Best Tool You Ever Bought

[countryroad82]

I did a search and didn't come up with anything and thought this would be an interesting topic. Other than the standards such as screwdrivers, ratchets, sockets, and such, what would you guys say would be your best tool investment that you use way more than you even dreamed it would be used? To get the ball rolling I have 3. My cordless screwdriver (currently a 7.2 Snappy, but I'll be buying another Bosch soon), a 3/8 impact (first engine I tore down with that ****** I was in love!!), and last and my most used device I thought would take up space and rarely get used but turns out I use it constantly my **** Blast 970 sandblast cabinet. That thing has to be the handiest investment I made. So what would you guys call the best tool you bought thinking it would see occasional use but turned out after you used it didn't know how you ever got along without?

 

[snapmom]

A big vise.

 

[HandyManny]

Of all the tools I own I have to say it would be my 2 pairs of Channellock #430 tongue and groove pliers. High quality for the money and the most versatile tools I own. I probably find more use for those things than I do for any other tools on average and they've saved the day more times than anything else I can remember. A close second would be my 10 inch Craftsman adjustable wrench I've had for years.

 

[omr]

horizontal band saw , i honestly dont know how i lived with out one in the past ..lol

i have 2 that i use for work but even if i didnt need them for work i would have one ..

 

[chadster1]

This....

 

[IBJanky]

The 249pc Craftsman tool set I bought 10 years ago.

Still have them and work great.

myke

 

[mrpowderkeg]

My miller dynasty welder. What it has allowed me to do has greatly expanded what I am able to build, and has caused me to push the creative/level of complication envelope.

 

[Stuey]

Festool Track saw and CT Dust Extractor.

 

[wornoutoldman]

This: http://www.clamptitetools.com/home.html

 

[skeletonizer]

 

[Old Donn]

My first Shop-Vac. Still in use both in the house and garage.

 

[skeletonizer]

As for tools in the traditional sense I use the hell out of this. When I load my tray it is probly the one if not only tool that goes in every time regardless of the job.

 

[JimDon]

4.5 Inch angle grinder. Don't leave home without it. Has saved my sorry a-- on many, many jobs when I got into a bind and needed to fab something up immediately. Second place goes to Dremel, variable speed. Same deal as first.
Cheers,
JimDon

 

[woody 73]

Funny but one day I bought a Gorilla tool, that little tool has saved my rear end and paid for itself many times over. For those asking what the Heck is it; it is a bolt sizer and thread pitch guage all in one small package.

 

[buffalobill]

sk tools 3/8 master set. the permanent storage box makes the thing a lot more portable and convenient. I wish more socket sets came like this, in a permanent box, with standard and metric, shallow and deep, with extensions and a u joint. very convenient when you are far from the master toolbox.

 

[boostedgt]

snap on prybar set. i love bending things

 

[Outlawmws]

"Best" is problematic as it means something completely different than "most useful". But for the latter, my Dorcy, single AAA single LED Flashlight in always in my pocket, and gets used multiple times a day and is loaned to someone multiple times a week.

I started with a similar sized Maglight about 10 years ago, and replaced it with the LED as the Maglight's incandescent bulb sucked batteries too fast.

What it looked like new: (the Blue one)

What it looks like now. The rubber grips died, the one on the lens long ago, the main one recently, and I replaced them over time with old O rings I had in with my O ring "collection", so no real cost since they ar old enough that I wouldn't trust them for real use unless I had no other choice.

 

[canuckian]

SO hard handled pistol grip ratcheting screwdriver.

 

[tjmonsen5]

My Ace Hardware breaker bar. Best 25 bucks ive ever spent on a tool. I bought it when I was just first building my tool collection, and it has broken loose MANY nuts and bolts. Still use it, never failed me.

 

[tjmonsen5]

and my 15 dollar 5 pound BFH from Craftsman. Love it!!!

 

[1984Datsun]

My Hobart Handler 140, Husky 60 Gallon compressor, and my I/R 2135 1/2" impact...

I use them all more than I thought I would when I bought them.

The IR kicks ***. I removed some of the nastiest rusty nuts you can imagine with it... no rust penetrant was applied to the threads either... it spun them off after hammering on them for a couple of seconds. 1100 ft-lbs of torque... can't ask for much more than that... plus it was 286 bucks from amazon... good price.

I thought about an Aircat Kevlar 1000 gun for near the same price, but shied away because I never see the name around... whereas I can remember seeing IR trailer compressors at construction sites when I was a little kid.

I even read that many reviewers of this impact actually are in the heavy truck/diesel industry... they use these IR's rather than the big 3/4" impacts to remove lug nuts on semi trucks... enough said. Sole reason I bought mine, lol. I knew I'd need the power every now and then.

The Hobart has seen quite a bit of welding... I love the thing. Gonna be welding up a winch bumper for my Ranger once I get some steel plate cut out on the CNC plasma at college... Yep, we're talking 1/8" or 3/16" plate... then I'll slap a HF 12,000 pound winch on it... and some KC Hilights Daylighters... and make a bracket for a CB antenna.

The big freaking Husky is awesome... still got a few more mods in mind for it though, such as the franzinator and an 14" automotive air cleaner adapted to fit properly above the cylinder head on the compressor... and maybe some auxiliary fans/blowers to help keep the thing cool so it doesn't make so much water...

Every tool I've got has seen its fair share of work. A good tool (whether bought that way, or made that way) is priceless. Doesn't matter if it came from HF, Sears, or Snap-On.

 

[buffalobill]

nice avatar!

 

[hdvato]

For some reason, every time I use this little guy it welds a smile on my mug -

 

[Lost Road]

An English rolling mill. It has saved me days in hammering time.

 

[Jim85IROC]

For me it's my ratcheting wrench sets, and my Craftsman 3/8 flex head angled handle ratchet. That thing is never out of my hands. I can bend it up and use it like a speed wrench, or cradle it and use it one handed for quick on/off ratcheting. Every time I go to sears I see a pile of them behind the tool counter, presumably for warranty replacement, but I've had mine for years, I reef on it, and I've never had a problem.

 

[kv501]

Air compressor, without a doubt. After your starter tool set, an air compressor should be the next purchase you make IMHO.

For versatility and number of different uses I don't think you can beat it.

 

[Rolling_Thunder]

Looked at them and thought I'd never have a use for it! But I bought one with some gift cards and love it! I use it all the time!!!

 

[FergusonTO35]

It would have to be a tossup between my tap & die set and my air compressor.

 

[kv501]

It would have to be a tossup between my tap & die set and my air compressor.

Put a tap on your air ratchet and then you have your best tool

 

[jeffmoss26]

Snap-On ratcheting screwdriver. LOVE IT

 

[twincam00]

push pin pliers for removing those plastic rivets

 

[FergusonTO35]

KV, I think you are right!

 

[RKA]

18V Makita Impact Driver - got it when they first came out thinking it might be useful...somewhere. Found myself using it far more than I ever intended and added a bunch more Makita LXT tools to the drawer since then.

 

[filtered]

Lincoln 140 mig is the best tool i've bought.

The Hobart has seen quite a bit of welding... I love the thing. Gonna be welding up a winch bumper for my Ranger once I get some steel plate cut out on the CNC plasma at college... Yep, we're talking 1/8" or 3/16" plate... then I'll slap a HF 12,000 pound winch on it... and some KC Hilights Daylighters... and make a bracket for a CB antenna.

I would NOT recommend building a winch bumper out of 1/8" plate. A winch will rip and bend the heck out of 1/8". Use 1/4" for the winch mount and mounting to the frame. You might be able to get away with 3/16" but I wouldn't do it. The winch bumper I made is 1/4" center section with 3/16" crawler ends. I'm only using a 8k Smittybilt xrc8 winch on a Suzuki Samurai.

Do yourself a favor and over build it if anything. I've seen bumpers ripped off frames, twisted up, and winch ripped off from not going beefy.

 

[JMcFly]

The best tool I ever bought was the tool that I needed at that moment when I needed it most...

 

[BigAl62]

My Hickok NGS scan tool, don't know how I lived without one before! (It's a Ford factory scan tool, got it for $1,200 on eBay, they're over $3,500 new)

 

[north]

My Engineer screwpliers and Milwaukee M12 Hackzall lists high in the 'much more useful than I thought' category.

 

[volunteers]

Could you please share where you bought this one?
I borrowed this from my neighbor last time but could not find a place to order.

As for tools in the traditional sense I use the hell out of this. When I load my tray it is probly the one if not only tool that goes in every time regardless of the job.

 

[twincam00]

Could you please share where you bought this one?
I borrowed this from my neighbor last time but could not find a place to order.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002BC0PA/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Lisle door tool

 

[Machobuck]

The english wheel I bought When I was in highschool. I bought this before I even had a single body hammer or dollie. I would spend alot of time just banging sheetmetal into a stump and planish it on MY english wheel. I really love this tool. It sent me on this path i'm now on...

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