Recent content by pdxgearhead

Crack pipe. I bought a brand new Matco 3/8 locking flex head in the 88 tooth with comfort grip on the GJ classifieds for $75.

I'm going to get the Timberwolf then. Thanks :beer:

I'm in the market for a chainsaw and all the chatter is Husky vs. Stihl. I'm a weekend warrior and am looking for a "prosumer" saw, if you will. I looked at the Stihl Farmboss and the Husqvarna Rancher series. I ruled out the Husky since there are no dealers in my immediate area. Then I...

Blackhawk makes a set. A 5/16" 8pt socket is required equipment for slack adjusters on school buses.

^ What he said. I love my mid 1990s SK hard handles. I warrantied one last year and got the "new" version, and I agree that the handle is way too big. It feels lighter and less dense as well. But what feels "good in the hand" is personal preference at the end of the day.

I always reach for a ratchet, even when a ratcheting wrench would suit the application better. When I started working on my car as a teen in the mid 1990s, good ratcheting wrenches were relatively spendy as I recall, so they weren't an option for me. The ratchet/socket is what I'm used to.

To stay on track to the OP's question, I've looked into the big 3 and it depends on your situation. They all give you a "budget" sheet, which includes all the start-up costs and somewhat of an idea of a year's worth of "fixed" expenses: starter tool inventory, fees, training...

The OPs Harbor Freight jack looks very similar to the 3 ton Arcan that they used to sell at Costco, which everyone rants and raves about. I bought that Arcan some years ago; it's a very nice jack for residential use. Come to think of it, the tire shop by my house uses those jacks from Costco...

When I started buying tools as a teen, my first socket set was a 1/2 dr because I didn't know any better. I was driving import FWD cars at the time, I never used 1/2 dr, except wheel removal. For almost 20 yrs that 1/2 dr socket set sat unused. Fast foward to my mid thirties, I'm driving 3/4...

quality USA made - SK, Proto, Wright (never used them but mentioned here), Channelock, Estwing, Bonhus, Mayhew quality import - Carlyle, Gearwrench, Sunnex

Technically truck credit is free, but I think one of the reasons why the tools as so high priced is that one is paying a de-facto interest rate, if you will. And again, the service is worth the price to many. The last thing a lot of techs want to do is to buy or warranty tools on their free...

The prices are high with the tool truck brands because you're paying for the service and the credit. It seems to me that some folks on this forum who are not professional mechanics will never be able to grasp that concept.

Count me in!

My friend has that compressor and he's a professional mechanic. It's in his home shop and does just fine for all the side jobs that he does. You're not going to be able to run a blast cabinet with it, but it gets the job done with impacts, air ratchets, and the like. I've had a couple of...

My Matco 88t 3/8 locking flex is my favorite ratchet of all time.