IndyGarage
Well-known member
I suppose this is a list of tools that change the game. I've got a few of those:
1. Jawhorse - I don't know if they still make them (I looked, they do!), and I don't think they ever got as popular as they should have, but I love this thing. You can clamp and hold such a wide variety of stuff, plus I have bench tools mounted on boards and put them in the Jawhorse and they work like they are bench mounted.
2. Makita XWT07Z - First impact that could literally take any lugnut right off without hesitation. I carry one in my truck and I've changed people's tires at the side of the road countless times.
3. Knipex Cobras - These were so much better than any other slip joint pliers. Today there are knock offs that are nearly as good, but the you cannot go wrong with the originals.
4. Fiskars utility knife and blades - I like a lot of Fiskars tools, but the utility knives are great, and the blades are worth buying if you use any other utility knife.
5. Nissan Electric Forklift - This thing has done so much for me over the years. If it breaks, I'm finding another one tomorrow. No decent sized shop should be without a forklift.
6. Vermette 5-12 lift - Another lifting device - this is a rolling forklift type device that can lift 500 lbs up to 12 feet. It weighs probably 150 lbs, so somewhat portable. I use it to lift stuff into and out of a truck when a forklift isn't available. I can put it in the back of the truck and take it with me to load something and unload it. The other day I unloaded an 11 foot 800 lb stainless kitchen and cooler unit out of a box truck with it. Of course a real forklift is better, but for those times and places where one isn't available, this thing is great.
7. XSTO stair climbing dolly - This is a new device I've only seen in the last couple years. It's a hand truck with a motor and rotating arm that will pull heavy stuff up or down stairs without effort. I recently bought a condo that is three stories tall. The main living area is on the 2nd floor. Everything had to go up the stairs. I manhandled a washer and dryer up to the 2nd floor with a conventional appliance dolly, but it wore me out for a week. I decided there was no way I was getting everything up without help, so I sprung for one of these. Game changer. I moved a full size stainless Kitchen Aid refrigerator upstairs with this thing - solo. I've moved literally tons of furniture and boxes with it - and it's still on the original battery charge. it's kind of a one trick pony, but if you need it, you need it.
1. Jawhorse - I don't know if they still make them (I looked, they do!), and I don't think they ever got as popular as they should have, but I love this thing. You can clamp and hold such a wide variety of stuff, plus I have bench tools mounted on boards and put them in the Jawhorse and they work like they are bench mounted.
2. Makita XWT07Z - First impact that could literally take any lugnut right off without hesitation. I carry one in my truck and I've changed people's tires at the side of the road countless times.
3. Knipex Cobras - These were so much better than any other slip joint pliers. Today there are knock offs that are nearly as good, but the you cannot go wrong with the originals.
4. Fiskars utility knife and blades - I like a lot of Fiskars tools, but the utility knives are great, and the blades are worth buying if you use any other utility knife.
5. Nissan Electric Forklift - This thing has done so much for me over the years. If it breaks, I'm finding another one tomorrow. No decent sized shop should be without a forklift.
6. Vermette 5-12 lift - Another lifting device - this is a rolling forklift type device that can lift 500 lbs up to 12 feet. It weighs probably 150 lbs, so somewhat portable. I use it to lift stuff into and out of a truck when a forklift isn't available. I can put it in the back of the truck and take it with me to load something and unload it. The other day I unloaded an 11 foot 800 lb stainless kitchen and cooler unit out of a box truck with it. Of course a real forklift is better, but for those times and places where one isn't available, this thing is great.
7. XSTO stair climbing dolly - This is a new device I've only seen in the last couple years. It's a hand truck with a motor and rotating arm that will pull heavy stuff up or down stairs without effort. I recently bought a condo that is three stories tall. The main living area is on the 2nd floor. Everything had to go up the stairs. I manhandled a washer and dryer up to the 2nd floor with a conventional appliance dolly, but it wore me out for a week. I decided there was no way I was getting everything up without help, so I sprung for one of these. Game changer. I moved a full size stainless Kitchen Aid refrigerator upstairs with this thing - solo. I've moved literally tons of furniture and boxes with it - and it's still on the original battery charge. it's kind of a one trick pony, but if you need it, you need it.
