Beginners toolset

[Old Gold]

A GOOD set of tinsnips!

 

[riffraff]

start up

well im 45 and i steel got a set of 1/4 3/8 1/2 scockets i got when i started when i was 19 or 20 think i got the set from harober frate chrome vanadum been a good set a good 1/2 in drill set of bits its just a lot of stuff dude try going on line oder u a catalog from them and northern tool they are better they got some good sets $120. 189 pc. crescent 148 pc. $90 good luck

 

[sixtall]

I'm in Kitchener, there's a Princess Auto out by the 401 near Conostoga College.

I was hanging out there on Sunday the 4th !! Picked up some shallow 6 point sockets (the "multi-coloured" ones ) and some screwdrivers. It's about 25 - 30 minutes from my place.

 

[59imp]

i know it's hard to justify buying expensive tools, but remember they will last you a lifetime, and good quality tools do the job they were designed for. i am still using my old man's Snap-on set, some of it is over 40 yrs old. every time i cheaped out, i was always frustrated and ended up replacing the junk in the end....

 

[Sam_Fear]

Another item for the list - a full face shield. It's worth the 10-15$ to keep stuff out of your eyes and face - especially when grinding, but is great for working under a dirty rusty car. Ya only got 2 eyes - protect 'em.



Well, Snap-On is a little steep for a lot of us, but I agree with not 'cheaping out' on stuff. Anything with moving parts - at least go with a name brand. I only use my old Craftsman socket wrenches, but bought HF impact sockets to use with them. I don't use 'em with my impact though.

The bad part about buying lifetime tools is it makes a guy cry when he realizes he left a good socket on the fender well and drove away.

 

[ponchofrailey]

i would have to add a bottle jack. It can be used as a portapower in a pinch much easier to move on gravel and can be used in many instances as part of a jig.

 

[Sniper]

Been a mechanic all my life, and have stopped buying tools along time ago except replacement stuff. But the best thing you can do for yourself is buy the best you can afford. This really goes for wrenches and ratchets. If anybody gets hurt with any one type of tool, it's these ones. Cheap wrenches will spread and slip under load, while cheap ratchets skip and give out. The proper way to use either, is to pull while under load, not push. If something breaks, skips, slips, or just plane lets go, you can stop the action a lot quicker if your pulling toward yourself. If your pushing the tool and this happens, your body weight will carry you on through until you connect with something solid, and it will have sharp edges. I have the scars to prove it. I know, can't always do it that way, but try to. As far as screw drivers, I think the cheap ones have genuine lead tips that twist off if you look at them hard. Use screw drivers as screw drivers, not pry bars or chisles. You can get by with less expensive tools that aren't used in an everyday environment, but the real cheap ones will hurt you. Then you have to heal up, and buy a new tool anyway. May as well start with middle of the road stuff in the first place, and work your way up. (By the way, kids bandaids work far better than anything else I've used. They stay on without turning to goop from the grease, oil etc. Just finished up the last of my Whinnie the Pooh bandaids, and now have some with Princess on them. My granddaughters think there great.) Anyway, didn't mean to hijack the thread. Have fun, play safe. Sniper