Tools....what would you buy?

'Tis the season. While many of you aren't fans of the holiday season, you can shag some really good deals. Sears and the big box stores often have killer deals on tools.

We settle on our new house in 2 months and I plan to set up a "proper" garage. My basement has 12' ceilings, so I'm putting a lift in, etc... I haven't seen any Black Friday sales on lifts, so I'm focusing on tools.

Give me some ideas. My current inventory consists of a couple of those 128-ish piece mechanic sets, a decent assortment of screwdrivers and hammers, a speed wrench and a few other odds and ends. So I've got the very basics. What would you buy next? The answer can't be welder...I don't know how to weld yet. I want to keep my total spend under a few hundred. Ratcheting wrenches are on the list for sure...I've used them a lot when working on our LeMons cars.

If I'm braving the crowds on Friday (or even late Thursday), what would you buy?

Gear Wrench Flex Heads are the most useful tools that I own.

In reply to Woody:

Yup, those are definitely at the top of the list. Sears has some killer sales on them this weekend. Plan to pick up a set or two.

home depot or lowes usually has a really nice dewalt cordless drill for 99 including both batteries and charger. Last year the 24 volt lithium was also at that same price.

it's never listed on any flyer but when you walk in there will be a huge stack of them.

i built a deck using my 5 year old one. tons of power and the original batteries are only now starting to wear out... FYI it's cheaper to buy the 99 buck deal than it is to buy two new batteries (usually 99 as well...)

A set of prybars and rubber hammers. Extra long needle nose pliers, straight and curved. Plenty of lighting and extra outlets for the garage.

Speaking of Gear Wrench, they make great Hex / Allan Wrenches:

I also have a set of T-Handle ones:

Those crappy sets that come on a keychain for $3 waste time and cause more frustration then they are worth.

A couple dead blow hammers from Harbor Freight. Snap ring pliers. Metal shears.

Many castle nuts have been removed with Channel Locks, as well as radiator hoses, exhaust clamps, steering wheels, windshields...

Your logic is faulty. How can you learn to weld if you don't have a welder?

I say welder!

1988RedT2 wrote: Your logic is faulty. How can you learn to weld if you don't have a welder? I say welder!

yeah dude!

My new favorite tool is this LED light from Lowes for $20. It throws a TON of light, never gets hot, and doesn't blow a bulb if you breathe on it like the old shop lights. It is compact and can even plug into the cigarette lighter for roadside or trackside use. Seriously, go get one and you will thank me. They also come in a larger size for $10 more.

Never again will I use one of these!

is there a deal/steal on a welder out there?....

Welding is definitely on the horizon...but the distant one for now. First things first. Lighting and electrical are being taken care of with the house build, so I'm good there. I like the gear hex, I agree the keychain set (or even off the keychain, which I have several sets) are a pain.

I picked up a 30 gallon, 250 psi air compressor with a decent SCFM rating at a Black Friday Sale. It has served me well for changing tires, suspension work, engine swaps, grinding and body work. Every shop should have one.

Vise

Bench Grinder

Bench

Klayfish wrote: In reply to Woody: Yup, those are definitely at the top of the list. Sears has some killer sales on them this weekend. Plan to pick up a set or two.

Just be sure to get the Gearwrench ones and not the Craftsman versions. Owning both, the Gearwrench ones are better. Dont' ask me why... they just feel better. Plus, the Gearwrench sets are available in more sizes.

I have a 12V compact DeWalt driver & drill set. They have plenty of power for 95% of driving tasks, are a lot lighter than any of the 18/24V versions, and are better for using in tight spots. The light weight is welcome when you're doing a lot of work over your head.

Flex sockets are nice to have. They'll often fit into spaces where a normal socket on a universal won't. In a nutshell, make sure you have the basics covered: shallow, deep, universal sockets in both metric and SAE for 1/4" and 3/8" drive; shallow & deep for 1/2". Eventually, you'll get to the point where you walk into a Sears and go, "there's nothing I need here..." and you start shopping and more specialized too outlets. I use thetoolwarehouse_dot_net a lot.

IMHO, it will also depend on the type of work you plan to do. If you just have one car you work on, you can often get away with a simplified tool set. But when you start working on a lot of different cars of many different eras you begin to understand why pro wrenches have $50K+ worth of tools.

Speaking of having a lot of tools... if you dont have a decent sized box, now might be a good time to get one. IMHO, the $400 base cabinet from Harbor Freight is perfect for home use and would take a long time for a DIY-er to out-grow.

A small mill would be nice... but in the meantime I'll be checking out the cordless drills. Pretty much wore mine out building Kimini and Midlana.

I have a set of Knipex on my wishlist:

A good heavy bench vise is a great investment. Buy a good new one or a refurbished old one. Do not buy Harbor Freight.

pinchvalve wrote: Speaking of Gear Wrench, they make great Hex / Allan Wrenches:

More info on these please. I can't find them on the Gear Wrench site.

I just got back from Ace Hardware. If you're a rewards member they have tremendous deals on this weekend. I just bought two 180 piece Dremel accessory kits and two sets of Gearwrench ratchet wrenches for $40. The MSRP on the Dremel kit alone is over that.

Ball end T handle allen wrenches...similar utility to the flex units, typically less spendy. Downside? Less engagement at the ball end = lower ultimate torque capacity. Still, 90% of the time, they work every time.

angle grinders from HF. Get 3. Use one to cut, one to grind, and one to sand. Leave them with the specific wheels in them. Never change wheels until they wear out.

$30 or $35 bucks total.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: A good heavy bench vise is a great investment. Buy a good new one or a refurbished old one. Do not buy Harbor Freight.

And they're only useful if well attached to a solid workbench, preferably one that's bolted to the planet. People scoff at me for this, but once you've used a vise that's well mounted you'll be frustrated with every other one.

pinchvalve wrote: Speaking of Gear Wrench, they make great Hex / Allan Wrenches:

Is that where they came from? We have a set of these in the shop, they're great. Well recommended.

logdog wrote: Vise Bench Grinder Bench

Get the bench first