MartinTech
Well-known member
snip<What are some of the tools you have found useless, or some that you love?>snip
Great thread. Tools I love? You already covered the pen thing, and someone else mentioned the brain thing, so I won't bother repeating them again. That almost brings us to nuts and bolts, however... My LED Stinger is very close to my heart. So much so that I have two of them, one for discharging, one for charging. Oftentimes, I use it in conjunction with my Power-Probe. Once I got used to using it instead of a DMM for most of the garden variety analysis, I realized that it is not only quicker, but more useful. Being able to hit an something like an aux fan with B+ quickly and easily lets you rule out or confirm your suspicions in a nice, streamlined fashion. Don't get me wrong, I didn't ditch my Fluke, but it is amazing how much you can accomplish with the power probe. (disclaimer: Disregard this if you don't have a solid understanding of modern automotive electronics. You may destroy something that costs far more than will seem reasonable.)
Another tool I simply could not perform my job without is the Autologic. Our shop specializes in BMW/MINI, but because we are not a dealer, we don't get all their nifty (proprietary) gizmos to figure out why the damn SES light is on again. The Autologic is so capable that it outperforms the factory tools in some ways, and gives us dealer-level programming, coding, activation, yada yada... It is not the best scan tool for the code-reader parts swapping types, but if you can get your noggin around the information it gives you, you can just about accomplish anything. It is the standard.
What about the nuts and bolts? I like that stuff too, and I really like using my Makita 14.4v cordless impact to make things speedy. Honestly, I don't know how I lived without it. It makes all the tedious little things go away.
I tend to be kind of queer for a nice ratchet handle, and have spent way more than necessary on nifty, unique and sometimes even useful various ratchets. The one thing I could never find was one that was smooth enough, strong enough, the right length, and so on, for everyday use. I found it when I bought a long handled, flex head, nix the soft grip, 3/8" drive Dual 80 ratchet. It isn't quite as smooth as my Facom, but that stupid frog tool breaks if you give it a dirty look. The Snap-On ratchet has a great combination of qualities that make it perfect if you use your tools to make a living. I like it so much I bought the 1/2" equivalent. It is sublimely good, it feels right when you use it, and I am proud to say that I love that crazy ratchet... Anyway...
Another one of my most favorite tools is my freebie 1/8" flat bladed screwdriver. You know, the kind that has some logo stamped on it and a magnet stuck in the top of the handle? Not just any cheap-*** screwdriver, though. I like the one that I carefully ground the tip, turning it into a little chisel pointed powerhouse. That tool will pry all the little switches and connectors and stuck vac lines and...well, you can pretty much name it, without doing cosmetic damage. It seems like all the official, store bought devices that claim to be able to do the little things can never quite pull it off, but my free from the snappy man screwdriver with the custom chisel point works every time.
Useless tools? Umm...I try not to spend money on things I don't need, unless, of course, it is a really groovy ratchet. But one ratcheting tool I can't ever imagine wanting in my box is any of those ridiculous ratcheting screwdrivers. I wouldn't even want one in my trunk, even if it meant I was going to have to walk. I'm just saying, you know, that I think they are kinda dumb. No offense to anybody who loves one, though.
One last tool that I love. My Italian made Werther Lift. Kudos to my boss for buying it for me. It's cool, blue, and makes my job a breeze!
Great thread. Tools I love? You already covered the pen thing, and someone else mentioned the brain thing, so I won't bother repeating them again. That almost brings us to nuts and bolts, however... My LED Stinger is very close to my heart. So much so that I have two of them, one for discharging, one for charging. Oftentimes, I use it in conjunction with my Power-Probe. Once I got used to using it instead of a DMM for most of the garden variety analysis, I realized that it is not only quicker, but more useful. Being able to hit an something like an aux fan with B+ quickly and easily lets you rule out or confirm your suspicions in a nice, streamlined fashion. Don't get me wrong, I didn't ditch my Fluke, but it is amazing how much you can accomplish with the power probe. (disclaimer: Disregard this if you don't have a solid understanding of modern automotive electronics. You may destroy something that costs far more than will seem reasonable.)
Another tool I simply could not perform my job without is the Autologic. Our shop specializes in BMW/MINI, but because we are not a dealer, we don't get all their nifty (proprietary) gizmos to figure out why the damn SES light is on again. The Autologic is so capable that it outperforms the factory tools in some ways, and gives us dealer-level programming, coding, activation, yada yada... It is not the best scan tool for the code-reader parts swapping types, but if you can get your noggin around the information it gives you, you can just about accomplish anything. It is the standard.
What about the nuts and bolts? I like that stuff too, and I really like using my Makita 14.4v cordless impact to make things speedy. Honestly, I don't know how I lived without it. It makes all the tedious little things go away.
I tend to be kind of queer for a nice ratchet handle, and have spent way more than necessary on nifty, unique and sometimes even useful various ratchets. The one thing I could never find was one that was smooth enough, strong enough, the right length, and so on, for everyday use. I found it when I bought a long handled, flex head, nix the soft grip, 3/8" drive Dual 80 ratchet. It isn't quite as smooth as my Facom, but that stupid frog tool breaks if you give it a dirty look. The Snap-On ratchet has a great combination of qualities that make it perfect if you use your tools to make a living. I like it so much I bought the 1/2" equivalent. It is sublimely good, it feels right when you use it, and I am proud to say that I love that crazy ratchet... Anyway...
Another one of my most favorite tools is my freebie 1/8" flat bladed screwdriver. You know, the kind that has some logo stamped on it and a magnet stuck in the top of the handle? Not just any cheap-*** screwdriver, though. I like the one that I carefully ground the tip, turning it into a little chisel pointed powerhouse. That tool will pry all the little switches and connectors and stuck vac lines and...well, you can pretty much name it, without doing cosmetic damage. It seems like all the official, store bought devices that claim to be able to do the little things can never quite pull it off, but my free from the snappy man screwdriver with the custom chisel point works every time.
Useless tools? Umm...I try not to spend money on things I don't need, unless, of course, it is a really groovy ratchet. But one ratcheting tool I can't ever imagine wanting in my box is any of those ridiculous ratcheting screwdrivers. I wouldn't even want one in my trunk, even if it meant I was going to have to walk. I'm just saying, you know, that I think they are kinda dumb. No offense to anybody who loves one, though.
One last tool that I love. My Italian made Werther Lift. Kudos to my boss for buying it for me. It's cool, blue, and makes my job a breeze!
J/K