Best tool ever?

[Roger]

Just reading the thread on trailer fog lights reminded me how easy any electrical work has become since I bought a power probe (pic below) a few years back, it allows me to keep the smoke in the wires (most of the time!) - its proven itself time and time again.

For those that dont know what one is, essentially is hooks onto the vehicles battery and then gives you the ability to touch a terminal and it will read voltage, or tell you its an earth, you can press a button and add power (or negative) - brilliant for testing relays, working out what a dash wire does etc.




So my question is, what have others found makes them look a bit more competent than they should really look?

 

[flint]

Moving up the high tech ladder, I found a kitchen fork handy to hold the spring retainers up when doing the handbrake shoes. I’ve also got an old Sykes drop arm puller (for a 60s Transit I think) that’s got me out of ball joint grief many a time.

 

[Pumpy]

I like the sound of that probe doofah, much easier than a long bit of wire with a croc clip and a multimeter!

Best tool in my box now is a debit card

 

[Shayne]

It doesn't make me look competent but when i seen a set of these on a shelf recently i had to buy them as i realized my old ones which came from i know not where have been trimmed with a grinder , bent and straightened , burnt with a welder and god only knows what else and they have to be the most used item of all my tools . I always thought of them as plumbers pliers and i'm still not sure what they are called .

 

[StarCruiser]

Water pump pliers, Shayne.

 

[Shayne]

Perhaps i should stop saying where's them @%"*ing things then

 

[Chris]

Milwaukee impact wrench and grinder are up there for sure. I have a power probe too and they are brilliant. Irwin stud and bolt removers have to be a life saver no question. Yes I think on balance they might just be top of the charts. Unless I think of something else.

Lathe, miller, welder, plasma, lump hammer ........

 

[Gary820]

Power probe is a great tool, it's rare I use mine as prefer the multimeter tbh.

 

[RL12]

Apart from the usual tools an extra long handled 12mmx14mm spanner is great for working on jap stuff, especially prop shaft bolts!

 

[Chris]

Aren't those things called aircraft spanners or something? They aren't just 'long' spanners.

 

[RL12]

might be, im not familiar with the aviation industry to be honest Chris.

Call me weak but another thing I use all the time to get more leaverage on bolts is a 1/2" drive long handled flex ratchet, makes light work of any bolt

 

[Roger]

RL12 - I bought a Halfords flex head ratchet spanner about 5 years ago - its my go to ratchet as well. I bought it to replace a standard 3/8" drive I lost.

Good value at £22 with spare wobble bar extensions and lifetime guarantee etc.

 

[Animal Mother]

I used to own a Discovery, therefore, this is my favourite tool is Plusgas.

 

[Pumpy]

plumbers pliers

When I was a young engineer my favorite tool was very similar, we used to call them "footprints" I could never find a pair when I wanted one yrs later, so I asked an old plumber mate of mine what the best alternative was, they're pump pliers as rich says but mine will be forever called Rothenburgers

 

[flint]

Footprint is the makers name, adjustable by moving a knurled screw in pin along a series of holes. Still got some old ones here, I think you can still buy them, very handy.

 

[Beau]

These ratchet spanners are up there with me, can be a life saver some times!

 

[Chris]

Agreed Beau, I couldn't live without them.

 

[chapel gate]

It doesn't make me look competent but when i seen a set of these on a shelf recently i had to buy them as i realized my old ones which came from i know not where have been trimmed with a grinder , bent and straightened , burnt with a welder and god only knows what else and they have to be the most used item of all my tools . I always thought of them as plumbers pliers and i'm still not sure what they are called .

View attachment 107883

We call them grips.

 

[StarCruiser]

Not a tool as such, and pretty specific in use, but I used cable pulling lubricant the other day (Ohh Matron!!) on some data cables I was struggling to get into a tube set in a floor. Without it, I got the cables about 3 metres into the 8m run before it pulled off and that was with one pulling and one pushing.

Got the lube on and it was a revelation! No pushing, cos you can't while you're slathering on something that has the look and consistency of scrambled egg. Flew through the tube dead easy.

I know it's not got much relevance here but it was one of those 'why didn't I use this before' times as the difference was like trying to push an 80 to pushing a matchbox car.

Had to share

 

[kingtom]

http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?id=20&method=mViewProduct&productid=10902

Sealey Lock On Sockets. Best buy ever. They are a copy of snap on or mac but the sealey premier range has a lifetime warranty. I paid £20. They have groves cut in the corners of the hex and can grip pretty much onto anything. I buggered a thread on a stud the other day and put one of the 8mm sockets on it and it pulled it right out