TOOLBOX...choosing tools

This has always been a weird topic for me. I have rebuilt wrecked Ferrari's and not just the body....motor out of a Testarossa and Mondial. I have worked on almost every american car from about 78 and up. Little bit of diesel (Great diesel mechanics are gods!) and wow...MANY....MANY foreign vehicles. I have probably wrenched on over 200 motorcycles 300 boats....shit anything with a combustion engine! But it never ceases to amaze me when I see these HUGE beautiful toolboxes that some guys have which could probably buy a Lexus with! Some don't know how to use the tools in them and some do of course but I have one of the weeny 12 drawer boxes that I got on clearance from wallmart for $50. I have two of those crescent tool sets from Costco. First one was the original that came out like 12 years ago and is half the size of what I have now which is the current version in the stores. My box and shelves have everything from snap on, mac, HB, craftsman, whatever. I have so many specialty gizmos and can just about crack any nut , bolt or screw. Including compressor and all of the air tools that have plenty of mileage on them.....I probably don't have more than $650 into the whole thing. I can seriously work on almost every car under the sun as well as work on every part of the vehicle as well. With all of this ranting....my point is can someone nicely tell me why some guys spend so much money that I see as unnecessary? I will admit that I would love that $800 stainless box at costco though!

Mind you...I am not one of those cheap old grease monkies!!! I actually have pretty high standards but I was taught that a good mechanic can do anything with a hammer, pliers and a flathead screwdriver. My teacher of 12 years was a LeMans race team mechanic. I just want to know if I am missing the boat on this concept. I would LOVE a sweet box in my shiny clean garage!

 

That box at Costco is nice. With the wood bench on top

 

Nevermind. I just looked on line. I see the stainless one you were talking about

 

If I could have the 27", the 41" and some pegboard on the wall....I would be very happy

 

You will never go near a piece of equipment of mine with a hammer, vice-grips and screwdriver.

If I am paying a "professional" mechanic is it because they have a resource I don't, either special tools or tooling, knowledge or even time. I specialize in older BMW motorcycles and have 90% of the special tools that I need, and if I don't have the right fixture, jig, gauge, meter or set up tool to get the job done correctly and without redo, that piece gets sent out to a specialist who does have the resource.

I found that once I started paying for ruined parts and assemblies out of my pocket, my special tool collection started to grow by leaps and bounds. I think I crossed the $650 mark with my first air impact wrench and sockets, 30 years ago and I probably spend that per year keeping the tool set current and up to date.

While brand is not super critical for most uses, the quality/spec of the tool is important.

 

You will never go near a piece of equipment of mine with a hammer, vice-grips and screwdriver.

Neither would I!! I think you missed the message....it is more of an expression!

Plus I think I was up a little too late last night I definitely have more than $650 into my stuff but not that much more. Not because of quality but rather because I actually put a lot of effort into paying correctly for my tools. I bet ya my impact can beat up yours as well! 1100lbs of reverse torque (IR) that I purchased for $75 and not $800!

 

I have a used mac 52'' 13 drawer roller cabinet, but it's back in Wisconsin . I have a mix of snap-on, mac, & craftsman tho . I defiantly prefer snap-on tho there defiantly is a difference.

 

Maybe your impact wrench can out twist mine...I bought my last one on sale a decade ago and can probably use a new one, this decade or next...

The point I was trying to make is that while we can make do in a pinch with make shift or universal tools, the right tools and tooling can make a job go faster and give a more predictable outcome.

Too many years in industry, manufacturing and fleet maintenance has given me a different viewpoint than what I had when working 60+ hours a week in a general maintenance facility.

Howard

 

Kobalt i know some of their tools are made in china but i had good luck with their hand tools

 

Where do you get those draw liners from snap on has them but they are close to $400. Thanks

 

I didn't see Brian's OP on this one but that's a beautiful set up. Hard to misplace a tool when you have an obvious MT space in foam.

 

whatever i feel like buying . and whys this in the 2nd gen section ?




oh and

 

I need new tools. Some of these tool sets are making me jelly

 

You jelly bro?

 

Yea....

 

Since you are Coast Guard I'm gonna guess that was custom done, But is that available commercially at a decent price?

 

I have seen a 9/16 hex bolt rounded off by a Craftsman combination wrench, mechanic was headed for the Visegrips when the mechanic in the next bay removed it with a 9/16" Snappy box wrench, you do get what you pay for.

 

i agree. my brother has his own shop with mostly snap on tools and compared to the craftsman the tolerances of them are much much tighter. but for general occasional use craftsman with the lifetime warranty is hard to beat

 

I do agree with you but I guess I can't go that much into detail about what tools I own and how I use them as we would be here for a day! First if I am using a cheap tool and sense that a bolt could be damaged, I reach into the tool box for the better tool with tighter tolerances. Which of course would be a better name brand as well. Like I said...the important stuff is good quality and the less important is not. The other problem with me and this conversation is that my tool set has been dialed in over the course of 25 years! I learned which tools were important versus just dumping $25k on a complete name brand set. I am not saying my way is better than others because let's face it....we all have different needs and are on different time tables.