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Klayfish
Klayfish UltraDork
11/26/14 7:06 a.m.

'Tis the season. While many of you aren't fans of the holiday season, you can shag some really good deals. Sears and the big box stores often have killer deals on tools.

We settle on our new house in 2 months and I plan to set up a "proper" garage. My basement has 12' ceilings, so I'm putting a lift in, etc... I haven't seen any Black Friday sales on lifts, so I'm focusing on tools.

Give me some ideas. My current inventory consists of a couple of those 128-ish piece mechanic sets, a decent assortment of screwdrivers and hammers, a speed wrench and a few other odds and ends. So I've got the very basics. What would you buy next? The answer can't be welder...I don't know how to weld yet. I want to keep my total spend under a few hundred. Ratcheting wrenches are on the list for sure...I've used them a lot when working on our LeMons cars.

If I'm braving the crowds on Friday (or even late Thursday), what would you buy?

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/26/14 7:16 a.m.

Gear Wrench Flex Heads are the most useful tools that I own.

Klayfish
Klayfish UltraDork
11/26/14 7:32 a.m.

In reply to Woody:

Yup, those are definitely at the top of the list. Sears has some killer sales on them this weekend. Plan to pick up a set or two.

Mad_Ratel
Mad_Ratel Reader
11/26/14 7:32 a.m.

home depot or lowes usually has a really nice dewalt cordless drill for 99 including both batteries and charger. Last year the 24 volt lithium was also at that same price.

it's never listed on any flyer but when you walk in there will be a huge stack of them.

i built a deck using my 5 year old one. tons of power and the original batteries are only now starting to wear out... FYI it's cheaper to buy the 99 buck deal than it is to buy two new batteries (usually 99 as well...)

gearheadmb
gearheadmb New Reader
11/26/14 7:38 a.m.

A set of prybars and rubber hammers. Extra long needle nose pliers, straight and curved. Plenty of lighting and extra outlets for the garage.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/26/14 7:57 a.m.

Speaking of Gear Wrench, they make great Hex / Allan Wrenches:

I also have a set of T-Handle ones:

Those crappy sets that come on a keychain for $3 waste time and cause more frustration then they are worth.

DaveEstey
DaveEstey PowerDork
11/26/14 8:00 a.m.

A couple dead blow hammers from Harbor Freight. Snap ring pliers. Metal shears.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/26/14 8:00 a.m.

Many castle nuts have been removed with Channel Locks, as well as radiator hoses, exhaust clamps, steering wheels, windshields...

1988RedT2
1988RedT2 PowerDork
11/26/14 8:02 a.m.

Your logic is faulty. How can you learn to weld if you don't have a welder?

I say welder!

tuna55
tuna55 UltimaDork
11/26/14 8:03 a.m.
1988RedT2 wrote: Your logic is faulty. How can you learn to weld if you don't have a welder? I say welder!

yeah dude!

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/26/14 8:05 a.m.

My new favorite tool is this LED light from Lowes for $20. It throws a TON of light, never gets hot, and doesn't blow a bulb if you breathe on it like the old shop lights. It is compact and can even plug into the cigarette lighter for roadside or trackside use. Seriously, go get one and you will thank me. They also come in a larger size for $10 more.

Never again will I use one of these!

Mad_Ratel
Mad_Ratel Reader
11/26/14 8:13 a.m.

is there a deal/steal on a welder out there?....

Klayfish
Klayfish UltraDork
11/26/14 8:13 a.m.

Welding is definitely on the horizon...but the distant one for now. First things first. Lighting and electrical are being taken care of with the house build, so I'm good there. I like the gear hex, I agree the keychain set (or even off the keychain, which I have several sets) are a pain.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/26/14 8:15 a.m.

I picked up a 30 gallon, 250 psi air compressor with a decent SCFM rating at a Black Friday Sale. It has served me well for changing tires, suspension work, engine swaps, grinding and body work. Every shop should have one.

logdog
logdog GRM+ Memberand Dork
11/26/14 8:18 a.m.

Vise

Bench Grinder

Bench

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
11/26/14 8:23 a.m.
Klayfish wrote: In reply to Woody: Yup, those are definitely at the top of the list. Sears has some killer sales on them this weekend. Plan to pick up a set or two.

Just be sure to get the Gearwrench ones and not the Craftsman versions. Owning both, the Gearwrench ones are better. Dont' ask me why... they just feel better. Plus, the Gearwrench sets are available in more sizes.

I have a 12V compact DeWalt driver & drill set. They have plenty of power for 95% of driving tasks, are a lot lighter than any of the 18/24V versions, and are better for using in tight spots. The light weight is welcome when you're doing a lot of work over your head.

Flex sockets are nice to have. They'll often fit into spaces where a normal socket on a universal won't. In a nutshell, make sure you have the basics covered: shallow, deep, universal sockets in both metric and SAE for 1/4" and 3/8" drive; shallow & deep for 1/2". Eventually, you'll get to the point where you walk into a Sears and go, "there's nothing I need here..." and you start shopping and more specialized too outlets. I use thetoolwarehouse_dot_net a lot.

IMHO, it will also depend on the type of work you plan to do. If you just have one car you work on, you can often get away with a simplified tool set. But when you start working on a lot of different cars of many different eras you begin to understand why pro wrenches have $50K+ worth of tools.

Speaking of having a lot of tools... if you dont have a decent sized box, now might be a good time to get one. IMHO, the $400 base cabinet from Harbor Freight is perfect for home use and would take a long time for a DIY-er to out-grow.

kb58
kb58 Dork
11/26/14 8:28 a.m.

A small mill would be nice... but in the meantime I'll be checking out the cordless drills. Pretty much wore mine out building Kimini and Midlana.

Grtechguy
Grtechguy UltimaDork
11/26/14 10:04 a.m.

I have a set of Knipex on my wishlist:

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
11/26/14 10:22 a.m.

A good heavy bench vise is a great investment. Buy a good new one or a refurbished old one. Do not buy Harbor Freight.

Toyman01
Toyman01 GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
11/26/14 10:29 a.m.
pinchvalve wrote: Speaking of Gear Wrench, they make great Hex / Allan Wrenches:

More info on these please. I can't find them on the Gear Wrench site.

DeadSkunk
DeadSkunk SuperDork
11/26/14 10:39 a.m.

I just got back from Ace Hardware. If you're a rewards member they have tremendous deals on this weekend. I just bought two 180 piece Dremel accessory kits and two sets of Gearwrench ratchet wrenches for $40. The MSRP on the Dremel kit alone is over that.

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury MegaDork
11/26/14 10:41 a.m.

Ball end T handle allen wrenches...similar utility to the flex units, typically less spendy. Downside? Less engagement at the ball end = lower ultimate torque capacity. Still, 90% of the time, they work every time.

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr GRM+ Memberand Dork
11/26/14 10:58 a.m.

angle grinders from HF. Get 3. Use one to cut, one to grind, and one to sand. Leave them with the specific wheels in them. Never change wheels until they wear out.

$30 or $35 bucks total.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/26/14 11:15 a.m.
Fueled by Caffeine wrote: A good heavy bench vise is a great investment. Buy a good new one or a refurbished old one. Do not buy Harbor Freight.

And they're only useful if well attached to a solid workbench, preferably one that's bolted to the planet. People scoff at me for this, but once you've used a vise that's well mounted you'll be frustrated with every other one.

pinchvalve wrote: Speaking of Gear Wrench, they make great Hex / Allan Wrenches:

Is that where they came from? We have a set of these in the shop, they're great. Well recommended.

spitfirebill
spitfirebill PowerDork
11/26/14 11:41 a.m.
logdog wrote: Vise Bench Grinder Bench

Get the bench first

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