Time to buy some tools

[altiain]

If your garage is tight on space (like mine), a combination workbench/toolbox like this one can be very useful.

[MoonieGT]

I get Car and Driver at the house, I'll have to look for that coupon for the jack. Thanks for all the tips.

[goofygrin]

Not sure on the Miata, but once I switched over to 1/2" drive sockets for most things my life got a lot easier. I have about 4' of extension too for those nearly impossible to reach places.

I haven't had anything but issues with my recent Craftsman purchases. My Kobalt hand tools from Home Depot (bought on sale) though have been really good.

[Titus]

This thread has me thinking of what brands I buy and why. My Collection is about 50% Craftsman, 20% Snap-On, 20% Harbor Freight junk, and 10% misc other brands (Husky, Cobalt, stanley, proto). Here is why I buy What I buy:

Snap-On- Best of the best. Every Snapon tool I have is hands down better than any other tool brand I buy. If money was no object, I would buy all snapon. 99% of snapon tools are made in the USA, which is also a big plus.

Craftsman- Better than junk, but not the best. Reasonable prices, but not dirt cheap. 80% of them are made in the USA.

HarborFreight- Some actually are not that bad in quality, they offer no questions asked replacement like Craftsman now, but they are mostly made in China. If it is a use it once in a blue moon tool, and it is at least 50% cheaper than a Craftsman version, I will likely buy it.

Husky/Cobalt- These are at or slightly above the Craftsman quality and price, but most are not made in the USA these days. For me, I have a hard time spending more for something from China than a USA version. The pieces I have have all been emergency purchases where I need it ASAP and can't wast the time driving all the way to Sears.

Gearwrench- made over sees, but most are not from China. Quality is very high, price is competitive with Craftsman. I have not found a ratcheting wrench that beats theirs.

Stanley- No better quality than Harbor Freight these days, for higher prices. All of it is made in China these days. Stay away.

Mac/Matco/Corwell- Once were Snapon level of quality and made in the USA. Quality is down, sourcing moving over seas, Mac is almost all overseas, and Matco is following them. If I am going to spend that much money, I am going get the higher quality and Made in the USA snapon.

Proto/Williams/Armstrong- Great quality, priced between Craftsman and Snapon, made in the USA. I love the Proto pieces I have. I believe Williams makes a bunch of stuff for the goverment. If there was a local distributer of these brands, I would own more.



Danaher Tools- It should be noted that Danaher tools owns Armstrong, Allen, Gearwrench, and Matco, and also currently makes most of the Kobalt and Craftsman tools under contract. IIRC, much of the Craftsman and Armstrong stuff they make along with some of the Matco stuff is made right here in the DFW area.

[trickyrix]

I'll add to the brand thing...

99% of the time, I use a little Task Force (Lowe's) socket set that I keep in my trunk. It's only got 1/4 and 3/8 sets, but it gets the job done. I've even used the old "jack handle breaker bar" trick on the 3/8 and it never flinched.

For more specialized and heavier-duty tools, I've got an assortment of Craftsman (keepers), Gearwrench (very nice quality Chinese stuff), Harbor Freight (limited use), and other junk I've picked up along the way. BTW, the only torque wrench I ever broke was a Craftsman, and they wouldn't replace it... bastards! I now have a Kobalt which works just fine.

To keep this stuff company, I've got an air compressor with a decent-sized tank and some air tools - 1/2" wrench, 3/8" ratchet, and a cutter. I love the 3/8" ratchet because it fits in tight spots and makes short work of stuff like seat bolts. I also have a random 1-1/16" Crafstman socket which fits perfectly over the harness anchor eye-bolts that Gary sells.

Oh, and if you ever run across a set of Tein coilover adjuster wrenches, I've discovered that they're the perfect tool to remove the A/C vent eyeballs...

[boisking]

If you are only looking to work on your Miata, skip the mechanic's full tool set. You will not need any of the SAE sizes, only Metric. Also, the "sets" tend to leave out sizes that are less popular (I had one without any 18mm sockets). Go to Sears/Lowes and buy Craftsman/Kobalt sockets. The ones with the laser etching are nice and easy to identify (telling what size you are grabbing at a glance). Get both deep and shallow versions. Buy 6 point style. There aren't any bolts that require "thin wall" 12 point sockets on a Miata, and the 6points are stronger.

Remember: because a tool has a free replacement policy, it doesn't mean that Sears is open for an exchange at midnight before the track day. Buy stronger tools when available.

Snap-on sockets tend to be more likely to wear and "loosen", while Craftsman tend to be brittle and crack. It is easier to get a Craftsman socket replaced (go to sears) than Snap-On (find a tool truck...they tend to move on ya), unless you work someplace where the truck makes a weekly visit (in which case you probably wouldn't be asking for tool-buying advice).

If it is in your budget, buy any sockets available in "impact grade" steel. These will be black and weigh more. It is nice when you buy a 3/8" impact later on and don't have to get all new sockets. Buy a 1/2" and a 3/8" impact if it is in your budget...which it looks like it isn't.

If you decide to get "swiveling" sockets, get the ones with a ball/cup joint. they are strides better than u-joint sockets. Also, the ball/cup swiveling sockets are available in impact-safe steel.

Buy a 3/8" extension set with a socket-lock mechanism (3", 6", 12"). This is a device that holds the socket on the extension until you operate a quick-release mechanism to remove it. Friction style extensions are useless, by comparison.

You need a torque wrench, but save your money for a good one. It will take up too much of your budget this time around.

Always leave space in your budget for wire brushes and brake cleaner.

Go to Harbor Freight and buy the oil filter pliers. These look like crazy Channel-Locks. For $3, you have the best oil filter wrench on the market. This is one tool that does not have to be extra strong.

Get a spark plug specific socket. Your car uses a 5/8" (16mm) size spark plug, IIRC.

Hex keys are cheap, but hex sockets are reliable. The sockets are less likely to strip, and less likely to cause stripped bolts. Over time the sockets prove to be cheaper.

Save your money and don't buy a breaker-bar. A strong ratchet and a piece of pipe are just as good.

Magnetic bowl for nuts and bolts. Or a dog food dish and an old speaker.

A rolling tool cart with drawers and a table-top will be your best friend. If you don't have enough tools to fill a cabinet, it is nice to be able to drag them all around the car with you. I have seen this approach accomplished with a two-tray cart and a couple of plastic "carry along" style toolboxes, as well.

Buy a 2.5lb ball-peen hammer. Dead-blow is a plus, but a heavy head is better. BFH FTW!

Screw drivers come in multiple sizes for a reason. Get all the sizes. The ones with textured/serrated tips will hold a screw better without stripping. My Snap-On drivers are substantially better than my Craftsman drivers, with the exception of the Craftsman Pro series drivers (almost as good as Snap-On).

Work light. LED, rechargeable. Also, get the little light that straps to your forehead.

[MoonieGT]

Any thoughts on the buy only what I need vs. buy a 200 piece set?

[sammm]

Any thoughts on the buy only what I need vs. buy a 200 piece set?

Something to consider is price per tool in a set vs. individual pricing.

[MoonieGT]

True. If I buy separates I'd be getting metric sockets in 3/8 and 1/2 and some ratcheting wrenches. It seems like that would cost in the neighborhood of $150... Maybe I should go ahead and get the set.

[sammm]

Maybe I should go ahead and get the set.

I'd bought a Craftsman set when I started out....it covered 99% of my needs. When the time comes for specialty tools you'll know it and you can keep building your collection.

[motorollow]

Did I miss cordless drill on anyone's list? How did we ever get by without them. I am constantly putting my quarter inch drive in my cordless for small work.

[MoonieGT]

I actually do have a nice 18v dewalt drill...

[trickyrix]

IIRC, the most common bolt sizes on a Miata are 10, 12, 14, 17, and 19. You'll also need a 24 (?) and a 22 (??) for the diff (I'm sure someone can/will clarify the sizes for me). The little Task Force kit I got has a decent mix of deep and shallow sockets up to 19mm, all 6-point - and it's even got a spark plug socket. BTW, I'll second the notion that you want to go with all 6-point. The 12-point sockets will round out over time, and they're no good on semi-rounded nuts.

BTW, out of curiosity, does anyone sell a metric-only socket set, or would one have to put one together piece by piece? Every kit I've ever seen (including mine) has both metric and SAE.

[Titus]

I did not buy one of the large Craftsman sets. I bought a couple 3/8" metric socket sets (short and deep), then added 1/4", then 1/2", then SAE in different sizes and types, then some filler sizes not covered by sets. Each time I did, I thought perhaps I should buy a big set and be done with it. I never did, and ended up spending a lot more in the long run, even though all the individual socket sets I got were always bought for 50% off. If I was given a do over, personally I would buy the 299 piece Craftsman socket set. It contains every 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" socket Craftsman makes, and goes on sale through the Craftsman Club for 50% off ($240) at least once every year.

[MoonieGT]

I also have the sockets for the diff (after two trips to O'Reily because I didn't know that the drain and fill plugs were two different sizes...why?). I did the transmission and diff fluids a while back when the tb and wp were replaced (thanks to invaluable help from Radioactive).

[goofygrin]

I bet you can get away with just getting a set of metric shallow sockets, deep well sockets, extensions, a ratchet or two, a good set of screwdrivers, a hammer, jack, jackstands, wire cutters, pliers, crescent wrench, set of metric box wrenches and be good for now. The big kits normally are full of filler crap like 58 pieces of screw driver bits that you'll lose in 5 minutes.

[Radio-Active]

I would recommend Klein for screw drivers. A good set will run about $40 and will last a long time. I have had very little problems with mine at work. Also I like the Klein Series 2000 pliers. They are much better than the 200 series for their cutting edge. But even the 200 series is better than a lot of the pliers you will get from other manufacturers.

Armstrong gear wrenches are much better quality wrenches in my opinion than the Gear-wrench brand and would be your only set of wrenches you would need. They also cost 3 times as much, though.

As for the socket set. I agree with most that Craftsman sockets will be OK. I would suggest the professional line over the standard sockets.

[Radio-Active]

BTW, out of curiosity, does anyone sell a metric-only socket set, or would one have to put one together piece by piece? Every kit I've ever seen (including mine) has both metric and SAE.

Yes, they do. Most of the companys sell metric only sets, you just have to look.

As for your coment on 12 point sockets, I would have to disagree with you about round out over time, unless you are using them with an impact wrench. I even have 3 sets of 1/4" drive 12 point sockets, very hard to find, because we had 12 point nuts on aircraft. I find that SK makes a good set of sockets

[Radio-Active]

I actually do have a nice 18v dewalt drill...

Yes you do!

[creek]

After 30 years of mix matched tools I broke down and bought a huge set of sockets and a plier set from Sears. I own a 2005 Dodge PU and every fastener on it is metric so the SAE stuff gets little use. From Harbor Freight I bought a "gear wrench" set and a set of screw drivers, I have not managed to break any of them yet.
If on a budget and I was only working on metric cars I would only buy the metric set and acquire other tools as the need arose. I would however stick with name brands this time. Any time I am looking for a tool I try HF first and only buy if the quality looks up to standards or I think it will be a one time use tool. I have abused and broken HF tools and got them replaced no questions asked.

Nothing like looking over and rubbin' up a new tool. Just ask Titus.