This:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/C-K-495001-Automatic-Wire-Stripper/dp/B002NZMM9M

Oh, forgot to say, my “go to” kit is my Halfords Advanced 1/4″ drive socket set. 2x flathead, 2x Philips, 2x Pozi and the most common hex and torx bits and sockets.

And my relatively new addition is a double sided tape measure with no pointless imperial scale.

Footprints and plumbers spanners are still not adjustable spanners both are good at their job.

Both work by clamping rather than approximately sizing to the bolt then rounding shit out the corners.

Footprints and plumbers wrenches are legitimate tools . I stand by my stance on adjustables.

No, this is an actual adjustable spanner albeit with thinner and longer jaws than normal.

And if you’re rounding heads you’re using shit or inappropriate tools.

And my relatively new addition is a double sided tape measure with no pointless imperial scale.

Oh, that’d be ace for left-handers.

inappropriate tools.

Which would be a shifter 😉

Never borrow a tape off me. My tenths tape still catches folk out. I keep it in a different drawer in the tool box for that reason….I’ve caught my self out once or twice. Just need it for work though

There’s a special place in hell reserved for those that use an adjustable spanner in the home.

Oddly enough, I used one an hour ago (the self-same Behko pictured on the first page in fact). The cleaners noticed that one of the toilets at work was leaking on Friday (where the feed pipe goes into the base of the cistern) so before I left I isolated the supply and drained it.

Seemingly “the plumber is on holiday” this week so today I loosened off the plastic (nylon?) nut, reseated the seal and nipped it back up. Perfect tool for the job, and far simpler than turning up to work with a boxful of spanners probably to find that I don’t have one that fits.

I’m a caretaker. Most of the jobs I do at work are what you would expect to be doing at home also. I have just selected the tools, from my tray, that I use the most. I think most people start with a combi tool kit and build up from there. So, apart from my drill and my ‘mop n binbag’, here is my most used…

I know these are kind of an adjustable wrench but you really can’t beat using a Bahco Stillson Wrench. I used to deploy it for removal of square taper bottom brackets but it’s a few years since I’ve had it out the roll cab.

Stillson and a lump hammer are a match made in heaven 🙂

(the self-same Behko pictured on the first page in fact)

They are excellent quality tools, had mine nearly 20 years and it’s been used on every radiator in the house.

had mine nearly 20 years

Aye. I don’t know where mine came from but it’s almost certainly at least that old, I’d hazard mid-90s vintage.

I’m a caretaker… …here is my most used…

No knife wrench?

Nothing wrong with a shifter provided a) it’s good quality and b) the user knows how to wield a spanner properly in the first place. The problems occur when the head is crudded up and no longer flat, the jaw is looser than a loose thing or people use it as a flogging spanner (where most open spanners would slip anyway).

Gary – if you need a lump hammer your stillies aren’t big enough. 36″ is usually ‘enough’.

Gary – if you need a lump hammer your stillies aren’t big enough. 36″ is usually ‘enough’.

It’s still hard to beat the feeling of whacking a stillson with a lump hammer though. 🙂

Nothing wrong with a shifter provided a) it’s good quality and b) the user knows how to wield a spanner properly in the first place. The problems occur when the head is crudded up and no longer flat, the jaw is looser than a loose thing or people use it as a flogging spanner (where most open spanners would slip anyway).

What’s a shifter, please? And what’s a flogging spanner? Adjustable and one that you’ve been hitting, or something else?

Shifter = adjustable spanner.

Flogging spanner =

loving the posts guys. some good ones and discussions in here.

Flogging spanner =

= Yorkshire screwdriver

we bought a house last October, needed some work done, nothing major, a bit of redecorating etc. My tool collection pretty much tripled since, B&Q couldn`t send me enough money off vouchers and all the sales guys know me a bit too well in the local screwfix.

Before my little bosch cordless screwdriver was the only powertool I had, now I have a bosch multitool (very useful!!), heatgun, hammer drill, dewalt circular saw, bench grinder, and I soon getting a jigsaw too. I like a bit of woodworking.

My bike specific tool collection is on par with an average bikeshop`s, plus now I have a big enough drive and garage I started to work on my car, meaning I will need a 1/2″ socket set, bigger spanners, possibly an impact driver etc.

I usually buy the next tool when I can`t do a job without it. Getting something that you *might need is a waste of money. I have a blue bosch rotary polisher that the OH bought me for christmas. It is a fantastic piece of equipment, but almost 8 months later I have yet to take it out of the box.