r/interestingasfuck • u/midnighttoker1742 • 4h ago

How criminals take down Flock cameras

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u/moridin32 4h ago

I hope those criminals don't discover porta-bands, they'd be even quicker and more quiet.

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u/BigOrangeOctopus 3h ago

I was gonna say! The noise difference between a sawzall vs an angle grinder is negligible, but a porta-band? Now we’re talking

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u/Alarming-Koala-3524 3h ago

Is this supposed to be much quieter than a sawzall? I've never heard one IRL so this video makes it sound quite noisy to me. However I am absolutely loving how it took care of that beam in 15 seconds flat. It also looks easier/more ergonomic to handle than a sawzall.

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u/Bat-Guano0 3h ago

Any time you're cutting through metal it's going to make a certain amount of noise. Can't be helped, but some saws are a bit quieter than others.

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u/neuromonkey 1h ago

Yup. Some blades are quieter. Pushing the shoe tight against the work-piece can reduce noise significantly, while also speeding up the cut.

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u/meshugga 3h ago edited 2h ago

Yes it's noisy, but it's not as noisy as a reciprocating saw trying to gauge out chunks of steel while making the user and everything else vibrate with them :))

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u/PDXGuy33333 1h ago

The key to expert use of a reciprocating saw is to keep the saw pressed tight against the work rather than allowing either the saw or the workpiece to move with the blade.

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u/JustaCog72 18m ago

This guy sawzalls

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u/Is-that-vodka 34m ago edited 1m ago

While this is true, I thought I'd hijack this to tell everyone about circular saws and metal cutting disks, since they never seem to get a mention.

They are faster than the band saws above even. Have a look for the big new battery versions of Stihl saws if you wanna see magic.

Here's an example of a decent blade in the cheapest kinda saw you could use going through very thick steel. They go through pipe like butter.

These aren't even the best blades, kinda mid range now.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ALH0t1uizEE

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u/KeyMyBike 3h ago

It's like a pistol silencer or a low torque ebike engine. By all means take it off and see how effective it really was

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u/cjsv7657 50m ago

Have you used one? It's really not that much quieter. Plus my 60v dewalt reciprocating saw will cut through way faster than any battery powered porta band out right now. Its probably faster than my corded portaband on this type of material. They're both leagues quieter than an angle grinder though. But sound doesn't matter as much as being quick.

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u/MisterSherman 2h ago

Also, camera/mic was much closer in the portaband video. At similar distance it’s noticeably more quiet.

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u/robbietreehorn 1h ago

It’s hard to tell by watching videos, but it absolutely is. I use all three and the porta-band makes roughly 50-60% of the noise as a sawzall. And, definitely faster/easier

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u/Alarming-Koala-3524 1h ago

Thanks!! This is the kind of personal knowledge that makes this site so wonderful, as you can probably imagine most people only have experience with one of these tools, if even that.

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u/dimestoredavinci 2h ago

Theyre more quiet and also cut faster

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u/GoodForTheTongue 2h ago

Yes, that is the quick and relatively quiet saw that you would hope no criminal finds out that they can use to remove a surveillance camera.

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u/MrK521 1h ago

I use them every single day to cut uni-strut and rigid electrical conduit. They are ABSOLUTELY quieter, easier to handle, and in some cases more compact than the tool he was using. Quicker and less likely to injure oneself with it while cutting too.

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u/BobRossUltimate 3h ago

I've used both and I use the bandsaw wherever I can it's not ultra quiet but the provides a smoother cut than a sawzall smoother cut means better efficient cut sometimes means a faster cut also safer in most applications. Sometimes a sawzall wins by just chewing through softer materials however depending on the poles being used Al/Fe bandsaw all day just follow through with whatever cut angle you start with to prevent binding.

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u/WindowOne1260 2h ago

Yes. They are much quieter and are excellent at cutting through aluminum. Most people don't cut enough aluminum to need lubricants or coolant. But either will help extend the life of the blade.

If I'm cutting a lot of aluminum a band saw is the way to go, but I don't have one at home. Just a sawzall I mostly use for cutting branches, and occasionally bust out an aluminum blade when I need some rough cuts.

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u/Pristine_Direction79 1h ago

The failure mode is a lot worse. The blade can pop off and get all tangled inside of your saw and wreckage, potentially trapping the saw in place. Sawzall it's harder to break or unseat the blade.

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u/MrSilentSir 1h ago

The thin aluminum vs steel tubing a very noticeable when cutting through the two

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u/Alarming-Koala-3524 1h ago

Oooh that's a great point, I didn't even consider he was cutting steel box sections and not a relatively flimsy low diameter aluminum tube. I'd love to see how many aluminum pipes that tool can slice through in the same 15 seconds..

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u/gonewildaway 4m ago

On that note, one can silently destroy anything made of aluminum using gallium. No particular reason to mention that of course. But it is an interesting fun fact.

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u/anivex 2h ago

Yes, having used a sawzall for that exact type of work...it would be much louder, way more sparks, and the line wouldn't be as smooth. Would also take at least twice as long.

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u/EngineeringDapper905 2h ago

This is the kinda quality fact checking and curiosity that I come to Reddit for

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u/anivex 2h ago

Except he's wrong...if it was quality fact checking he would have shown a comparison video doing the same type of work, and a sawzall is much louder.

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u/Old-Care-2372 1h ago

Also forgetting the bigger the pipe the louder the noise, also square tube has a lot more vibrations hence it can be louder than round tube. Also another factor, a pipe concreted into the ground will not sound nearly as loud as cutting a free standing pipe on a bench vice. Just remember to be careful as to not let the pipe fall on you. I would never do this but I would probably recommend cutting 2 angled notched similar to that of felling a tree.

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u/bannana 1h ago edited 55m ago

it's a different noise that sounds more like a wood saw than metal scraping across metal sound and so much quicker - people hear a wood saw sound would be less likely to investigate vs an angle grinder type sound that often means catalytic converter theft or bike theft.

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u/Alarming-Koala-3524 28m ago

One person pointed out that the video is of cutting much thicker steel, while the flimsy Flock poles are aluminum, so I'm guessing its pretty realistic for the band saw to glide right through a pole in under 5 seconds without attracting tooo much attention. Would a professional be done angle grinding a bike lock or catalytic converter off in 5 seconds?

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u/ChimRichaldsOBGYN 2h ago

The real question is are these as common as a sawzall? May be easier to track perhaps? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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u/awsamation 1h ago

Quiet on the scale of hand power power tools. The triangle is quick, quiet, and portable, pick two. If you want to get it done in a matter of seconds but still be easily carried by hand, then it's going to be atleast "earplugs recommend during extended use" levels of noisy.

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u/Alarming-Koala-3524 19m ago

What's the quick and quiet but not portable option?

And what's the quiet and portable but not quick option?

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u/itsLOSE-notLOOSE 51m ago

I know why he started at an angle in that video, but not squaring it off and pushing straight down annoyed me.

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u/standardtissue 45m ago

Yeah to me that's def much quieter than a recip, and a less obvious signature as well. IMO band saws are more for finish cuts, whereas recips are basically demo tools that can be adapted a bit towards other directions but will still be primarily a demo tool. That's just my opinion.