What do you use to work on your cars? Tool discussion

The Vyzitor

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I previously used a lot of Craftsman and Harbor Freight. In my last profession, I got pretty deep in to Milwaukee, and a little Snap-On. Over the last few moves and job changes, I find myself pretty light on tools and ready to invest in some stuff again. Heavily considering a set of Sonic Tools.

So what are your preferred tool brands? What do you own? What do you want?
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justasimpleman

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I don’t do too much to my car, mainly because lack of knowledge, and being scared to mess something up... but most of my tools at home are craftsman. Also where I work, we use hand tools daily, and majority of my tools are also craftsman.

Craftsman are good and strong enough for what I do, and they’re easy to swap out if I need a replacement.
 

xRiCeBoYx

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A lot of craftsman for me. Cheap, lifetime warranty, good enough kinda shit. Plus, good deals when Sears stores were closing and/or black friday grabs. Screwdrivers and bits, my Stanley 6-in-1 screwdriver has been a lifesaver and mostly dewalt bits have done the job for me

harbor freight has done me well for impact sockets, 12V impact gun, drill press, and other one-off little shit that I needed like.. twice.
 

JT Si

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I bought all Kobalt tools a decade ago when all I had was a motorcycle.

Now that I need some additional tools to work on my Si I'm typically shopping Harbor Freight for Icon tools.
 

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Really and truly, I'm NOT joking: Ryobi impact wrench (18v battery). Has 1/2" drive, 3 torque settings and was absolutely invaluable during my last 6th gen rebuild! It started with a Honda buddy showing me how to change FWD transmissions (B4RA in this case) while he was doing exact same thing to his at the time (LS VTEC), had a DeWalt 18v impact wrench that I swear made the job at least POSSIBLE. After that, I swore I'd never do that much mechanic work again without an impact wrench of some sort. I drive a Civic, so having an air compressor on hand just wasn't feasible.. so I got my own and it's already paid for itself several times over. Highly recommended. Everything else? Old school Thorsen, Craftsman, etc..
 


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The Vyzitor

The Vyzitor

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Really and truly, I'm NOT joking: Ryobi impact wrench (18v battery). Has 1/2" drive, 3 torque settings and was absolutely invaluable during my last 6th gen rebuild! It started with a Honda buddy showing me how to change FWD transmissions (B4RA in this case) while he was doing exact same thing to his at the time (LS VTEC), had a DeWalt 18v impact wrench that I swear made the job at least POSSIBLE. After that, I swore I'd never do that much mechanic work again without an impact wrench of some sort. I drive a Civic, so having an air compressor on hand just wasn't feasible.. so I got my own and it's already paid for itself several times over. Highly recommended. Everything else? Old school Thorsen, Craftsman, etc..
I have been considering a battery powered impact... I had a collection of Milwaukee M18 tools a few years ago and they always got the job done. Never thought about trying their impact wrench. But I do see a number of automotive YouTube channels using cordless impacts and it looks like they definitely do the work.
 

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Really and truly, I'm NOT joking: Ryobi impact wrench (18v battery). Has 1/2" drive, 3 torque settings and was absolutely invaluable during my last 6th gen rebuild! It started with a Honda buddy showing me how to change FWD transmissions (B4RA in this case) while he was doing exact same thing to his at the time (LS VTEC), had a DeWalt 18v impact wrench that I swear made the job at least POSSIBLE. After that, I swore I'd never do that much mechanic work again without an impact wrench of some sort. I drive a Civic, so having an air compressor on hand just wasn't feasible.. so I got my own and it's already paid for itself several times over. Highly recommended. Everything else? Old school Thorsen, Craftsman, etc..
These Ryobi impact wrenches seemed so good a deal to me that I bought two of them maybe a year or so ago even though I didn't need to use them yet really....
 

WF19

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Craftsmen socket set, Husky wrenches, and a Harbor Freight electric impact wrench. Harbor freight tools are always a bit of a crapshoot, but this one has served me well although I have mainly used it to speed up tire removal. It seems like the really difficult bolts to remove on cars are in places where I can't get the impact wrench to.

Biggest thing for me is having a wide variety of wrenches (extra long, offset, pass through, etc.) since I always seem to have to find different ways to access a particular bolt.

Also have a Gearwrench ratcheting serpentine belt tool set, which was the only way I could change the belt on my Sonata.
 

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Just about all the hand tools are Craftsman from years ago. I haven't needed an impact yet. I have used an electric drill on wheel lug nuts after breaking them loose with a big ratchet or breaker bar. Sort of acts like a low power impact to spin the nuts off & on.
 

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Just about all the hand tools are Craftsman from years ago. I haven't needed an impact yet. I have used an electric drill on wheel lug nuts after breaking them loose with a big ratchet or breaker bar. Sort of acts like a low power impact to spin the nuts off & on.
I bought a breaker bar and low profile floor jack from Harbor Freight a few years ago and it made working on cars SO much easier that I was kicking myself for not buying them before.
 


jesseman

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I bought a breaker bar and low profile floor jack from Harbor Freight a few years ago and it made working on cars SO much easier that I was kicking myself for not buying them before.
Indeed these jacks are so important for any vehicle owner.They makes your works so easy.But when you are going to buy your first jack you are so confused which one to buy.When i wanted to buy a jack i was really confused then i research about it on the internet and i got the best one for me.
 

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I have a low profile floor jack but I need to get some shorter jack stands. With the ones I have the car will have to be lifted really high to get them underneath.
 

vandalSI

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i inherited a full craftsmen set from a rental i used to live in. it was missing wrenches and sockets but most of it was there. i've been buying replacements for the missing parts. spent over $100 on replacements so far and it's still not complete. but they have a lifetime warranty. all my powered stuff if Milwaukee.
 

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Telescoping Lug Wrench
https://modernspare.com/product/telescoping-lug-wrench-with-4-standard-sockets/

I think about getting one of these to keep in the car. Amazon, Ebay, etc also sells these but most don't come with a case or pouch which would be nice to have so the sockets don't get lost. This picture from Modern Spare shows a pouch, but I check first to make sure it's included.
https://modernspare.com/all-products/

I just contacted Modern Spare & a pouch is included. But shipping is a $15 flat rate so will shop elsewhere.
 
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Only Snap-On and Mac touch my precious Honda....LOL Man I am a mechanic by trade and own a repair dealership and I still only use the finest Harbor Freight has to offer. Also Astro Pneumatic they have awesome tools (air and otherwise) for reasonable prices and on amazon Tekton they make high quality stuff and it super cheap. I will not pay over $100 for 1 ratchet just for the snap-on name. I think the most expensive non diagnostic tool I use is my Milwaukee electric impact guns those are worth the price and they are not crazy expensive for what you get.
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