The toolbox thread

[patches]

On 6/26/2024 at 8:14 PM, Alouette3 said:

Just went to get some sanding discs and walked out with one of these. Already had the batteries so this option was great

1/2" and Hex quick adaptor make a good pair

I was recently over in Aus and Sydney Tools had this very tempting deal

I like the idea of a 1/2" impact wrench and 1/4" hex impact driver in 1, and I could have easily spent $300 on drill bits, hole saws, and the like... but I decided to be financially responsible for a change and walked out with just a tape measure and some spade bits 😅

@Alouette3, how're you finding the wrench/driver a few months on? What would you estimate your usage split between wrench & driver is?

[Alouette3]

Hasn't had much use with my contact work schedule, but mostly used it as a driver so far, which is does an amazing job, both with large fasteners into timber and just making melamine boxes. As a wrench, experience is limited, though I couldn't help myself when removing the wheel nuts on my last car job. Will admit I used a breaker bar to crack the nuts and do final torque but did a quick job of popping the nuts off and on. 

[patches]

Was ordering a replacement smart downlight from amazon and was about 30 NZD short from the free shipping minimum... so naturally I had to add some tools to make the cut, otherwise I would be financially irresponsible.

These were the additions

Wera ball end hex drivers in 3mm and 5mm (the 4mm is still on its way).

Having hex/allen key with a regular/screwdriver grip is pretty handy at times (like for grub screws) where a fold-out or L-shape set can be awkward to use.

 

[PhilipV]

13 hours ago, patches said:

Was ordering a replacement smart downlight from amazon and was about 30 NZD short from the free shipping minimum... so naturally I had to add some tools to make the cut, otherwise I would be financially irresponsible.

These were the additions

Wera ball end hex drivers in 3mm and 5mm (the 4mm is still on its way).

Having hex/allen key with a regular/screwdriver grip is pretty handy at times (like for grub screws) where a fold-out or L-shape set can be awkward to use.

 

I love Wera. These are 👌🏻

if you don’t have one yet, you NEED this in a t25 as well. 

[Stretched@Birth]

I bought one of these this weekend.  The flow rate isn't great (45L per minute), so you won't seat a tubeless tyre with it, but that's what I have a compressor for, this is quite lekker for adding air to the bicycle tyres, trailer tyres, etc.

I have a few of the 20V Ingco tools, I must say for the price point and the type of use I have for the tools, they are good value for money.  

 

Edited November 18, 2024 by Stretched@Birth
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[patches]

12 hours ago, PhilipV said:

I love Wera. These are 👌🏻

if you don’t have one yet, you NEED this in a t25 as well. 

The dreaded T25. When most of my pottering was on bicycles I loathed the T25 as apart from my Reverb seat post, everything else was hex. So I didn't bother investing in a decent Torx set and relied solely on the el-cheapo free one they give you with a Reverb.

Then I started working on dirt bikes, and torx fasteners became more common.

And now that I do a bunch of DIY building and carpentry I've come to appreciate torx as the superior format for screws 😅

But yeah, the Wera set I got earlier this year has the infamous T25 in it

 

Next on my Wera wishlist is the Zyklop pocket set 😍

[PhilipV]

8 hours ago, patches said:

The dreaded T25. When most of my pottering was on bicycles I loathed the T25 as apart from my Reverb seat post, everything else was hex. So I didn't bother investing in a decent Torx set and relied solely on the el-cheapo free one they give you with a Reverb.

Then I started working on dirt bikes, and torx fasteners became more common.

And now that I do a bunch of DIY building and carpentry I've come to appreciate torx as the superior format for screws 😅

 

I got my T25 screwdriver to work on disc rotors. But in the meantime Scott has adopted it and it’s used on a lot of bolts on my Genius. Convenient. Torx can supposedly handle more torque before rounding, but I’ve found that quality bits is key. 

[dave303e]

Nothing wrong with Torx, I am more a fan of T-handles than screw driver format, especially working on dirt bikes.

 

[patches]

15 hours ago, PhilipV said:

I got my T25 screwdriver to work on disc rotors. But in the meantime Scott has adopted it and it’s used on a lot of bolts on my Genius. Convenient. Torx can supposedly handle more torque before rounding, but I’ve found that quality bits is key. 

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about T25 rotor screws... show's how long it's been since I paid mu bikes any attention 😅

As for bit quality, I had an issue just this past weekend trying to drive in T30 Ramset concrete screws.

The 2 provided bits were both munted after about half a dozen screws each. What's more, I wasn't even using an impact driver, just a high-torque  cordless drill.

 

As a side note, very impressed with the fact my little Milwaukee drill was able to drive these and other heavy duty screws. Sadly I don't have the latest version with "kick-back control", so I did need to watch out not to break my wrists.

[patches]

15 hours ago, dave303e said:

Nothing wrong with Torx, I am more a fan of T-handles than screw driver format, especially working on dirt bikes.

 

Yeah, T-handles are a life-saver when working on dirt bikes. The Motion Pro spinning ones are particularly nice, but not cheap.

 

As for Torx, my bikes (both Huskies) mostly use the Hex (outer)-Torx (inner) combo bolts, which are very convenient, although I mostly found myself using the hex option, just out of habit.

 

 

[ChrisF]

18 hours ago, dave303e said:

Nothing wrong with Torx, I am more a fan of T-handles than screw driver format, especially working on dirt bikes.

 

 

I have a set of T-handles on the side of the tool trolley.

 

Second drawer is dedicated to an assortment of bits, Spinner, T-handle torque wrenches, a 4-12(?) N.m torque wrench.  For the bigger torque items I go to the car tools.

 

I managed to get a case with an assortment of bits ... those non standard bits that can turn a small d.i.y. job into fun. This is also in drawer 2.

 

Makes life a LOT easier when everything is at the ready.

 

 

Oooo, and if you get an ebike ... a 5mm hex bit in an extension is kept at the ready .... only way to backpedal the chain.

[mazambaan]

21 hours ago, dave303e said:

Nothing wrong with Torx, I am more a fan of T-handles than screw driver format, especially working on dirt bikes.

 

Agreed and screwdriver only useful for the (very) small Torx like fork bleeders (T20) that are easily stripped.

[patches]

Ordered one of my wife's Christmas prezzies from Amazon and needed to add a few bucks to qualify for free shipping so got myself one of the FastCap Flatback tape measures (right) to make things the little bit easier when trying to accurately mark workpieces.

Also useful for measuring curved surfaces.

 

[ChrisF]

Getting back to bicycle tools, just for a moment ... sorry.

 

 

What "multi tool" is recommended for ROAD bikes ?  With a chain breaker, OR, a small chain breaker extra ....

 

 

Do the Ryder Groove tool fit in the "4 up slider" holder ?

[GleedSpeed]

Hi Guys,

I am looking for a alternative to the Park Tool RP-1 0.9mm Internal Retaining Ring Pliers, to remove the circlip/snap ring from the SRAM Guide Lever Piston. 

Has anyone found a alternative?

 

[Zebra]

@Paul Gleed we have a 'specialist' tool shop just 3 doors along from us (Paarden Eiland) - I will pop over and see what they have...

(are you looking for more-affordable than Park Tools, or can you not get the Park Tool...?)

Cheers

Chris