Recent content by jimbothecricket

Princeton Tec's handheld flashlights (except the alloy-x) are all on/off only and made in the USA. Unfortunately run on standard AA/AAA batteries, not 18650 or other lithium ion batteries. https://princetontec.com/product-category/handhelds/

I use wire nuts on tubes of various chemicals. Would probably work on tubes of caulking.

I have regretted buying a pair of Cobras for regular retail price. Are they worth the cost? In terms of being a quality German made tool yes, but I have plenty of tongue and groove pliers that can do everything I need, and I can find USA made channellocks for a few dollars at estate sales. Now...

If you ever need to install or uninstall a SmartDrive dashcam system, you will be ready! In a rare stroke of genius, the designers at SmartDrive decided to use tamperproof pentagon screws /s

My younger sister (senior living in a dorm at a residential college) has and uses a Klein multibit ratcheting screwdriver, a small 1/4 ratchet with a 10mm socket (her car has mysterious electrical problems that go away if she disconnects the battery for a bit), a cheap set of allen keys, a...

Cripe Distributing has a $12 nylon tool belt: https://www.cripedistributing.com/products/genau-gear-845018-gx-contractor-carpenter-tool-belt-12-pocket? I have a different Genau Gear bag and the quality is decent enough For made in the USA nylon belts and pouches check out Boulder Tool Belts...

I really like this biodegradable brand I stumbled across called Trick Shot: https://itdoesthetrick.com/ It replaced WD40, PB Blaster, and 3 in 1 oil for me. It has never failed me yet as a penetrating fluid. I went looking for a biodegradable lubricant after my brother commented on the WD40 and...

Started a new job a few weeks ago with a lot of pipe and tube fittings. The Icon pliers wrench should help considerably. Really want a smaller pair and might end up buying the knipex 150mm version anyway. Extra picks and utility knife because you can never have too many. I bough four of the...

L keys and screwdrivers are my favorite. Hex ball screwdrivers are awesome as long as you don't need super high torque. I have fold up sets for portable tool kits

Get a Wiha power bit and pair it with a 1/4 adapter: https://www.wihatools.com/products/phillips-power-bit-1-x-150mm I'm not partial to any brand for bit holding sockets but here is the wiha model: https://www.wihatools.com/products/impact-bit-holding-socket-1-4-x-1-4?_pos=13&_sid=d8fc84e98&_ss=r

FreeCAD has gotten so much better in the past few years. I have used SolidWorks and Inventor previously. In my last job they wouldn't give me a CAD license. I still needed to get work done so turned to FreeCAD and was pleasantly surprised. Getting used to the whole "workbench" thing took a...

Now that I walked away my thoughts coalesced into a better recommendation. In your position I would buy the $25 Pittsburgh non-v groove 14 piece set and save $20 or use the extra cash to buy the skipped sizes. It is probably of similar quality to the v-groove set...

Sorry for not answering the question well. My work has a smaller set of non-v groove Pittsburgh wrenches and they honestly aren't as bad as I thought they would be. Not great, but none have failed on me yet. This is the set...

I have not used this set, however, the v-groove does nothing to improve grip on a fastener and is just a marketing gimmick. Torque Test Channel has a video where they describe it in more detail (one of their wrench testing videos). If you have a Lowe's nearby I recommend picking up the Craftsman...

No the iFixit sets are different. They sell some of the best consumer precision electronics tools. The iFixit bits are very high quality. I haven't used the Quinn set linked but I've used other (at least two different) precision screwdriver/bit sets from HF and they've all been junk.