Certain tools - do I need them?

[CountryFan]

I also have spanners that are over 50 years old so sometimes it pays to buy decent stuff.

Stuff 50 years ago was probably better made than some of the crap available today, sometimes I’ve been burned by buying expensive tools. I bought some Wera screwdrivers some years ago and they lasted about 12 months, if that.

 

[CountryFan]

None of the gas fitters and service blokes i know have calipers or taps and dies in their standard tool kits.

Thanks, but it wasn't for my existing job as a gas engineer, more just for diy purposes. Although, there’s probably been 1 or 2 times I could have done with a tap.

 

[endecotp]

We had an early and expensive digital calliper in a lab where I worked 25 years ago, and I found it really useful; mostly for electronic component related things. A bit later I bought myself a not-quite-as-expensive one from Maplin, which lasted until a couple of years ago. When it died I bought a much cheaper but otherwise similar-looking one from Screwfix (? I think) - and that has now died, much sooner than I hoped.

I will probably replace it. As my eyesight gets worse, it becomes more difficult to accurately read a tape measure or ruler and a clear digital display is helpful.

 

[Stuart981]

A lot of the tools you buy these days are brilliant if you just want to hang them on a pegboard in the garage to impress the neighbours but a different matter if you actually try to use them.

 

[mikehammer69]

Tap Set gets used very rarely but when I need it I need it

Like my stove there replacing the glass and refitting a top cover

 

[mikehammer69]

I've a expensive SDS max hammer that rarely gets used

It would be >50 a pop for hire so probably pay for itself over 20 years hopefully

 

[Mottie]

Got rid of all my big stuff before I sold the workshop last year - tyre changer, wheel balancer, Mig welder, engine hoist, floor standing hydraulic press, long reach trolley jack etc and most of the rest went in a boot sale last year. Can’t say I missed needing any of them - so far!

A couple of friends of ours are doing a boot sale tomorrow and asked us if we fancied joining them. We said yes so I’ve been rooting round the loft, my garage and the shed in my mums garden and loading up the golf. Got a few household items but most of the stuff is from my workshop when I sold it. Vacuum cleaner, pressure washer, bench grinder, socket sets, a couple of hand driers, Pat tester, bike stands, engine support cradles, pullers, spring compressors, many, many special tools that I’m just never going to use again, 8 pairs of new steel toe-cap boots and at least 50 - 60 pairs of overalls. All gotta go. I've made a prediction to Mrs Mottie who my first customer will be - my mate who won't be able to resist some of my tools. Din't know what one we are going to yet - he'll let us know when we meet him at 4.30 tomorrow morning.

Had a great time. We ended up going to Dunton boot sale. Still came home with about a third of what we went with. After knocking off our £12 entrance fee, we walked away with £422.00 profit - all from tools that I was never going to use again.

I got £90 of that total from my mate! He got well over 400 quids worth of tools so he was happy. Happier than his wife, anyway!

All I kept were my hand tools, trolley jack, axle stands, compressor, a few air tools and some specialist tools that I might use in the future although I don’t know when - I paid upfront for a 5 year service contract for our new car.

 

[mikehammer69]

Hmm
I can't weld but if I did I might keep it. You never know

 

[ericmark]

I look at the boilers at work, and wonder where one would use a tap or die? Calliper yes, although more likely a vernier. We do have taps, and they tend to come as a set of 3, where the ones I got from Lidi only one tap, I have used them to fit grease nipples, but not in the boiler.

Since our boilers are old, most over 100 years old, often imperial sizes are used, and also the pressure of around 150 PSI or more, some do super heat the steam, they are not really items to play with. We have all seen the pictures

these normally kill people, when it happens, so I tend to leave boiler work to those who know what they are doing. I have assisted renewing tubes, but not in charge of the work.

I find in the main I can borrow tools from work, also although against the rules, I have taken tools into work. To borrow something like a drill, the problem is if it gets damaged while I have it.

I can buy a drill from Lidi at say £40 but the one from work likely costs £100 and if it is damaged, down to me to replace it, to borrow a core drill, OK, not much is likely to go wrong, but borrow the SDS drill to drive it, and one is aware it is easy to burn it out.

I have a slide rule, but will normally use a calculator, I have a tree lopping tool, basic a chain saw on a long arm, a proper chain saw would be a lot easier to use, but I can get away with the lopping tool.

I have a tool to crimp pin crimps, but only ever used it once, was there any real point. It looks good, but when will I use it? Got it to cut brick sets, as yet not cut a single brick. As to my crimp pliers to take 120 mm² crimps, not worked with cable over 25 mm² in years.

And where do you put the tools? Do you really want to store expensive battery drills in the shed? So they are in my bedroom, is that really the place for them?

 

[Koolpc]

I’ve never had a calliper or tap/thread kit and wondered do I even need them? I know there’s lots of posters on here who use callipers, I’m a boiler breakdown engineer, but started life out as a plumber. I’ve never felt the need for these tools, so would I be wasting my time purchasing them?

The reason I ask is, I wanted to fix a broken paint roller handle by using a piece of wood, so thought about the tap/die set. Not sure about the callipers. Can anyone shed any light/ideas as to why I may need one or both of these?

They’re in Lidl currently as well.

Thanks.

You definitely should consider getting a good quality set of skirting board ladders. Had mine for years....