Post the tools you have and love. Hopefully we will learn from each other and find some we NEED to have :)
- Thread starter Gress
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but here is what I believe is one of, if not the most pick safe locks available.
I have tools, lots of tools, but there are a lot that I don't have too.
I started working in my fathers auto repair shop at age 15 and learned about mechanic tools. A good ratchet and set of sockets was always my favorite tool. That was a long time ago and most tool brands were crap, I learned that SnapOn, SK and Proto were relatively good tools and I shouldn't even try using something else. Even Craftsman hand wrenches were big and clunky and didn't fit fasteners very well. In more modern history manufacturing has improved and for most people the brands sold at big box stores are more than good enough and I have a set that I use for my automotive work.
For working around my house I really like my DeWalt cordless drill and impact driver, and my corded Skill circular saw. I've started dabbling in woodworking and I bought a fairly good jobsite table saw by DeWalt. I also have an old Craftsman router that I like to use but I don't really find much need to use it. I also have a cheap Harbor Freight drill press that works well enough for me, I manage to find a good amount of use for it. I would like to have a good band saw but I can't justify the cost in storage space or budget.
Speaking of DeWalt- I don't want to start any brand wars but for the most part I think the average person would be served well enough by anything from Ryobi through Milwaukee. My DeWalt drill and driver are probably better than what I need but I enjoy using them. The one exception I think is Milwaukee- if you are using a tool constantly on a construction site the Milwaukee seems to be able to stand up to hard continuous use when other brands will start smoking. A problem I had- I bought a Ridgid drill/driver/saw set one time and neither of the 2 batteries worked. When I got around to trying to get warranty replacements I couldn't because I didn't have the original paperwork. Later I bought a new Ridgid battery on Amazon so I can actually use the tools I bought. Occasionally I find a home project where it is handy to have 2 drills ready for different uses.
I started working in my fathers auto repair shop at age 15 and learned about mechanic tools. A good ratchet and set of sockets was always my favorite tool. That was a long time ago and most tool brands were crap, I learned that SnapOn, SK and Proto were relatively good tools and I shouldn't even try using something else. Even Craftsman hand wrenches were big and clunky and didn't fit fasteners very well. In more modern history manufacturing has improved and for most people the brands sold at big box stores are more than good enough and I have a set that I use for my automotive work.
For working around my house I really like my DeWalt cordless drill and impact driver, and my corded Skill circular saw. I've started dabbling in woodworking and I bought a fairly good jobsite table saw by DeWalt. I also have an old Craftsman router that I like to use but I don't really find much need to use it. I also have a cheap Harbor Freight drill press that works well enough for me, I manage to find a good amount of use for it. I would like to have a good band saw but I can't justify the cost in storage space or budget.
Speaking of DeWalt- I don't want to start any brand wars but for the most part I think the average person would be served well enough by anything from Ryobi through Milwaukee. My DeWalt drill and driver are probably better than what I need but I enjoy using them. The one exception I think is Milwaukee- if you are using a tool constantly on a construction site the Milwaukee seems to be able to stand up to hard continuous use when other brands will start smoking. A problem I had- I bought a Ridgid drill/driver/saw set one time and neither of the 2 batteries worked. When I got around to trying to get warranty replacements I couldn't because I didn't have the original paperwork. Later I bought a new Ridgid battery on Amazon so I can actually use the tools I bought. Occasionally I find a home project where it is handy to have 2 drills ready for different uses.
Gress
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My older tools are mostly Craftsman. I believe like you said these days majority of the usual brands you see in stores are pretty good.
However, if you need to do larger jobs, some fail, while others don't. I am with you on the Dewalt.
I needed to clean up my property removing lots of overgrown trees. As I use EGO brand tools for most of my yard work, I purchased EGO
EGO Power+ CS1604 16-Inch 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Chainsaw - 5.0Ah Battery
to only see it fails in heavier use due to their safety design.
After switching to Dewalt 60V 3.0 Ah FLEXVOLT Cordless Lithium-Ion Brushless 16 in. Chainsaw I happily use it for 3 years with no problem working on thicker trees and bigger jobs. For what it is, this saw is plenty good.
It saw chain sharpening / changing and blades being replaced 2 times, but no other issues. This is my trusted battery powered chainsaw.
I bought an EGO leaf blower at Home Depot last fall. It was reduced slightly for Black Friday but wasn't what I would consider a real black friday deal. My house has 6 very large oak trees and gets a lot of leaves. I bought the cordless blower to be able to easily clean off the sidewalk, patio, sometimes the driveway. The sidewalk I can do in about a minute and I think the first charge I put on the battery lasted almost 8 weeks. As of now it has only been charged twice. So for this very light use it works well. I don't know how well it would work for hard use but it doesn't look like it is sturdy enough to be banged around in the average truck or trailer of a professional yard crew.
I noticed that Project Farm has done tests of cordless chain saws. If I had a need for one I would have to go back and study their videos more. With our large trees I would need to get high up in the trees on a ladder to use a chainsaw and I'm not going to do that so no chainsaw for me right now.
Gress
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EGO batteries and most of their yard tools are fine. I have quite a few and like them.
I have and use their multi-head system. It is one great design enabling many tools to share the power head motor.
I esp like and use the 10"pole saw to reach up high, the string trimmer and 9.5" cultivator. All well designed tools.
The batteries are great and work well.
However, with heavy use some of the tools fail.
I had to buy a second power head for my multi-head system as the 1st one went dead.
My chainsaw had an issue with their safety shutoff design which failed.
However their high capacity batteries are enabling many applications including their lawn mowers which I never tried, as I have a better tool for that.
Gress
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And that better tool is my Ventrac 4500p tractor.
It is a unique design with articulating and oscillating frame which makes very tight turns and keeps all 4 wheels on the ground with one or few wheels rolling over stones or bumps.
I have only two implements for it - the power bucket abd the tough cut. The latter can mowe the loans, but can cut small trees and bushes.
For those who appreciates smart mechanical designs here is the link to show this little machine capabilities designed in
It is a unique design with articulating and oscillating frame which makes very tight turns and keeps all 4 wheels on the ground with one or few wheels rolling over stones or bumps.
I have only two implements for it - the power bucket abd the tough cut. The latter can mowe the loans, but can cut small trees and bushes.
For those who appreciates smart mechanical designs here is the link to show this little machine capabilities designed in
Hickory n steel
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I carry these Snapon 44ACF in my pocket and they're excellent.
Call me crazy or stubborn, but I vehimately refuse to jump on the knipex bandwagon and I prefer a straight forward facing jaw for EDC pliers.
I have tried a pair of Channellock 424 ignition pliers, and the head angle just wasn't useful in this role.
Call me crazy or stubborn, but I vehimately refuse to jump on the knipex bandwagon and I prefer a straight forward facing jaw for EDC pliers.
I have tried a pair of Channellock 424 ignition pliers, and the head angle just wasn't useful in this role.
Snap-On used to sell these very thin ignition pliers. I don't know if they would be heavy duty enough for some people for EDC.
Hickory n steel
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Those are ignition pliers ?
I'd have assumed they were battery terminal pliers.
I really love the Vacuum grips, and have a pair of needle nose from my grandfather that are my favorite.
If they had ever made a 4" pair of vacuum grip slipjoints I'd really love a pair to carry, but back in the 40's-70's regular slipjoint pliers in this size weren't common if available at all.
They look a little bit like some battery terminal pliers I've used but they aren't nearly big enough for that. Look at the scale in the photo- they are about 4.5" long. The jaws are only about 0.1" thick, the handles about 0.3". I think these pliers would come in the larger sets of ignition tools. I have one of those sets out in the garage but I don't recall if it came with the pliers..
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When I built my AV/Server rack build kit I put together a pelican 1500 case that features a wera zyklop mini set and driver bit holder, IfixIt proTech for opening smaller electronics, Makita 7.2v driver, Pica pens, Xuron flush cutters and needle nose pliers, and a Sequre soldering iron, among some other bits. I also have a couple USB test boards and the like. About the only thing I'm missing is a good compact multimeter, which is a tough thing to find, and I was going to add in some extended bits, but no longer need to at the moment. I love the Wera kits and bits, and the sequre soldering iron will run on anything from 12-24v DC, so I was going to get a Hilti battery adaptor built for it, now it will just be whatever battery ecosystem I get for large tools. So right now it's just a very good small appliance repair kit, but nothing at all wrong with that.
Gress
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Nice kit.
For a compact multimeter, there are pen-sized models. I used to have a pen-sized Fluke. They dont make it anymore. Gave it to my kids. Still works. Not the most convenient design (don't remember the model).
I like my Klein MM400
SwissHeritageCo
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I showed some of my bit drivers, but not my driver bits. This is my "travel case", I like to be able to take my bits with me if I'm going to be away from home for awhile.
I searched high and low for a 1/4" bit case that was compact and had holes for the most bits, and I found this one (came with a cheap set of Chinese bits. Most of my bits are Wiha). It has holes for 35 bits, but there's room for other things- like 19 Wiha micro bits (in the plastic tube containers), as well as a few mini 1/4" bit drivers, and a micro bit driver extension. All held securely in place without stuff getting rattled around.
The case is about the size of my wallet.
I guess this would be considered a "tool", it's a tire inflater. It's one of my favorite tools because I built it, it's unusual, and it sees regular use.
I had a Campbell Hausfeld tire inflator that ran on a rechargeable battery, and after about 13 years the battery finally gave out. Instead of replacing the battery I wanted a plug-in AC/DC inflator. So I pulled the pump and motor out, built a bracket for the pump/motor, wired it to an appropriate AC/DC converter for a 12v motor, and rubber-mounted it all inside a mini ammo can, with aftermarket toggle switch, 60 psi gauge, a different valve chuck, and a handle I liked better than the original collapsible one. I've been using it for about nine years now.
What I really like about the pump C/H used with this inflator is that it's all metal. You don't see that very often these days on little portable tire inflators (if at all). Campbell Hausfeld built these pumps to last.
It's amazing how many uses those ammo cans have.
Those were rare decades ago.
So true.
For many years I had "saddlebags" on both my bikes made out of ammo cans. Most people couldn't tell they had once been ammo cans because I had heavily modified and customized them (including built-in locks). Back then ammo can saddlebags were a rare sight and they got a lot of attention, but they're a lot more common now. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures.
I took them off after about a decade when I felt like a change and went totally minimalistic, stripping down my bikes to the bare minimum of what they needed to be rideable. I eventually got over that phase, but never went back to saddlebags. I ended up giving the saddlebags away.