boxedfox
boxedfox Reader
6/5/19 12:00 a.m.

Lotta good tool deals out there nowadays, sometimes from unexpected places. What is everyone's favorite cheap tool find?

Mine is this rubber mallet from the local Dollar Tree. I never thought I'd get a decent hammer for $1 in 2019, but yet, here it is.

ShawnG
ShawnG PowerDork
6/5/19 12:08 a.m.

Bungee cords and ratchet straps.

Super handy for holding stuff up, out of the way, etc.

thedoc
thedoc GRM+ Memberand Reader
6/5/19 4:43 a.m.

Habor freight impact for taking lug nuts off.  Do 't know how I lived without it!

TXratti
TXratti New Reader
6/17/19 3:32 p.m.

Pocket flathead screwdriver. So many uses, always handy, very cheap.

Floating Doc
Floating Doc GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
6/25/19 3:06 p.m.

10 mm socket that I found on my last junkyard run. Now if I could just figure out what I did with it...

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
6/25/19 3:27 p.m.

Wire Coat Hanger.  For the cost of dry-cleaning, I have cleaned drains, secured things, grabbed lost items from behind furniture, replaced a car antenna, made stakes to hold down Xmas inflatables...the list goes on. 

I LOVE WIRE HANGERS!!!!

DIYKing
DIYKing New Reader
7/5/19 3:56 a.m.

In reply to boxedfox :

Looking for a really cheap hammer that I won't be afraid if it breaks...will check on dollar tree. Thankies

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/5/19 10:22 a.m.

Chopsticks.

jamieereynoldss
jamieereynoldss New Reader
7/19/19 3:57 a.m.

My helper is flexible socket. Yeah, they’re a bit pricey, but thanks to them you can remove and install the bolts in hard to reach places.

jgrewe
jgrewe Reader
7/27/19 10:29 p.m.

LED headlamp. I have a shop full of T5-HO light fixtures and I still end up with my headlamp on most of the time.

BossHaas
BossHaas New Reader
7/27/19 11:24 p.m.

These are the best you can buy, and a must-have. ($20) Outperform snap-on

Don't use these often, but they've saved my butt many times ($20)

 

redco2
redco2 New Reader
7/31/19 11:22 p.m.
Woody said:

Chopsticks.

YES!!! I use that to clean the sides of my ac (but adding cotton on top) You can also use it for cooking. 

NormPeterson
NormPeterson New Reader
11/4/19 9:28 a.m.

Favorite budget tools?  The ones I make myself from stuff I have on hand.

Most recently, a length of all-thread, some steel scraps, and a little brake caliper grease.

 

 

Norm

enginenerd
enginenerd Reader
11/4/19 10:48 a.m.

I have no idea how I made it so many years without on of these:

TR7
TR7 Reader
11/4/19 11:25 a.m.
enginenerd said:

I have no idea how I made it so many years without on of these:

And its closely related cousin, a magnet on a stick. 

lotusseven7
lotusseven7 Reader
11/6/19 6:52 a.m.

I use this stupid thing almost daily! I picked one up years while walking through the aisle figuring I “might” have a use for it at some point in life. 

 

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