Can we get a tool thread going?
What brands do you guys prefer for professional grade electric tools?
What about hand tools?
What are some tools that you have found to be highly useful?
Tool Thread
Snap-On or Gearwrench.
Gearwrench because you're a baller on a budget.
Snap-on sockets and ratchets and wrenches.
Milwaukee battery power tools. And then there is the various off brand stuff. A lot of the rebranded products that snap on puts there logo on is dumb, you can just buy the original product and save $150.
Irwin drill bits, but blue-point tap and die.
I havent had a problem with my dewalt battery impacts
Are battery impact tools worth the investment if you're a poorfag on a budget? Or would I get more versatility out of an air compressor?
depends on your living arrangement, do you have a garage and location where neighbor wouldn't car about a compressor? Do you want to be a slave to air or electricity?
as for power, proper air will be mor powerful, but there are decent electric solutions.
Fucking /thread
Noise is a concern since my garage isn't exactly insulated and I live in the suburbs
You can always go corded too for impact, much larger but the torque is still great.
Pittsburg
corded impacts are garbage, their torque figures are pitiful and they are huge bricks because their designs haven't been updated since the early 2000s. all the advancements in tools are focused on more profitable and popular cordless models, thats why Milwaukee's latest cordless FUEL impact wretch puts out 1400ft/lbs of torque while their corded model will be lucky to give you 400ft/lbs.
Why do you need 1400lbs of torque? That's how you break shit
thats what speed controllers are for, another thing you will rarely find on corded models.
a good battery impact will cost you over around $300 for a tool with batteries and a charger, for that price you can get an air compressor and harbor freight impact wrench with the same torque as the cordless model, plus all the versatility of having a compressor.
Corded impacts are not garbage. Depends on application. Im an amusement park mechanic and when it comes to doing rebuilds or maintenance on roller coasters or similar rides, these can be better then battery or pneumatic. Especially where to much torque is not needed. But I can see why in an automotive aspect this may not work.
Gearwrench is pretty damn good on their ratcheting stuff, I have a mix of theirs and Snap-On, and I don't feel strongly either way.
PB Swiss screwdrivers, but it's mainly to due to handle preference.
I'm partial to Makita power tools, but just pick a color and move on. They're all close enough spec-wise that it doesn't really matter.
Snap-On and Blue Point tap sets are all rebranded Irwin, go Morse or Viking to get the build quality you're spending that kind of money on.
corded tools are fine in areas you remain stationary like a workshop or autoshop but the cords will always slow you down. as i said before all the new tech and advancements go into making the cordless models lighter and more flexible while the corded ones are just tough and reliable.
im most familiar with milwaukee models so compare these two. cordless is smaller, lighter, more balanced, more confortable to use with more power and more delicate control settings so you dont break anything. plus you can carry it anywhere, like the top of a roller coaster.
milwaukeetool.com
>300ft/lb
>weighs 6lb plus cords
>11 5/8" long
>rocker trigger with no speed controls
milwaukeetool.com
>450ft/lb
>weighs 3.8lb, less than 5 with a battery
>6.7" long
>3 impact speeds
Your absolutely right. and I agree. When we have to check our fasteners on structions we would strap a cordless impact to our harness when we climb. A corded one would be a mess lmao.
This is all for the home mechanic: Where to buy tools
Hand tools:
>Harbor Freight
Not even kidding. With lifetime warranties and dirt cheap tools, how can you go wrong. I've seriously never had an issue with any of their hand tools. Wrenches, ratchets, sockets galore.
Lift Equipment:
>Harbor Freight
The Jack's are good. Their top tier Daytona jack is a literal Snap-on copy. They also sell jackstands, car ramps, wheel chocks, etc.
Pneumatic tools:
>Harbor Freight
Compressors are good quality and cheap. The Earthquake line of impacts are fantastic and die grinders and air ratchets are hillariously cheap and do the job well.
Electric tools:
>Any big brand
Milwaukee, DeWalt, and Makita all have great customer service and long warranties. They have huge lineups of tools that all use the same battery. Pick a color and go. Don't buy the harbor freight electric stuff was it's not much cheaper and it's definitely lower quality.
Drill bits, taps, and dies:
>Any decent brand
Any mid tier brand like Irwin is fine if you use it more than once a month. If you're just going to pull the kit out once a year, just buy harbor freight and save your cash. I personally buy Irwin because it's not too expensive and the bits stay sharp.
Whats the general opinion of PrincessAuto in canada? I wanna buy their 25$ cut off tool.
Generally you should avoid anything motorized from them. If you only use the tool like 5 times a year it might suffice.
Part 2, highly useful tools, in no particular order
>1. Breaker Bar
Holy shit. One of my best purchases ever. I now have two breaker bars, both 1/2in drive. I want another ratcheting one as well for those tight ass spaces.
>2. Magnetic Pickup and Long Grabber
There is nothing worse than losing a bolt into oblivion, especially where you can't fucking reach it. Both of these are stupid cheap online and have saved me time and frustration.
>3. Magnetic bolt tray
This is just obvious. Avoid even letting that bolt roll into oblivion in the first place. I have multiple because I use one for sockets and lug nuts as well. Those bitches like to run off into hiding where you'll find them behind an old umbrella two years later.
>4. Penetrating Lubricant
If you have an older vehicle with any rust at all and you don't have a can of PB Blaster or something else sitting around, you're insane.
>5. Electric Impact Driver
Little more pricey but there's nothing nice than pulling off a bolt in half a second that would have taken you at least 30 seconds with a ratchet. So satisfying.
>6. Speed Wrenches
Ever find a bolt that you can't get a ratchet onto because it's in a weird fucking place? Yeah, it takes forever to get it off, unless you have a speed wrench!
>7. Oil filter wrench
Fuck off with those universal band things. Buy a socket adapter that fits the oil filter on the car(s) you work on. Literally makes the hardest part of many oil changes a lot easier.
>8. Channel Locks, Adjustable Wrenches, and Vise Grips
Yeah, a wrench or socket is better, but I guarantee there's going to be a time when you're not going to have the right size, and you're going to wish you fucking had these. Plus, leave an adjustable in your glove box. It sucks to fix anything with one, but you can fix (almost) anything with one.
I'm sure I've missed some other shit too that I just don't even think about anymore.
What tools are handy for working in autobody?
For actual body work? Dual action sander, air angle grinder, a variety of sanding blocks, hammer and dolly set.
For taking shit apart? Full metric 1/4 socket set, full 3/8 metric set, 3/8 and 1/2 impact sockets, 1/4 and 3/8 air ratchets, 3/8 and 1/2 air impact gun. A battery powered 1/4 impact gun makes quick work out of interiors. A variety of trim and clip tools
Any recommendations on a torque wrench?
Actually the Harbor Freight ones are very good and they're a steal at $20 or less.
You can watch YouTube videos on people testing how accurate they are and they're very good.
Yeah, use harbor frieght if you're a dumb piece if shit. your ratchet and breaker bars snap because it can't handle the force. so now your midway through tearing your only car apart and your tools break. good luck on spending time to get a ride and taking time out of your day for a ratchet swap.
all those battery operated harbor frieght tools gives off a nice burning smell, and because they suck at everything, the bolt is going to strip or break.
those jacks and built with the snap on design, but actually using it was made alibaba in china. youll start lifting your car and the weight of the car will crush the jack.
and the sockets don't grip the bolts correctly, you're much better off with craftsman
>breaker bars
stick a piece of metal pipe on the end of your open-end
Well you're in it, OP. ;^)
Bosch and Makita