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I flip back and forth between the bulky, clear plastic goggles that are big enough to go over my already "shop-teacher-style" glasses, and a lightweight HF faceshield.
EDIT: for identification:
I wouldn't want to use this shield for having something heavy fly at my face (e.g. disintegrating grinding wheel; the shield and retention strap are quite light), but it's totally effective for grit/chips/etc...
joey48442 wrote:alex wrote:Keith wrote:I bought an H-F impact screwdriver. The bit broke in half the first time I used it. I am not impressed.
Ditto. Some tools are worth spending real money on. Something that's designed to (a) apply a lot of force and (b) free something that by use of the tool is implied to be pretty stuck is a tool that must work. My Snap-On impact screwdriver has never failed to unstick a stuck fastener, and has never even hinted it would fail. Money well spent.
(And I don't care who laughs at me or thinks I'm a fool, Snap-On's Phillips head drivers are all head and shoulders above anything else available.)
This is a great thread.
Best cheap tool people aren't using:
Safety glasses. (I've unwittingly amassed a collection of vintage safety glasses. No idea how.)
Seriously, protect your peepers. You only get two of them.
+1 I wear safety glasses pretty much whenever I go outside.
My buddy only has one eye, and he never wheres safety glasses. I tell him he should, as he has no spare!Joey
In my garage, if youve got to plug it in, spray it on, or hammer it down, you put them on. Thems the rules...
The cheap digital calipers (which I love) reminded me of this little guy:
A thread pitch gauge. Cuts down the digging-guessing-hoping portion of replacing a lost fastener, and makes a trip to the hardware store a breeze.
Zombie preparedness is also a harbor freight forte:
I picked up a couple for only $3 each with a coupon. My favorite part? The coupon said limit EIGHT per customer per coupon per day.
Tossed 'em in the attic, you know, just in case of zombies.
That's the juggler's special.
4eyes wrote:Transfer punches/screws.
Good one! Another critical set of tools in my view.
The unibit...when you absolutely, positively, do not feel like going back to the tool chest to get the right sized drill bit, except no substitutes
In reply to 4cylndrfury:
These are MUCH better for poking holes in sheet metal than regular drills.
4eyes wrote:In reply to 4cylndrfury: These are MUCH better for poking holes in sheet metal than regular drills.
ditchdigger wrote:Damn that One-Click Buy!nocones wrote:Where can I get one?
http://www.amazon.com/Allstar-Performance-ALL11036-Deburring-Tool/dp/B003BZR1FS/re...
I have to say, safety glasses dont always cut the mustard.
If I am under my car on a creeper, its full on goggles (old chem lab goggles), it always seems that dirt/rust/junk could get in my eyes around the glasses, only problem with the goggles is ocassional fogging, but dosent tend to be too bad, makes me take a break, and you can get horrible cramps and pain from praticing automotive yoga on a creeper.
In reply to alex:
Yup x10
In reply to 4cylndrfury:
Yupx10
4cylndrfury wrote:
I've been meaning to snag one of these for a while now!
Apexcarver wrote:
+1 These are a must when working under a RallyX car since you are guaranteed a continuous shower of dirt magnetized to you eyeballs. I've used ski and swimming goggles in a pinch but the real thing is much better.
Taiden wrote:4cylndrfury wrote:
I've been meaning to snag one of these for a while now!
Unibits are really great to use when drilling larger holes through steel or aluminum shet metal. Because you are gradually increasing the diameter from one step to the next there is less chance of the drill grabbing which not only gives you a better quality drilled hole but is also a lot safer espscially if using a drill press where the work piece can be snached out of your hands.
There are better quality Unibits out there then those from HF but you can't beat cheap! Only draw back with a Unibit is you are limited to how thick of material can be drilled to about 3/16"
pirate wrote:There are better quality Unibits out there then those from HF but you can't beat cheap! Only draw back with a Unibit is you are limited to how thick of material can be drilled to about 3/16"
Not if you drill from both sides 
One really nice feature of Unibits (or the cheap HF ones I use) is the little chamfer they put on a hole.
When I was working underneath the MG, I wore goggles to protect my tender peepers from 40 years of flying crap. Much better than safety glasses and/or a face shield.
Ok, I got one.
The HF 5$ mallet with one rubber end and one plastic end for when you have to hammer on something but can't mare it in the process. I must use the mallet 10 time a week for tapping stuff. You really can hammer on something pretty good and not destroy it in the process.
Center punches are great to have to for starting the hole.
fifty wrote:Impact screwdriver,
for removing stubborn or stripped screws. $8 at H-F
i shattered one of the bits on mine...
The cheapest tool people don't use is their freaking BRAIN. Case in point: I watch entirely too much Discovery Health and their Bizarre ER show. One episode they had a guy that had a engine and trans decide to slip and crush his manly parts on a bench. Who in their right mind would have their junk just laying out to be crushed???
