Tools! - Crimpin ain't easy but it is necessary.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Tools! - Crimpin ain't easy but it is necessary.

ziasquinn: Jan 1, 2006; Fallen Rib

BeastOfExmoor posted:

I decided that I was sick of dithering about what hand tools I needed to pick up to do some simple maintenance on my car and after reading numerous positive opinions of HF's Pittsburgh brand I picked up the 301 Piece Mechanics Tool Kit yesterday for $143 after a 20% off coupon. I haven't done any wrenching with it yet and I will be the first to admit my tool knowledge is based mostly on this thread, but given that it's extremely inexpensive price I thought I'd give my first impressions:

Holy crap there's a ton of stuff here.

There's no interchangeable head screwdriver with a billion little bits. This isn't a negative, but actually a surprise since usually all "xxx piece tool kits" pad their numbers with a ton of obscure screwdriver bits. This one manages to get to 301 pieces without that.

Not a ton of filler as a whole. There's two sets of hex wrenches (long and short) in both SAE and metric, which seems redundant to me, but I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me could speak to this. There's also two sets of 1/4" drive SAE sockets, both 12pt and 6pt. No idea why, but I guess it doesn't hurt to have backups.

Set is heavy. Shipping weight is 47 pounds and it feels at least that heavy to me. I wish they'd broken them up into two different cases because it feels awkwardly heavy to carry it one one case with an uncomfortable handle.

Case is decent. I was happily surprised to see that the latches are metal rather than the ultra cheap plastic poo poo I see on most molded cases like this which breaks very quickly.

The screwdrivers are usable quality, but definitely felt like the cheapest part of the set. The handles are super light plastic. There best use would be to augment a decent interchangeable bit, ratcheting screwdriver. If you have a screw that's too tight to get in with your ratcheting driver than pull these out.

There are certainly some things that either aren't included or aren't as useful as they could be in their included state. This breaker bar and this extendable ratchet are on my short list for upgrades, but the included items definitely work for their purposes.

Based on my initial opinions going through the set and the unanimously positive reviews on HF's website I would highly recommend this set for anyone who doesn't already own reasonable quality versions of this stuff.

So this looks really great to me, I wanted to know what other people's opinions were?

I've read the whole thread, but man.. it's long. Was the consensus that HF is great for everything as long as it's not electric? Everyone's been talking about the decline in craftsman tools, is HF a decent alternative? As long as I'm not wailing on the tools with hammers, are they good enough to rebuild a whole car? Maybe that's a stupid question...

# ¿ May 19, 2011 19:03

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 20:31

ziasquinn: Jan 1, 2006; Fallen Rib

bolind posted:

If you're just starting out, a huge set with every socket is a really great starting point. The stuff you use all the time might break, but then you can upgrade as you go. Not much point in having $100 tied up the that Snap-On female Torx 100 deep 1-1/4" left hand thread unobtanium impact socket you never use.

Good call. I think I'll jump on that then, and just upgrade as necessary. Thanks.

# ¿ May 20, 2011 06:52

ziasquinn: Jan 1, 2006; Fallen Rib

I hate to retread through a topic that has already been covered (air compressors) but the thread is almost 100 pages long and I don't want to go hunt through it (I've read it I swear!)

So the general consensus is get a 60 gallon oiled compressor? What was the recommended cfm? and HP doesn't really matter?

Then do the air tools themselves really make a difference in quality? I guess I'd be looking at a decent socket set, a DA sander, and a paint gun.

# ¿ May 30, 2011 17:48

ziasquinn: Jan 1, 2006; Fallen Rib

So I might have an opportunity to buy a new 60 gallon 11.4scfm at 90 psi and max of 190 psi for 425 bucks. It's normally 700, I should jump on this right?

# ¿ Jun 9, 2011 18:19

ziasquinn: Jan 1, 2006; Fallen Rib

craftsman, no sure on model

# ¿ Jun 9, 2011 19:07

ziasquinn: Jan 1, 2006; Fallen Rib

Yeah looking at the price in the system that the store bought it for ($404) makes the deal about as low as it can go before I'm actually taking profit from them.

I found a bunch of reviews about it failing, (head gaskets blowing and poo poo like that), so I'm not sure. I just thought that I would be looking at spending around 400-500 on a used 60 gallon (right? or am I wrong?) and if I could get a brand new one for that price range, sure.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2011 05:06

ziasquinn: Jan 1, 2006; Fallen Rib

Yeah I'm looking now for a used model and finding some decent deals. Speedaires are pretty swell then eh? Looks like new 60 gallons go for 1200 bucks.

# ¿ Jun 11, 2011 07:35

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 20:31

ziasquinn: Jan 1, 2006; Fallen Rib

Breast Pussy posted:

The sockets and wrenches should be fine but the ratchets have definitely dropped in terms of quality. My dad has a 20 year old 3/8 ratchet, nothing fancy, but it still works just as good as the day he bought it with no play to it at all. Its never been used for automotive work but I wouldn't hesitate to if it was necessary. I was given new 1/2 and 3/8 Craftsmans and they're abysmal. Very loose and sloppy and overall not fun to work with, they feel like a $5 desperation purchase from Autozone. I don't like having to turn them 90� just to engage the next tooth, especially in a tight spot.

I got a 154 pc craftsman tool set for 70 bucks thanks to some ridiculous promotion stacking last week and as a replacement for the 20 dollar HF set I had, it's incredible. All the ratchets in it are undoubtedly tighter than the HF ratchets, and it didn't break a socket and extender when I tried to remove my exhaust. My experience might just be luck though.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2011 06:17

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