Building a tool box, need advice

[Balog]

So after years of apartment living where I either paid someone else to do my vehicle maintenance or went to a friend’s house and borrowed their tools, I’m in a house and looking to get started doing it myself again. I have a few of the basic homeowner tools covered (screwdrivers, allen wrenches, vice grips, hammers, cordless drill, multi-meter, dry wall tools etc) but not much that I can use on a car. So I’m hoping for suggestions on 1. a good basic set of tools I should be getting and 2. what make and model you’d suggest for each type. Uses would be the aforementioned vehicle maintenance as well as general repair and fabrication work. Just thinking of hand tools here, not powered stuff. Here’s what I’m thinking, although obviously there's a lot more…

Socket set: English and metric, standard and deep well, 3/8” drive.

Combo box and open end wrenches: English and metric, ideally short throw ratcheting on the box end.

Channel locks.

Wire crimpers.

MAPP gas torch.

[charby]

Do you have a budget?

This should cover your basic socket/box wrench collection for $200

http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00935255000P

I probably have close to $12k in hand tools that I have purchased since I was 16. Tools are like guns you collect them over time.

I'm also out grown my rolling tool cart and I'm looking for a new one, those can be scary expensive.

[Boomhauer]

For the sockets I have been exceptionally pleased with Harbor Freight's line. Before you think HF stuff is crap, believe me I've tested this stuff for several years of hard use and they've held up very well. HF is also good for specialty tools like a ball joint press set and so forth. Oh, and stick to standard style sockets, not the funky pass through bullshit.

I have not tried their wrenches. I tend to stick with Craftsman wrenches, snag them on sale. Add 1/2 drive to your list, plus a breaker bar and several extensions of the sizes. You can get a set of the ratcheting wrenches if you want, I've never had a set personally.

Channel locks. Channel lock brand.

For the wire crimpers I would get a set of the ratcheting ones...there is a good pair for $25 at Autozone. Works on butt splices and terminal ends and gives a solid, secure connection consistently and a lot easier than the el cheapo all in one pliers. http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Motormite-Ratcheting-terminal-crimper/_/N-25l2?itemIdentifier=238729&_requestid=307105

Good oil filter wrench. I prefer the strap kind.

You could actually have a pretty good start with something like the 250 piece mechanic's tool set from Craftsman.

Oh, and you definitely need a scan tool. Cheaper ones will get you where you need to go most of the time.

The big set of Craftsman screwdrivers. Some prybars. Star drivers, hex drivers, etc for the stupid specialty stuff.

Jack and jack stands.

I would stick with Craftsman, Harbor Freight, and Kobalt tools from Lowes. I wouldn't waste my money by buying Snap-On and such, yeah they are a slightly better tool but not worth the extra $$ IMHO. Plus you can at least find Sears, Harbor Freight, and Lowes on Sunday afternoon when you break your needed tool (and you will break tools, even the best brands) and need it replaced...good luck hunting down a SnapOn or Mac tool truck then.

[RevDisk]

Good pliers and snips.

I'd make a good electronics kit, but that's me. Crimper, wire snips, soldering iron, etc. May not be necessary for you.

[Balog]

Good pliers and snips.

I'd make a good electronics kit, but that's me. Crimper, wire snips, soldering iron, etc. May not be necessary for you.

I forgot to mention I do have a soldering iron although not a vice to hold the work. I have a stripper/cutter, but plan on getting a crimper and better stripper. Also want a pair of diagonal cutters as well as needle nose and lineman's pliers.

[French G.]

I've not got much good to say about racheting box wrenches unless you buy top of the line. I'd normally prefer to buy standard craftsman wrenches for the warranty, not sure if such a deal now, chances of Sears existing in 20 years is   High end wrenches have gotten stupid priced, I love a good Cornwell or Snap-on wrench but I'm not paying the new tag, same with high end tool boxes. There is just not enough qualitative difference between them and the Harbor Freight BS to justify the 10x cost difference. Also, better to have 5 sets of cheap wrenches where you need them than one fine set locked up at home.

Best tool box buy is "US General" line from harbor freight.

A good bench vise is never a bad buy. Another great thing to find used. In fact, I will buy as much used as I can. My daily use ball peen hammer was a yard sale find sans hammer. Actually made right, I keep it polished and the face is hard enough to not mar, good luck finding that in a new tool. My scroll saw is Craftsman from when they were US made, $1. Good 1940s cast aluminum handle hacksaw with 3 new blades, 50 cents. I love yard sales.

Kobalt? Ok tools, I have a lot of personal spite though in buying Chinese tools at American prices in a store that goes so hard after the bubba demographic. I'll skip straight to harbor freight if I want chinese tools.

Things not to buy Chinese:
-Wiss snips
-Channelocks
-Vise grips
-rachets
-any air tool

[41magsnub]

Don't skimp on the jack stands, get craftsman or similar quality.

[Nick1911]

Charbs nailed it.  The craftsman kits are a great relatively inexpensive way to get a fairly decent starter mechanics tool set.

Things not to buy Chinese:
-Wiss snips
-Channelocks
-Vise grips
-rachets
-any air tool

This too.

And in no particular order:

I'll add that having a bench with a vice on it - and preferably bolt the bench to the floor - is a really nice option if you have room.  I just have some basic stuff made from 2x4's and plywood, works great. 
Also, those yellow 500 watt halogen lights everyone sells are fantastic.  Got to see what your doing.

A jack and jack stands, of course.  I know a lot of people don't trust Chinese castings, but I've had excellent luck with my harbor freight 6 ton jack stands.

I personally never had any luck heating rusted bolts etc with a mapp or even a mapp-oxy torch.  I got to the point where I thought the whole "heat the bolt up" thing was kind of overrated... until I bought an oxyacetylene rig.  That was just a $100 harbor freight torch [plus the cost of cylinders], worth every penny.

I use taps more then I ever expected I would.  A good set of those is handy to have around, but not a out-of-the-gate priority.  Think Irwin or Vermont American.

Consumables like, rags, chip brushes, wd-40, nitrite gloves and fast orange hand cleaner are nice to have.  If you don't already, dedicate some old clothing as work clothes.

I know you're just talking about hand tools, but be mindful of PPE for whatever you're doing, in particular Z87.1 safety glasses.  Yes, they look dorky, wear them anyway.  You get two eyes for depth perception, not redundancy.

[Balog]

Thanks for the advice everyone, really appreciate it. Can't believe I left bench vise off the list! Probably want to go used on that one, what should I be looking for?

[Boomhauer]

That was just a $100 harbor freight torch [plus the cost of cylinders], worth every penny.

Yep. You can get a light duty O/A torch and burglar pack (the small bottles) for real cheap.

Consumables are cheap cheap cheap at HF.

+1 on safety glasses. Uvex is my preferred brand and they are pretty much industry standard.

If you've got the time for it scrounge yard sales, flea market etc for tools and you'll find lots of good *expletive deleted*it.

[Nick1911]

Thanks for the advice everyone, really appreciate it. Can't believe I left bench vise off the list! Probably want to go used on that one, what should I be looking for?

Well, I can recommend against harbor freight for that.  I have one, 8" I think, and the place where the leadscrew threads into the casting broke apart - it was just female threads cut in gray cast iron.  Now, I was probably abusing it, I needed a part held tight and really clamped down on it, but that design irked me.

I ended up getting a steel acme nut [$11 for a single nut, yeesh] and welding it to a machined carbon steel plate that I bolted into the vice.  It's much more rugged now, but I wouldn't buy a vice from HF again.

[Nick1911]

Before I forget: ABC fire extinguisher.  I've only used mine once, and I was really glad to have it.

On wire crimpers: harbor freight has a pair that look similar to pliers.  You can tell that each side was a forging. [these rock]  This style works infinitely better then the stamped sheet metal type.  [this style is crap]  The connections are more reliable to boot.


*edited to add links

[Brad Johnson]

Rubber mallet

Hammer body with interchangeable strike faces

Ball peen, large and small

BFH (big ****ing hammer)

BAC (big *ss crowbar)

full screwdriver set


Brad

[lupinus]

Bandaids

[Balog]

Speaking of jacks and jack stands, what do folks recommend there? Anyone ever just use the little ramps that you drive the front wheels up and park on top of? Always used those as a kid changing oil in the cars with my Dad.

[charby]

Speaking of jacks and jack stands, what do folks recommend there? Anyone ever just use the little ramps that you drive the front wheels up and park on top of? Always used those as a kid changing oil in the cars with my Dad.

Those scare the frog out of me. I've seen people over drive them and park the vehicle frame on them. Another time I watched one fold underneath a car. Get a good floor jack and at least a pair of jack stands.

[lupinus]

Ramps are fine, just make sure you have someone with a brain guiding you on them. Easier and faster than a jack and stands.

[Nick1911]

Those scare the frog out of me. I've seen people over drive them and park the vehicle frame on them. Another time I watched one fold underneath a car. Get a good floor jack and at least a pair of jack stands.

I use wheel chocks as well, behind the tires that I'm leaving on the ground.  A pair from HF should run under twenty bucks.

My jacks and stands are all HF gear.  I've never had a problem, even putting the F250 up on them.  Rock solid.  6 tons is more the the whole truck weighs, let alone a single axle.

[Frank Castle]

Craftsman  3/8 in. Drive  Offset Flex Head Quick Release Teardrop Ratchet

Gear wrench Set

Pry Bars

breaker bar

[Tallpine]

Don't forget a crescent hammer 

[RoadKingLarry]

Got to have Crescent hammers. I've got them from itty bitty to big enough I don't like carrying them more than a few feet with out help.
Farm sales and estate sales are great places to look for tools, just know what something is worth before you get into a bidding war on something.
Buy quality tools when you can, your grandkids will pass them on to their kids.

[never_retreat]

You can't go wrong with chraftsman on sockets and wrenches for the most part.
Another good brand is SK, I have a 3/8 and 1/2 drive set in the truck the are pretty beefy.
Snap on is very good but very expensive, I have a few specialty tools of theirs and they are worth there weight in gold.

[lupinus]

Everyone needs a BFH

[charby]

Everyone needs a BFH

yep and a 4' cheater bar.

[Doggy Daddy]

I'm also out grown my rolling tool cart and I'm looking for a new one, those can be scary expensive.

This one at Harbor Freight is right decent for $99.  You can find a coupon in Popular Mechanics about every month.