What's your budget? Are you the type who gets excited about
really nice tools? If so, there's a ton of crazy expensive stuff to be had out there.
With respect to Mountain Bike kit, this video is probably my favorite and the most thorough:
TOOL BRANDS
EVT - EFFICIENT VELO TOOLS
https://www.efficientvelo.com/
Small ~1 man operation (Brett Flemming) who makes or oversees production of all the tools in Portland, OR. EVT makes very high quality shop-tools, which can be difficult to justify if you're only performing the tools' intended service periodically. Everything I've used, owned, or had my hands on from EVT is absolutely top-of-the-line.
ABBEY BIKE TOOLS
https://www.abbeybiketools.com/
Relatively newer company that makes very nice tools. Their stuff is more "new-age" if that makes any sense (lots of cnc & anodized aluminum) and is more technician oriented rather than shop oriented. Super nice stuff though and extremely well thought out. Expect to pay for it though.
VESSEL SCREWDRIVERS
You're going to be working on a lot of Japanese components and you're going to happier if you have nice JIS phillips drivers. The Vessel drivers are the best option for this IMHO.
BONDHUS HEX WRENCHES
Talk to any bike tech about wrenching and he or she will tell you about the nuances between hex key brands. Most (full time) bike techs I've known use Bondhus as their preferred hex wrenches because of their superb engagement with fasteners, longevity, and relatively low cost.
Others to consider:
HOZAN - Japanese company that offers a comprehensive line of bike tools. Most made in Japan. Not the easiest to find though.
PHIL WOOD - Primarily his parts and tools are wheel/hub/crank related. Super nice stuff. If you get anything from PHIL WOOD, I'd recommend the "Tenacious Oil". That stuff is the real deal. Also, the Phil Wood waterproof grease is top notch.
SHIMANO - Shimano makes a handful of tools, some of which are specific to their components. The older Shimano stuff (MIJ) is fantastic quality and can usually be had for relatively cheap.
CAMPAGNOLO - You're not going to need any CAMPAGNOLO stuff especially if you only mountain bike, but their tools are all nice and made in Italy - just like their insanely expensive components. Perfect for obsessive collectors with silly little hats.
Oh, and of course
PARK TOOL - Largest and most easily accessible bike tool company in North America w/ most of their stuff still made in the Midwest.
Park's
Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair is a great resource and has large, high-quality pictures to go with the instructions. I consult it from time to time and I have never considered it a waste of money. .....
