Tool Review Time

[Adieu]

Knipex Cobra pliers. I never thought I would spend $100 bucks on a set of 3 pliers..... Until I was helping my neighbor and used a pair he had. I went directly home and ordered these.

I have a single pair of Husky slip-joint pliers that look similar to those an mine sucks. I think it worked well a couple weeks before it started slipping. Abuse the crap out of those and let us know how it goes.

I'm fairly certain they might replace the Husky one. Not totally sure.

Knipex pliers are made in Germany. I've had the same set of Knipex cutters in my box since 2010, and never sharpened them once. They get used almost daily at the shop.

If ya'll want, I can go crazy on tools in this thread like I did on cars in my Used Car Reviews thread. I own about $100,000 worth between what I have at the house and at the shop, ranging from stuff from Harbor Freight that I absolutely love to stuff from SnapOn that I feel like I wasted money on.

 

[RaggedGT]

Knipex pliers are made in Germany. I've had the same set of Knipex cutters in my box since 2010, and never sharpened them once. They get used almost daily at the shop.

If ya'll want, I can go crazy on tools in this thread like I did on cars in my Used Car Reviews thread. I own about $100,000 worth between what I have at the house and at the shop, ranging from stuff from Harbor Freight that I absolutely love to stuff from SnapOn that I feel like I wasted money on.

I’d like to hear it .lol I’ve been buying a few more tools lately-been thinking about sharing and getting input for future tools

 

[Noobz347]

Castrol will never get a dollar from me. Can't remember why.

Perhaps because their semi-synthetic is something like 95% dino-oil?


In other news, I've stumbled across this welder review. To me, this is how you review a welder and even if this is not the welder you're looking for, it should be [how] you should look for one.

Now... I know that we have some welding geniuses floating around in this forum and debated putting this into its own thread. I think though, that this is pretty good place for it. I can always move it later if it takes over the thread:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh51jPKeR9A


Edit:
Oh and jrichker, you're not allowed to pick apart his electronics terminology. lol

 

[NIKwoaC]

Knipex pliers are made in Germany. I've had the same set of Knipex cutters in my box since 2010, and never sharpened them once. They get used almost daily at the shop.

If ya'll want, I can go crazy on tools in this thread like I did on cars in my Used Car Reviews thread. I own about $100,000 worth between what I have at the house and at the shop, ranging from stuff from Harbor Freight that I absolutely love to stuff from SnapOn that I feel like I wasted money on.

Have at it. I didn't really have a vision for this thread, it was just me going off on a tangent. If it turns into a useful thread about tool reviews, I'm all for it.

Perhaps because their semi-synthetic is something like 95% dino-oil?


In other news, I've stumbled across this welder review. To me, this is how you review a welder and even if this is not the welder you're looking for, it should be [how] you should look for one.

Now... I know that we have some welding geniuses floating around in this forum and debated putting this into its own thread. I think though, that this is pretty good place for it. I can always move it later if it takes over the thread:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh51jPKeR9A


Edit:
Oh and jrichker, you're not allowed to pick apart his electronics terminology. lol

AvE is the man. He's a rare combination of both super knowledgeable and super funny. Oh and 95% of his words are completely made up.

 

[Noobz347]

Have at it. I didn't really have a vision for this thread, it was just me going off on a tangent. If it turns into a useful thread about tool reviews, I'm all for it.



AvE is the man. He's a rare combination of both super knowledgeable and super funny. Oh and 95% of his words are completely made up.

I like how he tells you specifically, which parts you may not rage against.

 

[Adieu]

Have at it. I didn't really have a vision for this thread, it was just me going off on a tangent. If it turns into a useful thread about tool reviews, I'm all for it.



AvE is the man. He's a rare combination of both super knowledgeable and super funny. Oh and 95% of his words are completely made up.

AvE, Eric The Car Guy, Real Tool Reviews, and 22Plinkster have entertained me for hours on end.

 

[2000xp8]

As for the bleeder, I think buying one depends on how often you really need to bleed your brakes.
I do like useful tools, but I tend to not like storing them.

On my saleen explorer it had alcon brakes on the front with 4 bleeding screws (2 per caliper).

Whoever refurbed them before I had them, installed speed bleeders. I found that they worked really well and I didn't need any help bleeding the brakes at all.

 

[Adieu]

Since this thread started with a brake bleeder, and I offered to throw my $0.02 out there on a variety of tools, I'll start with another kind of brake bleeder.

Amazon product ASIN B00F9XHVKAView: https://www.amazon.com/Allstar-Performance-ALL11017-Bleeder-Bottle/dp/B00F9XHVKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527367475&sr=8-1&keywords=All+Star+Brake+Bleeder


The Allstar Performance brake bleeder is a different type of brake bleeder than the one @NIKwoaC started this thread with. Vacuum bleeders such as that one are incredibly awesome to have around, bleed the entire system quickly, and are a must-have for certain jobs (such as clutch jobs on S550 Mustangs).

The Allstar Performance bleeder is pretty much a big translucent plastic bottle with a magnet on it, that includes a silicone hose, and a 1-way check valve. There's not much to it, but it's simplicity and it's capacity are what makes it great. The silicone hose on it is flexible enough to fit over most bleeder valves, the check valve means it can be used for 1-man operation, just put the hose on, crack the bleeder screw open, and go pump the brakes a few times, then check for air bubbles in the hose.

In most respects, it's just a bigger version of this:

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...VhEVpCh3xXwyfEAQYASABEgI_-vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

However, it has a much higher capacity, making it ideal for jobs like brake flushes (something I do on a lot of German vehicles and Infinitis), and caliper replacements on 3/4-ton and larger trucks, and the flexible silicone hose means there's no need for a bunch of plastic adapters.

I've had the Allstar Bleeder on the side of my toolbox for about 2 years now. My only real complaint is that twice (out of the dozens of times I've used it) the hose inside the bottle has come loose, letting the check valve fall with it. A zip-tie stopped that from happening. In all other ways it's been perfectly dependable, and is one of the most-often borrowed of my tools by other tech in the shop. I still have every intention of getting my own vacuum bleeder down the road for the jobs this can't do, but it'll be supplemented when that happens, not replaced.

Amazon product ASIN B00DDO1DPGView: https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-MTNRM6-Universal-Reversible-Ratcheting/dp/B00DDO1DPG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527368378&sr=8-1&keywords=mountain+ratcheting+wrench


I've owned several brands of ratcheting wrenches over the years. I've got a full set of Gearwrench flex-head metric wrenches in my box at work, a set of Expert (Mac Tools' discount line, similar to Bluepoint from SnapOn or Silver Eagle from Matco) stubby ratcheting wrenches in the drawer next to them, and a set of Ampro metric ratcheting wrenches in my tools at the house, as well as a set of Gearwrench SAE wrenches.

All of them pale in comparison to these jewels from Mountain.

I'd never heard of Mountain tools until 16 months ago. I was doing a water pump in a Mini Cooper, and having a hell of a time getting anything in there between the framerail and the engine, when the tech in the bay next to me asked what size the bolts were, and handed me his extra-long Mountain ratcheting wrench in that size. I was blown away by how strong and smooth these long and thin wrenches were, and after borrowing two of them from him that night between that Mini and another job, I asked him where he got them, and he told me he got them from Amazon. I pulled out my phone and ordered my own set on the spot.

In the 16 months I've had these, I've used them almost daily. The 14mm sees the most use (I do a lot of work on Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda with them). None of them have broken, and they've been used for a lot of hard work, including transmission swaps, brake caliper bracket removal (not difficult, just a lot of torque and loctite), and in tight spaces where a ratchet won't fit. Another tech bought a set, and managed to strip the gear in the 17mm wrench twice, but he doesn't treat his tools the way he should, so I would tend to blame him rather than the wrenches.

I'll probably buy the SAE set for the house later on, that's how much I like these wrenches.

 

[General karthief]

Glad this got started, I'm updating my tools for the new garage!
great stuff!

 

[Adieu]

Amazon product ASIN B000NI94CYView: https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-85898-X-Beam-Ratcheting-Combination/dp/B000NI94CY/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1527406089&sr=8-23&keywords=Gearwrench+X-beam


I mentioned that I owned a couple of sets of GearWrench ratcheting wrenches in the Mountain wrench review. This is one of the sets I own.

The idea of wrenches that are "twisted" in the middle to give you more surface area to grab isn't necessarily new, but somehow Gearwrench seems to do it best. These wrenches come in very handy in tights spots where a ratchet and socket won't fit, and a traditional wrench would dig into your hand if you pulled on it with the amount of torque necessary to get that very tight, rusted, or loctite-d bolt out.

There are certain drawbacks to the design, such as occaisionally being thin enough on one end and too wide on the other, wrench extenders not fitting, and the old trick of looping the box end of one wrench around the open end of the other for more torque not working here either. I honestly feel like these are the main reasons wrenches like these have never fully caught on, and I never see them on any of the "Big 3" tool trucks.

For the situations they're designed for though, these wrenches are hard to beat, but they're hardly a must-have, as there are other ways to get the job done that cost less and take up less room in the toolbox.

Amazon product ASIN B00JO1BO1KView: https://www.amazon.com/Sunex-3351-Shallow-Universal-6-Point/dp/B00JO1BO1K/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1527407710&sr=1-1&keywords=Sunex+3351

These might be the best sockets for the dollar. Hell, they just might be the best sockets made.

I've broken the worst and the best alike over the years, but in over two years of using this Sunex set as my primary set of sockets in the shop, I've yet to break one.

This past week I ended up putting the 17mm wobble socket from this set on a 1/2 to 3/8 reducer and putting my NitroCat impact on it at full blast to force a cross-threaded bolt in a tricky spot out... Sunex's wobble mechanism merely laughs in the face of AirCat's 1300 ft/lbs of torque, and proceeds to twist the bolt right on out. The 14mm wobble has been similarly abused, being on the receiving end of that same impact wrench's blows when working on rusted brake and suspension components more than once.

I've damaged the black finish on the 17 wobble, and worn the black off the inside of the regular and deep 10mm and 14mm from those two getting used so much, but that's been it. These sockets are as tough as, if not tougher than, SnapOn, and less than 1/4 the price. I don't know for sure, but having held these and the Matco impact sockets side-by-side, I'm fairly sure Matco is selling re-labeled versions of these on the trucks (for those that don't know, Matco makes very little "in-house", selling re-branded Lisle, Launch, Sunex, Knipex, and others) they look just alike, though the Matco version costs a lot more.

I've owned several other Sunex tools over the years, and the shop has recently started switching to Sunex instead of Matco for several of our dealership-provided tools instead of replacing Matco with Matco when it fails, and every time I'm impressed, but nothing is as impressive as this socket set. I swear they snuck in to Wakanda and made the things from Vibranium.

 

[NIKwoaC]

@74stang2togo great info! I think I've got some ideas for Christmas now... Both for myself and the mechanics in the family.

 

[Adieu]

@74stang2togo great info! I think I've got some ideas for Christmas now... Both for myself and the mechanics in the family.

No problem!
I'll add more as I get time and think of things. I'm doing a crapload of brake and suspension work and a full timing set on an Ecoboost F150 over the next few days, so I'm sure I'll be inspired.


Others can always add to this thread too. It was damned good idea you had.

 

[Noobz347]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIK-M5ryHYY

 

[Mustang5L5]

Anyone have a hub buster? Need to do a wheel bearing on the DD and don't want to buy one for the job. I wanna bang out this wheel bearing in 30 mins

 

[Adieu]

https://m.harborfreight.com/oil-filter-pliers-61477.html

https://m.harborfreight.com/locking-oil-filter-wrench-66568.html

Tools don't always have to be expensive to be good, and while Harbor Freight's tools aren't always good, these definitely are.

The locking oil filter pliers I've owned for ten years, and the regular pliers for five (they replaced a cheaper pair from Walmart that sucked). More often than not, one or the other is taking any given filter off. My only complaint is that the rubberized grip is peeling on the non-locking pair.


Defiitely worth the money.

 

[RaggedGT]

Anyone have a hub buster? Need to do a wheel bearing on the DD and don't want to buy one for the job. I wanna bang out this wheel bearing in 30 mins

Ever try a slide hammer

 

[Mustang5L5]

Ever try a slide hammer

I have one, but trying to be prepared.

 

[Mustang5L5]

A bit expensive for what it is, but this tool saves me a lot of time.



Crusty wheel bearing on the DD. I tried a few techniques using slide hammers and air hammers and such, but in the end (because I wanted to possibly return it) I bolted Thisbe sucker on and whacked i with a 10 lb sledge. Came off in three blows

I've done enough wheel bearings that I consider it an investment

 

[Adieu]

I reviewed that Sunex socket set earlier... much earlier... The only problem with a set that thorough is, finding the best way to store it all.

Here's what I used:

http://westlingmachine.com/ToolHolders.html

The 3/8" metric tool holder had spaces for 6-22mm in shallow and deep. I bought the blue one three years ago, without the engraving for sizes since I was going to place the 3" extension and bit adapter on the pegs meant for the 6mm, and now I had a nice storage solution for the rest of the non-swivel sockets (those are in the big box on a Mac swivel-lock tray) in my service cart. After three years of use and abuse, it still looks great, even after exposure to oils, chemicals, coolant, and everything else that various sockets have brought back to it on those days when I didn't have time to clean up afterwards.


https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-x-38-in-dual-drive-extendable-ratchet-62312.html

Last week I finally broke the original, gray-handled version of this ratchet. I was kind of sad about it, because that ratchet had been with me since my Lincoln-Mercury/Chrysler-Jeep days back in the beginning of my career. I was still using it daily for oil changes because of it's unique features.

This ratchet is something I've never seen the equivalent of on a tool truck, and although I initially dismissed it as another Harbor Freight "gimmick" tool, I was broke, just starting out as a technician, and the idea of not having to buy a separate 1/4 drive and 3/8 drive ratchet to get started appealed to the broke kid just starting out changing oil at a dealership. It was possibly the best $10 ratchet ever.

This ratchet doesn't fully replace 3/8" and 1/4" ratchets of different lengths, sometimes it's too thick due to the extra girth of it's extendable handle and comfort grip, sometimes that extra drive end sticking out of the side you're not using is the issue, and sometimes you need a cheater pipe or a wrench to go over the end of a ratchet handle for more torque, and this ratchet's simply too thick for that.

What this ratchet DOES do, is give you an incredible array of versatility while taking up minimal toolbox space. It's also incredibly strong, surviving over 300 ft/lbs of torque on more than one occaision, and damned useful for situations like oil changes and brakes, where you may be following one of those jackasses that overtightens everything. This is the niche this ratchet fullfilled for me once it quit being my only ratchet in my box. I'd extend it out, put the right socket on it, and break loose the drain plug that Iffy-Lube's trained monkeys had tightened to a dozen "ugga-duggas" with an impact wrench. Then when it was time to tighten it, I'd collapse the ratchet to it's shortest length, and reduce the leverage so I didn't leave it too damned tight for the next guy.

My only issue with this ratchet in a decade of use was the fact that over the past year, the release for the extend/collapse mechanism would stick. Simply dropping the ratchet or smacking it against the arm of my lift would loosen it... (cleaning and lubricating it didn't help) until the guts flew out of it this past Tuesday when doing so. I got it exchanged at Harbor Freight for a new one this morning. Hope that new ratchet can fill it's predecessor's shoes.

It also has a bigger brother in 1/2" drive, which I don't use that often anymore, but still like. These are really good ratchets for the money.

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-Drive-Extendable-Ratchet-62311.html

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Harbor freight knockout punch set.

If you need a big assed hole ( and who doesn't?) these things work great. You drill a hole big enough to get the arbor through (like 3/4"dia. Already a BAH in of itself)' then put the threaded hole punch die on the back side, slide the threaded arbor through the sleeved receiver, and thread that whole mess into that die. then all you gotta do is get a 1/2" ratchet (or an impact if you're not patient) and start crank-u-latin' on that ratchet. Within a minute you got a nice, clean, perfectly round big ass hole. It is intended for sheetmetal only, and since owning the thing, every hole the Monster has in him that is over an inch in diameter (up to 2") has been made with this thing.

Big thumb up for this one.