Tool Talk

[Jeff]

I just wanted to start this thread to help people who are starting to buy their own tools make good decisions and get the most for their money. Any suggestions in general or specific deals or cool products can be posted here. I'll start with a few general thoughts I have and things I have learned so far...

1. Tool Trucks - USE THEM If you know a place where one stops each week get to know the owner. Bobby Taylor is our local Snap-On guy and he sure is great to work with. Most tool trucks offer NO INTEREST financing. This is usually on everything but the boxes. Low weekly payments can get nice tools in your box, even on a college budget.

2. Tool Boxes - CRAFTSMAN ONLY. Those or the like. Snap-On, MAC, and Matco are great boxes, but really overkill for most of us. There are used deals out there though, I almost picked up a used Snap-On for $1100 (regular over 4K) but I talked myself out of it.

3. Hammers.... Snap-On is the way my sons. How can you beat a life time warranty, plastic coated, pressed steel ball-peen hammer? You can't.... even at over $50 a pop they are well worth it.



4. Craftsman Kits - Avoid them. This may be a surprising suggestion but I have learned this one the hard way. So you buy one of those 200 piece mechanic's tool sets. It works great until you start moving up in the game. Then you realize you need the WHOLE SET of deepwells...or all the screw drivers. So then you go buy the sets you should have got in the first place. Now you have doubles. Do yourself a favor and just pick up the Ratchet pack and start buying sockets by the rack.

5. Gear Wrenches - Pick your poison...they are all expensive but well worth it. I like original gearwrench myself. However I would suggest getting the double box type. this saves space in the box and does not duplicate the open end of the wrenches you should already have. After all, you are only buying this set for the geared box right? Every Mechanic should have a set of both SAE and Metric STANDARD COMBINATION wrenches...not only gear wrenches. I recommend just cheap ones, Popular Mechanics brand is the shit!



6. "I might need this one day!" - If it is a tool you only use 1 in 100 jobs...why buy Snap-On? Or even Craftsman? If it is a rarely used piece you want to have on hand (Like line wrenches in my case!) check places like Wal-Mart and Tractor Supply. ThatÔÇÖs where the deals are. 5 piece SAE line wrenches for $10!!! Snap-On was over $100 for 7

7. Knipex Pliers...if you don't know what they are, go buy a set and see. The best Channel Lock pliers I have ever seen/used/owned/swore by.



I'm sure I will think of more, and I will post. I hope others will share ideas here and everyone can benefit!!!

[Andy]

I disagree with your comment about the craftsman tool set. The key is getting a Larger set. Since my bought my set 4+ years ago, I've only added complementary things to it like racheting wrenches, BFH, different styles hex keys/sockets, and set of large metric deep sockets and combo wrenches 17mm-24mm w/ a 17mm being the only duplicate I have.

The most important things to get in my mind outside of the obvious wrenches/rachets is 2-3 hammers of different weights and a breaker bar. I have a plastic/high technology deadblow from Craftsman w/a lifetime warranty for ~30. A standard fair 3 mini sledge for 5-10bucks and a huge 5lb sledge that I reserve for my friend's clapped out rust buckets.

-Also, I have never used any of my standard wrenches/sockets unless it was to hold a nut/bolt still.

[white_2kgt]

Whatever you do, get craftsman stuff. There is always a sears nearby, so if you break something, just hop in your car and go exchange it. This is for hand tools, read the warrenty on ANY and all power tools you buy. Yea, snap on will replace tools too, but you have to find the guy running around in his truck and it has been my experience that unless you have a $20k account w/ them, they couldn't give 2 shits who you are.

If you have NOTHING, buy the biggest kit you can afford, then get one bigger, yea it comes w/ a WHOLE bunch of stuff, but you will use it. Buying sockets and stuff peacemeal gets expensive, quick.

[Evan]

Craftsman is the price/performance sweet spot for hobbyists. Much cheaper than the Tool Truck brands, lifetime warranty, and still good construction.

Harbor Freight has some very good tools for very cheap if you know what to buy. The trick is not to get the ultra cheap version of a tool. I bought a $7 set of metric wrenches and they were horrible. I bought a $15 set of metric wrenches and I love them.
Some notables are: Impact sockets, Pittsburgh Longhandle wrenches.

Gearwrenches are a requirement. Love mine, Ive bought 2 sets.
I also bought the Gear Ratchet set made by the same company. It has some advantages over regular ratchet/socket sets but it wont completely replace them.

IMO tool sets are pretty useless. The only thing I still use out of my huge set are the ratchets and a few sockets that I havent lost yet. RJs all metric set is pretty nice though, if I was starting over Id probably get that.

[Mike]

boo on craftsman torque wrenches... mine simply stopped working after 8 months onf not-so-regular use...

[Andy]

When RJ told me about the existence of an all-metric set, I almost lost it. Stupid SAE stuff. Harbor freight is nice for stuff that doesn't have moving bits and/or don't require precision e.g. timing light and the like.

If you're getting racheting wrenches, get the craftsman brand as opposed tothe Gearwrench. For about 10-20 bucks more, you can replace the craftsman brand at the store as opposed to having to ship them directly back to GearWrench.

[white_2kgt]

Harbor Freight has some very good tools for very cheap if you know what to buy. The trick is not to get the ultra cheap version of a tool. I bought a $7 set of metric wrenches and they were horrible. I bought a $15 set of metric wrenches and I love them.
Some notables are: Impact sockets, Pittsburgh Longhandle wrenches.

Good point. I got a VERY nice set of Impact sockets IR brand at NorthernTools for $80 (metric AND standard). The same kit at Sears would have ran me over $200. Do NOT buy ratchets or wrenches from harbor freight. I have a few wrenches and what they call 1/2" is laughable. Anything you get a HarborFreight consider it a one time use tool. If you can live with that, get it. If you want your stuff to last and don't want to pay an arm and leg, Craftsman.

[white_2kgt]

boo on craftsman torque wrenches... mine simply stopped working after 8 months onf not-so-regular use...

What are you building an engine? No, you were torquing wheels, get this one,

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I've been using it for 2 years, only use it for suspension bolts/wheels nothing that requires any real precision. Those expensive torque wrenches require VERY careful care, you drop them once, you have to get a new one or have it recalibrated, that is unless it brakes, like you found out .

[ScottyB]

can you guys recommend a spark plug gapping tool? i need one and only know better than to buy the key-ring POS that they sell on the autozone counters.


also, i have the "100" peice (or close to that) craftsman ratchet set and its been very handy for a novice hobbyist like me. if you work on german stuff do whatever you can to get your hands on a quality torx bit set too.

if you ever need to buy allen wrenches, it may surprise you that RC car hobby kits offer some impressive selections. i have a set of anodized-handle allen keys that have come in mighty handy.

[Evan]

the key ring one messes up the electrode. You should get the wire hoop kind that has about 8 different little loops of wire running around it, and a little wrench to pry the arm. Never wedge anything against the electrode to move the arm, bend it separately and then re-check.
I picked mine up at advance for around $5



edit: google image search rox

[Evan]

Mike how did your Craftsman tq wrench break? I have a 3/8 one that I have been using for several years that has seemed to work ok, but I dont use it much anymore since I got the HF one that Chad linked to (which works very well)

[ScottyB]

thanks Evan, off to advance i go.

[white_2kgt]

can you guys recommend a spark plug gapping tool? i need one and only know better than to buy the key-ring POS that they sell on the autozone counters.

I have a feeler gauge set. You can get more accurate with that if you are capable of adding 1/1000ths of an inch. It also comes with 8 rings and the little pry tool.



Useful for many other applications as well, also purchased at Advance/Autozone

[Jeff]

I think the feeler gauges are a good choice for sparkplug gaping. You can use them for all kinda of things on top of that. Mine are used....and old... but they were free and have served me well so far on my engine build.

Torque wrenches - get a good Click-type 3/8 Craftsman. I got mine at a thrift store for $30...and it is the current model. I had Snap-On test it and it is dead on.

I only suggested SAE tools because I work on all kinds of things. My cars are mostly metric but the random SAE bolt shows up here and there. If you end up working on older stuff it might become a need. I have no beef with the 400-500-1000 piece Craftsman sets, just the 200 and less ones. The all metric set sounds like a good one though, never knew they made one.

Lots of good info here, never got anything from Harbor Freight but I am sure it is much like the stuff on the SK truck that comes though here. Decent, but clearly value oriented.

[Andy]

Scotty,

Your 1.8T doesn't use platinum? If it does, you shouldn't have to gap them at all during its service life.

[ScottyB]

Scotty,

Your 1.8T doesn't use platinum? If it does, you shouldn't have to gap them at all during its service life.

fun fact - 1.8T's hate platinum. i'm using NGK BKR6E's gapped down from .32 to around .30 or .28. they are the stock copper (?) single ground strap plug, but with my chip and the hot ass weather i'd like to gap 'em down a bit from stock gap.

[Jeff]

Very few turbo cars use Platinum plugs. Chrysler turbo cars tend to blow the tips off Bosch plugs. Champion/Mopar copper for t3h w1n!

[Andy]

Very few turbo cars use Platinum plugs. Chrysler turbo cars tend to blow the tips off Bosch plugs. Champion/Mopar copper for t3h w1n!

How come?

[white_2kgt]

Very few turbo cars use Platinum plugs. Chrysler turbo cars tend to blow the tips off Bosch plugs. Champion/Mopar copper for t3h w1n!

How come?

Platinum sucks. The only advantage they have over Copper is they last longer. Copper plugs are the best performance plug you can buy.

[CaptainHenreh]

Very few turbo cars use Platinum plugs. Chrysler turbo cars tend to blow the tips off Bosch plugs. Champion/Mopar copper for t3h w1n!

How come?

Andy, come on! You worked at AAP, you should know this stuff! Platinum plug = waste of money.