this is more or less a review thread for tools and supplies for the home garage. if you have an experieince with something-- post about it. if you have a question about a tool-- feel free to ask about it.
i will start off.
It is impossible for me to run through my tool box and give a detailed description of everything. so i will just give some quick run downs. keep in mind, i own 2 sets of tools too. one for work, one for home. most of my home tools are a mix of craftsman and name brand stuff i buy used at auctions/flea markets/ craigslist. My home boxes are a smorgasboard of sk/kd/snap on/mac/stanley/ klein/craftsman/ channelock/vicegrip whatever. I try not to buy cheap tools. ill spend a little more on namebrand handtools to make sure they last.
specialty tools im willing to take a gamble on if i wont use it often. just about everything i have in my work box is name brand w/ the exception of a few specialty items (brake caliper tool/ big tap/die set for example).
hand ratchets-- snap-on fine tooth. i am totally spoiled w/ them. so much, that i took all my standard tooth ratchets home and bought new fine tooth ones in their place. They are worth the money. I know most of you will be using craftsman ratchets. thats fine. use what you can afford. yet if you want to spoil yourself the caddy of ratchets is the snap on fine tooth.
If you are serious about learning to work on stuff, i’d advise that you buy sears 286 piece craftsman tool set (in a blow molded 4 drawer box none the less) as a starter set to get all the ratchets/sockets/wrenches you need to start. this set can be had for $200 and is a good starter set. I know i bought one when i first started to accumulate a second set of tools for my home garage and added/upgraded to it as money became available.
one thing that everyone should have in their box but dont is a brass hammer or a brass punch. how many times have you needed to tap something in w/o maring it? Or how about tap in a seal evenly and flush? the brass hammer will do it w/o marking, and the brass punch you can tap on w/ a regular hammer to seat the seal w/o messing it up.
speaking of hammers-- if you are using a “claw” style hammer on your car–it is time to go get new hammers. there are no nails to be found on a car. worse case scenerio spend $20 on the 5 piece hammer set from harbor freight. granted, the heads are not secured to the wooden handles as nicely as you’d want, and the wood handle itself is not the best. However, 5 bucks at a flea market will get you new quality handles and wedges to rebuild all 5 hammers.
speaking of harbor freight-- know alot of you shop at harbor freight. i have no problems with this. just be prepared to have stuff break. granted, you may get a specialty tool for 10 whereas a tool truck willl be 100+. In my opinion, if i use the tool a once or twice then it breaks, it paid for itself. if i use a tool semi frequently, i want it to last and will buy name brand.
Here is stuff i have bought from hf that i have had good luck with.
wire spools. their automotive wire set is actually good quality wire w/ nice strands and insulation. even comes w/ an organizer rack.
wire connectors- they sell a 1000 pc kit of insulated connectors you get on sale for 10 bucks. worth the money. i generally take off the rubber insulators and crimp/solder the connectors.
wire brushes-- a $1 buy that i use for cleaning brake caliper sliders and pad brackets.
heli-coil kit. they have a master kit of metric or standard thread. i got the metric kit. i picked it up as a what the fuck lets try it deal. the inserts are same quality as the heli-coil company or kd tools brand. again worth the money. as advance got me for 35 bucks last time i bought a heli-coil kit. you get 50 inserts 10 each from m5/m6/m8/m10/m12 along w/ the tang tool, drill bit and taps for each size. the h/f kit costs what 4 inserts and the required tools cost at the auto parts store.
115piece drill bit set-- another one i was not sure on. got it on sale for $39. has held up fine for 2 years. granted, have had to sharpen bits on occasion. but nothing out of the ordinary. Have drilled through stainless steel w/ these bits too. low speed on the press and oil kept the tip, and they drilled rather quickly. i figured i would have burned the tips off.
brake caliper tool-- this set is used for winding in the pistons on rear calipers of most german cars. worth the 20 i spent on it. have used it alot in last 3 years. still ok.
45 piece metric tap and die set. this is a set i figured if i used it once, it paid for itself. as i have a “quality” tool truck brand tap and die set. problem is it starts at 3mm and stops at 12mm thread. this set goes from 6mm to 24mm. I paid $49 for it on sale. $49 is what id expect to pay for maybe 2 of the bigger sized taps from the hardware store. this set has proven to be invaluable. everything from fubar’d axle nuts or outter cv threads to o2 sensors have been saved w/ this set. i know i have lent it out on occasion. because like i said, the cost of one of the bigger tap and dies will pay for this entire set.
5 piece hammer set-- as mentioned above, handles and wedges suck. so expect to rebuild them. however, a trip to trader jacks or perry flea market is all you need to fix all 5 of them for cheap. figure 15 for 5 hammers, and another 5 to rebuild them. still cheaper than 1 vaughn or tool truck brand hammer.
speaking of hammers, i bought a dead blow hammer from hf for home use. no complaints.
and last items i bought that i was impressed with was the digital micrometer, 6 inch digital caliper, telescoping gauge set and dial indicator w/ stand. Now all this stuff i was leary on and bought when they came on sale–like 10 bucks or less per item. for 10 bucks or less, if it is junk i could care less.
the micrometer and calipers i tested with standards from my “good” brand stuff at work. they both checked out to be as accurate as stuff i paid alot more for w/ the same repeatability. As for the dial indicator, it is as accurate as the name brand indicator. i had both name brand and cheapo hf set up at same time when i was degreeing cams on a 911 engine. the downfall to the hf dial indicator is it does not move as quickly, if that makes sense. fine movements the needle wont recognize as quickly as my good dial-- seemed like the dial’s needle was slower to react. the telescoping gauge set looks identical as the one snap-on sells. same plastic case and all. really dont know how you can f it up regardless.
thats it for now.
