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Recommend a Tool Set

Wow, thank you everybody. There seem to be some really great suggestions. I'm not particularly "handy", but I do enjoy little projects.

I guess my next task is to look at reviews of a couple of the better ones, and decide which one will hold up the longest.

I wonder what @Nitro would suggest.

The best of the best isn't always the best.
Some of the best stuff I own is off-brand.
I likely have over 100K invested in my hand tools, but most of them were purchased because they offered some unique feature beyond a homeowner's standards.
But that's just how I do it and not what you seek.


Harbor Freight has a line of Pittsburgh Brand hand tools that are decent quality at an affordable price with a lifetime guarantee.
Sockets, ratchets and hand wrenches from there would be a sound buy.
Some of the Harbor Freight offerings are substandard, so it might be wise to take someone along who is slightly knowledgeable in order to avoid being disappointed.
Used tools are a hit and miss if you don't understand the quality to begin with, so that isn't something I would recommend to a novice.
A claw hammer is a must.

Not a huge heavy framing hammer mind you, something in the 12 oz. area but not to exceed 16 ounces given the strength required to utilize it.
If you don't know how to hold and swing a hammer properly, the best of the best won't fix that part, so I would likely stay in the 12 oz. arena if I were you.
As others have already stated, good pliers, cutter and a pair of Vise-Grips should be on your list too.
A decent tape measure would be a great addition.
Crappy quality screwdrivers will only piss you off, so try to buy better ones like Stanley or Craftsman.

Some of the stuff at Harbor Freight is substandard, so it might be advisable to take someone along with some knowledge of tool to help you select them.
Harbor Freight does have a fairly extensive online catalog, and if you would like something from there, I do have the ability to check the stuff out in person so you could get an honest opinion.
Some of their stuff is pure junk, while some of it is actually higher end.
They generally offer three grades of tools in an attempt to lure all buyers.

Big box stores like Lowes or Home Depot generally offer big box prices to go along with their sales, and while the quality may rank up near the top, so will the prices.

With LiPo battery tools being offered at affordable prices, I really see no need to go with corded units at this stage of the game.
If you are not building a deck, then why buy the tools to build one?
Black and Decker offers some nice ones that are not all that expensive so I would likely recommend that brand as well.
I thought my first 12 volt one was a joke until I started using it.
Small, lightweight, easy to handle,
and ten years later, it still serves me well.
In fact, well enough for me to buy it's 20 volt sister about 4 years ago.
Yeah, I also have a Ryobi 1+ set of cordless tools from hell, but the 1+ system is also compatible with their LiPo batteries and the required charger, so to me that was still a win because they didn't simply become obsolete due to better battery technology.

In all, I have 6 cordless drills and two cordless impact drivers and even found battery brand adapters so that all of my 20 volt tools can share their batteries, but that's not why we are here, is it?


Online to me isn't a great idea because the tools are posed by professional artists to look their best.
I can photoshop rust to look like chrome of you get my drift.

To wrap this up, I would recommend buying a little bit at a time instead of trying to go all in at once.
 
With LiPo battery tools being offered at affordable prices, I really see no need to go with corded units at this stage of the game.

Black and Decker offers some nice ones that are not all that expensive so I would likely recommend that brand as well.
I thought my first 12 volt one was a joke until I started using it.
Small, lightweight, easy to handle,
and ten years later, it still serves me well.
In fact, well enough for me to buy it's 20 volt sister about 4 years ago.

I have a couple of 18 volt Bosch drills, best drills I ever had. And not having to deal with a cord getting stuck under and on things is such a blessing. It can be maddening to have that cord getting in the way when you're trying to get things done.
 
I would also recommend watching Home Improvement: Tool Time. They have lots of good tips about how to use tools the wrong way. ;)


 
My wife has a set of tools that we have picked out of my tools. I have a 65 yr. accumilation of tools, so we were able to put together a set of tools for her hobbies and projects. We got her a tool bag that works well for storage. She even has one of my cordless drills and a drill index.
 
Funny though to see how one can buy a hand drill online. That's one item I stopped looking for over the counter years ago. But then when I saw the price of them, it seems pointless when you can get a wireless drill with a lithium battery. Even better if you can control the speed.

However as a renter I can't say I've had much of a need for drilling anything other than for hobby purposes. Holes that would be around the diameter of a pin and little more. I use a little pin vise for that. Never bought into the whole "Dremel" thing. Though I consider hobby tools somewhat outside the realm of what the OP probably intends to get. That said I sure have a nice collection of Xacto and other small, precision tools.
 
Never bought into the whole "Dremel" thing. Though I consider hobby tools somewhat outside the realm of what the OP probably intends to get. That said I sure have a nice collection of Xacto and other small, precision tools.

Gotta have Dremel. :cool:;) I'm a tool junkie.

dremel.jpg
 
I invested in a partner who has a vast array of tools and knows how to use them.

Prior to that I had a 6 inch by 12 inch plastic box for my tools, which seemed more than enough for the level of skill and use I had. There was a hammer and a measuring tape, oh and a mini screwdriver from a christmas cracker for getting the little screws tightened on my glasses. A baby adjustable wrench for my bike. And I had two candle snuffers. (Who even needs one?). Think that's it.
 
Gotta have Dremel. :cool:;) I'm a tool junkie.

View attachment 80037

They can be a great tool to have for the right purposes.

Though in my case, most any small power drill into relatively soft styrene plastic just isn't very practical. Especially when using a bit no thicker in diameter than one smaller than a needle but a little thicker than a human hair. The kind that I would sometimes misplace on a work surface because it was so damn tiny! :oops:

Some of my favorite precision tools were ones I inherited from an uncle who used to be a dentist. They made for some unusual tools that were sometimes quite handy. :cool:

Have to admit, I do hang around the tool section of our local Hobby Lobby store...lol. Sometimes they prove to have some very cool stuff!
 
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They can be a great tool to have for the right purposes.

Though in my case, most any small power drill into relatively soft styrene plastic just isn't very practical. Especially when using a bit no thicker in diameter than one smaller than a needle but a little thicker than a human hair. The kind that I would sometimes misplace on a work surface because it was so damn tiny! :oops:

Some of my favorite precision tools were ones I inherited from an uncle who used to be a dentist. They made for some unusual tools that were sometimes quite handy. :cool:

Have to admit, I do hang around the tool section of our local Hobby Lobby store...lol. Sometimes they prove to have some very cool stuff!

I like to hang around the tool section too. I like the smell of new tools in the morning. And I like to browse the tool sites. You know, tools are one of the reasons why women live longer than men. ;)

tool.jpg
 
They can be a great tool to have for the right purposes.

Though in my case, most any small power drill into relatively soft styrene plastic just isn't very practical. Especially when using a bit no thicker in diameter than one smaller than a needle but a little thicker than a human hair. The kind that I would sometimes misplace on a work surface because it was so damn tiny! :oops:

Some of my favorite precision tools were ones I inherited from an uncle who used to be a dentist. They made for some unusual tools that were sometimes quite handy. :cool:

Have to admit, I do hang around the tool section of our local Hobby Lobby store...lol. Sometimes they prove to have some very cool stuff!

I have drill sets that range from #90 down to #1
Not much call for twist drills any smaller than a 90 (.0078") or roughly two human hairs.
I have several Dremel multi tools, the biggest accessory kit ever available that include flex shafts, planers and sharpening guides plus all of the supplemental kits with cutoff wheels, drum sanders and likely over 1,000 burrs that round out the entire package.
This was a welcome addition to my hobby bench:
https://www.autismforums.com/media/rebuilt-dremel-drill-press.10083/

He who dies with the most tools wins :p :cool:
 
I only have three drill presses in my house :p
 
I have drill sets that range from #90 down to #1
Not much call for twist drills any smaller than a 90 (.0078") or roughly two human hairs.
I have several Dremel multi tools, the biggest accessory kit ever available that include flex shafts, planers and sharpening guides plus all of the supplemental kits with cutoff wheels, drum sanders and likely over 1,000 burrs that round out the entire package.
This was a welcome addition to my hobby bench:
https://www.autismforums.com/media/rebuilt-dremel-drill-press.10083/

He who dies with the most tools wins :p :cool:

That's right...numbered all the way down to #1. That was the bit that gave me so much trouble. Lost more of them than I want to admit. These days I can barely even see them! :oops:

It's true...a drill bit that had the diameter of a few human hairs. :cool:

Funny to think that having the right tools for the right job can be serious business. Something I ran into when I migrated the guts of this computer into a different case. The case fit great, but was entirely dependent on very small to tiny sized screws with philips heads. Easily stripped unless you had the right bit or screwdriver. Definitely not a "tooless design".
 
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That's right...numbered all the way down to #1. That was the bit that gave me so much trouble. Lost more of them than I want to admit. These days I can barely even see them! :oops:

It's true...a drill bit that had the diameter of a few human hairs. :cool:

Funny to think that having the right tools for the right job can be serious business. Something I ran into when I migrated the guts of this computer into a new case. The case fit great, but was entirely dependent on very small to tiny sized screws with philips heads. Easily stripped unless you had the right bit or screwdriver.
A #1 is the biggest in a number drill set: .228" or slightly bigger than 7/32"
 
A #1 is the biggest in a number drill set: .228" or slightly bigger than 7/32"

OK. Must have misunderstood. The one I was thinking of was around the equivalent of a few human hairs. I just couldn't recall the actual size or designation of them, as I tossed the container with such markings in favor of a small glass vial.

It was always funny to see that particular bit because it was way smaller than the others I had. But because it was so small it was also easy to lose. Not something for your toe to discover lodged in the carpet. :eek:
 
I made a 304 stainless steel gas diffusion manifold once that required (200) #73 drilled holes (.024" or less than .65 mm) thru a .100" (2.5mm) nominal wall tube.
The holes were spaced equally for nearly two feet.
I made a finger pressure drill pecker with a ball bearing on it to get the right feel to do the job on a Bridgeport vertical mill.
I got three holes out of the first drill.
The second one lasted for 20 more.
I finished the job with just one more.
The speeds were ultra critical in the high nickel and chrome composition of the allow and the feed rates were critical as well.
I still have what was left of the package of 25 I ordered to do it.
 
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OK. Must have misunderstood. The one I was thinking of was around the equivalent of a few human hairs. I just couldn't recall the actual size or designation of them, as I tossed the container with such markings in favor of a small glass vial.

It was always funny to see that particular bit because it was way smaller than the others I had. But because it was so small it was also easy to lose. Not something for your toe to discover lodged in the carpet. :eek:
I have some single fluters that are down to human hair dimensions, but only usable in plastics.
 

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