We never talk tools, what do you guys like?

[bagekko]

Always talking about our cars and mods, a lot of us are DIY'ers but we never talk about tools.

I am a huge Milwaukee addict, have about 100 M18/M12 tools & lights.

I have purged most of my HF hand tools, still have many HF sockets. I have mostly Milwaukee pliers, Wilton hammers, texton & gearwrench wrenches.

Here are some cool new additions lately.

Astro Nano 3/8 sockets
https://www.amazon.com/Astro-Pneumat...8+socket&psc=1

Wera Joker ratcheting wrenches 11 piece metric
https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05020013...a%2Bjoker&th=1

Schwaben extra long wheel sockets, these are massive, longer than the 3" extension and my normal special wheel socket combined. Theres this crazy Japanese brand thats called Koken and I want their set but its like $225
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben.../016136sch01a/

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...es/pps-1721lc/

[02Pilot]

I came in here to say Wera and Milwaukee.

The M12 stuff is great, and I don't need the bigger M18 line. The new stubby M12 impact does 250 ft/lbs, which is plenty for most simple automotive stuff. I've got a HF Earthquake XT for anything bigger, but it doesn't get a lot of use these days.

The Wera hand tools are excellent. They are also addictive. I started with a couple of screwdrivers, then a ratchet, then a set of hex keys, then the Joker wrenches, and I just got the big 3/8" drive Zyklop ratchet & socket set (6-24mm sockets plus a bunch of other bits in a nice case) last week. Really, really good tools for a fraction of the tool truck brands, or Germans like Heyco and Stahlwille.

Need to start building my collection of Knipex pliers next.

It's also worth looking for older American tools. I restored a nice collection of old U.S.-made screwdrivers and pliers to go with a set of Heyco open-end wrenches from old BMW toolkits and built a nice vintage tool set for my 2002.

[Esteban]

My favorites:

Duct tape and WD-40. If something shouldn't move and it does, use duct tape. If something should move and it doesn't, use WD-40.

[bagekko]

I ordered the 3/8 Zyklop yesterday! Just the ratchet, have soooooo many sockets. I cant touch the Jokers till xmas.

How could I forget about Knipex, have 4-5 of them mixed in with my Milwaukees.

I just ordered the 1/4 M12 stubby, my 3/8 is on the way. I almost have every M12/18 impact they make, and all 5 of the M12 ratchets, its insane. I sell a ton of Milwaukee power tools as a hobby to fund my collection.

Maybe we should sticky a Tool Deals thread, I can easily make everyones $ disappear on tool discounts I know of.

Originally Posted by 02Pilot

I came in here to say Wera and Milwaukee.

The M12 stuff is great, and I don't need the bigger M18 line. The new stubby M12 impact does 250 ft/lbs, which is plenty for most simple automotive stuff. I've got a HF Earthquake XT for anything bigger, but it doesn't get a lot of use these days.

The Wera hand tools are excellent. They are also addictive. I started with a couple of screwdrivers, then a ratchet, then a set of hex keys, then the Joker wrenches, and I just got the big 3/8" drive Zyklop ratchet & socket set (6-24mm sockets plus a bunch of other bits in a nice case) last week. Really, really good tools for a fraction of the tool truck brands, or Germans like Heyco and Stahlwille.

Need to start building my collection of Knipex pliers next.

It's also worth looking for older American tools. I restored a nice collection of old U.S.-made screwdrivers and pliers to go with a set of Heyco open-end wrenches from old BMW toolkits and built a nice vintage tool set for my 2002.

[02Pilot]

Originally Posted by Esteban

My favorites:

Duct tape and WD-40. If something shouldn't move and it does, use duct tape. If something should move and it doesn't, use WD-40.

100mph tape beats duct tape every day of the week and twice on Sunday. And don't even get me started on my "WD-40 is not a lubricant" rant....

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by 02Pilot

100mph tape beats duct tape every day of the week and twice on Sunday. And don't even get me started on my "WD-40 is not a lubricant" rant....

Haha! Go ahead... rant on!

PS - just repeating an old (and tired) joke.

[JimD]

I use and pretty much like HF hand tools. I carry a tool roll in the bimmer that has six point 1/4 and 3/8 sockets, combination wrenches, 1/4 and 3/8 ratchets (offset plastic model) and extendable 3/8 (nice for lug nuts) and some other stuff. Almost all of it is from HF. I have a 1/2 rechargable impact from HF too but I don't use or like it as well. The battery technology is Ni Cd and when they are charged up it is fine but I use it so infrequently the batteries are rarely charged. I have a lot of Ryobi cordless tools but their 1/4 impact is not very powerful, I rarely use it on the car. I just bought the Bosch flexi click set on a cyber monday special. It will be mainly a woodworking tool, however.

[TridenTBoy]

Mostly own HF hand tools and sockets. Used various ones for close to 10 years and they mostly hold up fine. It's mostly about how you store the stuff anyway. If it's not HF then it's some no-name brand off Amazon. That's how a lot of my torx related stuff was purchased. Again, it works fine. I don't think it's necessary to buy the pricier stuff for most hand tools. Torque wrenches are only as good as their last calibration. I had one of mine calibrated a long time ago but I need to get it done again. It was a $10 torque wrench but had a guy who works on fighter jets use their calibration tool to set it up. He says the cheap ones work just as well as the high end when calibrated properly. I'll probably get all my torque wrenches calibrated sooner than later. There's a place in San Jose that does it for like $25/piece I think.

Outside of that, I have some GearWrench ratchets because they're quite nice. Ratchets are where HF tends to fall short, IMO. I have some Ridgid power tools. (1/4" and 1/2" impact and a driver) I used to use air when I had access to a garage but not anymore. The impact does speed things up quite a bit. But it's not like I need an impact anyway. I've managed to do every job on this car with only hand tools.

Just a lot of various no-name brands. I spend some extra money on organizing instead.

[tock172]

Been a DeWalt guy for the most part because that's what my father is. I've been giving some Milwaukee, Rigid and Ryobi stuff a try lately and I like it too. I use Harbor Freight stuff in a disposable fashion; their tools can be found in the trunks of my Civic and E30 and my junkyard tool bag. I also have a good amount of their specialty stuff like the radiator service kit, air tank and quite a bit more I'm forgetting. Considering the cost and that a lot of it comes with a warranty, you really can't go wrong with HF for most of the tasks one needs to accomplish. I still appreciate a quality tool that I'll have for 25+ years though, like the Snap-On torque wrench I use that's older than me.

[blue135]

Have focused on Milwaukee M12 cordless. have a grinder and vacuum in M18 but everything, including ratchet, is M12. Asking for 3/8" impact for Xmas. Just ordered 3/8" torque wrench because 1/2" starts at too high a number for some things. Ratchets and sockets are collections from over the years including many old Craftsman sockets when relatives left the farm.

Organizing is next step - especially getting rid of plastic cases.

[02Pilot]

Originally Posted by blue135

Organizing is next step - especially getting rid of plastic cases.

The HF tool chests are really quite good - roller drawers, decent metal, built-in lock. I've got the 26" top chest on my workbench, and it holds quite a lot.

[02Pilot]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Haha! Go ahead... rant on!

PS - just repeating an old (and tired) joke.

Rather than ranting, I'll contribute the line that gets repeated often by people who use tools for a living: "Every Harbor Freight tool eventually becomes a hammer."

[MightyMouseTech]

Now that I have been at BMW for 4 months. My two most often used tools are:

14.4 volt drill with clutch and quick change tip. Perfect for the 8 billion splash shield screws I remove and install every day, interior trim screws, etc etc etc.

14.4 volt 3/8 impact. This is great for nearly everything under hood and underneath. Also perfect for quickly snuggling up wheel bolts before lowering the car and using a torque wrench.

Seriously use these two tools more than anything else in my box.

Crazy how small/light the impact is for how much torque it has. Have to be careful on wheel bolts, because you can over torque them with it.

[captain slowly]

everything I own is Snap On for the most part. There was a time many moons ago that I had the income to buy the best and I did. Yeah, a bit wasteful, but every time I need my tools I'm reminded of how awesome they are.

[Gangplank]

Ryobi 18v cordless. I switched over a few years ago when they had a kit on sale. I continue to add tools as needed. Sockets are craftsman from years ago before sears went titsup. I'll replace them if they ever wear, which they don't.

Harbor freight = disposable single use. Don't shop there.

[bagekko]

It sucks the tariffs hit so quickly, with the M12 stubbies flying off the shelf they were the first to see the price increase, bare tool went 159 to 179 and kits 229 to 269.

I was lucky to get a sweet deal on the 1/4 & 3/8 stubbies before the price increased everywhere. There are some deals on the old Fuel 3/8, but everyone wants the stubbie.

The Milwaukee packout stuff is really nice, but expensive, and addicting once you get it. I have almost 40 pieces.

Originally Posted by blue135

Have focused on Milwaukee M12 cordless. have a grinder and vacuum in M18 but everything, including ratchet, is M12. Asking for 3/8" impact for Xmas. Just ordered 3/8" torque wrench because 1/2" starts at too high a number for some things. Ratchets and sockets are collections from over the years including many old Craftsman sockets when relatives left the farm.

Organizing is next step - especially getting rid of plastic cases.

[bagekko]

The Snap on power tools are good but the warranty stinks at 1yr. Lifetime on hand tools and only 1yr on power tools. I know many people who ditch snap on for Milwaukee (5yr warranty) because of this.

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Now that I have been at BMW for 4 months. My two most often used tools are:

14.4 volt drill with clutch and quick change tip. Perfect for the 8 billion splash shield screws I remove and install every day, interior trim screws, etc etc etc.

14.4 volt 3/8 impact. This is great for nearly everything under hood and underneath. Also perfect for quickly snuggling up wheel bolts before lowering the car and using a torque wrench.

Seriously use these two tools more than anything else in my box.

Crazy how small/light the impact is for how much torque it has. Have to be careful on wheel bolts, because you can over torque them with it.

[bagekko]

Ryobi has improved their quality a lot lately and they make soo many different tools. They share the same parent company as Milwaukee, TTI, who also makes the Rigid tools for HD. TTI/Milwaukee actually makes some of the Snap On & Mac power tools, at least they used to.

Originally Posted by Gangplank

Ryobi 18v cordless. I switched over a few years ago when they had a kit on sale. I continue to add tools as needed. Sockets are craftsman from years ago before sears went titsup. I'll replace them if they ever wear, which they don't.

Harbor freight = disposable single use. Don't shop there.

[Mr Gasser]

cordless impact, game changer...

[Converted1]

Was just shopping for cordless impact for the fall snow tire swap job I’m about to do. I have ridgid batteries and chargers for the rest of my tools so I’ll likely go with that. The GEN5X 1/2 one puts out around 550ftlbs of torque. Any experience with it? I also wish they made a cordless compressor tool.

[Dackelone]

I wish I could buy some Milwaukee M18 battery impacts. But the military's APO system can't ship Li-On batteries. My latest battery impact is a Bosch GDS 18V-EC 250(a 1/2 inch drive cordless impact with 250Nm of torque).


I'm a Hazet guy. Most of my tools are Hazet. I have some other German brands like: Wera, Wiha, Gedore, Knipex. And I have some cheap stuff like: WGS, Conex, WGB, LUX(Obi), Wurth tools.

I also have some stuff bought in the US... Channel Lock, Stanley, Tekton, Lisle & Astro. And I have some SnapOn stuff too.

Speaking of tools... I think I need to start shopping for a larger tool box(after the new years). I have out grown my current box. I wish I could order a huge 72 inch box from the states... but that ain't gunna happen. The Germans don't have anything like a Harbor Freight.

Dack

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Speaking of tools... I think I need to start shopping for a larger tool box(after the new years). I have out grown my current box. I wish I could order a huge 72 inch box from the states... but that ain't gunna happen. The Germans don't have anything like a Harbor Freight.

Dack

We don't recognize how nice we have it

My dad has two Wiha screwdrivers (red/black ones, with ergo grip and flip-out bit tray) they are the most brilliant things he has in his tool chest.