Life Changing Tools

After a comment on the ‘cheap drill’ thread

Okay, maybe not ‘life changing’, but what tool makes you think ‘why didn’t I buy one of those earlier’?

Me:

Impact Driver: so much better than a drill driver

Router: My dad was a chippy and could work magic with hand tools. Now I can get the same result with POWER! (Okay not on everything, and his work still looks nicer than mine. But it’s close and I don’t take 2 weeks)

Proper wire strippers: I faffed for so long with a Stanley knife etc

Mitre Saw: Bought one when fitting new bannisters and 60 odd spindles. Rarely use a hand saw now

Not that they changed my life a whole lot, but:

– Bontrager TLR Flash tubeless pump;
– quicklink pliers; and
– poncey Lezyne Port-a-Shop kit

all deserve honourable mentions. 🙂

I own quicklink pliers too. and a handy multi-tool

+ 1 Powerlink pliars as well great bit of kit.

Dremel, you will be fettling thing a lot.

Paslode Im 350 Nail gun…..Makes every pile of wood a potential shed/House

Impact driver too.
It increased my confidence and made me more attractive to women.

Impact driver. Could never had renovated our house without one. It was a revelation.

Everyone should have a vice, it should be law really.

I do have a vice, it got me into trouble with the law and changed my life.
😐

😉

Decent cordless hammer drill why oh why did I struggle with diy store own brand garbage for years

Circular saw most of the usefulness of a mitre saw but without being as big.

A home made cutting jig/guide for sheet materials so I can get straight cuts

Good clamps for holding work

But above all others just a basic woodwork vice because there’s hundreds of jobs that it would be a royal pain in the arse without.

A good quality multi tool, after having a few cheapo ones that were properly rubbish.
Quick link pliers.
Strap wrench.
At work the magnetic rotorbroach is pretty damn useful for putting accurate holes in steel in awkward places.

Quick link pliers, why did I waste so much time before buying these!

Quality cable cutters, after years if making do with side cutters I bought a pair of these a couple of weeks ago, perfect straight cuts in one easy snip.

Flush cutters side cutters, perfect for trimming cable ties and not leaving a scratchy end.

Learning how to use hand tools properly.

Unless its repetitive or massive its so much faster (except drilling)

All the Makita cordless stuff.
Started with the drill then bought the impact driver, radio, angle grinder and jigsaw. Seems so easy using the same batteries for everything.

Cordless circular saw.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/tools-you-wish-youd-known-about-years-ago

Today – CNC Plasma cutter 🙂

Most days – Impact Driver with speed control. Impact drivers are versatile, but they’re a whole lot more versatile if you can slow them down. Plus my one is limited edition and sparkly gold.

For real life changing it has to be a cigar cutter applied to an area of anatomy.

Real answer is impact driver

Proper dremel, with a snake. I know a dremel’s a child’s toy but I have a die grinder which I never use because it’s a pain in the bum, and I had a cheap dremel which wasn’t up to much… The real thing’s just doing the same but better, but the convenience means I use it a ton and it’s just constantly handy in little ways and makes things easier.

(last used- very sticky handbrake cable being a dick when I tried to remove it. Zip, took the end off the cable, bzzzt, machined away a little off the orrible rusty fittings that were suppose to just snap out but wouldn’t, bzzzt, bit of rust surface cleanup… All the things that make a simple job a pain, defeated, with no need for an air hose, easy access with the snake…)

bike work stand.

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove

For the bike: a quality set of hex/allen keys with ball ends, that don’t round out the bolt heads.

General tools: a circular saw with a guide – like this:
https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Festool-Hk55-Ebq-Plus-Fs-4014549256121-240V-Circular-Saw-And-Guide-Rail-In-Systainer

Saw locks into the guide rail and you can get very accurate cuts, even accurately shaving off slivers when you need to take off a milimetre or two.

Titanium Spork.

http://www.lightmyfire.com/products/products/spork/spork-titanium.aspx

I do have a vice, it got me into trouble with the law and changed my life.

😯 😆

On a more serious note, decent tools in general, and tools designed for specific jobs. Headset cup and race removers, proper socket sets, proper cable cutters and a decent workstand all spring to mind.

Oh, and my first Leatherman – a small Leatherman Sideclip, worth its weight in gold while working as a guide. Sadly lost somewhere between Tring and Kitzbuhel.

I didn’t know quick link pliers were a thing. Now ordered.

Thanks

What is does an impact driver do that a cordless drill/screw driver not do?

Increases the drive power/torque massively for the size of the tool, smaller generally too so nice in the hand, no rotational twist when driving so no bad wrists.

I’m liking the look of those impact drivers, would they be useful for loosening bolts that are seized?
A game changer for me was a sliding mitre saw which is great for all sorts of wood chopping jobs and also one of these little allen keys was a real revelation when working on the bikes, pretty much every bolt on the bike is covered with one tool so less time faffing around looking for the right size.

Cable cutters (Shimano)Quick link pliers
Bontrager flash pump

Definitely impact driver and router.

I would also nominate the plunge track saw. A very flexible tool for all sorts of accurate cutting if you don’t have the room for a table saw, and much less potential for disaster than a circular saw.
I have the Screwfix own brand model and it’s been a DIY game changer for me.

SDS drill after the horror of chasing out walls for cabling by hand.

Industrial dust extractor still needs buying though.

superleggero – Member
For the bike: a quality set of hex/allen keys with ball ends, that don’t round out the bolt heads.

This set of Wera stainless ones made me feel a little bit guilty when I got them, but they’re just really good to use, haven’t developed rust spots like the Bahco ones I got after a recommendation on here, and anyone I pass them to goes “Ooh!”

Not quite life changing, but nicely machined, have never rounded anything, and have made loads of quick bike jobs that bit nicer to do. I figure if you use a tool a lot, it’s worth getting the nicest you can.

(image source)

Did anyone mention a compressor yet?
Mine gets used after every ride to dry the bike.

Park cable cutters
Quicklink pliers
Battery Mower
Decent drill

Will look into an impact driver, don’t think I need one, but I want one. Even though I’m not sure what they are yet.

Plunge saw and track.

(Maybe any would do, but I bought Makita)
Being able to quickly cut sheets of ply down to size with a really clean edge is a revelation!

I bought a dust extractor with a tool plug on it too, which is definitely part of the life-changedness 🙂

I don’t have room for a table saw.

Did anyone mention a compressor yet?
Mine gets used after every ride to dry the bike blast all the grease out me bearings

Ftfy
😉