Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...

[magpie215]

Might have been mentioned in earlier

Knipex plier wrench....brilliant bit of kit.

Think adjustable spanner in pliers format.

Lots of sizes available.....mine used to get used almost daily when I worked on the tools.

[dazwalsh]

magpie215 said:

Might have been mentioned in earlier

Knipex plier wrench....brilliant bit of kit.

Think adjustable spanner in pliers format.

Lots of sizes available.....mine used to get used almost daily when I worked on the tools.

that is fking genius! i need that in my life. god damn it this thread makes me want a lot of new toys, even for trades that i have absolutely zero involvement in.

[BaldOldMan]

dazwalsh said:

that is fking genius! i need that in my life. god damn it this thread makes me want a lot of new toys, even for trades that i have absolutely zero involvement in.

They are very good - they did appear earlier in this thread, which prompted me to buy one

[wolfracesonic]

As well as being delighted at new purchases, finding tools that you’d thought you’d lost has to be up there. I came across a dust brush at work today I thought I had lost, can’t be worth more than a fiver but I felt like I’d won the lottery! Need to find out now where my Knipex wire cutters have fked off to

[steveo3002]

magpie215 said:

Might have been mentioned in earlier

Knipex plier wrench....brilliant bit of kit.

Think adjustable spanner in pliers format.

Lots of sizes available.....mine used to get used almost daily when I worked on the tools.

these kinda look like generic pliers /grips you can buy anywhere for cheap and would pass by , but they are quiet special and put a huge force on the jaws when you pinch the handles

better than you might assume

[kev1974]

skwdenyer said:

In the spirit of the thread title, my latest acquisitions that I *really* should have bought sooner:

Makita table saw & stand:

Wow, want that for my garage workshop. googling suggests a price around £1050 though
Is it really stable enough?

[hyphen]

Accelebrate said:

kev1974 said:

untakenname said:

Tripped the breaker just now and used a magnetic usb rechargeable inspection light to find out which one was the kitchen as it's unlit, it's such a useful and versatile tool.



Paid £15 for it a while back and it's one of my most used tools now the days have got shorter, just checked amazon and a pair now costs just £11 which is very good vfm considering it includes a 18650 battery.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07P4D2VZG

The magnetic base is really powerful, I lost mine for a couple of months over summer not realising I had left it attached on the underside of the car, only found out when it went for it's MOT.

Have exactly that one, agree it's great. Came in handy for fixing the wiring on a boiler just the other day, due to being able to stick it exactly where I needed it on the boiler framework.

I also have one - agreed on it being very useful.

Being PH I should probably mention how I went one step further and fitted a couple of battery-backup emergency down-lighters to illuminate a path to the consumer unit in my garage when the garage lighting circuit is without power.

As mobile phones all have torches now, surely this is redundant? For emergency use, it provided more than enough light, a s battery lasts long enough.

[Jambo85]

kev1974 said:

Wow, want that for my garage workshop. googling suggests a price around £1050 though
Is it really stable enough?

I bought a Sheppach one from Screwfix when it was on offer down from £250 to £200 IIRC. Perfectly decent for domestic needs I'd say, particularly with a replacement blade on it.

[kev1974]

Jambo85 said:

kev1974 said:

Wow, want that for my garage workshop. googling suggests a price around £1050 though
Is it really stable enough?

I bought a Sheppach one from Screwfix when it was on offer down from £250 to £200 IIRC. Perfectly decent for domestic needs I'd say, particularly with a replacement blade on it.

On a reasonably compact wheeled stand, that looks like it can adjust height to match whatever bench it's been parked next to, for outfeed or whatever?

[Accelebrate]

hyphen said:

Accelebrate said:

kev1974 said:

untakenname said:

Tripped the breaker just now and used a magnetic usb rechargeable inspection light to find out which one was the kitchen as it's unlit, it's such a useful and versatile tool.



Paid £15 for it a while back and it's one of my most used tools now the days have got shorter, just checked amazon and a pair now costs just £11 which is very good vfm considering it includes a 18650 battery.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07P4D2VZG

The magnetic base is really powerful, I lost mine for a couple of months over summer not realising I had left it attached on the underside of the car, only found out when it went for it's MOT.

Have exactly that one, agree it's great. Came in handy for fixing the wiring on a boiler just the other day, due to being able to stick it exactly where I needed it on the boiler framework.

I also have one - agreed on it being very useful.

Being PH I should probably mention how I went one step further and fitted a couple of battery-backup emergency down-lighters to illuminate a path to the consumer unit in my garage when the garage lighting circuit is without power.

As mobile phones all have torches now, surely this is redundant? For emergency use, it provided more than enough light, a s battery lasts long enough.

In my non-modern house access to the consumer unit requires stepladders. It's much easier to find, set-up and climb ladders with two free hands in an illuminated room.

[Jambo85]

kev1974 said:

On a reasonably compact wheeled stand, that looks like it can adjust height to match whatever bench it's been parked next to, for outfeed or whatever?

Negative, sadly

[Norfolk B-roads]

Has the wowstick usb rechargable screwdriver been mentioned yet?

Silly, slightly adult-toy-sounding name. And a very suggestive carry-case for that matter. But a great product!

[sjj84]

Got a dewalt plunge saw a few months ago, not used it until this week and it's bloody brilliant. Been using a circular saw with a crude straight edge for years, the plunge saw with its proper track is such an improvement.

[Watchman]

In preparation for a road trip into the Arctic circle, I swapped my old wheels and tyres for set of new wheels shod with brand new winter tyres that I've had stored in the garage for a couple of months.

It was hard work. The wheels and tyres are nearly 40Kg each, and I'm unfit. I'm taking a pair of the old wheels/tyres with me as spares but the thought of actually having to change them at the roadside fills me with dread so I stumped up the cash for one of these.



Amazon has the hog ring version some £35 cheaper than the pin-locator version so I ordered the hog ring one and a spare anvil with the pin for £15 and I'll decide which one I prefer when they arrive. I'll likely only ever use it for wheel nuts so whichever variant holds a 17mm impact socket the best will win.

I've also ordered a car charger for DeWalt batteries. Not sure I'll ever need it but I like to have options.

[gazapc]

Watchman said:

In preparation for a road trip into the Arctic circle, I swapped my old wheels and tyres for set of new wheels shod with brand new winter tyres that I've had stored in the garage for a couple of months.

It was hard work. The wheels and tyres are nearly 40Kg each, and I'm unfit. I'm taking a pair of the old wheels/tyres with me as spares but the thought of actually having to change them at the roadside fills me with dread so I stumped up the cash for one of these.



Amazon has the hog ring version some £35 cheaper than the pin-locator version so I ordered the hog ring one and a spare anvil with the pin for £15 and I'll decide which one I prefer when they arrive. I'll likely only ever use it for wheel nuts so whichever variant holds a 17mm impact socket the best will win.

I've also ordered a car charger for DeWalt batteries. Not sure I'll ever need it but I like to have options.

I've just brought the baby brother of this impact wrench. It's the 894 model number and has a torque of 450 NM. Coupled with a pair of 2 Ah batteries and all good.

I have used a friend's biggun (same as your picture) and while it is a beast for undoing literally any bolt, it is a bit heavy/large for general work.

[Watchman]

gazapc said:

Watchman said:

In preparation for a road trip into the Arctic circle, I swapped my old wheels and tyres for set of new wheels shod with brand new winter tyres that I've had stored in the garage for a couple of months.

It was hard work. The wheels and tyres are nearly 40Kg each, and I'm unfit. I'm taking a pair of the old wheels/tyres with me as spares but the thought of actually having to change them at the roadside fills me with dread so I stumped up the cash for one of these.



Amazon has the hog ring version some £35 cheaper than the pin-locator version so I ordered the hog ring one and a spare anvil with the pin for £15 and I'll decide which one I prefer when they arrive. I'll likely only ever use it for wheel nuts so whichever variant holds a 17mm impact socket the best will win.

I've also ordered a car charger for DeWalt batteries. Not sure I'll ever need it but I like to have options.

I've just brought the baby brother of this impact wrench. It's the 894 model number and has a torque of 450 NM. Coupled with a pair of 2 Ah batteries and all good.

I have used a friend's biggun (same as your picture) and while it is a beast for undoing literally any bolt, it is a bit heavy/large for general work.

It is probably a bit overkill but while I only want it for wheel nuts/bolts today, it'll be somewhat future proof for any job I have in the future.

Actually, not just wheel nuts/bolts... my drill was barely man-enough to spin my car jack (car is 2.5 tonnes) even on the higher torque setting. This thing ought to find that a doddle.

I already have an impact driver and I would have used that for the Jack but I couldn't get a socket converter that'd fit the driver and the socket. Probably for the best - I'd have likely ruined the driver.

[Carbon Sasquatch]

I use my regular impact driver with an adapter - that said I do the first 'crack' to loosen them and the final tighten with a manual torque wrench

https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-driver-socket-s...

[JuanCarlosFandango]

A bigger battery for my beloved Dewalt drill and impact driver.

Bought a 5 aH monster recently and not only does it last for ever but gives the drill a lot more oomph.

I was sceptical that a bigger battery would give it more oomph, thinking that the extra amp hours just meant it would last longer, but it certainly does. If anyone can explain why I'd probably still be confused but appreciative all the same.

[YankeePorker]

Watchman said:

In preparation for a road trip into the Arctic circle, I swapped my old wheels and tyres for set of new wheels shod with brand new winter tyres that I've had stored in the garage for a couple of months.

It was hard work. The wheels and tyres are nearly 40Kg each, and I'm unfit. I'm taking a pair of the old wheels/tyres with me as spares but the thought of actually having to change them at the roadside fills me with dread so I stumped up the cash for one of these.



Amazon has the hog ring version some £35 cheaper than the pin-locator version so I ordered the hog ring one and a spare anvil with the pin for £15 and I'll decide which one I prefer when they arrive. I'll likely only ever use it for wheel nuts so whichever variant holds a 17mm impact socket the best will win.

I've also ordered a car charger for DeWalt batteries. Not sure I'll ever need it but I like to have options.

I’ve lived all these years without an impact wrench, but my excuse is that tools are bought on “as needed” basis.

Recently had to do the cambelt and tensioner on a Honda V6 engine, and learned from the internet that the worst bit of the job was undoing the bolt on the crank pulley. Cue YouTube videos of large men bouncing on 6 foot extensions and still not budging the bolt without judicious application of an oxy acetylene torch.

A bit more research and I discovered that the Milwaukee impact wrench can give 1400 lb.ft of undoing torque! 😳 Bought a new one from a pawn shop here in Miami (probably stolen goods but it was only £100), got a big FUEL battery and a massive impact socket. That bolt came straight out, and because of the impact effect I didn’t even need to hold the crankshaft still to do it.

Since then have used it a lot, just have to be careful not to overtorque things, it’s a beast.

[Carbon Sasquatch]

Milwaukee did a good TV advert for theirs -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXKpGDs-SOk