marlinspike

New arrival

Fabrik8

Very nice. I see you're a Wera fan also...

Archer

I purchased a couple pairs of Knipex pliers after reading some of the comments in here. Very impressed so far, definitely a cut above Snap On.

marlinspike

Snap-On has a few pliers that are as good as Knipex from time to time, but only because they are simply rebranded Knipex pliers. Also a lot of Snap-On trucks seem to be selling Knipex pliers unrebranded.

You might want to also look at NWS. I actually like their pliers more in the sense that I think they're a little better built, but they never seem to make pliers in a design I want. I guess they're more directed at electricians and plumbers who like multi-use tools.

marlinspike

If someone wants to cheap out, I would advise against Pittsburgh (i.e. Harbor Freight) impact sockets. Borrowed a set from a friend. The 35mm measures 35.6mm and the 36mm measures 36.5mm. And that's with me averaging the numbers. There was about a 0.1mm difference in the size depending on between which flats you measured.

eng

Keep in mind that entire set probably cost less than a single socket from your "normal" set

marlinspike

Nah. The socket I needed was a 36mm. I actually have one in my next tool order list, I just hadn't made the order yet and I wanted to go ahead and get this job done. The set I borrowed is $44.99 currently on sale for $34.99. The 36mm in my order list is only $33.25. See, that 8 piece set costs a whole $1.74 more than a single one of my sockets!

But in all seriousness, my philosophy, especially on tools, is if you just buy what you need you can afford to buy a good one. That and sometimes if the tool is too shitty there's no point to having it at all, Between the shitty GM hardware and the shitty HF socket, I actually ended up using the 35mm for the 36mm nut.

But if you must by cheap, there's cheap, and then there's HF cheap. While Craftsman wrenches are pretty bad, and while compared to the stuff in my sets their sockets are bad, Craftsman sockets blow these HF ones out of the water. Well, at least the made in USA ones did, and still do while you can still find them.

marlinspike

Despite being heavily worn, and quite frankly what I consider in need of replacement, my Felo #2 phillips can still do this:

Fabrik8

That's not bad for crap quality wood screws with plating on them.

marlinspike

Since Fabrik8 bought a Stahlwille torque wrench, he might like this blurb from an old Aviation Today article:
(http://www.aviationtoday.com/am/issu...l#.USBXpaXvh8E)
"I’ll start with a review of their torque wrenches. The design of their wrenches is superb. While it isn’t recommended, you can drop one, or even throw it across the hangar floor and it will stay in calibration. The torque side of the wrench is for tightening, but if you use it to loosen a nut, that’s OK. In fact, the wrench was designed to be used as a breaker bar for loosening fasteners. These things are almost indestructible, and there isn’t even a need to reset it to its lowest torque setting when finished. The torque wrenches are available in a variety of head designs, including interchangeable heads. They even have a head that you can weld your own adapter to for those special jobs."

And REALLY interesting from that article:
"The second, actually marketed by Stahlwille NA is a Zero Throw Ratchet. This is available in ¼, 3/8, and ½-inch sizes. When you look at these, they look like any other ratchet you might pick up, but when you use it there is a big surprise! There are no teeth. Any movement of the handle in the engaged direction will result in movement of the drive, and when moved in the opposite direction, it slides on a clutch. The result is that the ratchet will work in very small spaces where even a 72-tooth ratchet won’t. You don’t get something for nothing, the ratchet reverses by pushing the drive square from one side to the other. This could result in getting the ratchet stuck up against a bulkhead and not being able to release it. This is by far the slickest new tool to come on the market in years."

I had actually heard of it before from my tool supplier in Richmond, but I guess I didn't quite understand what he was telling me at the time (or rather, was so focused on that not being the ratchet that I wanted)