Top 10 Favorite Tools you have or use

[Guest]

http://racetoolz.com/

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

All the normal tools go without saying, so I'll list some I never really knew how valuable they are until I got them:

Heat gun- I could not survive without one
Real drifts- wow, what a difference to use a real drift instead of a big screwdriver
Step bits- expensive, but amazingly worth it
A good set of snap ring pliers- so much more superior to cheap ones
Strap wrenches- useful in a lot of ways
Allen bolt sockets, both bondhus and straight- sometimes the straight wrenches are useless
A good fuel siphon- I don't miss the occasional mouthful of gasoline
Mity-vac tools- awesome for bleeding brakes by yourself but also a ton of other uses

What brand of snap ring pliers do you have?
I'm looking for the offset ones for M/C rebuilds and changing the needle settings on CV carbs. Not sure if the offset ones sold at HF have enough reach and have not found any other place to buy a set.

 

[koolaid_kid]

The Motion Pro 08-0279 snap ring pliers work great.

 

[Eli69]

devcon epoxy gun. i got a box of tubes of devcon a few years ago as a tip on a job. been fixing anything that breaks with it for years.

that and wire wheels, both fixed and portable. wish i didn't need them but seem to use them alot whenever i work on my bikes.

 

[Allie]

Right now my favorite tool of all time for ever and ever at this very moment is the HF Earthquake impact wrench I bought earlier this year on the advice of some of the members here, bought mainly to deal with stubborn lug nuts. While I didn't use it on the brake job I did today I ended up using it on the caliper holder retainer bolts (the thing that's in your way when you want to slide the rotors off). When I did the right side they involved banging on a breaker bar with a sledge hammer for several minutes, they eventually came off though. On the left side it involved banging UP from underneath on the breaker bar... I was getting nowhere fast. I was about to try prying on the bar with other bars wedged wherever I could get them (always a fun endeavor) when I remembered the air wrench. They were off in mere seconds, I could have saved a lot of time on the other side too. This wrench could really end up paying for itself in short order.

 

[wedoo2]

I saw that Kiwi Cannuck mentioned a blasting cabinet. I'm building my own. I got the gloves in last week and I'll put them in this week. I had all of the wood around the house and used an old microwave cabinet with wheels for the base. I store all of my air tools in that. Ordered a fairly cheap gun off eBay so I think I have $25 in it. Painted it baby blue, HF charges you extra for red.

 

[orourkei]

I don't know if I have 10 types of tools to list but I will say that I have great joy when I'm using a (1)click style torque wrench. (2)Impact drivers are fun and satisfying too. I went on a measuring spree around the house with my (3) digital calipers. I guess those are my top 3 !

 

[Guest]

Any thing in my 3 tool boxes.

 

[Bustedknuckles]

Dremel, Dremel, annnnnd Dremel 8 more times...

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

I saw that Kiwi Cannuck mentioned a blasting cabinet. I'm building my own. I got the gloves in last week and I'll put them in this week. I had all of the wood around the house and used an old microwave cabinet with wheels for the base. I store all of my air tools in that. Ordered a fairly cheap gun off eBay so I think I have $25 in it. Painted it baby blue, HF charges you extra for red.

Very nice, that's an awesome price.
It's number 3 on my wanted list, so may just have to go for it and go buy one.

I have added an inch pound torque wrench which I don't know how I did without and that wasn't even on my wish list. I thought I had a good feel for how tight a bolt should be, well I was over tightening everything by at least 50% maybe more.

 

[Grimly]

The single most invaluable tool for any motorcycle I've ever owned.

The second most invaluable tool for any motorcycle I've ever owned. I swear by this stuff. My original tin is now on the dregs and it costs an arm and a leg to buy here. Currently, I'm undoing bolts and screws I put in with this 25 years ago and they undo easily, despite having many years and thousands of miles of salty corrosion-inducing road conditions on them.

Fortunately, I found an alternative. Copaslip just isn't the same, fine though it is.

 

[Wester Cooley]

The best tool for working on early Japanese bikes is a good quality impact driver. Them damn panhead screws are not coming out unless you have a impact driver. Thank God for allen head screws!!!

Bought a 10mm swivel T handle wrench back when I got my first Honda 160. You needed that swivel on the end to get the two 10mm bolts loose that were under the area where the sparkplugs went into the head. Best thing in the world to remove 10mm valve cover or oil pan bolts on any motorcycle I ever worked on. And you never worried about the socket falling off either because it is all one piece!!!

Any Factory special tool that makes working on or taking apart any motorcycle you own. Even if you only use it once in the life of your bike. I have seen more people destroy expensive motor parts by not using the right factory tool.

Back in the day, the handiest tool I ever used was the factory Kawasaki special tool for removing valve shims from the Kz900/1000 motors. 57001-113 was the part number on that tool. None of that jam a wedge in to remove a shim. You could change all 8 valve shims in less than fifteen minutes with that tool!!!

A Safety-Kleen machine with their solvent!!! Using anything else is just so barbaric.

A motorcycle lift. Screw that crawling on the floor stuff when you get older!!!

I could go on, but these are the ones that jump to mind right away.

 

[robertbarr]

I also have a 4x6 foot remnant of a wrestling mat, about 1 1/4" thick, so I don't have to wear kneepads or kneel on concrete.

... and I can't forget this:

For aging eyeballs that don't focus properly anymore.

.

 

[Rob S.]

What is the technical name of this tool?

A: Fridge operator

B: Shop assistant

C: Late-night physical therapist

Does Harbor Freight carry them? I don't know if I can afford a new one, might have to go for used.

 

[Grimly]

What is the technical name of this tool?

A: Fridge operator

B: Shop assistant

C: Late-night physical therapist

Does Harbor Freight carry them? I don't know if I can afford a new one, might have to go for used.

Why, it's a right-angled comfort tool.

 

[tkent02]

Her head's flat on top, can't see any teeth, but she might be a little tall.

 

[sinkankan]

Parts are clean!

Parts are clean!

What's white and lives in the kitchen, apparently they call them applicances.
I' m about to take some parts down to chromers and thought they were a bit grubby, and the wifes at work so who's to know.
She who must be obeyed is at work for the next 5 hours, and the dishwasher 3/4's full, so in go the side covers.
How long is a cycle on a dishwasher, don't know don't care, so long as it's finished by the time the missus gets home.
And I will probably earn Brownie points for doing the dishes, win win both ways I reckon.

 

[loud et]

I always keep a couple 1 foot pieces of 2x4 around. I'm lost without them.
Good for beating, blocking, levering, jacking,painting, throwing ....on and on.
Aside from that my pick set is indispensable. Broke a couple tips recently taking apart some piggyback shocks....will add some new ones to my set soon.


Sooo....What do you Canadians, Europeans and Australians call your countries equivalent of the U.S. 2x4? (Its a 1-1/2" x3-1/2" piece of standard construction framing lumber)

 

[sinkankan]

What's white and lives in the kitchen, apparently they call them applicances.
I' m about to take some parts down to chromers and thought they were a bit grubby, and the wifes at work so who's to know.
She who must be obeyed is at work for the next 5 hours, and the dishwasher 3/4's full, so in go the side covers.
How long is a cycle on a dishwasher, don't know don't care, so long as it's finished by the time the missus gets home.
And I will probably earn Brownie points for doing the dishes, win win both ways I reckon.

Postscript:
Forgot that dishwashing tablets contain caustic.
And now they have that dulled look, but not to worry some time on the buffer and chrome polish paste will bring them back to new and better.

 

[tfb]

1. Vernier caliper.
2. 1/4" drive torque wrench (yes, the little bolts matter too).
3. Folding allen key kit.
4. 2 1/2 lb. ball-pein hammer aka 'Big Al'.
5. Impact driver.
6. Multimeter.
7. Loctite (red and blue).
8. Networked computer (handy for eBay purchases away from wife's questions).
9. Arc welder.
10. Fire extinguisher (haven't used it yet, but it could come in handy).