What tool out of everything you have do you regard as your best investment.

[caw_86]

Once you use a REAL die grinder, you'll spit on Dremels. NO torque at all. One step above "toy".

Their attachments--rotary files, sandpaper rolls, mounted stones for "grinding"...that crap might work for "crafts", but for automotive use, you might as well flush twenty-dollar bills down the toilet.

My die grinders are air-powered, but there's decent electric ones, too.
My oldest/most-used die grinder is the Mac Tools private-label version of this one. I got it in the mid-1990s, it was HEAVILY used for five or six years, maybe more. Then moderate use for another six, and then hobby use for more than ten years. Fairly certain Mac doesn't sell this one any more, but it was their "top dog" when they did.

www.amazon.com/SP-Air-Corporation-Heavy-Duty-SP-7220-V2/dp/B0959V5BK9/ref=sr_1_2?crid=D7NT5KMX7QVB

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They both have there uses and doesnt hurt to have both

 

[boy&hisdogs]

Probably all my Dewalt 20v cordless stuff. I was using hand-me down 15 year old craftsman stuff before that. It got the job done... eventually... but the Dewalt stuff is more powerful, much bigger/longer lasting batteries, and way more tools available.

It also has the "fuel gauge" on the batteries and lights built into the tools. It's the small stuff that counts!

 

[boy&hisdogs]

Once you use a REAL die grinder, you'll spit on Dremels. NO torque at all. One step above "toy".

Their attachments--rotary files, sandpaper rolls, mounted stones for "grinding"...that crap might work for "crafts", but for automotive use, you might as well flush twenty-dollar bills down the toilet.

My die grinders are air-powered, but there's decent electric ones, too.
My oldest/most-used die grinder is the Mac Tools private-label version of this one. I got it in the mid-1990s, it was HEAVILY used for five or six years, maybe more. Then moderate use for another six, and then hobby use for more than ten years. Fairly certain Mac doesn't sell this one any more, but it was their "top dog" when they did.

www.amazon.com/SP-Air-Corporation-Heavy-Duty-SP-7220-V2/dp/B0959V5BK9/ref=sr_1_2?crid=D7NT5KMX7QVB

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If you want to go the other direction a hanging motor (Foredom clone is what I have) type rotary tool is miles ahead of any Dremel. The motor is way more powerful and the hand piece fits in the hand much better. Plus there are multiple shapes and sizes of hand piece avaliable depending on what you like.

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The Dremel got me by for a while but now that I have both a die grinder and the Foredom I haven't touched the dremel in years.

 

[Moparmat2000]

It might not be her fault.
Like everyone has mentioned, it could be the tire tread.
But, if she drives the same route that residential contractors drive she could be getting "Tailgated"
Thats where at the end of the day framers and drywallers and any body else in the nailing or screwing industry chucks there toolbag in the bed of the truck and all of that hardware drops on the road because the tailgate is bent.
The tailgate on any truck that has ever been on a jobsite is bent.
Does she work at a restuarant or hotel or motel or any other place that sees frequent construction customers?
Or even drive past a place like that?
Construction trucks shed hardware all over the place.
Back in my pumpkin days I wrecked an entire load of my wifes clothes because I was welding at a pharmacuetical plant and we had to to pick up all of our rod stubs.
I put them in my pocket and chucked those carharts in the washing machine.
And added a bit of bleach.
Skipping chemistry class in high school really bit me in the ass that night.
Does she work at a Casino or drive past a casino?
We have been involved with quite a few seismic retrofit and structural modification and remodel jobs at casinos.
We have a "tire budget" built into our bid.
Just like the plumber has a "sabotage budget" built into his bid.
It is really common for some dope to get drunk, loose his rent money, and dump a box of screws in the parking lot on his way out.
Dirt friggen common.
If we have a forklift onsite, we have magnets on the bottom of the forks to pick some of that crap up.
My plumber had to unseat 4 toilets while the place was open because some loon went out to his car and strung together several boxes of paper clips into little round balls and flushed them down the toilets.
T-shirts, little airplane booze bottles, panties, poker chips. needles, crazy ****.
I think that the flat tires are not your wifes fault.
I think it is more likely something to do with the route she has to drive.

Good point. She drives mostly city streets, I drive mostly highway. Doesnt matter which brand of tire, this has always been the case. Except for the suburban 4x4 she had. This Effer had 4 ply 31" tires and never got a flat. Probably the one thing I didnt hate about that thing. Regardless, the plug kit has saved me a ton of headaches w tires.

 

[Rickochet]

If I had to choose one "tool" that has made my life so much easier, better, faster and more fun is my 2 post lift!!

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[Leeztruk]

Are those Vision Rally wheels on your truck? I've been strongly considering them for mine, if they are. If they are, what size might I ask? BTW, I'd skip the tool question and just say THE SHOP!!!

 

[thinger2]

Good point. She drives mostly city streets, I drive mostly highway. Doesnt matter which brand of tire, this has always been the case. Except for the suburban 4x4 she had. This Effer had 4 ply 31" tires and never got a flat. Probably the one thing I didnt hate about that thing. Regardless, the plug kit has saved me a ton of headaches w tires.

Yep. I always carry that kit.
Some people get nutted up about it because they think it wrecks the tread or the belts.
Still better than buying a new tire.
Yes you should have road hazard warranty and triple AAA.
Except they dont cover off road use and they will find a way to exclude aftermarket tires even if you are on the street.
I think we need a thread about crazy **** youve run over that wrecked your day.
I'll start.
I ran over a frozen friggen solid block of ice dead coyote in my v8 vega and it tore the driveshaft out of the car.
I once in the absolute middle no friggen place Arizona with brand new BFG 32x11.5 all terrains ran over a rusty old bed frame and took out both right side tires and when I tried to dodge out of the way I ended up wrapping about a hundred feet of rusty barb wire around the driveshaft.
That was lots of fun.
The desert is full of all kinds of scrap metal
So I started carrying bolt cutters in the truck.
So maybe 6 months later me and one of my exes are living in an apartment in Scottsdale, Az.
Its about 105 degrees on a Saturday and I have her friggen 1986 Mercury Lynx up on jackstands to put a timing belt in it.
So while Im under this puke mobile and hating life somebody starts hitting the car. Bang. Bang. Bang.
***** chipped the paint with her mag-lite.
I look over and see the shoes and the pants, and realize that its eithier a cop or someone from the high school marching band.
This loopy ***** pulled her gun on me.
Apparently, she wasnt from the band.
Said that I had to prove that it was my car because they had a lot of car thefts going on in Scottsdale.
Then she saw the bolt cutters in the bed of my Blazer.
I had no choice but to confess to being the ringleader of an insidious car theft conspiracy.
Our brilliant plan involved going into one of the richest neighborhoods in the country and carefully picking out the high value beige 4 door plaid seat 4 banger **** wagons and jacking them up so we can restore them to running condition and then sell them to big high baller drug lords.
Ya got me. Ill roll over on everybody if I get a new name and I get to live in North Dakota
Thats how the whole plaid seat 4 door ****** car scheme got broken up in Scottsdale.
Solid police work.

 

[JDGMC]

What tool out of everything you have do you regard as your best investment? Originally I thought it was my 60 gallon air compressor. Next, I was saying it was my welder. And yes, both are top notch investment tools for car crafting. However today I am thinking that my best investment ever has been a simple $30 NAPA tire plugging kit. My reasoning is that my wife has the worst luck with tires. I am always plugging a car tire of hers. I have kept everything i have ever dug out of her tires as well. Today it was a nail. Its since been added to the punctured tire collection. If it's got T!T$ or tires you got trouble. Sheesh. Anyways, heres the goods, and the newly patched tire.

I would have to say it’s the tool you can’t buy. Sometime back I struggled with tight spaces be it bolts, wiring etc. The solution was my significant other. Her small thin hands could access these areas with ease. Her wrenching strength was on the weak side so I started thinking long term. We made a deal. She would help with tight space scenarios if I would address tasks she wanted completed - car, house, etc. I bought her a hand grip trainer with adjustable resistance (11-132 lbs). Yep, it was autocamp moving forward. Her specialty areas are now bell housing, exhaust manifold, and almost everything under the dash. I did get permission to post her skills under “Best tool out of everything..best investment..”. However, that came with a price too - lifetime labor and parts on her current and future cars and trucks. Hmm

 

[Moparmat2000]

Ssounds handier than

I would have to say it’s the tool you can’t buy. Sometime back I struggled with tight spaces be it bolts, wiring etc. The solution was my significant other. Her small thin hands could access these areas with ease. Her wrenching strength was on the weak side so I started thinking long term. We made a deal. She would help with tight space scenarios if I would address tasks she wanted completed - car, house, etc. I bought her a hand grip trainer with adjustable resistance (11-132 lbs). Yep, it was autocamp moving forward. Her specialty areas are now bell housing, exhaust manifold, and almost everything under the dash. I did get permission to post her skills under “Best tool out of everything..best investment..”. However, that came with a price too - lifetime labor and parts on her current and future cars and trucks. Hmm

Sounds handier than a pocket on a tee shirt LOL.

I also started a thread for homemade or custom shop tools. So if anybody here has a tool that you custom made to perform a task , please add it to the collective over there. Lots of creative ideas over there to copy for your shop.

 

[Keeper]

best investment? the magnet on a stick and the mirror on a stick