Drill bits and Tap and Die set. I've replaced most of my cheap chinese drill bits with nice cobalt ones. Still need to replace my crappy Menards tap and die set with a good one.
Drill bits and Tap and Die set. I've replaced most of my cheap chinese drill bits with nice cobalt ones. Still need to replace my crappy Menards tap and die set with a good one.
Snap ring pliers
Echoing others, snap ring pliers - the HF Icon ones are pretty good, and a major improvement on what I had. Knipex wire stripping/crimping tool - astonishingly better than what it replaced, especially given how similar they appear. And more generally, my whole cordless tool ecosystem. I went from some crappy entry-level Craftsman stuff to Milwaukee M12, and it's amazing how the smaller, lighter tools do their jobs so much better than the old, heavy Craftsman gear.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:The berking drill press. I hate my cheap drill press.
This........and my $100 Sears Craftsman MIG welder.
I am going shopping for snap ring pliers!
What do we recommend for a good bang-for-the-buck brake line flaring tool? I hate my super cheap kit, but I can't justify paying snap on prices as a weekend hobbyist that uses it a couple times a year.
In reply to gearheadmb :
The Eastwood is hands down my favorite. It has one caveat that you can't really flare on the car.
Mastercool has a hand operated hydraulic version of the same basic idea that manages to be the most fiddly thing ever. It works and it does a great job but I think the designer assumed the average tech has 3.5 hands.
In reply to gearheadmb :
I don't know... but for me, the less I use a tool, the more I want it to actually work when I do need to use it. I know that sounds a bit counterintuitive, but it goes with the saying, "Buying an expensive tool only hurts once. Buying a cheap tool hurts every time you need to use it."
My Chicago Electric fluxcore mig welder.
Although, that was a gift, so I don't know that it counts.
gearheadmb said:What do we recommend for a good bang-for-the-buck brake line flaring tool? I hate my super cheap kit, but I can't justify paying snap on prices as a weekend hobbyist that uses it a couple times a year.
And are there any that will do a decent double flare? I wasted a lot of time and a few dollars unsuccessfully trying that on my money-loss van.
Mine's an American made Blue-Point. Looks like Snap-On offers them for under $80. All it's got to do is save you once and it's paid for itself.
It'll do double flares.
Shelling out the money for a quality impact gun. Spent my early 20's he-man'ing every fastener, bolt and nut, with multiple bicep sprains to show for it. Finally shelled out the money for a quality compressor and impact gun. Absolutely life changing.
My new 10" jimmy.
Dont laugh.
10" crescent pry bar
https://images.app.goo.gl/vNvi1eZFpVVGaHhP7
Its pointier than a wonderbar and has a better angle than a claw hammer. Its like a great in between tool.
I'll second a good welder. I had a cheap HF flux core MIG (not the better newer ones they have) and I thought I just was a bad welder. I bought a Miller MIG, TIG, Stick inverter (Multimatic 215) and then boom all the sudden I can weld... Not a cheap upgrade but worth it if you are doing fabrication work.
NYN
In reply to calteg :
I can agree with that. I had a cheap Craftsman 1/2" impact gun for years and rarely used it because it didn't have enough power to remove standard automotive lug nuts. Then I was in a situation when I really needed a good impact gun and bought a IR 4135Ti. It removed a pinion nut I had been struggling with for hours like it wasn't even tight.
I've had similar experience with cordless 1/2" dr impacts. Cheap Northern Tool model - pitiful. Old style 18V DeWalt - better, but still not all that great (but at least it will remove some auto lug nuts). Eventually, I'll break down and buy a Milwaukee... or whatever that cordless gun brand the guys at Bad Obsession have that seems to remove anything.
In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
Electric impacts have come a long, long way. I have a small body 1/2" that I use for tight spaces that zips off lugs with ease.
Great thread. My Amazon wishlist is now full again, and my family will know what to buy me for my birthday. I have crappy snap ring pliers, can't wait to replace those. What do we like for brake piston retractors? My crappy Harbor Freight ones are the worst.
I second the comment on a really good crescent wrench. I spent $50 on a very precise one and now I wonder how I ever lived without it. The sloppy ones are good for stripping bolt heads, and that's about it.
The Knipex snap ring pliers are worth it. I got a chance to use them when I was working and holy cow, worth it.
Along that same line, I was a HUGE Channellock fan from my youth, but then that same bastard that got me using Knipex snap ring pliers let me use his Knipex Cobras and Knipex Pliers Wrench. Those are also 100% worth it.
And lastly, if you work on Japanese motorcycles, especially old ones, get a proper JIS #2 screwdriver. My favorite is the Vessel Impacta because it's also an impact driver. It has saved me so many screws.
Another vote for snap ring pliers. I don't use mine often, but they're always there for me.
Also, random orbital buffer.
Keith Tanner said:Brake flaring tools. There's a massive difference in the quality of the flare between the super-cheap ones and the good ones, especially when dealing with factory Mazda brake line. Which is why I spent real money the second time.
Generally, I tend to buy good tools instead of the cheapest because I hate it when I can't depend on them.
I'll echo the brake flaring tool comment. I bought one that requires a wrench to tighten instead of the wing nuts that always allow the tube to slip. After that, while I loathe the tool trucks, both in conveinence and cost, they have the best stuff out there, even if it is a rebrand. Of course finding out the original brand is hard at times. But when you need a tool to perform well beyond what its intended, one of the tool truck brands is tops, IME. I use plenty of chrome sockets with impacts and they still haven't cracked or chipped yet.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
+1 on jis screw drivers. They are a life saver. Also adding a decent set of small screw drivers.
Channelock 410 pliers.
Can't get a wrench on that fastener anymore because it's rounded off? NO PROBLEM! Use those and you will be "where have these been all my life!".
MrFancypants said:In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :
Electric impacts have come a long, long way. I have a small body 1/2" that I use for tight spaces that zips off lugs with ease.
Mentioning how great your impact gun is and then not saying what it is = Fail. 
Chainsaw.
Moving from a Poulan Wild Thing WalMart grade saw up to a good one (Husqvarna/Stihl) will make you regret ever spending the time vibrating and buzzing on the crappy one.
Ranger50 said:Channelock 410 pliers.
Can't get a wrench on that fastener anymore because it's rounded off? NO PROBLEM! Use those and you will be "where have these been all my life!".
This x1000
You'll need to log in to post.
