hey all.....im about to sink about $1500-$2000 on a small stack of tools, and i would like suggestions on the "must have" tools to get started...im about to get a mechanic job and train for my ASE certification....i have tools that ive collected over the years that i wrench on my trucks with, but im gonna go buy a good set to take to whatever shop i get into....i know the basics, but i need your suggestions so i dont forget something important....

here is what i know i need:

full wrench set; standard, metric, long, short, ratcheting and normal.
socket sets; 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", standard, metric, deep, shallow, 6 and 12 point.
impact sockets; 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", standard, metric, deep and shallow.
torx sockets; full set, do they have different sets??
ratchets; 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", long and short.
extensions; 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", long, medium, and short.
screwdrivers; flat, phillips, variety of lengths and sizes.
star drivers; any info on these??
pliers; regular, needlenose, sidecutters, linemans, channellocks, and visegrips.

thats what i came up with off the top of my head...any other ideas??? im probably going to go to steves wholesale tools for this set...i would like some snap-ons, craftsmans, or another high dollar name brand, but im on a budget and have to get the most for the money...it would be nice to find someone who needs cash and buy a used set for cheap, but noone wants to sell their tools..most guys would sell an organ or one of their kids before they sell their tools...well thanks for reading this long thread, im waiting for your responses...

 

Here's two more categories.

hammer: claw, rubber mallet, small sledge, medium sledge, ball peen, dead blow, rubber face
torque wrench: tiny (inch-pound), small (<50 foot-pound), big (<250 foot-pound)
misc: punches, electrical meter, small picks, socket accessories like crows feet, adaptors and universals

The misc's I have listed are minor. I'd have a tough time doing anything without a few hammers. I'd have a tough time doing anything right without a torque wrench.

Calvin

 

wow, i cant believe i overlooked hammers...good call...there have been countless occasions i would be have been up the preverbial creek if i didnt have a good BFH....

 

I thought maybe you were just trying to impress us with your finesse and mad sk1lz.

Calvin

 

I didn't know how much I would use them until I had them, I've found many uses for a good set of Taps. Another would be a set of pullers.

 

I would focus on your basic hand tools whatever brand you can afford chances are the shop or someone can borrow you some tools. I would make sure to have at least a decent brand 25 to 250ftlb torque wrench, a inch pound is handy but I hardly use mine but I work on heavy construction. Having Snap On is nice and worth the money in my eyes but make sure you want to wrench for a living and buy good tools when the money starts coming in.

 

When I was in college for autobody, the Snap-on and Mac vendors had half-price deals as long as you were enrolled full time. It included all your basic tools, and a box/roll-away. It still added up to $3000.00, but worth $6000.00.

 

Go to flea markets, shop Craigslist, and get no-name lifetime warranty tools from autozone. You can always upgrade later, and there is no sense in spending money you don't have on the name of your tools.

 

Keep a eye out you can get whole sets.If you where here in NJ I could hook you up with a very large set of tools that I am selling for a friend with tax problems for $2500-$3000 all automotive tools,snapon,mac,matco,craftsman and more theres got to be $8000 to $9000 dollars worth of tools and boxes.he wants me to sell them as a whole so shipping is out.I have been looking on ebay and see large sets going for some good prices,I never knew tools depreciated so much.

 

Well, you've got the basics thought out it sounds like, but a few specifics that I've found useful would be as follows:
1. good set of wobble extensions. Once you start using them you'll hate regular extensions.
2. Very LONG extensions. These are great for bellhousing bolts on RWD cars, as you can get a socket on the bolts and get your ratchet back at or near the tailshaft where you can get decent stroke or even use and impact/air ratchet. Also, coupled with a swivel spark plug socket it can save your back because you can operate it standing upright instead of having to bend over.
3. Good air ratchet. I've got an old Blue Point 3/8. I bought it rebuilt 20 years ago, and it will still out-torque the new IR's we have at work. Ditto for the 1/4 drive MAC. Not a lot of torque for larger fasteners, but very compact. If you get 1/4 drive sockets that go up to 14 or 15 mm, or 9/16, 5/8 it's a real time (&knuckle) saver. Even a backwards drive adapter (1/4 dr female UP to a 3/8 dr male will work here.) With a 5/16 socket and long extension it is THE thing for worm drive clamps in hard to reach places (like lower radiator hoses).
4. Knipex pliers (I like the Alligator best). These will take abuse and last forever. They will grip a round object better than Vise grips. Will also grab square and hex very well. Once they bite in good stuff won't slip. Narrower than most channel locks to fit in tight spaces. A few good uses include gripping rounded nuts that other stuff won't touch. Also, after loosening the clamp on a hose and finding it is "glued" to it's nipple, they are perfect to give it a little twist to break it loose without damage. There's also no pivot screw to come loose and you don't get the annoying side flex like regular slip joint Channel-lock types. While you will find an occasional use for a channel-lock, you'll mostly throw rocks at them once you use alligators.
5. Wiha screwdrivers. I own/have owned pretty much every brand out there, including Snap-on, Matco, Mac, Craftsman, various cheapies, and nothing else compares for durability, turning power, and overall feel. While a bit higher than Craftsman, they are actually cheaper than the tool truck brands and I think much higher quality. Their
6. Punches/Chisels. I've owned several brands, and the Snap-Ons have been by far the best. Cheapies bend too easily and don't hold an edge/point well and mushroom quicker on the striking surface.
7. Good right-angle die grinder with a quick-change backing pad and Roloc disks. The Shiznit for cleaning gasket surfaces among many other uses.
8. Screw starters. One each flat and phillips with the pickup magnets on the other end (craftsman). Not something you'll use often, but irreplaceable in some cases.
9. A decent multimeter, and REALLY LEARN HOW TO USE IT. Not a super-expensive top-of-the-line unless you are doing a lot of electrical work, but a dependable, reasonably accurate one with a wide variety of functions/ranges is indispensable. I'd go with a mid-range Fluke or Meterman.
10. Small files. You'll need larger ones at some point, but small ones can save your butt. I got a set from MAC years ago that I don't think they sell any more, but I'm sure someone does. They weren't the WAY tiny little needle files, but smaller than full size, have molded plastic handles, and are really tough. It's got a variety, but the most useful are the round, half-round, and triangle. They can be used in tight spots where a full size is too bulky. The half round can be used to quickly knock off a sharp edge on a fitting, deburring the ID, chamfer a hole, as can the round one. The triangle can clean up a damaged bolt thread perfectly. This is VERY useful on cars, because they use so many proprietary bolts that you aint gonna find in the hardware bins. Much better than waiting for the parts runner to pick up one at the dealer, if they even have it in stock.
11. Long, skinny needle nose, hemostats, pickup magnets, and telescoping inspection mirrors are also good.
Lastly, think about what you'll use a lot and what you won't. Put the real money into the everyday, make your living with 'em tools. While circumstances demand a variety, you can get away with a cheaper brand of wrench in a large, rarely used size. Same with sockets. I find that I use deep sockets on almost everything. Since I have to carry my tools with me on service calls, as opposed to having my roll-around right there in the shop, I only carry a deep 3/8 drive set with me. Therefore, they are 6-point Snap-Ons. If it's too tight for a deep, then I use the box end of wrench, or the short 1/4 drive set. I'd buy the stuff you use everyday in a top brand and the rarely used stuff in a less expensive brand. Just get good enough to have a reliable warranty.
You may very well want to replace them all with top-notch stuff later, but this will help you "get established" on a budget, yet have everything you need to get most any job done without having to borrow much. Also, don't fall victim to "box envy". While a big, expensive box is nice, you can't fix a car with it, so get a Craftsman, Kobalt, or Husky to get started, and don't be embarrassed that it didn't cost more than your first car. At the end of the day, if you can put your tools in it and lock it, then it has done it's job. Hope this helps you.

 

Only problem with that is that even a lifetime warranty, downtime is expensive. I'd weigh saving a few bucks now to losing time while working on a job because you broke a cheap, Chinese made ratchet or box wrench. Balance cost saving with reliability.

 

I've used everything from the cheapest to the best including Snap On, Mac, Matco, Craftsman, and Stahl Willie (european). I got Thorsen and Uticas that are pushing 30 years old. Buy what you can. Just stay away from the Chicago Pneumatics. I blew out 2 1/2 inch impacts in a month. If the company is buying I get Snap On because of our discount. If I'm paying I buy Craftsman for hand tools and Pittsburgh for impact sockets. I got 2 3/8 long handle flex heads from NAPA that are 10 years old with no problems.

 

200000+F150 speaks da truth! Good specific post.

I'd add a bright flashlight, an LED flashlight for long battery life, a basic set (Craftsman) of 3/4"" drive sockets with breaker bar, impact sockets to fit CV axle nuts, a Craftsman belt tensioner wrench, a good faceshield and safety goggles, a rubber-tipped blowgun, Ford fuel line disconnect tools, several feet of galvanized chain with chain grab hooks AND forge hooks for snatching engines, Torx bits, a bunch of cheap leather work gloves (saves flesh), and a set of gearwrenches for the hard-to-get fasteners on front-wheel-drive cars.

Your stated price range would get most of the stuff you want from Craftsman.

 

Keep some ready cash ($10 to $30) in ones and fives and make a circuit through flea markets. Pay attention to the bottoms of tool boxes. Its amazing how many guys buy high quality tools like a single chisel, universal joint, tap, etc, and then never use them twice. They usually go for less than a buck. Its amazing the handful of small tools by Mac, Snap-On, etc, I can walk away with for cheap because they are not part of a set. And, to buy all of those singular items normally really eats away at the general tool budget.

 

The other nice thing about flea markets is that when you buy broken warranted-for-life tools, you can exchange them.