How do you think of duplicate tools

[Chris Adams]

Certainly not out of jealousy I think it is a much more realistic viewpoint.

I own what I need to own. I cannot think of one tool, besides some very job specific sockets, that goes unused for more than a few months. I see that as a realistic approach. Id never want to buy a tool that doesnt provide a return on my investment.

I can understand that many collect tools for just that purpose.... to collect them. For others, like myself, a tool is a tool. And a tool is to be used for progress. Be it building a trailer queen hot-rod that will hardly ever see the sky, or a much needed emergency repair on the farm tractor.

I hear the philosophy of 'if it isn't used in a year, you don't need it' from the old house wares/clothing organization books.

Tools are different.

And unlike sweaters, you can’t be buying them cheaply when your needs change.

Also unlike clothing, your needs are NOT PREDICTABLE.

I have many tools I might not need in 3 years or more. But when you need them, you NEED them.

Who knows what vehicle will show up next needing a special tool. Or what will break in your house, shop, relatives or friends houses, cars etc.

Based on the ‘I haven't used it lately philosophy’, all you could keep is a very basic set.

Great if you only work on one car or one model car. I have cars that don't need work in a year beyond oil changes, then suddenly I'm taking an engine down.

What about diagnostic tools? You don't need them. Unless you suddenly have to have them.

Or ****** jacks?
You might go two years and not use one, then pull three clutches in a month. That just happened to me. Should I have bought the jacks 3 times? Then throw them away between uses, because I never need them…

What do you do with tools you haven't used in a year? Throw them away to save space? Sell them for 5 cents on the dollar, then buy them again when you get/work on a different car?

Just curious.

By the way, does this apply to guns, assuming you feel it’s OK to own them privately.
If you haven’t shot a burglar this year, do you toss your hand gun? Or if you missed duck season twice, do you throw the shotgun away?

 

[Hawk321]

I makes no sense to own dozens of the same tool. I coul buy a lot of bargains at ebay and re sell them there with profit....but ...why? I mean, if you have enough money for 5 ratchets of the same type...then save your money and invest in special tools or go to the next titti bar.

 

[IDASHO]

All valid points!

Also unlike clothing, your needs are NOT PREDICTABLE.

How so? This is a GARAGE forum, not the local auto-shop forum. Unless it is an emergency repair, all work should be scheduled by mileage. That seems pretty predictable to me.

Who knows what vehicle will show up next needing a special tool.

Ill agree that there are a handful of vehicle specific specialty tools.
Im not talking about specialty tools. Im talking about DUPLICATES of common tools.

Based on the ‘I haven't used it lately philosophy’, all you could keep is a very basic set.

Pretty much. It is a basic metric and SAE set, with all of the specialty tools I need for the rigs I have.

Great if you only work on one car or one model car. I have cars that don't need work in a year beyond oil changes, then suddenly I'm taking an engine down.

Seriously though, how many specialty tools are required for an engine removal and rebuild? Not many. Again, we are talking DUPLICATES.

What about diagnostic tools? You don't need them. Unless you suddenly have to have them.

Primary diagnostic tool is my laptop. Others include a digital multimeter, stethescope, etc. Not much really needed for diagnosing rigs these days.

Or ****** jacks?
You might go two years and not use one, then pull three clutches in a month. That just happened to me. Should I have bought the jacks 3 times? Then throw them away between uses, because I never need them…

One of my rolling floor jacks doubles as a trans jack, with a simple head swap for a platform.

By the way, does this apply to guns, assuming you feel it’s OK to own them privately.
If you haven’t shot a burglar this year, do you toss your hand gun? Or if you missed duck season twice, do you throw the shotgun away?

Hardly see the connection with this analogy. I dont see anyone protecting their home and primary investments with a screwdriver. I do have a few hang guns. All serve specific duty. Home protection.

A home protection gun is a tool, that you dont want to use.

Shotgun? I dont hunt, so I dont own one. Sounds realistic eh?

 

[Basskiller]

This thread is really getting funny.

Here we are, grown men already set in our ways and habits. Arguing, trying to convince somebody that their way is flawed.

I'm off to go fishing and enjoy a few beers. Ya'll have a good day.

 

[Wanham]

I usually forget I have something so I buy another.

 

[dxdexter]

This thread is really getting funny.

Here we are, grown men already set in our ways and habits. Arguing, trying to convince somebody that their way is flawed.

I'm off to go fishing and enjoy a few beers. Ya'll have a good day.

Fishing !!! I hope you don't have anymore than one rod and a few hooks: a standard, a long and a stubby. Not a whole box full of the same type.

Unless of course you think your special.

 

[walrus]

Fishing !!! I hope you don't have anymore than one rod and a few hooks: a standard, a long and a stubby. Not a whole box full of the same type.

Unless of course you think your special.

IF using all your different tools at least once every few months is what it takes to have those tools, I got a pickup load I need to unload.

 

[carsounds_dan]

I have duplicates, and if I go to a jumble sale and theres some cheap spanners there I'll buy them. because there are jobs when you need to bend a spanner in two instead of buying a £80 tool from the dealer network, so that 50p spanner comes into it's own. And yes I work in a garage, which covers the scedualled maintainance but emergancies do happen and a customer doesn't want to pay for 8 hours labour for a cambelt change on a Toyota Estima Diesel, so I made a rig to do it and it takes 2.5 hours. I charge for 3 hours to cover the cost of the rig and not only has it made my life easier.. my customers will come back time after time because I've saved them money for the same service. I'm sure the same applies to others out there who NEED duplicates of different spanners/ratchets/whatever to do a job in half the time, for the added cost the convenience is worth it.

Dan

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Fishing !!! I hope you don't have anymore than one rod and a few hooks: a standard, a long and a stubby. Not a whole box full of the same type.

Unless of course you think your special.

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

All you guys, sound like me,, I have like 10 10mm sockets in 1/4, At first I lost one, then I bought 10(5 deep/ 5 long) have not lost one. (This was in 2006

 

[babzog]

I always want to own a large variety of tools, but never strive to have duplicate tools.

I could not understand why some people on this board own a dozens of the same Snap on ratchets, a dozen of the same Snap on extension bars, a dozen of the same Snap on screwdrivers. I'm not pointing out your name here.

If I trust Snap on's quality that much, I wouldn't keep so many spare ones.

One set for the house/attached garage, another set for the workshop. With the shop about 100' from the house, that trek on a frigid, snowy, -30C January evening to get a frozen tool to do a 10s job .. well, it *****.

Still not sure how to divvy up all the other stuff though since I use 'them in both places. Might just have to get more tools.

Seriously, walking back and forth, time after time, might be cheaper, but it's not productive.

 

[Big Bad Jon]

From what I have read in Tool Gluttons other posts, he is not a pro wrencher. That is ok, but there are a lot of guys on here that are. There is nothing worse than breaking the only 18mm combination wrench you have and having to wait on the truck to come by to warranty it.

 

[GSSFC]

Extensions I could see, but having multiple screwdrivers or pliers, you really can't use more than one or two at a time if you are talented. So why have 10? I'd rather have a collection of tools to do everything I need, and then spend the money on parts or power tools.

Tim

 

[Big Bad Jon]

Ten is excessive, but you cannot tell me that you have never broken a screwdriver or wrench on something that was really stuck.

 

[rhandwor]

When I had a shop I kept a set at home and one at work. Basic hand tools. I keep a set of used cheaper ones for going to the junk yard. If you loose a new Snap On it hurts your wallet. Items that are more likely to break like torx I keep a couple of sets.
I buy cheap foreign and upgrade with used quality tools later when I find them. These are specialty items.

 

[bry@n]

I have duplicated. Mine are from inheriting tools. I was brought up to get my own tools and not use others. Well my gramps retired, got his tools. Dad retired and I got his tools. Now I have all of theirs and mine. There is my dupes and their dupes.

That's a lot of dupes.

I have a box of Snap on, Mac, Matco and some SK (some dupes, not many). Then I have a full box of all craftsman that has a lot of dupes and then I have a set for the truck. There isn't any dupes in the truck. Then I have the borrow a tool toolbox.

I don't wrench for money but the family comes to my house for everything.

 

[nate379]

I don't have doubles unless there is a reason. Handy to have a couple 1/2 wrenches for example... stuff like that.

 

[eyeboltman]

I don't have doubles unless there is a reason. Handy to have a couple 1/2 wrenches for example... stuff like that.

Me to I had only wrenches in1973 , Try to tell my Dad you don,t need a ratchet, 30 plus years later I have 25-30 ratchets sockets 300-400 hard to count them all .
and this is just to change my oil in my car . Because when you only have one wrench ,and you forget where you put in down you buy one more , repeat, a few times.

 

[JeremyManning]

The only thing I keep multiple of are phillips screwdrivers, I tend to be hard on them. I also have multiple ratchets but for different purposes, eg tight spaces, low profile etc

 

[Kev442]

Sure was interesting to read an old thread that went around and around for no apparent reason. Most everyone that posted in this thread is long gone from GJ. I was surprised that one of the most famous tool hoarders from the old days never posted in this thread.

 

[crewchief888]

I use multiple ratchets with different sized sockets when doing a big project. I find it easier to grab a ratchet w/ a socket and extension, instead of having to keep changing different sized extensions and sockets with just one ratchet. If I do that, my sockets like to hide under other tools, especially 1/4 sockets. It works the best for me.

i own duplicates because i have three sets of tools.............work, home, and truck. hell i may start a 4th set just for fun.

all the above ^^^^

i have a few tools at work, more in my service truck, some more in the garage, and a few in my basement workshop.

i can usually do what i need to do, with what i have, where i am at the time.
if i'm making a junkyard run, i fill up my bag with whatever i need to get the parts i need at the time.
if i'm going wheeling, i load up a lot more in a (spare)small top box, same goes for going to a friends house or shop to help out with their project.

do i have too many tools?

the old lady says yea...

does she have too many heels and purses? probably

 

[NY Old Guy]

So I have 4 complete sets of Whitworth combination wrenches, does that make me a bad person? For example I know a set of Snap On Whitworth wrenches should cost at least $130 on ebay. I was sifting through the expiring snap on listings and saw someone had listed their precious 7 piece set of Snap On whitworth wrenches not as Whitworth but as BS as in British Standard which is what is stamped on them, but I know all the Whitworth junkies won't be searching under BS. So I have sniffed up something that's under the Whitworth junkies radar, lucky me I think to myself. So I waited until there were a few seconds left and pounced on them winning it for $75. I was thrilled but at the same time thinking, great, now I have 4 sets of Whitworth wrenches. I can't walk away from a bargain plain and simple, and besides I like I having multiple sets of tools in multiple locations.

 

[SledgeFix]

For me, having one on the floor, one in the tray and one on the bench against the wall means I don't have to reach for the cane, lever myself up and walk across the room for another tool.

Of course, I have two bad knees.
I recommend everyone avoid Huey's, motorcycles and 7.62x39 rounds, not necessarily in that order…

I'm quite certain, not being very clever about those sorts of things, I'd panic and try to outrun an AK round. Man, if I could get into a Huey, though...

Back on topic, if I ever managed to find more than one 6 mm allen wrench at a time, I'd have a dozen of them. Honda used them for so many bolts on their motorcycles you can almost do any single repair job with just that tool. Kinda like old Volvos, or so I've heard.

My allen wrenches were a very extensive and disorganized set handed down by my grandmother from my great-grandfather. I've never gotten around to sorting most of them, just cut a section of cardboard for the really little ones to sit in that I've at least sorted from smaller to larger.

It's like 10 and 12 mm sockets and wrenches, if you're a mechanic, you wouldn't terribly mind if a 12 mm was grafted onto your hand, or a 10 mm for body shop guys. I'm not even particularly disorganized, it's just that when you're actually in the thick of a job, you're not paying attention to where your tools get put down. Very commonly used tools like #2 Phillips screwdrivers or 3/8"-drive ratchets are offered in myriad different lengths and styles because these fasteners are everywhere and can't all be reached by the standard tool.

For most of us we can take the time and curse a little as we squeeze and contort arms up into spots to get at something for the limited wrenching that we all do but the more you work, the more worth it these different tools become. I know one ~18" nut and axle bolt I've removed a few times requires two wrenches of the same size, I just use a wrench on one side and a ratchet on the other, but plenty of people out there wouldn't even understand why I had to have two tools for one size hex head.

That said, I probably own more 3/8"-drive ratchets than is reasonable. A little of it is just wanting it because it's out there and I might someday find a fastener that it's perfect for when nothing else is. And at that moment, I'll be really happy that I could reach for the tool that is just right and will show that damn bolt no mercy and get the job done without a headache.

It's like stockpiling canned food and water, and spending a fortune making your house disaster-proof and solar-powered, it's a tremendous waste of money and effort, right up until a disaster actually happens, then you're awesome. Of course, that moment may never come, and I'm sure we could all agree that we'd spend all the money we could spare if it'd guarantee it'd go to waste.

 

[honcho]

When I find a really good deal on a useful tool, I buy two, three, four copies. I usually give one of them to my brother and maybe one to my son but I keep one and usually two for my multiple toolboxes. Then there's the "gift box" where I put my extras to give to folks. Just the other day I picked up some clearance stuff that even after I paid for four copies of the same tool I had spent less than one at the original price. If you're a guy around me, you get tools for your birthday and Christmas whether you want them or not (though I do give cheap tools to the people I know who don't take care of them)

 

[canuckian]

I have 3 pretty complete sets of basic tools (in main box, cart and loaner box) and even more hanging above my workbench and in my handboxes. Sometimes, as others have stated, you need 2 of the same wrench or socket/ratchet and sometimes, in the case of ratchets, if you're in the middle of something with a few different sized fasteners, it's easier to just preload a few ratchets with the sickets/extensions you need.

 

[Gregg33]

The main reason I have duplicate tools is I often buy used tools by the lot. I have sets of one brand, Frankenstein sets (sets made up of different brands) and many miscellaneous wrenches and sockets. I have some duplicate sets of wrenches and sockets, mostly because I have some tools in my garage and some at my shop. Although I have the bare minumum in my garage, I do need basic wrenches and a socket set, etc.