PSA: That $20 drywall lifter on Amazon is a waste of cash

I spent 6 months fighting with one of those cheap metal drywall lifters. Cost me $20 plus shipping. It bent on the third sheet and nearly dropped a 12-foot board on my head. I finally dropped $160 on a proper roto-style lifter from a supply house. Has anyone else here had a cheap tool almost ruin a job?

2 comments

2 Comments

xenarobinson1mo ago

Oh man, I feel this in my bruised ego. I bought a cheap lifter once and it basically folded like a lawn chair halfway through my ceiling. I ended up holding the drywall up with my head while screaming for my neighbor. My neck hurt for a week and the sheet still cracked. I learned the hard way that some tools you just cannot cheap out on unless you want a trip to urgent care.

the_ben1mo ago

Hold up, are we really calling urgent care over a drywall lifter? I've used a cheap one from Harbor Freight for like five years and it's still kicking. Maybe the trick is to not load it like you're stacking bricks. I've balanced full sheets on my shoulder before and it's no big deal. Sounds more like operator error than a tool failure. Sometimes people just want a reason to upgrade to the expensive stuff.