time of Temu vs Amazon detract from the cost saving?

On the hing jig you are missing the actual jig assembly. Not just the flat template! I saw this jig demonstrated by someone else!😫🛫

You must be getting them from a different warehouse than Australia because most of mine have come very well packaged so far

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.

Lovely honest video, thank you :-)

I have two purchases from Temu I ordered the clamping squares and they have suppliers for them. The one I ordered said it was a set. When it arrived it was only only one 90 and two holding clamps mine are square. I complained they gave me a refund and said keep it. I bought a set off amazon beefier and better clamps and 6 pieces arrived not three. The other item is the table saw one direction material guides that are great for of $21.00 USD. They fit perfectly on my Incra TS. LS wonder Fence system 😁🛫

What is the actual name/link for the red t-shaped line/distance tool please?

18:40, I think this one is you. It is not meant to hold square that way as it all depends on how you clamp the square to the first piece. Typically what I see people do when they make cabinets is cut a dado and that'll keep the piece square that way, but this tool is only meant to keep square in the one way.

As a Mechanic, mototbikes, I've had to use the left handed bolt, stud, screw, remover need to drill a hole firdt.. when they work they great but.. Ilike the self centre bits it pays to pay.. bike engines tend to be ally and you tend to have steel bolt easy to mess up and if you snap one in a bolt imposable to drill out.. this of course would be the same for wood.. Great vid as per.. Davey P.. UK @startmaking1

19:47 is there a link for this dowel jig please? Great vid thanks

It looks like you don’t know the process for using the extractor bits. They look like the standard design I was using back in the 90s.

I love a bargain.... but some bargains are not worth it. NEVER buy the sanding discs from there. They don't stay attached for long.

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