Tools you really dont need, but want, and buy anyway...

[bpu699]

Today, I feel like a kid in a candy store...

Planning to go out and buy a plasma cutter. Just getting a cheap Chinese one, cant justify the big buck items. building a roll cage/bar, and really wanted one ...

I already have an expensive miller tig and mig...

Anyone else buy tools, "just because"?

I also have a scissor lift, but REALLY want a 2 post lift... don't really need one.... Hmmmm.....

Bo

Tools= Big Boy Toys

[sugarwood]

This could be a great thread.

I have crossed the Rubicon with regards to buying tools. There is no worse feeling than not having the right tool. I will buy missing tools after a job is done, just so I have it for next time. It simply makes no sense to engage in this hobby without being prepared to buy the right tools. The despite what "just a socket set" people say, it seems like there is an infinite number of tools one can need. I have built up a fairly complete set over the last few years. I love it.

[bpu699]

Yep, I am addicted...

I think I have 10 of everything, though its unintentional... you build up a big collection with time...

A mig/tig/plasma starts getting into the big boy toys...

Love my sandblasting cabinet...

Just built a powdercoating oven...

Short of a milling machine and lathe... I am running out of things I "need" .

[matthewb0051]

Best thing I've ever bought was a Schumacher battery charger, simply for the amount of use it has gotten.

Most recently I bought a set of extended handle box end wrenches. So nice for the extra torque. I did not need them but for twenty something bucks at Harbor Freight I just could not resist.

As for impact wrenches, I have 3 or 4. Most have never seen the light of day outside the box, but were part of a package deal with the other tool that I needed at the time.

Most oddball is the Audi nut tool needed for upper strut bearings. It has a special place in the toolbox but has not been used since an Audi has not been in my garage since 1997ish.

Also new is a 90 degree drill adapter. That thing rocks.

Great thread!!

[bpu699]

Just thought of another great tool, two actually...

Gas powered 50cc post digger. $200. Ihave used it for posts, digging holes for plumbing, basketball poles, trees, landscaping, etc... Awesome bang for the buck...

Also, bought one of those chainsaws on a stick for $150. Spliced in an aluminum pole that's used for painting. Now, I have a 30ft reach... This little saw just keeps going and going. Can't believe how many branches I have trimmed, or trees that I have cut down with it (good medium sized trees/medium oaks, etc).

Both tools have paid for themselves 20x over... yet, seemed like silly purchases at the time...

[tobluforu]

Air wrenches, yes they are nice to have but I really don't need them because I'm not wrenching away everyday. Most the time I see them, then think about the turning on the loud compressor, and say forget it.

[matthewb0051]

And this baby. A 62mm crescent wrench. Why?? Because it exists.

[JRSIII]

I was gonna post a picture of my 36 mm combo wrench, but it would just be shamed by Matthew's wrench above...

[Gordo2]

Uhh - yea

I Love Tools

Plasma cutter would be fun...

Gordo

[lrodri64]

Hi,
I bought a lathe.
Always dreamed about one.
Have only used once, lol.
But... It is mine.

Thanks.

[esample]

Anything Snap-On

-e.

[dad911]

I actually need to downsize.... or open a rental company

Garage: Tig, Mig, Plasma, metal bandsaw, glass bead cabinet, 2 & 4 post lift
Basement: Milling machine, a few lathes, drill press, various woodworking including table saw & shaper.
Plastic Printer(homemade) and many tools used in home construction (scaffolding, laser levels, tile wetsaw, ladders)
Kubota tractor, with attachments, and a Bobcat Mini excavator

[Drbraunsr]

Bought the Stomski DigiDix (rotary digital encoder) as opposed to using my old $15 degree wheel I bought 40 years ago.
I then set out and bought darn near every 911 timing tool Steve sells.

They are cooler than cool.
Not as cool as a plasma cutter though....

[bobrestore]

I'm looking forward to when HF starts carrying petri dishes and stem cells

[911obgyn]

I want a tractor.

[Tori]

Held off for years because i just didn't have room in the shop for it, but then i started a project where i really needed a metal band saw. Bought the $260 one from Harbor Freight. I love the damn thing. Works better than i had expected, and really no complaints. Use it all the time.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

Most recently I bought a set of extended handle box end wrenches. So nice for the extra torque. I did not need them but for twenty something bucks at Harbor Freight I just could not resist.

Most oddball is the Audi nut tool needed for upper strut bearings. It has a special place in the toolbox but has not been used since an Audi has not been in my garage since 1997ish.

Also new is a 90 degree drill adapter. That thing rocks.

For leverage, I have a 3/8" breaker bar and it's a great tool.
It's smaller than a full sized 1/2" breaker that I use for breaking lugs.

I also have something like this extra long flex head ratchet

Please post a link to your 90 degree drill adapter.

I don't lament the oddball 1-time use. If you never use it again, that's ok.
You used it once, it saved a lot of grief. It did its work, and already paid for itself.

Originally Posted by tobluforu

Air wrenches, yes they are nice to have but I really don't need them because I'm not wrenching away everyday. Most the time I see them, then think about the turning on the loud compressor, and say forget it.

Have you considered getting a cordless electric impact wrench? Milwaukee is a popular one. Comes in 3/8 and 1/2, the latter being larger and more powerful.

https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-2763-22-Inch-Impact-Wrench/dp/B00GFUA7FC

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless 3/8 in. Compact Impact Wrench with Friction Ring Kit-2754-22 - The Home Depot

[sugarwood]

I did not need them but for twenty something bucks at Harbor Freight I just could not resist.

There is something to unpack in that statement. You bought it for a reason even though you have no actual use case at the present time. This is the voice of experience talking.

The first level of DIY is to have tools for the job at hand. That is how you build it up.

But the next level is to have tools for jobs you haven't even yet done.
If I do a project and realize there was a certain tool that would have made it easier, I buy it after the job.
No questions asked. If I never use it, that's ok. It's now a matter of principle.
Almost every time I've done this, I've eventually used the tool in the future, and I've never regretted buying a tool yet.

This mindset has filled out my tools and made this a much more gratifying hobby.
It's a great feeling to be prepared. My projects have gotten so much smoother over the last year since my tools are more complete.
Proper tools are the lynchpin of this hobby. Do it right, or don't bother playing the game. You will not enjoy yourself. It's hard enough as it is. Why handicap yourself?

[PCA7GGR]

My pliers drawers below. What can I say - I like Knipex pliers.

My first tool purchase was in the '60s - the $49 Craftsman set that came in red tool box with the pull out tray. Funny, it didn't have any pliers.

[matthewb0051]

The drill attachment is from Milescraft Drill 90. The first time I saw one was on Wheeler Dealers when they were doing the 911 Targa. Edd was taking off the chrome wheel arches and used one of these to drill out the rivets. When I was doing a home reno project this summer I had a situation that was not going to allow using a hammer and I remembered this thing and saved me loads of work and aggravation.

The red handle attaches to give leverage at the 90 degree angle. Got it from Home Depot for about 20 Bones