The Tool You Couldn’t Live Without

[onewhippedpuppy]

Thinking about this today working on my daughter’s car, what’s a tool that you hesitated to buy that you now can’t live without?

For me it’s easy - 3/8 cordless ratchet. Never felt like it was something I needed, now I use it every freaking time I work on anything. Not sure why I waited so long to buy one. Mine is from Harbor Freight and I can’t seem to kill it.

[MMiller]

Milwaukee M12 FUEL Compact Cut Off Tool, so handy, use it all the time.

[ryans65]

Knipex cobra pliers

[A930Rocket]

Ditto on the cordless ratchet. I have both the 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch, plus a couple of impact drivers. Actually, I have two 3/8 inch ratchets and it’s nice not to have to switch sockets off and on.

[ErrorMargin]

For me it is without a doubt my M12 right angle half inch impact gun

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

For me it’s easy - 3/8 cordless ratchet. Never felt like it was something I needed, now I use it every freaking time I work on anything. Not sure why I waited so D to buy one. Mine is from Harbor Freight and I can’t seem to kill it.

Do you have the Bauer one? I like their Bauer line of battery/cordless tools and have about a dozen in total.

[Baz]

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Do you have the Bauer one? I like their Bauer line of battery/cordless tools and have about a dozen in total.

Sure do and agree. I also have one of the 1/2 20V cordless impact wrenches and it’s great as well. I would have more but still have some old Craftsman cordless stuff that won’t die.

[varmint]

Leatherman

[LWJ]

My damn reading glasses. 3.0. I am somewhat blind.

[Bill Douglas]

Probably my tape measure.

I plan things a lot, and spend a huge amount of time going through the project in my mind. And by using the tape measure it makes me feel like I'm actually doing something other than just talking about it.

I should have been a structural engineer. I see things very 3 dimentionally in my mind.

[pwd72s]

Can't really choose just one. That's why I have an overcrowded tool box...(edit) Oh wait...maybe my Case pocket knife. I find myself using it more than anything I take out of my toolbox.

[cantdrv55]

My smartphone. I look up how to do stuff on YouTube all the time.

[look 171]

Type measure. One of my smaller cordless drill, Milwaukee normally.

[RNajarian]

[zakthor]

There’s so many I ‘can’t live without’. Drill press, table saw, welder, chainsaws, sanders and more sanders and drills and clamps and vices and my jigsaw. If I lost them I’d just need to buy them again.

My most impressively unexpectedly essential tool is my corded die grinders. I’ve got a fast one and a slow one and a collection of bits. Never knew they existed and now I’m using them all the time. A universal chisel for metal and wood and stone.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

The winner!

[berettafan]

3/8" cordless dewalt impact. not the drill, the ring attachment style impact. ridiculously handy for so many things.

[VINMAN]

Oscillating tool.
Have a couple.
Probably one of the greatest things ever invented.

[porsche tech]

Computer…looking up repairs on you tube…anything and everything is on there! I retired in 2012 but even back then the PST2 / PIWIS tester was indispensable in Porsche repairs.