Tools What should i get

[84 400]

I have about 300 to 500 to spend on tools. right now i am working out of a 50 peice craftsman tool set and some other hand tools. what should i get? what works best for you all what tools could u not go on with out? I was thinking a compresser and a touqre wrench. What brands will give me the best bancg for my buck

Thanks
Ian

[71SWBChevy]

if you only have 300 to 500 bucks I wouldn't get a compressor, to much money. I would definately get a torque wrench if your planning on any motor work. I would check out the pawn shops, there are a few around here that almost always have some snap-on tools in good shape cheaper than new craftsman stuff. If you do buy a used torque wrench though make sure you get it recalibrated. Also the tool selection really depends on what you plan to do. If you are going to be mainly building motors you need a completely different set of tools than if you will be doing body work or something like that. Also are you just wanting stuff for the truck or for newer cars as well? tell me what your wanting to do and I can give you better suggestions. But asking about tools your going to get 50 different answers from 50 different people. I normally just buy new tools when I need to do a job I don't have the tools for. I am the kind of guy who buys a $300 tool to change a $10 part the dealer would have charged $100 so my opinion may mean nothing to you.

[jcueckert13]

only 300-500, a decent compressor will take most of that. like what was said earlier the kind of tools you want depend on the work you plan on doing. if you plan on doing basic engine work and parts swaping a good set of combination wrenches, screwdrivers, and a decent socket set would be a good investment, a few others that come in handy are a set of easy outs and some good drill bits. i'm up to about 3 to 5 grand in tools but i have to make a living off of them.

[kwmech]

Wait about 6-7 weeks, then Sears will have a bunch of stuff on sale for x-mas

[cdowns]

a drill and drill bits
a jijsaw
an electric 41/2 grinder
a good extension cord and droplight
good set of rulers and a straightedge
set of chisels
prybars
c-clamps and visegrips
4way lugwrench
jackstands heavy duty/ and floorjack
hammers(heavy is GOOD)
EYE PROTECTION


that will give you a good start then just start getting into the habit of going into sears every couple of weeks and seeing whats on sale ,it's best to buy thier small sets $25-$30 set of plyers screwdrivers locking wrenches etc anything that you can see yourself needing in the future . its alot cheaper buying those small sets than individual tools

[Longhorn Man]

Screw the torque wrench. onless you are getting inside the engine and doing a rebuild, you'll pretty much never need it. Sure, you can use it, but you won't really need it.
You need to finish off the basics, and as stated, gear it towards what you do.
As nice as air tools are, from the sounds of it, you still need some basics. Chisels and punches, a nice assortment of screwdrivers, pry bars, open/box wrenches, socket sets in 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch, and 1/2 inch drive. you'll find you don't use the 1/2 inch much, but when you need them, it's hard to get by without them. I have found the little craftsman 1/4 inch set in the black case to be an outstanding set... once you've added a universal and a few extentions. 3/8 is what you'll probably use the most, so make sure to get a complete selection of sockets in both deep and shalow...6 point would be best since 12 point stuff is far and few between in most the stuff you'll do... and 6 point is almost a must have in the 1/2 inch area. A couple ball peen hammers, a small handled heavy hammer. A 6 inch and 12 inch crecent is almost manditory, allong with pliers, chanel locks, needle nose, wire cutters, quality crimpers, even some wore strippers. (stop using your teeth)
If you look at the craftsman kits, you'll normally see stuff in there that you'll never use...the little itty bitty wrenches are next to worthless. I use them on my X-mas tree as decorations more than as wrenches.
You'll also need a place to keep them. If you decide to go with a roll away box, you'll also need a tote box for road trips and junk yard expiditions, so keep that in mind.
Personally, I feel organization is very important, but that is my anal opinion, and starting off, is kinda hard to maintain, esp if you have to pack it all in a tote box or two. (if you get two, make one a 3 or 4 drawer chest at least)
You don't need to spend thousands upon thousands... but it is very easy to get wrapped up in it and end up having done so.
As for tool quality... pawn shops are great... as is e-bay and the once in a blue moon yard sale, for locating better brands of tools. ie, snap on, mack (don't get mack racheting stuff...EVER) matco and others. And many ppl will tell you that the sears stuff totally sucks... ignore them. 99% of what they are saying will be becouse they use there tools every day to make there living. My tool box alone is worth about 7 to 8 grand...that would be absurd to tell you to do the same. Same thing with the tools in the box. You have no need for a rachet that costs 100 bucks.
There is plenty of room for the dirt cheap tools too. I'll be honest, even though I work on big diesels, and fleet vehicles all day long, and sometimes even up to 70 hrs a week... I have some harbor freight tools in my box. When you are looking at tools that are stupid cheap... you have to ask your self... what will happen when it breaks?
A 3 foot long pry bar that only costs 5 bucks... WILL send you to the ER for stitches...or worse. However, a test light that costs a buck or two... will probably work fine for 10 years if you treat it right. My theory on cheap tools is... low stress tools only. And it hasn't let me down yet. I've even taken a gamble on a few harbor freight air tools... and so far... I've come out ahead on just about every one...better luck than I have had at the sears air tool cabinet.

[shifty]

I couldn't decide with that. Before you get tools, I firmly believe you need a place to store them. Sears has some nice 'ball bearing' setups for around the $350 range (stack setup).

Honestly, when tooling around in the garage, the most helpful thing for me is thise tool kit I got from Crescent. It has a full set of metric/standard wrenches and sockets, deep well and regular, plus a bit driver with every bit known to man. That, plus a couple of sockets around the 1" - 1/12" range and I'm good to go for most projects.

I firmly believe you should have a Sawzall and a 4.5 die grinder though. I have several other tools, but those get the most use. I also use my Jigsaw a lot for sheetmetal and wood. A good drill is nice and gets lots of use also.

[cdowns]

lets see he's got a $500 budget and your tellin him to spend $350 on a toolbox??? what the hell for he wont have anything to put in it!!!

[84 400]

well i do rebuild small motors often but have not needed to do an auto motor yet. I thought the torque wrnech would be good for lug nuts and other motor and suspention parts. I do normal maintnace on my truck and other cars. jack stand would really yelp. A cmpreeser would help me with the suspention stuff as wekk as doing smaller jobs. the pipe and wrench have worked but i am getting tired of fighting with rusted or over torqued nuts. I would also like to be able to get a sprayer so i could repaint small stuff and other detail work. I have a craftsman 1/2 drive socket set and some other allen and stardrive wrenches. but i find that lrger sockets would be more helpful. I have alot of house hold tools like a salzaw and drills. But i figure i can neve have enough tools. most specialty tools i rent from auto zone steering wheel pullers flywheel pullers and that stuff. I was thinking of buying used because it is cheaper and most tools don't go bad. My local cregis list has a bunch of compressers and small tools for sal. Also i have found a few local shops that are going out of businees that offer alot of tools at really low prices

[shifty]

A good torque wrench to do ft lbs and in lbs will cost you nearly the full $500. if your primary tasks are engine rebuilding, you are on the right track though.

i can tell you from personal experience that you do not want to skimp on your torque wrenches. i bought a cheap one for $65 and it gave out so many false readings it wasn't funny (never engaged right - brand new, out the box) and it lent to me snapping a bolt off in my block while putting on my oil pan.

[71SWBChevy]

If you don't have jack stands I sure hope you aren't crawling under any vehicles! A torque wrench isn't super important on lug nuts, just use the cross up pattern to tighten them and get all the lugs pretty close to evenly tight. with the items you have listed I would get jackstands and a larger socket set either craftsman if new or one of the high end tool brands if used, don't worry about the compressor right now, it will eat up all your budget by the time you get the compressor and the few tools that you would want to go with it. One really good way to get tools I have if you need a box is hit the pawn shops and find a full box make them an offer for about half price and see what they say, don't go up at all if they say no leave. Come back every so often and don't even look at the box again, most of the time after they sit on it a few weeks they will come up to you with a higher price than you offered, tell them you aren't going any higher and most of the time they will eventually sell it to you if no one else buys it. Also cash money does alot of talking at pawn shops.

[shifty]

A cross bar is nice, also. One of those tools I take for granted. So is a good floor jack. Ballpeen hammer, a BFH (big Fn hammer) and a rubber mallet.

trying to think of other things i've used this week.

a protractor or angle measure, that's good for both engine and fab work. got a decent one at home depot yesterday for $7.

good clamps are really helpful too. so are vice grips, and a decent propane torch for heating and loosening bolts.

[Fred T]

Once again it's champagne on a beer budget. For hand tools, I've gotten the best bang for my buck with SK and Proto. I did have a local auto parts jobber that would sell them to me at jobber price, but no more. I've been buying off e-bay or www.thetoolwarehouse.net . Be careful, shipping can kill you. I gave up on Craftsman, I can buy the same quality at wally world for less. Snap-on and Mac are great, and will serve you and your great-grandkids, but they aren't worth it for most home mechanics. Check the pawn shops, but know the prices. Around here most mark their used tools pretty close to retail.

If you need an air compressor, buy the best you can afford. You can't get much of one for the money you have, and you will want to replace it when you can afford a bigger one. You won't be able to spray paint or run a sander, but one in your range will run an impact wrench.

Don't forget you will also need an impact wrench, sockets, hose and fittings. For fittings, I now buy only Milton. They cost a little more, but they fit together better than the off-brands and don't leak. Also, get a rubber air hose. The plastic ones are a pain to coil and straighten. Also consider getting a die grinder to run a cutoff wheel. Very handy for cutting metal.

[Brainchild]

two words....PAWN SHOP!

Toolboxes,handtools,all kinds of stuff for a fraction of the price.Just be sure to buy good quality tools,and make sure they are in good condition.I have 2 boxes full of them,not new,but craftsman,snapon,mac ect,and all for the price of new walmart stuff

I see decent comressors going for a $200 all the time in this pawnshop,it's worth looking into IMO

[cdowns]

pawnshops?? around here they actually charge more for stuff than when its on sale at sears

[shifty]

Originally Posted by Fred T

Don't forget you will also need an impact wrench, sockets, hose and fittings. For fittings, I now buy only Milton. They cost a little more, but they fit together better than the off-brands and don't leak. Also, get a rubber air hose. The plastic ones are a pain to coil and straighten. Also consider getting a die grinder to run a cutoff wheel. Very handy for cutting metal.

A lot of places like Lowes and Sears have deals where you can get a 15gal-30gal compressor with all of the tools in one package for less than $250-$400, depending on the size - which isnt' a bad deal. I can post examples if they can't be found at the website online. I know Sears does it - certain I saw one inside the store @ Lowes a few weeks ago.

[shifty]

Oh - and speaking of Pawn Shops...

Better deal: Check your local newspaper classifieds tool section AND see your local Craigslist for Boston online:

http://boston.craigslist.org/tls/

It's very well trafficked and lots of tools cheap!

[84 400]

Originally Posted by shifty

Oh - and speaking of Pawn Shops...

Better deal: Check your local newspaper classifieds tool section AND see your local Craigslist for Boston online:

http://boston.craigslist.org/tls/

It's very well trafficked and lots of tools cheap!

yes i did write that in an earlyer post. I can get a used large good compresser for the third of a cheap new one. Also there are a few auto shops closing near me and tools are cheap with them. I do have vice grips, hammers screw drivers , pry bars. I have been useing lard 8inch buy 21/1 foot stumps for jack stands. They work well and in my opionon they are way more stable but moveing them is a pain. Would a 60 gallon compresser be good for spraying sanding and impacting? I know of a few for sale.

[71SWBChevy]

60 gallon is what I have right now, alot of it depends on the HP of the motor and if its 1 or 2 stage. I can sand pretty good with it just not constantly you have to let the motor catch up a little every so often, haven't done any painting but that will mainly depend on your gun, pretty much any compressor will run an impact because of the on and off nature of using an impact it doesn't take alot of air, its the tools that run constantly that suck down on a compressor.

[Eyegore]

Go with shiftys 2nd post, check craigslit and classifieds. It has taken most of us years to collect what we needed or even what we thought we needed, some tools I thought I needed just sit, could have just rented them and spent the money on other things. But CL and the papers sometimes have good deals, I picked up and engine hoist for $35 just because he needed to get rid of it since he was moving. But in your look for tools buy the better quality ones that will last and have a warranty, I'm not going to get into which ones since there are so many opinions as to which is best. Also keep checking the roadways espically around mechanics garages and dealerships, I have found several screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets - free, even my wife watches out for me, a couple of weeks back while with her friends she pulled a 20 foot tow chain with hook out of the road - her friends were telling her she was nuts - but i think otherwsise. so use your money wisely figure out exactly what you need more than want and go from there.

[shifty]

Eyegore just reminder me of another thing.

I went to Lowes about 4 months ago and looked around - they had a Dewalt 4½" andgle grinder mis-marked for $35 - it was the shelf model, came with no box or supplies, it was still brand new. Retail on it was $109 and for the previous year's model (which is how the shelf model was labelled, in marker), it was $89. So, basically, I got the thing for more than half off because it was a shelf model and some employee labelled it wrong.

Lowes sells open box items cheaper, when they have them. I suppose this one might have been used once, but it hardly showed if that was the case.

I'm not saying

[jcueckert13]

if you start looking in pawn shops look for snap-on, matco, and cornwell tools, mac tools seem to have some issues when it comes to quality, at my shop 90% of the tools that break are mac. for the most part craftsman tools hold up pretty well, i have quite a few that get used daily and with the exception of the ratchets i have never had issues

[junkyardjohn]

PAWN SHOPS OR EBAY. I'VE KEPT 25 OR 30 THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF SNAP-ON & MAC TOOLS THAT I PAID ON THE AVERAGE OF 20 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR FOR. I HAVE EVERY TOOL IMAGINABLE. IF I DON'T HAVE IT... I NEED IT. I HAVE UPGRADED 100s OF TIMES BY BUYING TOOLS THAT I ALREADY HAD, & SELLING MY OLD ONES BECAUSE THE NEW ONES WERE NICER. A LITTLE PAWN SHOPPING TIP.... PAWN SHOPS USUALLY WORK ON A 400% MARKUP... MEANING IF THEY HAVE SOMETHING MARKED FOR $100.... 9 TIMES OUT OF 10 THEY WILL TAKE $50 WITCH ALLOWS THEM TO MAKE 100% PROFIT BECAUSE THEY PAID $25 OR LESS FOR IT. 100% SEEMS TO BE THE MINIMUM THEY NEED BECAUSE OF OVERHEAD, INITIAL INVESTMENT, YADDA YADDA YADDA. IF YOU DON'T MIND BUYING QUALITY TOOLS WITH A SOMETIMES CHECKERED PAST & USUALLY SOMEONE ELSE'S INITIAL ETCHED IN THEM, FOR AROUND 20 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR... PAWN SHOPS ARE THE PLACE TO SHOP. SNAP-ON OR MAC TOOL TRUCK DRIVERS DON'T CARE WHERE OR WHEN YOU BOUGHT YOUR TOOL.... IF ITs BROKE.... THEY WILL REPLACE IT FREE. I KNOW.. I KNOW... SO WILL CRAFTSMAN....... BUT I LIKE TO BUY SNAP-ON OR MAC TOOLS FOR CRAFTSMAN PRICES. TO ME IT'S KINDA LIKE RIDING IN A MERCEDES COMPARED TO A HIUNDI. JOHN
(& MAKING HIUNDI PAYMENTS)

[cdowns]

yeah snapon tools are better quality than craftsman BUT in the real world unless your a regular customer of the snapon driver they aren't too eager to give you a free tools at sears stores you just walk in and walk out with a new tool no jumping thru hoops or fancy dancing or begging or threats or waiting required(i'll give you a free tool after the company gives me one to replace your broken one "catch me next month") or other lame excuses , i only have one of those if i give to you i won't have one to sell . thats the reason i've got craftsman tools// i love seeing snapon trucks in traffic i'll cut them off and slam on my brakes just for the fun of it because thier BULL**** EXCUSES

[junkyardjohn]

WOW.. SOUNDS LIKE A LOUSY SNAP ON GUY TO ME. I'LL BET THE SNAP-ON DISTRICT MANAGER WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GUYS CUSTOMER SERVICE .(OR LACK OF) I HAVE NEVER EVER EXPERIANCED ANY PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER IN EXCHANGING ANY SNAP-ON TOOLS WITH A LIFETIME WARRENTY. (& I'VE RETURNED OVER 100 TOOLS OVER THE YEARS). I'VE EVEN BOUGHT BROKEN TOOLS AT PAWN SHOPS JUST BECAUSE I KNEW SNAP-ON WOULD REPLACE THEM. YOU JUST GOT AN @SSHOLE. NO EXCUSES
i love seeing snapon trucks in traffic i'll cut them off and slam on my brakes just for the fun of it because thier BULL**** EXCUSES
THATS SORTA LIKE STOMPING EVERY KITTEN YOU SEE TO DEATH BECAUSE ONE SCRACTHED YOU WHEN YOU WERE THREE. I HOPE THOSE 30,000 lbs. SNAPPY TRUCKS CAN ALWAYS MANUVER AROUND YOU DURING YOUR DRIVING ANTICS, & DON'T SQUASH YOU LIKE A BUG. JOHN