Page 23 - KCRPCA Sept Oct 2020

the higher quality tool is still going to remove it. Magic. High end tools have much better “laser” (In my best Dr. Evil voice) cut end on them, and the tolerances are a lot tighter. I’m not saying you can’t get by with some of the cheaper brands 90% of the time, it’s the other 10% that will make you hate the car you are working on. The other big difference on high end tools are the ergonomics. Higher end tools are designed to be easier to hold and more importantly, easier on your hands.
For a good starter set of tools, Craftsman does make a nice plastic three
drawer box which covers sockets from 1⁄4-1/2”, plus basic ratchets, torx bits,
e-torx, allens, etc. In fact, this is a box I carry to the track with me as it is
portable and everything stays put where it should. Starting with a basic set
like that, then you can build in a couple good ratchets, a set of good screw 3
drivers (Craftsman professional screwdrivers are not good screwdrivers, lol),
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pliers, hammers, etc. I think the mid grade sockets are fine for most people,
when you have a 360 degree bite, the chance of stripping a fastener isn’t near
what an open end wrench is....and to buy the equivalent amount of top grade
sockets would cost thousands vs a few hundred. #3: Harbor Freight tools are crap.
There, I said it. Their tools, and other outfits like them, are cheap and junk. Now, that doesn’t mean some of them don’t have a place in your toolbox. There are going to be jobs you
might do once in your life, or once a year. You don’t need to buy the best tool for something you will rarely use. Bearing pullers, compression testers, dead blow hammers, coolant pressure testers, floor jacks, hydraulic presses, etc can all be picked up cheap from HF and you will get great use out of them without breaking the bank. With that being said, if you have tools, you need a place to store them.....and if you want a great home toolbox for a great price, they have some really nice heavy duty boxes for the money. Many places are using the same box manufacturer and everything gets relabeled based off store. Nice ball bearing, heavy duty drawers, etc. “It’s all ball bearings nowadays.” I recommend the longer waist high tool boxes that can also double as a workbench top, since most of us have limited spaces in our garages.
Der Sportwagen
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