Starter set for your kids

[Jwych]

So after starting a job as a mechanic A year ago, I've realized how few tools I had at home to take to make my living when I started. This has gotten me thinking about my son who is only 2 at this time but what will he do when he becomes an adult and moves out on his own and needs to work on his car/ home etc. I have begun to assemble a collection of tools that will be given to him when he gets old enough to not lose / or misuse them. I am hoping To give him a leg up on tools and will save him some expense when he probably won't have the money to buy his own. How many of you out their have done this? my basic plan is to buy higher quality tools for work then cycle my craftsman tools back into his set.

 

[malykaii]

If your going to buy better tools and bring back the craftsman and harbor freight stuff for a home set, then why not.

However, I've seen this time and time again, where parents try to instill their hopes, dreams, and hobbies on their children. Hence I wouldn't go out of my way to buy tools for the kid. You never know, he may have no interest in tools and may want to become a hairdresser, which comes with it's own expensive list of tools. Be open to what your child becomes rather than buy stuff you want them to want.

Prime example, a friend's dad was saving a nice foxbody mustang for him. I'd have killed for that car, yet all he wanted was some sort of German car. Bmw essentially.

Another, my dad sold all his snap on tools. He hated the auto repair industry and as soon as he could get out of it, he sold the tools. He never wanted me involved in such "an awful" industry. Guess what...

 

[kctyphoon]

i dont have kids, but personally i think youd be better off waiting till he was a little older, or taking the money you would spend on tools and just put it in a bank account instead. youre always better off buying things in bigger sets, weather it be sockets or hand tools. so instead of buying a peice here, and a piece there - put the money away and make fewer purchases.. also - there is no telling what he will wind up wanting to do.. the way things are going you stand a decent chance on having a great tool set, and having a son that grows up wanting to program computers instead..

but if you want a good deal on helping to upgrade your hand tools, this is one i found today for NWS stuff, which is some of the best you can buy right now.. $209 for 9 pieces..

http://chadstoolbox.com/nws-9-piece-set-of-popular-pliers-finish-69/

thats only $23 a tool, not bad considering the Irwin versions of the angled pliers are in lowes for like $45..

 

[bdk1976]

I bring my preschooler with me to garage/estate sales and he already has a toolbox with all of the basics (all quality USA - mostly craftsman) - nice portable tool box, 3/8 socket set, std/metric combo wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers, and a couple of saws - for VERY little $$ (about $20 at this point). He's already ahead of 95% of the 30-40 year olds I know.

If he ends up not needing/wanting them later on, he can always sell/toss/donate them, and the investment has been minimal.

 

[bathurst-racer]

When my eldest son was about 11years old I started to teach him some basic maintenance skills on his dirt bike. I even bought him a starter tool kit. I'd show him what to do and he would walk straight past his new tools and fish around in my tool box and select only Snap On stuff.
Now he is 23 and has the nicest Snap On kit but won't let me use anything.

 

[peteco]

My boys are 25 and 27. I started buying them tools when they were about 3 and they have gotten a tool every Christmas. It has become a tradition. Every tool was bought for a low price on sale. One son said he had a tool collection far exceeding that of his friends father. Another advantage is all the tools are quality: generally old Craftsman but with other good ones as well. I have a stash that I pull from every year, and replenish when I come across a good deal. Neither son is as mechanically inclined as I but they do use them.

 

[Tim37]

If your going to buy better tools and bring back the craftsman and harbor freight stuff for a home set, then why not.

However, I've seen this time and time again, where parents try to instill their hopes, dreams, and hobbies on their children. Hence I wouldn't go out of my way to buy tools for the kid. You never know, he may have no interest in tools and may want to become a hairdresser, which comes with it's own expensive list of tools. Be open to what your child becomes rather than buy stuff you want them to want.

I agree give it a few years see what your kid wants even if he does take a liking to wrenching he may decide its a good hobby don't ruin it by making a living out of it

 

[Kracin]

kids and teens who are getting started don't care about having entire sets. if they happen to have a 1/2" a 3/4", and a 10,12,14,17 mm wrench and a few crescents, then they will use those tools and be happy. the only people who tend to care if things are in sets are the tool crazy people. just start tossing anything extra aside. leave them in a spare box and have him use "his box" when he helps or does anything. no use in getting all crazy with trying to give a young boy a ton of toys he can't play with.

worse case scenario, he doesn't want anything to do with working on things and you have a box with all the spare junk already in it.

 

[sberry]

When they are little they love the box they came in. He wanted his own box but that was short lived, now he just uses my stuff when he needs something.

 

[Ridwaan Gallow]

If you steer a kid in a direction then they tend to follow.. not force but steer and guide.. buying a child a set of tools will make him realise that using his hands to fix things is better than to use his hands for destructive purposes..

Buying him second hand tools will also teach him to spot and take advantage of opportunity.. kids today are becoming lazy and unwilling to conform to discipline.. i know we cant get the past back, but somehow we have to try and instill some of our values in them..

Is buyin a child a second hand set of tools a risk? Not in my books.. cos i think kids today lack proper parenting.. and what can you share with your child, other than something you that you have passed down to them..

 

[jaggedscars]

I agree with some of the posts above. Maybe wait till a little older but get him in the workshop environment now. Let him play with your tools and become familiar with the area. Possibly start buying tools the within the next couple of years and turn it into a fun tradition for your son and you. This world needs better bonds between their fathers and sons... Looking back, I think I was about 10 years old when I got my first real tool set - a small craftsman metric/standard 3/8 drive socket set with a apex screw driver (maybe $30?) but I was in the shop following dad and pup-pup (grandpa) at 5 or 6? As far as which tool sets.... good luck. Craftsman has changed and not for the better... Kobalt seems good and Lowes doesn't hassle you as much when you return broken items.... Just my $0.02.

 

[pablo94sc]

I let my 19 month old boy help me with whatever project I can to the extent I feel he is safe. No circular saw yet, but he helped me with marking the boards with the speed square. He just wants to help and feel useful - all kids do, they are little sponges and letting them help is a great for learning - so I let him help me with every project I can.

 

[Don53]

My boys are 25 and 27. I started buying them tools when they were about 3 and they have gotten a tool every Christmas. It has become a tradition. Every tool was bought for a low price on sale. One son said he had a tool collection far exceeding that of his friends father. Another advantage is all the tools are quality: generally old Craftsman but with other good ones as well. I have a stash that I pull from every year, and replenish when I come across a good deal. Neither son is as mechanically inclined as I but they do use them.

Same here, except much earlier in the process. I've got three just turning 9 (twins) and 11. Three years ago they each got a light weight / carry box (Flambeau) for Christmas. The next year they each got hammers (Estwing), last year they got a set of Williams screwdrivers. This coming Christmas will probably be a set of NOS Vise Grips (US) or maybe a Channellock pliers set. By the time they're done with school they'll each have a basic, quality, set of US made tools. I don't expect any of them to be mechanics (I'm not), but everyone should have a decent set of tools to help with basic fixes and maintenance. This way it's spreading the cost over a number of years, is turning into a fun Christmas tradition (what boring tool is dad getting us this year?), and they'll have stuff that might not exist ten years from now (i.e., good quality, reasonably priced, us made tools).

 

[justanengineer]

Save your money. You likely learned respect and to work hard not because you were handed things, but bc you had to share with others until you could afford your own. Let the kids use your tools at home, when they get older if they have inclination theyll find what they want/need for themself while having fond memories of your tools. Never know, by then you might be wanting to downsize your collection. They might also turn out like my family, my father's a big SO fan but Im definitely not. Ive got many SO items thatve been passed down which he bought new in the 50s-90s and keep them only bc he gave them to me, not bc I use them or theyre the best tools I own.

 

[LordPsychon]

I'd rather build something with my tools to leave to my kids than the tools themselves - I have decent tools but nothing I'd consider "heirloom value" like Snap-On, Proto, Blackhawk, Blue Point, JH Williams, et cetera. I have been teaching my son several key lessons about tools though:

1) Don't buy a tool if you don't know how to use it.
2) Don't buy a tool if you don't need it.
3) Always buy the best tool you can afford.
4) Treat your tools like you treat your mother - gently and with respect.

Rules to live by.

 

[Big Giant Head]

OH, man. What a thread for my first post here.

I was buying my boys small cheap tool kits from walmart when they were 7 or 8, and they weren't really using them for much. One of my daughters got a little tool kit also. Funny how things work out. How many times in the following years was I borrowing tools from my kids?!? Oh, man. I ****. All these years, my kids' $12-$14 tool kits were BETTER THAN ANYTHING I OWNED.

Finally just this last year or so, I've begun spending money on tools. I don't even need high quality, just average stuff. Now I can be king of my castle! LOL They should have been buying ME tools for my birthday, and Christmas presents.

 

[duneslider]

I got some cheap (really cheap junk) ratchet sets and screw drivers when I was younger, just the basics that I could use to take the tires off my bike, adjust the seat and handle bars etc. I lost stuff, broke stuff, etc but I began to learn to use it. I ended up being the kid in the neighborhood who could fix your flat tire. Once I got older and more responsible I got a good size craftsman set for christmas (at 13-14 maybe) and I still use it today.

Both of my brothers started the same way and neither really progressed past the chinese junk sets. Maybe because I was always there doing all the fixing, I don't know. One of my brothers barely has any tools now as an adult and can barely do anything on his own. The other actually bought some of his own basic hand tools and will do a pretty good job on most stuff but knows when to ask for help. They both worked with me at times when I worked construction and they are both very capable of doing the work but just aren't into it (one is in med school, other is a CPA).

I want my boys to be into the tool scene, fixing cars/bikes, home repairs, etc but I also understand they may not be but I will do what I can to make sure they learn to use tools and don't have to call the repair man for everything.

 

[Mopar-Scooby-Doo]

I have two boys. One is 6 and the other is turning 5 this month. I got each of them a Stanley tool chest and roller with tools form Wally World. Sence then I have been adding some to each as I go. My oldest loves to go yard sailing with me all the time. So when we go he likes to find stuff to add to his set. The youngest will do the same sometimes, just not as often. I can't say if ether of them will ever be mechanics or into anything with using tools all day. I just know they will have the stuff they need when they need it.

 

[madison069]

I bought my kid a tool chest of craftsman tools, it's the big 300 piece I think that went on clearance awile back for $50. I haven't opened it yet and it sits behind my tool chest.

When i bought it I actually didn't have a kid, just got it for her just incase. Now she is 2 months and 1 week old so she hasn't played with it yet.

But like others if she wants to get into working on stuff then I have her set with the basic, but if not then I can sell it and get my money back easily.

 

[wrenchon727]

I got the idea to start a set for my 9 year old son from this site a few years back when the Craftsman Industrial stuff was on clearence at Sears Outlet. I picked up one of those Husky SS tool chest at Homedepot on clearence for 149 to hide it all in.

 

[Joe B.]

Like others I have been slowly stocking up on tools for my kids whenever I see a great deal.

My general rules:

• Only buy if there is a great deal you won't see again
• Buy items that everyone will need even if they become office dwelling Excel monkies like thier dad.
• Alway buy quality stuff. It is easy to find cheap tools at cheap prices so there is no point in stocking up early.

There are many tools everyone needs regardless of what path they take in life. I would not expect either of my kids (7 & 5) to take up a vocation that requires real tool use but I'll make sure that they can do basic home and car repairs.

My only advice is when the first one is really young, don't forget the good deals for the kids to come.

This made me go look at what I have collected for them each over the last few years:

• Martin 8" adjustable wrench
• US Crowfoot sets in both Metric & SAE
• Whia hex key set (very nice)
• A couple of Witte screwdrivers each
• Kinpex pliers
• Channelock angle cutters
• 10 pc. set of Craftsman Pro screwdirvers
• 1/4" Husky Ratchet (USA)
• A bunch more stuff....

In total I may have spent $40 on each of them. Everything was a great deal.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Buy him a 1/4" socket set and blow mold case. Little kids, yes, even 2 year old, love putting things int boxes and taking the out. He will have a blast and they are actually his size.

 

[Joe B.]

Buy him a 1/4" socket set and blow mold case. Little kids, yes, even 2 year old, love putting things int boxes and taking the out. He will have a blast and they are actually his size.

This is a great idea....only I would go a tad larger or else you will end up waiting for him to poop out the 4 mm.

 

[nicksnothereman]

So after starting a job as a mechanic A year ago, I've realized how few tools I had at home to take to make my living when I started. This has gotten me thinking about my son who is only 2 at this time but what will he do when he becomes an adult and moves out on his own and needs to work on his car/ home etc. I have begun to assemble a collection of tools that will be given to him when he gets old enough to not lose / or misuse them. I am hoping To give him a leg up on tools and will save him some expense when he probably won't have the money to buy his own. How many of you out their have done this? my basic plan is to buy higher quality tools for work then cycle my craftsman tools back into his set.

Maybe just buy him an old stock set for like 50 bucks (craftsman) and call it a day. In the future there will be no bolts!