this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2024

31 points (97.0% liked)

Ask Lemmy

28150 readers

1892 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions

Rules: (interactive)

1) Be nice and; have fun

Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them

2) All posts must end with a '?'

This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?

3) No spam

Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.

4) NSFW is okay, within reason

Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either [email protected] or [email protected]. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].

5) This is not a support community.

It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email [email protected]. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.

6) No US Politics.

Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try [email protected] or [email protected]

Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

What are some tools you need when starting to do basic DIY Mechanical work and possible home improvement in the future. (midwest.social)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/asklemmy

46 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I took my wife's car into the dealership for a warranty a few weeks ago and while they were checking stuff, they said the car needed 1300 dollars of work (piston soak and replace some transmission parts). I ended up doing the soak with my grandpa and took it to a shop for the transmission (wasnt even an issue, just a rivot replacement on a wheel well cover) and ended up saving 700 dollars after accounting for tools, jacks, jack stands, etc.

I want to start working on my own cars for things that can be done easily without expensive specialized tools, and I might be buying a house in the next year. I just want to start getting a decent collection of tools to hopefully save money in the long run.

I currently have a huge range of screwdrivers, soldering equipment, plyer set, socket set, file set, wire cutters and a small tool kit with some misc stuff.

I am mainly looking towards a torque wrench and a good spanner/wrench set, but looking for suggestions on what to get. Holding off on power tools until I wrap my head around brands and batteries.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] chiliedogg 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Harbor Freight is your friend. Their cheap tools can suck and may break with repeated use, but that's almost a feature.

If you use a tool often enough that you break it, then it's worth investing in a quality version of that tool. If you don't use it often enough to break it, you can get by with the lower quality.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I bought most of my stuff from there so far. A friend told me to look around forums to see what the "good tools" there are. I got mainly Pittsburgh tools since I'm just starting and they're cheap, but is there anytime I should look at their more "premium" brands?

[–] chiliedogg 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Don't buy power tools at Harbour Freight.

I'm a big fan of Ryobi for bang for the buck power tools. They're good enough that unless you're a professional they'll do you just fine, and they can be bought at Direct Tools Outlet online refurbished for pretty cheap.

They also haven't changed the 18-volt battery interfaces ever, so you can grab one of their tools from the 90s and plug in a modern lithium battery and it'll work. I like having the comfort of a tool that will be supported.

As for their "premium" tools - most aren't that great for the price actually.

Check out the YouTube channel Project Farm. He does lots of head-to-head tool and equipment reviews, and he doesn't accept free tools or sponsorships for any of his reviews.