Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   DIY - Do it yourself (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/)

-   -   Tools for a DIYer (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/88566-tools-diyer-26.html)

:)In 35 years of working with tools, I found that I have actually worked with a very limited set of tools and sizes. For a screw driver set, I still have only a Taparia set in a rollable plastic cover (3 flats, 1 philips head and a poker), and a set of miniature screw drivers. Open spanners - a set of 8, 7mm - 25mm (I think), in a clamp pack. 25 years back I had bought a 30-piece China-made socket spanner set (incl. allen keys and a few screw driver bits). A rotary box of screw driver, torx and socket driver bits. My 'cutting pliers' is an almost as old as me Russian made one. Long nose pliers is a Made in India one from the 70's. My soldering iron is 32 years old - a bit long in the tooth (or short in the bit :p) Ungar - and it has made thousands of solder joints!

I have seldom faced a situation where I was short of a tool, despite having less than 100 pieces. What matters is what & how you do it, not how big is your tool kit. For 99% of situations, my limited tool kit has sufficed; for the rest, almost always it is a job for a specialist, and a specialist always has the appropriate tools - I need not have them. And I have never had to (well, almost - sometimes I have had to get out of a jam:D) use the hammer-and-chisel method to open a nut or a bolt.

I suggest you forget about these big tool sets. Like the poster above, I feel they are a waste of money. I'd even say that you buy _multiple sets_ of _only_ those wrenches specifically required for the vehicles that you have.

From your SoP (Statement of Purpose), it looks like you would do better investing in _specialist_ tools required for your vehicle models. That would make working on them an enjoyable experience. e.g., specialized tools to remove pulleys and bearings... or special shaped wrenches to remove those weird shaped nuts on the steering column... or tools to install valves... etc.

I am a bit of a tools guy myself. I have lots of tools that I've never used.

Any idea where one can get a 4 1/2" hole saw with arbour?

That's too large for a regular hole saw, a job for a jigsaw. Try the hardware shop below Westside on Commercial Street - he always has odds and ends.

@Sudarshan sir, @DerAlte sir & @DrunkenMonk - I value your suggestion; I'll pen down my conclusion at the end of this post.

Agree, but sometimes, the comfort, the quality finishing of these high end tools cannot be matched with our Indian quality. Are you saying this is only an illusion?

The adjustable wrench in India has a steel grip, whereas the ones in US have a good rubber grip that wouldn't wear so easily.

Right, even in my 101 piece toolset, there're lots & lots of pieces that I haven't used till date.

Well, sometimes, I sometimes feel I'm missing the right tool; there's always a difference between opening a 22mm nut using an adjustable wrench vs 22mm spanner or 22mm wrench isn't it? The adjustable wrench serves the purpose, but is bound to damage the nut sometimes.

Agreed.

Yes, I've them in addition.

I somehow feel that Indian quality is way too inferior compared to the imported ones. I've an imported (Taiwan make) mech toolset which is highly superior to the Eastman spanners. But the Craftsman screwdrivers overthrows even the Taiwanese makes in terms of quality.

The Wurth tools are ultimate, the very touch of it, provokes to pick the tool & get the work done.

Anyway, I'm thinking of constructing a tool box & dropping the idea of importing the Craftsman, especially the ones I posted above. For the same price, I can get even better collection of tools that I don't have.

Can anyone suggest better tools here other than Eastman, Taparia (Sorry DerAlte sir, one nose plier from Taparia, I'd enough)?

Last weekend, I was at GP Road in Chennai (capital of tools & one stop shop for any automobile) & they were showing some imported tools that costs over 40K, but in terms of value, pathetic!!! They've 3 hammers, a small box of tacs, cotter pins & what all nonesenses, and they've included all these & call 101 pieces of mech tools!!!

PS - Sudarshan sir, I'm not surprised at you collection; Infact, I'd expected even more from you. But that's one excellent collection of tools. My dream :)

[quote=aargee;2151040What I'm not sure is...
1. Despite having my 101 piece mech tool kit, do I really need one of the above?[/quote]Only you can say. Honestly, how often do you need a socket or a spanner that is not already in your collection, and if you do, then isn't always the same few? Better to buy specific than hundreds to get two or three.

Unless... you just want to open those drawers on your workbench and drool!

<ahh... just noticed it's all been said, so I'll stop here>

Thanks Der Alte, wil have a look there.

I bought a set of hole saws - 1/2 inch to 6 inch abroad. It is a Chinese set, should be available where Chinese drills and bits are sold.

It may be that the quality has deteriorated, but I would reserve my judgment.

Way back in early seventies when I was in college, the best hand tools you could buy were Gedore for chrome vanadium steel hand tools and Bahco-Taparia for screw drivers and pliers. I still have these (over 40 sockets, 30 ring spanners, 10 pliers and a lot of screw drivers, box wrenches and open ended spanners), included are a lot of specialist tools - stud extractors, universal joints, spark plug socket, circlip pliers, locking wrench etc.

What most of us do not realise, is that most of the hand tools sold world wide are either Indian or Chinese. Others have stopped manufacturing them! You would be surprised at the quality of Indian tools sold abroad (sadly they are rarely available in our own country).

Recently my cousin got me a superb torque wrench for use with 1/2" socket set.

Guys, a supermarket is selling Dremel 300 + 25 Piece attachment at a discounted price of Rs.1799 (MRP is Rs.5799), the import date mentioned is June 2008.

Is this tool worth this price? I am a DIY guy and already have a hand held drill (like the ones used by the electrician for drilling holes), and a complete set of wrenches.

Wow, at 1799 it is a real good buy! Just remember, the main use for this tool is for small hobby work, and not for the kind of work that one does with a regular hand-held drill. A Dremel is perfect for the occasions where the hand-held drill is too big for the job.

If you are a DIY, worth having a Dremel rotary tool. You are getting an excellent deal at that price!

At that price... buy three!

It is a hobby tool, and the build, power, handling, etc is nothing like other stuff from the Bosch company, but you only have to need something like this a couple of times to be glad you bought it,

Remember: when you are using those grinding wheels and tools, use eye protection. The goggles are on top of my Dremel box; I cannot ignore them.

Except the battery, if it is a battery operated.
Buy only the AC mains operated tools in their line.

Today I took out some of my hand tools for inspection. I will be making a portable tool box far carrying them on trips. Here are some pictures. Pardon bad quality, they are 1MP cell phone camera. I had aquired most of the tools in early seventies, while in college, and as we had an Ambassador as well as a Jawa, I ended up having both metric as well as American & British sizes.

Most tools are familiar. The big round thing on top left of first shot is a stud extractor.
The last shots are of the Torque Wrench my cousin from Canada presented me this fall.

I have still to learn how to caption each photo!