Tool me, school me

[jaye944]

So socket set's.

I had fun with the BMW this weekend...

Anyway , trying to work out if I have a 1/4" 1/2" and the wrong extenders not fitting, and having to get adapters and all that kinda crap...

So, let's take it slow in baby steps, assume I know jack LOLZ

I'm trying to arrange my tools

so why 1/4 3/8 1/2 3/4

I'm guessing the bigger "number" gives better torque, I kinda also understand dif between 6 ptr and 12 ptr sockets, but why is ther 12 (or is it 16) if 6 gives better grip

Should I get 2 full socket set's I think I have a mixture of a "big" one and a "Small" one , so I'm guessing 3/8" and maybe a 1/2 (or 3/4")

Not worried about makes, just trying to get my head round what I need, how to organise it and why ?

LOLZ

txs

[RABAUKE]

[jaye944]

that's cool,

so 3/8"s and 1/2"

I'll see and get a set which encompasses them,

thxsnk

however anyone else feel free to chime it, dats cool as well

[1MOREMOD]

I have 1/4 also but for little stuff, not for car.

[Emilime75]

3/8" drive is by far the mostly used, followed by 1/4" and then 1/2" not too far behind...but, I feel all 3 are necessary.

1/4" for nuts/bolts ranging from roughly 13mm and smaller.
3/8" for the 10mm to 17mm range.
1/2" for things larger than 17mm.

Things overlap sometimes, and you may find yourself needing the leverage of a larger/longer 1/2" ratchet, with a smaller socket. Things like brakes and suspension work would be examples.

SK makes some really good sets that fall in line between Craftsman and Snapon pricing, yet are really good tools with lifetime warranty. I've had mine for over 20 years and they're still going strong. They're also all 6 point.

Of course, you now also need a good E Torx set and 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2” torque wrench set more than ever before with all of the aluminum and yield to torque bolts used these days.

[519.E82]

Since your in Canada i will recommend you get this. It will have everything you need except a tool box for the sections it has but you can just put it back in the cardboard. I bought this when i was starting college and it will have essentially every tool you will need (depending on what you want to do)
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ma...-0589295p.html

ignore the price it is very commonly on for $249 - 299 instore or in some cases as low as $199

[jaye944]

great explanation !

Originally Posted by Emilime75

3/8" drive is by far the mostly used, followed by 1/4" and then 1/2" not too far behind...but, I feel all 3 are necessary.

1/4" for nuts/bolts ranging from roughly 13mm and smaller.
3/8" for the 10mm to 17mm range.
1/2" for things larger than 17mm.

Things overlap sometimes, and you may find yourself needing the leverage of a larger/longer 1/2" ratchet, with a smaller socket. Things like brakes and suspension work would be examples.

SK makes some really good sets that fall in line between Craftsman and Snapon pricing, yet are really good tools with lifetime warranty. I've had mine for over 20 years and they're still going strong. They're also all 6 point.

Of course, you now also need a good E Torx set and 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2” torque wrench set more than ever before with all of the aluminum and yield to torque bolts used these days.

[jaye944]

Looks like a good set, 749+tax
I'll keep a watch on it. I would have about 1/2 - 3/4's of that stuff, I just bought a round of tools recently

so the socket set/sets is what I'm trying to concentrate on,
especially (as I said) after my "fun" time with the BMW

Originally Posted by 519.E82

Since your in Canada i will recommend you get this. It will have everything you need except a tool box for the sections it has but you can just put it back in the cardboard. I bought this when i was starting college and it will have essentially every tool you will need (depending on what you want to do)
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ma...-0589295p.html

ignore the price it is very commonly on for $249 - 299 instore or in some cases as low as $199

[King Rudi]

I used to be a purchasing coordinator for a company and my entire job was purchasing tools. All the recommendations here have been spot on. I can't really give any further input that would compound anything stated above. If you get to where you are needing wrenches and don't mind spending the money on a set that you will really enjoy working with check out Wera Joker series I've actually had a hard time finding anything that Wera makes not to be great. Amazing tools.

[tdott]

I bought these trays from Harbor Freight, and been trying to fill them up.
Do you need everything in all sizes? No, but it's helpful for certain jobs.
Few recent additions not shown in this pic.

[stevenc]

Just get a good craftsman set. Its a perfect place to start

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-230-p...2&blockType=G2

[tdott]

Originally Posted by Not_Judy

Wera Joker series

$450 for an 11 peice metric set?
https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05020091...rds=Wera+Joker

Unless you are a professional mechanic, I don't see any normal person spending that much on a set. They do look great.

[nomade30]

Kolbalt is pretty much the best entry level tool sets you can get now. Craftsman has reports of rusting sockets since around 4-5 years ago. Please try to use 6pt on 6pt nuts/bolts and 12 pt on 12 pt nuts/bolts.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by tdott

$450 for an 11 peice metric set?
https://www.amazon.com/Wera-05020091...rds=Wera+Joker

Unless you are a professional mechanic, I don't see any normal person spending that much on a set. They do look great.

Good tools aren't cheap. Looks don't play a part, it's all ergonomics. The handles are designed to fit the palm of your hand. The fact that they hold nuts while being tightened is the biggest selling point.

Originally Posted by nomade30

Kolbalt is pretty much the best entry level tool sets you can get now. Craftsman has reports of rusting sockets since around 4-5 years ago. Please try to use 6pt on 6pt nuts/bolts and 12 pt on 12 pt nuts/bolts.

I disagree. You can literally bend a pair of their pliers by hand. The people I bought tools for were completely against using anything Kobalt. I will say that I have a set of the Kobalt Extreme Access sockets and they are amazing. The sockets fit metric and SAE to reduce the number of tools needed and there is no need for shallow or deep well, they fit everything as the bolt passes through the middle. Aside from these tools I avoid anything branded Kobalt. I'm not a big fan of Craftsman anymore either. After 5-6 years ago they seem to mass produce garbage.

[PINeely]

I use almost exclusively 3/8. A 1/2 ratchet with a 1/2f-3/8m adaptor will get you out of many troubles too.

Don't waste your time with Craftsman, they moved their manufacturing to Asia a few years ago and quality went way down but the prices stayed the same. Still OK tools but Harbor Freight or Northern Tool are an equivalent tool for cheaper with the same lifetime warranty. You do get what you pay for with tools, but those should be good for most home DIYers. Buy a set and replace the high-use ones (8, 10, 12, 14, 17) with better as they get lost or fail. Get 6 point, I hardly ever see 12pt fasteners and I've been doing this for a long time, all 12pt sockets do is round off 6pt bolt heads.

Some BMW spark plugs are 12pt 14mm deep socket with a thin wall profile. Get the schwaben socket, it works great and some of the others are too thick to fit.

Spend some extra money on the following:
-Frequent use tools like ratchets
-"Oops" tools- stripped bolt extractors, thread chasers, breaker bars, basically anything that's going to get you out of a bind.
-Tools specific to your car (check out OTC tools and assenmacher for a lot of the euro car tools)
-Diagnostic tools and measuring tools, for God's sake I can't believe the number of people who cheap on these things, how are you going to fix it if you don't have an accurate measurement to begin with! A good multimeter is especially important.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Not_Judy

Good tools aren't cheap. Looks don't play a part, it's all ergonomics. The handles are designed to fit the palm of your hand. The fact that they hold nuts while being tightened is the biggest selling point.



I disagree. You can literally bend a pair of their pliers by hand. The people I bought tools for were completely against using anything Kobalt. I will say that I have a set of the Kobalt Extreme Access sockets and they are amazing. The sockets fit metric and SAE to reduce the number of tools needed and there is no need for shallow or deep well, they fit everything as the bolt passes through the middle. Aside from these tools I avoid anything branded Kobalt. I'm not a big fan of Craftsman anymore either. After 5-6 years ago they seem to mass produce garbage.

Craftsman is garbage now. Their older stuff was really just okay, but all the newer tools are made in China, especially their "evolve" line. I had one of the 3/8" evolve ratchets and the mechanism broke inside while I was tightening something, causing my hand to slam against a suspension component on my Jeep. I never threw a ratchet so far, haha. Sears would only replace it with an even cheaper looking beat up ratchet. I went on ebay and bought a used made in USA S/K tools ratchet in great shape for $8.

Most of my ratchets are now S/K, older craftsman, or a 1/4" set from Autozone that I use once in awhile. I use my DeWalt battery impact for most things now.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by PINeely

Spend some extra money on the following:
-Frequent use tools like ratchets
-"Oops" tools- stripped bolt extractors, thread chasers, breaker bars, basically anything that's going to get you out of a bind.
-Tools specific to your car (check out OTC tools and assenmacher for a lot of the euro car tools)
-Diagnostic tools and measuring tools, for God's sake I can't believe the number of people who cheap on these things, how are you going to fix it if you don't have an accurate measurement to begin with! A good multimeter is especially important.

Yes, the measuring tools are very important. I cringe when I see people torquing critical engine components with a $9 Harbor Freight torque wrench.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by PINeely

I use almost exclusively 3/8. A 1/2 ratchet with a 1/2f-3/8m adaptor will get you out of many troubles too.

Don't waste your time with Craftsman, they moved their manufacturing to Asia a few years ago and quality went way down but the prices stayed the same. Still OK tools but Harbor Freight or Northern Tool are an equivalent tool for cheaper with the same lifetime warranty. You do get what you pay for with tools, but those should be good for most home DIYers. Buy a set and replace the high-use ones (8, 10, 12, 14, 17) with better as they get lost or fail. Get 6 point, I hardly ever see 12pt fasteners and I've been doing this for a long time, all 12pt sockets do is round off 6pt bolt heads.

Some BMW spark plugs are 12pt 14mm deep socket with a thin wall profile. Get the schwaben socket, it works great and some of the others are too thick to fit.

Spend some extra money on the following:
-Frequent use tools like ratchets
-"Oops" tools- stripped bolt extractors, thread chasers, breaker bars, basically anything that's going to get you out of a bind.
-Tools specific to your car (check out OTC tools and assenmacher for a lot of the euro car tools)
-Diagnostic tools and measuring tools, for God's sake I can't believe the number of people who cheap on these things, how are you going to fix it if you don't have an accurate measurement to begin with! A good multimeter is especially important.

+1 on bolt extractors and measuring instrumentation.

[jgoens]

What I have found is buying decent tools is always a good investment. You don't necessaily need to go out and get a huge set all at once.
Add tools and parts as you need them. Certain torx sockets like the one for removing the strut brace are specialty as is the spark plug socket.

I was installing wheel spacers yesterday and took off my wheels until I got to a wheel with a semi stripped bolt. I was using a 12point 17mm with breaker bar.

The wheel lugs are 6pt which I don't own. Borrowed a neighbor's 17 mm 6 point and snapped it. Ended up going to a gas station to have a friend loosen it with a pneumatic 6pt. So, no matter what you plan, you never know when something else is needed.

[jaye944]

on my 128i, uses standard deep reach, but coulndt shift it without a 6pt and breaker bar

*rest* agreed

Originally Posted by PINeely

Some BMW spark plugs are 12pt 14mm deep socket with a thin wall profile. Get the schwaben socket, it works great and some of the others are too thick to fit.

[nomade30]

Originally Posted by Not_Judy

I disagree. You can literally bend a pair of their pliers by hand. The people I bought tools for were completely against using anything Kobalt. I will say that I have a set of the Kobalt Extreme Access sockets and they are amazing. The sockets fit metric and SAE to reduce the number of tools needed and there is no need for shallow or deep well, they fit everything as the bolt passes through the middle. Aside from these tools I avoid anything branded Kobalt. I'm not a big fan of Craftsman anymore either. After 5-6 years ago they seem to mass produce garbage.

Ever since playing with some of their stuff, it seems to be better than what you get with craftsman or husky. I'm not saying they are snap on quality, but it doesn't sound like the OP needs high quality just something to get him started. If I were to somehow lose all my tools today and didn't have insurance to cover them, I would definitely end up with a set of kobalt tools. But that said I have a tool box full of snap on and knipex and old craftsman stuff, and if you're wrenching on the regular high quality tools really do make a difference.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by nomade30

Ever since playing with some of their stuff, it seems to be better than what you get with craftsman or husky. I'm not saying they are snap on quality, but it doesn't sound like the OP needs high quality just something to get him started. If I were to somehow lose all my tools today and didn't have insurance to cover them, I would definitely end up with a set of kobalt tools. But that said I have a tool box full of snap on and knipex and old craftsman stuff, and if you're wrenching on the regular high quality tools really do make a difference.

I'll agree with that. Knipex is definitely an overlooked brand! All of my Craftsman tools belonged to my father; I inherited them he passed a few years ago. I can remember him getting excited when K-Mart started selling them because he could get their stuff for cheap. I still remember the conversation of trying to explain their lack of structural integrity with current manufacturing. It did not go well. Some people get stuck on a brand and you can't tell them any differently.