Deal on cheap screwdrivers for trail kit
- Thread starter flyfisher11
- Start date
ptschram
Well-known member
Cheap tools like that are for the garage. You don't want to haul that shit outdoors. What if you actually have to use it?
Massive screwdriver sets like that aren't very efficient. You have so much extra to haul around that just isn't required.
Nowadays, there isn't really an excuse for not having an interchangeable driver set. This one is good, as it provides a healthy overlap of capability with your ratchet set.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944013000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
You aren't wasting your money on something like this. You are wasting it if you buy a million cheap screwdrivers for ten bucks, despite how good of a deal you might think it is.
Cheers,
Kennith
Massive screwdriver sets like that aren't very efficient. You have so much extra to haul around that just isn't required.
Nowadays, there isn't really an excuse for not having an interchangeable driver set. This one is good, as it provides a healthy overlap of capability with your ratchet set.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944013000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
You aren't wasting your money on something like this. You are wasting it if you buy a million cheap screwdrivers for ten bucks, despite how good of a deal you might think it is.
Cheers,
Kennith
I just realized that my link could qualify as a cheap tool as well.:rofl:
It may be cheap, but it's damn good.
Cheers,
Kennith
It may be cheap, but it's damn good.
Cheers,
Kennith
jhmover said:
Bah. Just tell her it's not small, it's compact and expandable for overland use.:rofl:
Cheers,
Kennith
I like my Wera 98/42 Kraftform ratchet kit for trail use:
http://chadstoolbox.com/05003246001wera9842kraftform42pchandyratchetset.aspx
although I have switched a few bits for ones I use more on the Range Rover. I do carry a couple standard Wiha phillips and blade screwdrivers too.
http://chadstoolbox.com/05003246001wera9842kraftform42pchandyratchetset.aspx
although I have switched a few bits for ones I use more on the Range Rover. I do carry a couple standard Wiha phillips and blade screwdrivers too.
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for God's sake it's just a screwdriver set. Didn't think there'd be such a debate. Screwdrivers are some of the only tools you can go cheap on and not have to worry too much. If you have to have snap on engraved on everything then you are either a pro or a rich snob but whatever.
ptschram
Well-known member
flyfisher11 said:
Years ago when I worked for the Lear Corp, I commented about the incredible discount Lear got from Snap-On and how I didn't use the discount to buy personal tools (although the discount was extended to individuals as the mechanics had to provide their own tools). John Lee called me a cheap fuck for not taking advantage of it!
While I make my living with my tools and for a long time did so with Craftsman stuff as it was what I had, I've since found that things like screwdrivers can be a lot more critical than you'd ever think. Yesterday, I realized the blade in my Snap-On standard screwdriver was boogered up enough that next Friday, I'm either getting a new one or burying it in my new Snap-On man's chest. It was that frustrating to try to use it.
Poor quality tools are bad enough in the shop, but in the field, I want my best tools under those circumstances. Well, I want to build a truck that doesn't need tools in the field, but that's a topic for another day/thread.
GregH said:
Damn. That's a different league. Now I'm cheap.
That's a good thing to mention, though. I carry bits for the odd hardware here and there that I haven't changed, but there isn't much of that left on the vehicle.
You'd be surprised how often I use that Gearwrench set. It is incredibly useful, and is capable of far more than a screw here and there. I have a full set of tools in a Pelican, as well, but I keep that driver set and one of these for quick jobs:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00930049000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3
Actually, mine comes with a bit more, but it's the same idea. Between those two sets, almost anything can be handled quickly, and there is a nice overlap of compatibility between those two as well as between those and my real kit in the Pelican.
I don't have to drag out the big guns for most work with these around, and they don't take up much space at all.
These Gearwrench things are actually very, very good. I really do like the brand for things like this. The ratcheting is very precise and yet very durable. Those fancy pass-through sockets are actually far easier to use than normal sockets, and fit into some tighter spaces here and there. They also resist stripping hardware even more than some of the more high-end stuff. It's not a gimmick, and they definitely aren't simply a way to avoid buying something more expensive. I keep a full set of these, as well:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944005000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
I know that will look expensive to most, but you rarely have to pay even remotely that much for them. I've got a hundred bucks in my whole set. Hell, I've only got thirty bucks or so in the other two kits I've listed combined. You can fill the set out, as well, because they sell single wrenches pretty much everywhere. Those flex-head things were sent down by the gods.
If there is one sort of tool that will change your mechanical life forever, it's the flexible-head ratcheting wrench. The Gearwrench brand will fit tighter spaces than the competition, and it is indeed cheaper. They come in obscene sizes, as well.
I swear to you, there are plenty of several hour jobs that they will reduce to thirty minute tinkering.
I didn't buy all this overnight. I wouldn't expect anyone else to. Even less expensive things like this add up quickly. It takes time to fill out a set. These sets are as they came, because they don't take up much space. My full on tool case is tailored specifically to the vehicle.
I won't pay for Snap-On. I refuse to. Those fuckers charge too much. They are good, sure, but they are not that damn good. Snap-On is a completely frivolous expense, unless you run a professional shop, and might need the tool truck and the ability to buy everything from one place. For durability and function, there are other brands that are just as good or better.
I like SK instead of Snap-On, but even they are climbing up there nowadays. I'm not sure what the deal is with them and Ideal lately, but I hope SK is still going to manufacture their line.
One thing they sell that everyone with a DII should own is their #4 Pozidriv. It is massive, and perfect for those brake rotors. At the base of the shaft, it's got a half-inch hex section to slip a wrench over for greater torque. Lean into it and just turn the wrench. It won't strip, no matter how buggered that screw is.
If you just try to use a drive bit and ratchet for the job thinking you have out-smarted the screw, you will eventually strip one even if you have the right bit. Yes, it's a big deal. Nobody likes drilling out hardware half-way through a job that should only take a few minutes. You can't strip the thing with this driver, and no matter how tight it's in there, with the aid of the wrench it's coming right out with almost no effort.
Cheers,
Kennith
I'm not a tool snob, though. There is nothing in my shop that's worth too much. That's where I cheap out. I don't need anything fancy at home. The tools I keep in the vehicle, however, are generally quite nice.
Cheers,
Kennith
Cheers,
Kennith