Garage Shop: Tools

Been having some success on eBay lately. Trying to update my sockets. Most of my existing stuff is mismatched and random, but I've always had good luck with the good old USA made Craftsman. The more I work on our vehicles, the more I come to appreciate having the right tools for the job. I've gotten more confident doing a wider range of repairs and as I see it, if I can't get something back together, that's what my AAA membership is for.

Anyone else like the old Craftsman stuff? I'd love to own Snap-On but that stuff is $$$$!

 

Hand tools, yes. Still have my first socket set from when I was 14(ish). Although I cut out the box insert to use in my tool box.

 

I use that form time to time. I have some CRC Cutting Fluid that I prefer as its a bit thicker.

But really anything will work. Used motor oil works just fine too.

 

The Craftsman tools back in the seventies and eighties were not bad the new stuff is junk compared to back then.

Then the not being warrantied for professional use kinda pushed me to the Tool Truck Brands and having great dealers over the years helped

 

Magnet fell out of my Snap-On shaft.

Sent an email to customer care and had a reply within the hour. Replied back with my info and 4 minutes later I have a tracking number with a new shaft headed my way.

They have been fantastic to deal with, and I don’t have a franchisee - dealing direct with SO. Can’t be happier with their service.

As a side bonus, the new shaft is double knurled, so it’s an upgrade.

 

I was a mechanic for a while and also went to school for Automotive repair. So, I had purchased a bunch of snap-on then because I got it at 55%+ off. However, when I started working in the field I purchased stuff from pretty much all the trucks. After a short stint as a tech I went back to IT. I picked the worst time to be a tech. When all the Ford dealers were shutting down I got laid off. Turned out well for me in the end though.

After that I started looking at Husky and the like, so my box is a real mixed bag. However, it’s all lifetime warranty stuff. Very little ‘bargain bin’ stuff.

If you put in the research you can find quality tools with a good warranty for less than the tool truck stuff. However, it is nice to have some of your main tools with the ‘big’ guys because it becomes much easier to maintain and replace the really important stuff.

 

I have Kobalt in the truck and Husky in the wood shop. Never had any decent brand fail on me. Not sure about pro wrenching but for home use, any reputable brand should work.

 

I have Husky ratchet wrenches that I absolutely love and a Kobalt battery electric mower that is my favorite mower of all time. I can certainly relate.

 

Super tempted to get a new all black set in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 for the house, but only because the black look pretty cool (what’s in the shop). I won’t but I think about it every now and then.

 

More representative shot of what my "workshop" looks like right now.... I need to clean up a bit. ha.

 

I ordered some Triton Durahooks off Amazon to start organizing the shop. They're an interesting design because they screw to the peg board with a screw, so you don't have to worry about them coming off when you remove things from the hook. They came in earlier this week, so I hung up few things. I need to get a longer u-bracket, so my saw will sit flat instead of on it's side.

 

Looks Normal to me!

 

My belief is that if your workshop or garage is too clean you are not working hard enough.

 

Then I know some who clean 45 minutes for every 15 minutes of wrenching

 

This was me until I had a kid.

 

I did the same:

IMG_2311 by Michael Halat, on Flickr

So nice having everything have it's place.

 

The black aesthetic is cool, but gets old quick when a socket falls under your workbench into a dark corner.

 

That's some big brain shit right there.

 

Finally have a garage.

Bought a 1 bed/1.5b condo with a 1 car garage and moved in a few weeks ago. Got the garage all sorted this weekend. Need to fit 3 bikes and my partner's car in there so it's all a tight squeeze at the moment:




Anyone have a peg board that they love? I've been looking at the wall control stuff but don't know if it's worth the extra $ over a simple fiberboard setup. I want to put some over top of the tiny little workbench I made.

 

Nice job, love the bike loft use of space.

I recommend just go to HD and get a 2x4 white pegboard, frame the back with some 1x.5 for strength and hook depth, and buy a big packet of the large angle hooks an a few long straights for starters.

This is a double setup:


Get some dedicated non-wire organizers if you want screwdrivers and pliers up there.


Here's a closeup up of a few different organizers, with my cell holder in the way.