Recent content by fuddinator

Personally I have had better luck with mouse milk or kroil.

It all depends on the aircraft you work on, but over 1 inch is fairly common for hydraulic lines on pumps and reservoirs plus some fuel lines and other misc stuff. At least that holds true for the CRJs. For standard combos, i have up to 7/8. I have the 15pc HF service wrench set which is 3/4 to...

I personally like LED Lenser. I have a T7 that has been abused at work going on 5 years. It uses 4 AAA which I get free from work. It isn't the brightest or best on battery life but I can't kill it. Even been dropped from the top of airplane 20plus feet and still kicking. Only thing is the lens...

I would almost guess the premium rats are just re branded gearwrench. Looks quite similar to the 120xp but with less teeth.

I work in aviation so I almost exclusively use 1/4in drive and until recently been using a CM raised panel. It seems to wear out pretty quick. Worn out twice in the past 5 years. First time the gears were worn and wouldn't grip. Second time the quick release gave out. I have since got an...

I can't recommend homak over the HF boxes for roll cabs but the homak 18in and 22in cantilever portable boxes are really good for the money. Unfortunately they are sold online only.

Personally I am a fan of Mechanics Time Savers. Picked up a blue point labeled one for my sockets and it works really well. The magnetic base keeps it secure in my box. I have a dog house box that gets thrown around and they stay put. Plus I can grab it and have both my standard and deep sockets...

Harbor Freight pittsburgh wrenches and a bench grinder or some files solve that. Then you can customize the length shorter and make them as thin as you need. I have a hand full of them grinded down and chopped really short for gear sensors and shrader valves on airplanes.

While not in the Sears store, a lot of Craftsman Industrial is still US made. I have a catalog floating around from a local industrial supplier. The only problem would be warranty service. Far as actual quality, it would be safe to assume it would match old USA Craftsman and price wouldn't be as...

A lot of 12pt on airplanes. As mentioned earlier, it can help getting on bolts in tight places. That half flat of engagement can make the difference. I use my 12pt more even on 6pt bolts except smaller than 5/16.

Working in aviation I have one metric tool in my whole box. 1.5mm hex for a set screw that goes on 3 light dimmer knobs on the airplanes I work on. Rest is all SAE. I expect though by the time I retire metric will become a lot more common though.

Are they round head rivets or flush/countersink rivets? If they are countersunk and a softer metal knipex plier wrench might do it. Can't say I have tried it on 1/8 in rivets but they worked great on -3 aviation aluminum rivets. However most squeezers seem to start at 70+ with most falling in...

Most of my sockets are Craftsman USA made by Armstrong and have held up pretty well. I wouldn't pay full price for Armstrong though. The only exception I have seen has been their MAXX ratchets. Great ratchets for the price. I am sure there are other things but big +1 to the maxx ratchets.

I was in the same boat as you with angle wrenches. I went with the set Northern Tool sells. Working on aircraft I only bought SAE but it has most every size from 3/8 to 1 1/4. They also have a 15 piece metric set. The fit and finish is spot on. It has saved me a few times on hydraulic reservoir...

When I walk into the hangar at work I see no less than 6 or 7 of those HF 44in boxes. Great box for the money.