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Thread: Tools.

  1. #1
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    Tools.

    I'm thinking I'm might use this thread later, but I want to get things started:


    Mityvac on Ebay. Great for bleeding brakes.


    Nipple enlargement pump on Ebay. Great for enlarging nipples.

  2. #2
    Consultant KillerB's Avatar
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    It's good to find items with uses that the missus enjoys as well, eh?

  3. #3
    Director Freude am Fahren's Avatar
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    Uhh, this is actually a timely thread for me. Not for nipples, but for real tools. My next home will have a functioning garage and I plan on doing just about everything myself on my car. My tool collection right now consists of:

    A sizeable ratchet/socket set (Kobalt) which includes a good set of open/close ended wrenches
    Torque Wrench (3/8 20-150lb I think, Kobalt)
    A basic set of screwdrivers (not sure brand, Stanley maybe? I like them. They're comfy and have mag. tips) Also a good set of the same companies small screw drivers.
    Damn good Lithium batteried Drill (Skil I think)
    A small tool box that is overflowing.
    The usual odds and ends: Hammer, a couple pliers/pipe wrench.
    Four jackstands (Harbor Freight)
    2 Ton Aluminum Floor Jack (Harbor Freight)

    Trying to get together some of the other essentials. The main thing on my list is a good tool chest. Lowe's has a nice Stainless Steel one that's gotten good reviews. I'm waiting to find some coupons or sales on that. Also
    Good, varied set of Pliers.
    Shorty Wrenches
    Creeper/wheeled seat


    When it comes to brands, I've been shopping Lowe's mostly. From what I can tell Craftsman has kinda lost its way. They're just not quality tools anymore. I've gone with Lowe's in house brand Kobalt for a few reasons. They were priced the same as Sears (some more some less), the quality has been reviewed online as the same or better (and if I'm honest, when all things are equal I like the polished chrome and blue scheme better than crinkle and black/red). Obviously if money weren't an option, I could go for Snap-on or Matco, etc. I did find out Lowe's replacement plan is bogus. At Sears you just go in to the store with a broken socket or what-have-you and they give you a new one. Lowe's you have to send away and pay shipping, which is more than most would cost in store new.

  4. #4
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    Tangentially related to your last few sentences, Sears/Craftsman provided me with one of my favorite minor customer service/warranty experiences ever.
    12 or 13 years ago I had a craftsman ratchet strip out on me. Now, this ratchet wasn't anything terribly special- just a fairly basic 3/8 drive, but it had a really nice, smooth action, felt good in my hand and I had inherited it from my grandfather when he died, so it meant something to me.
    I took it in to my local Sears to see if I could get a repair kit or something and the guy behind the counter told me that that specific style of ratchet hadn't been made since 1972, and they had no service kits for it anymore. :-(
    But... they could get me a replacement. I said "no thanks/I'll just buy another/grandfather's tool/&c." Dude replies, "Don't buy anything yet, let me see what I can do," and takes my phone number.
    About a week and a half later I get a call at work and the Sears guy says he's got a solution and to come in when I get a chance and bring the ratchet. So I sure up and from behind the counter he pulls up a positively ancient looking box, opens it, and pulls out a ratchet wrapped in that oiled butcher paper that you never see anymore. It's the same ratchet as mine, but literally brand new in box. He immediately starts disassembling it and says, "we might not have a repair kit, but I was thinking hell- a warranty replacement might as well be a repair kit if you want to keep the body of your old one."
    So, we swap out the guts of mine for the new one, he sticks the new one with the old guts in a padded envelope for return to corporate and I walk out with a brand new old ratchet (that still had the scar from when I accidentally arced the battery terminals on my Toyota) at no cost.
    So, thats my craftsman story.

  5. #5
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    People crap on Craftsman all the time, but with just a few tiny exceptions my experiences have always been very positive. I do buy stuff from Harbor Freight, but all the important stuff is Craftsman and it's never let me down. I think a lot of people judge Craftsman based on the lowest-common denominator tools they put on sale all the time, and forget that they actually have very high end stuff at reasonable prices. Just recently I bought a xx-piece "mechanics tool set" for dirt cheap, because I wanted a fair set of tools to keep in the Falcon. They work, but the difference between the cheapest ratchet they sell and then most expensive is ASTONISHING, and the price ISN'T. That said, I think Sears cheapest stuff *is* crap, whereas Harbor Freight or Lowes/Kobalt is not... but Lowes/Kobalt is crap compared to Sears's good stuff.

    FaF, a couple thoughts:

    I never appreciated the importance of a good tool box until I got one. It's really a great investment. I would encourage you to buy name-brand here, because if you're like me you'll find you need more room eventually and it's nice to be able to go back to the source and buy expansion parts that match. Most tool chests are of roughly similar dimensions so you can mix & match, but a whole setup of matching components is impressive. Makes you feel good inside.

    When building out your garage, make accommodations for an air compressor. Just do it. A huge 240v one. Spend lots of money. I got by for years with a cheap 120v Harbor Freight compressor and it was fine, but when I look back and think about all the pain I went through because I saved $400, I cry inside. Not outside, mind you, just inside. Air runs impact tools, drills, grinders, sanders, cutters, sprayers and cleans stuff and fills stuff. Whether it's assembling, disassembling, modifying, fabricating, or decimating air can help you. A good compressor gives you access to Harbor Freight's amazing inventory of dirt cheap and totally decent air tools, meaning that $100 electric angle grinder you might have bought is now a $25 air angle grinder. 100% worth it.

  6. #6
    Director Freude am Fahren's Avatar
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    Yeah, my dad had a big air compressor in our garage growing up. And I worked in a race shop that was totally outfitted with air. That's high on the list. I will be a renter so I have to look into any issues I might have there, if any.

  7. #7
    mAdminstrator Random's Avatar
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    Ratcheting box wrenches (like GearWrench(tm) and similar) are the best thing since sliced bread, IMO.

    A wheeled seat is nicefor brake jobs, if you get your car high enough.

    Keep an eye on Sears/OSH's Craftsman sales for toolboxes. I got a triple stacker similar to this (not ball bearing, though)for not a whole lot of money. The "US General" tool cart at H.F. has consistently gotten good reviews, too.

    I've got a portable three-drawer w/ lid Craftsman box, as well. That actually has the bulk of my car-related hand tools in it, and the big stacker has my household stuff.
    Whoomah!

  8. #8
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    I did the black "Quiet Glide" triple for pretty cheap as well, on sale. Now that Craftsman is available at OSH, Ace, Kmart, and Sears (amongst others) you have real options for sales.

    Oooh, also, don't overlook the Sears Outlet. Sometimes a tool box with a tiny scratch is substantially reduced.

  9. #9
    mAdminstrator Random's Avatar
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    Yeah, I think just about every male I know bought that same "Quiet Glide" set-up, in various colors.
    Whoomah!

  10. #10
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    It was barely more expensive than the HF variety, and a much nicer quality. Although, if really pushed, I'm not sure that it's nicer in a useful way - that's tough to say. I've had zero problems, so as far as I'm concerned the ~$100 premium I paid (per chest, have two) for the Craftsman was a fair price for the insurance of it. Nothing is more frustrating than jammed up drawers.

    It occurs to me I got so excited about nipple enlargement (they also work on penises, ebay tells me) that I forgot what led me to the OP... It seems vacuum pumps are a dime a dozen, but what I need is a pressure pump. I need to test the WGA on the XR4Ti, and I think reset the one on the SPG. As near as I can tell, the options are Mityvacs for ~$50 or high-end professional tools for $250+. I spent hours (apparently pointlessly) searching and have come up empty. I'm tired of using a 120psi compressor and a goofy hose/valve/gauge setup to pressurize a 10psi waste gate. At best it's clumsy, and I have a constant fear of blowing out the diaphragm in the actuator. Guess it's a new Mityvac for me.... I'm just held up on whether $50 plastic is better in some what (other than cheaper) than $60 metal... I don't think durability is an issue here - the tool will be used very infrequently.

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