Tools you dont buy cheap

[bwringer]

If you had to pick one type of tool that you would never buy cheap again what would it be? I would say screwdrivers, nothing makes me more angry than twisting the tip off a cheap *** screwdriver. I know klein are not the top shelf but since I bought a set of them I threw away all the harbor freight and other misc screwdrivers I had and have since added proto, wright, and a few older brands to my selection.

As to screwdrivers specifically, high quality tools, even many of the name brands, don't really cost all that much.

However, you do have to regard screwdrivers, even high-end screwdrivers, as consumables, and be willing to trash them when they wear out. Phillips and smaller Torx drivers and bits in particular are highly subject to wear, and so the very second they begin to displease me, they're gone. Since adopting this policy, I've chewed up far fewer fasteners and greatly decreased my usage of bad language.

It's also a great way to shock onlookers when you suddenly toss a tool into the trash and grab a fresher example.

 

[Steve_P]

If I had to pick one thing, I'd say drill bits. You can get by with cheap screwdrivers, pliers..... if you change them out often enough. And even "cheap" sockets and bit sockets like Tekton and Capri are just fantastic today. But if you keep using 50 cent bits trying to drill out a 12.9 bolt and make zero progress, the result won't change no matter how many you throw at it.

 

[gatewaysysop]

What do I really not cheap out on? Grinding wheels, wire wheels, safety glasses, hearing protection and other PPE stuff. After that, but in no particular order, would be abrasive belts, drill bits, pliers and screwdrivers. I could make do with lower cost ratchets, sockets and wrenches for what I do, but cheap ****, low quality pliers and screwdrivers piss me off in a hurry.

 

[Wamsutta]

Manually Operated Swivel Sockets

 

[Chrome Vanadium Cody]

Anything torx. I run into them mostly on countersunk fasteners so there's nothing to grab onto if you strip it. I find cheaper ones even USA Eklind (nothing against them!) often fit terribly. When companies make allen wrenches at least they get to start with dimensionally sized hex bar stock. With torx keys the chances to screw up making it are endless.

 

[Aaron_W]

I didn't think of them as tools, but I'm on board with the abrasive consumables. Cheap sand paper and grinding wheels end up not being so cheap.

 

[rockcrawler]

Torque wrench - one tool where precision is pretty darn important.

 

[Hakeem]

I used to work with an old guy with a wooden leg. Old Coop kept his tools in a 5 gallon bucket. Sometimes he would leave it on a boat at the dock . He would dump out the water in the morning and do some of the best joinery I have ever seen. No straight lines on boats.

Those guys are my heroes, the old timers that show up with a bunch of stuff that looks like it’s from WWII but turn out top-quality work.

Personally, I don’t cheap out on power cords. It makes me cringe to see someone plug their skilsaw into a 16ga cord. 12ga for everything except for some lights that I run on 14ga cords. Rigid makes the best extension cords I’ve found, nice and supple even when cold.

 

[Hal]

Ya know, tape measures are one of those areas where high quality doesn't actually cost all that much. Komelon tapes (and some other brands) are fantastic for the money.

I have a bunch of Komelon tapes scattered around so I can always find one when I need it.

That's because if you don't have enough, the tape measure gnomes hide them. Fact. If you keep buying them, eventually the gnomes have enough to satisfy their mysterious motivations and you have a fighting chance to find one when you need it.

Same goes for their cousins, the Phillips screwdriver gnomes. When you get to a couple dozen in the average garage, your odds of laying hands on one when you need it become much better.

I'm still fighting the local populations of carpenter's pencil and 10mm gnomes...

There are certain things, as stated above that seem to disappear instantly. Sometimes I feel like I should just buy a full pallet of them and be done with it.

 

[Rockable]

Abrasives.

 

[richfinn]

Multimeters/test leads/probes/wiring diagrams

Second guessing your test results due to ****** equipment is frustrating as hell and a massive waste of time.

I don't particularly have to worry about electrocution either, as I mostly work on 12v Automotive systems!!!!

 

[bwringer]

Anything torx. I run into them mostly on countersunk fasteners so there's nothing to grab onto if you strip it. I find cheaper ones even USA Eklind (nothing against them!) often fit terribly. When companies make allen wrenches at least they get to start with dimensionally sized hex bar stock. With torx keys the chances to screw up making it are endless.

Good point. And I think many Torx fasteners are also very poorly made and badly designed. Most hex bolts and screws are fairly consistent, but I suppose it's harder and/or more expensive to make decent Torx bolts, and they always seem to end up sloppy and fragile.

Torx fasteners in smaller sizes also tend to wear quickly if they're subject to repeated use, and many are extremely soft and poor quality in the first place. For example, the small Torx fairing fasteners on Euro motorcycles (BMW, Triumph, etc.) are invariably chowdered all to hell even on low-mileage bikes.

And the larger Torx fasteners on Euro bikes, Harleys, Fords, etc. are usually badly undersized for the application, and too many are very shallow, soft, sloppy button heads doomed to failure. Seriously, Ford, T50 button heads on M10 suspension bolts?

If you're lucky, you might get about half of one chance to actually remove some of these stupid things, so it's essential to use the best-quality Torx bits you can find.

When that fails, it's also essential to have high-quality drill bits on hand... left-handed drill bits are the savvy mechanic's secret weapon.

 

[Nutria]

However, you do have to regard screwdrivers, even high-end screwdrivers, as consumables, and be willing to trash them when they wear out.

Agreed. But they're worth keeping in the boneyard to grind into one-off specialty tools as needed.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I have to respectfully disagree on this point.
I am definitely in the camp with @bwringer on this one: tools that are damaged, broken, worn out or dull need to go into the trash can.
I had a slightly bent screwdriver in my box for over ten years.
Seemed like every time I went for a screwdriver, that was the one that was on top of the pile and I finally got tired of making two trips to the toolbox for a screwdriver and dropped it into the trash. Didn't miss it a bit.
Yesterday found a 1/4" drive extension that didn't hold a socket snugly. Trash.
Just throw it in the trash.
You'll save a lot of grief and frustration and you'll be buying fewer Band-Aids.

Thank me later.

 

[Nutria]

^ I have to respectfully disagree on this point.

I don't keep boogered screwdrivers in my box; that would be foolish . As I noted, I put some in a boneyard pile, out of the way near some steel rod cutoffs, where I can grind or bend them into a specialty gizmo of some sort when needed. Handy. Try it-- you might thank me later.

 

[four.cycle]

^ My "boneyard pile" is out on the curb. Doesn't matter what it is - somebody will haul it away.
I just don't do the kind of work any more where I have a need to do "fabrication" - I got rid of all the mowers last year (finally.)
My experience with old, used, worn-out, broken stuff is that 9 times out of 10 I sustain injuries - I'm better off just getting rid of it.

 

[engineer2]

Cordless tools. Pay a little bit more to get quality.

 

[bwringer]

Agreed. But they're worth keeping in the boneyard to grind into one-off specialty tools as needed.

I kept a few screwdrivers in a separate area for this purpose for a long time, but in reality I've only modified a screwdriver in this way a few times, and for the most part I had to go buy the raw material anyway.

I'll also mention that I live exactly 1.8 miles from a Harbor Freight... I'll let them manage the stock of modifiable screwdrivers and such for these occasions.

I did happen across a clearance on reasonably functional 10mm wrenches at Home Depot one day, and I bought four or five specifically for mangling into needed specialty tools.

 

[Black300zx]

Abrasives.

Beat me to it.

Poor quality sandpaper is #1 on my pet peeve list. I hate sanding enough as it is, and cheap sandpaper makes it that much worse. Good quality stuff not only saves time, but lasts longer too, so the added expense really isn't that much.

Cheap jigsaw blades are close behind.

 

[Firebrick43]

Drill bits and Taps. Nothing like a cheap HF bit set that can make it through 3 holes and you want to chuck it, then to break off a tap in a hole from the same place and make you want to quit.

 

[DrinkMan]

Flare Nut Wrenches
Vice Grips
Tap & Die sets
Torque Wrench
Timing Light (for those of us still in the dark ages)

 

[garfunkle24]

In general, hardline tools where the metallurgy and heat treatment are of paramount importance. For example; Picks/awls/hooks, prybars, heel bars etc.

Next in line would be cutting tools such as drills and taps.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

NCVT - nothing but a Fluke 1AC for me.

Drill bits and taps - nothing more frustrating than struggling or breaking one off

Meter leads - the hard, stiff leads can be really frustrating to use

Pick sets - those orange handled sets at Harbor Freight are $2 for a reason...

 

[rharman]

Router bits - You have this little thing spinning around 10,000 to 20,000 RPM, you don't want it coming apart.

Saw blades - Kind of the same thing, just different speed.

 

[richfinn]

Cordless tools. Pay a little bit more to get quality.

I'll even buy different brands of power tools if I like one tool from another manufacturer better than my regular brand, I like my Milwaukee Impacts and ratchets but wasn't too keen on the chunky M12 drill/drivers, so I went with Bosch.

 

[richfinn]

Flare Nut Wrenches
Vice Grips
Tap & Die sets
Torque Wrench
Timing Light (for those of us still in the dark ages)

I don't even know where my timing light is anymore as I haven't seen it in two decades

I only really use three or four sizes of Taps/Dies (Metric) so I just bought individuals (good ones) after seeing my co workers spend fortunes on comprehensive sets with stuff we don't even use in the UK

 

[nadogail]

Fall Prevention Harness

 

[Callelle]

Flare nut wrenches
Anything you're going to be striking or striking with that's close proximity to your face. And by close proximity, I mean arm's reach.

 

[Hohn]

For me the best payoff for "crying once" has been:
-- soldering station
-- Cutting pliers
-- Crimping pliers
-- Gripping pliers
-- Specialty pliers
-- Bits-- drivers and drilling


I'm not sure why, but pliers some to be one of those tools where the quality difference shows up most dramatically for me. Perhaps because they are the most immediate extension of your hand.

 

[dchawk81]

Cordless tools. Pay a little bit more to get quality.

Not me I buy the junkiest **** I can find.

Fortunately Harbor Freight curates it for me.

 

[dchawk81]

Fall Prevention Harness

Depends whether it's for me or for you.

 

[bwringer]

I'm not sure why, but pliers some to be one of those tools where the quality difference shows up most dramatically for me. Perhaps because they are the most immediate extension of your hand.

Excellent point!

And again, high quality pliers don't have to cost a lot. For just a bit more money, you can get Tsunoda, Channellock, Doyle, Icon, etc. pliers and cutters that function 100x better than the common cheap generic tool-shaped objects found on most retail shelves. You have to skip around a bit; different brands seem to have different advantages, and there's a lot of variation in personal preference. It makes a big difference to at least step up to more functional midlevel tools like these.

A bit more cash gets you Klein, and a bit more yet gets you Knipex.

And a LOT more cash gets you a pliers drawer full of neatly matching Snap-On...

 

[bwringer]

I only really use three or four sizes of Taps/Dies (Metric) so I just bought individuals (good ones) after seeing my co workers spend fortunes on comprehensive sets with stuff we don't even use in the UK

Agreed. There is little on this mechanical earth more damaging, frustrating, maddening, and downright soul-destroying than cheap taps.

 

[nadogail]

Depends whether it's for me or for you.

I don’t want anyone hurt on my watch.

 

[Mb4]

Generally speaking, I don’t buy cheap, measuring tools. Accuracy has to start somewhere. Also, I don’t buy cheap edge tools like knives, chisels or gouges because it’s frustrating to have to constantly re-sharpen poor quality steel.

 

[bb29510]

I wish my boots were only $50 and lasted 10 years.

More like $100 and 2.

i wish my boots was $100 and lasted one year

 

[larry_g]

When that fails, it's also essential to have high-quality drill bits on hand... left-handed drill bits are the savvy mechanic's secret weapon.

Some of the best words on the internet.

lg

 

[bonneyman]

Dental tools, cardiovascular tools, proctology tools.

Your choices may vary.

 

[tarmy]

Anything I am under, on top of or that could easily kill me.

 

[dchawk81]

Anything I am under, on top of or that could easily kill me.

So like, wimmin?