Tools, Cheap or Expensive?
Building up a tool kit can be very costly, and few people have an unlimited budget. Buying the best tools available makes the most sense, but is it necessary?
If, like most people, you are on a restricted budget, the best approach is to buy a good quality set of tools. All of the leading manufactures offer sets which bundle most of their popular tools at a substantial discount from buying the tools individually.
Tool sets range in price from less than $100 to more than $25,000, with every price between. However, by starting with a medium priced set you will have spent the least amount for the largest selection. Adding to the basic set is simply a case of buying individual items as the need arises.
Popular Sizes
Most mechanics will find that certain tools wear faster than others. For example, in the metric range, all of the 10-mm sockets and wrenches will wear fast due to their frequent use. This also applies to most of the very popular metric sizes 8, 12, 13, 14, 17-mm.
In the standard sizes, ¼”, ?", ½” typically wears out first.
Determining Wear
Once these tools show signs of wear, it is best to replace them with one of the top quality brands; however, all tools wear to a certain extent. If the mechanic notices that an open-ended wrench, for example, begins to feel loose on bolts or nuts, he should replace it. A more accurate way of determining wear on wrenches (at the open end of a combination wrench) is to measure the tapper (see photo) when the wrench is new and then again periodically.
If a mechanic starts his tool collection with a kit, he will need various special tools as he progresses. One of the first specialist tools is a torque wrench. Although there are many inexpensive torque wrenches on the market, the best advice for these tools is to buy the best quality the mechanic can afford. The higher the quality of a torque wrench, the higher the price will be, generally.
Inexpensive Wrenches
Most kits do include an assortment of large wrenches as these are used infrequently. However, a separate kit of large inexpensive wrenches can be brought from most of the high street hardware stores and auto accessory shops.
As the mechanic’s knowledge increases, so too will his need for more specialist tools as in the following list:
Compression tester Leak-down tester Multi-meter (electronic tester) Timing gun Vernier caliper Micrometers Air tools—various Oil seal pullers Bearing pullers Flywheel extractors (two or three-legged pullers general fit older motorcycle flywheels)
All of these specialist tools should be of a high quality (no point measuring something with an inaccurate vernier, for example).
For motorcycle mechanical work, the mechanic will need various hammers including steel ball peen hammers of 8 and 24 ounces, a rubber mallet, and a plastic mallet. All of these hammers are relatively inexpensive and readily available.
One final thought on buying quality tools is the lifetime guarantee some companies offer. Although on the face of it, this sounds like a good idea, in reality very few tools are fully covered and there is always the possibility that the company will either supersede a particular tool (updates) or go out of business altogether.
If, like most people, you are on a restricted budget, the best approach is to buy a good quality set of tools. All of the leading manufactures offer sets which bundle most of their popular tools at a substantial discount from buying the tools individually.
Tool sets range in price from less than $100 to more than $25,000, with every price between. However, by starting with a medium priced set you will have spent the least amount for the largest selection. Adding to the basic set is simply a case of buying individual items as the need arises.
Popular Sizes
Most mechanics will find that certain tools wear faster than others. For example, in the metric range, all of the 10-mm sockets and wrenches will wear fast due to their frequent use. This also applies to most of the very popular metric sizes 8, 12, 13, 14, 17-mm.
In the standard sizes, ¼”, ?", ½” typically wears out first.
Determining Wear
Once these tools show signs of wear, it is best to replace them with one of the top quality brands; however, all tools wear to a certain extent. If the mechanic notices that an open-ended wrench, for example, begins to feel loose on bolts or nuts, he should replace it. A more accurate way of determining wear on wrenches (at the open end of a combination wrench) is to measure the tapper (see photo) when the wrench is new and then again periodically.
If a mechanic starts his tool collection with a kit, he will need various special tools as he progresses. One of the first specialist tools is a torque wrench. Although there are many inexpensive torque wrenches on the market, the best advice for these tools is to buy the best quality the mechanic can afford. The higher the quality of a torque wrench, the higher the price will be, generally.
Inexpensive Wrenches
Most kits do include an assortment of large wrenches as these are used infrequently. However, a separate kit of large inexpensive wrenches can be brought from most of the high street hardware stores and auto accessory shops.
As the mechanic’s knowledge increases, so too will his need for more specialist tools as in the following list:
All of these specialist tools should be of a high quality (no point measuring something with an inaccurate vernier, for example).
For motorcycle mechanical work, the mechanic will need various hammers including steel ball peen hammers of 8 and 24 ounces, a rubber mallet, and a plastic mallet. All of these hammers are relatively inexpensive and readily available.
One final thought on buying quality tools is the lifetime guarantee some companies offer. Although on the face of it, this sounds like a good idea, in reality very few tools are fully covered and there is always the possibility that the company will either supersede a particular tool (updates) or go out of business altogether.
