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12-02-2018, 11:34
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#31
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Helsinki (Summer); Cruising the Baltic Sea this year!
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 33,764
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colin A
. . . . Currently thanks to changes in the tool markets I'm amazed at how many pros I know who while still having mostly Snap on and Matco tools have started buying the Pittsuburgh pro series at Harbor freight. (yes the still sell junk but they have started selling middle quality stuff as well)
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Indeed. The UK equivalent to Harbor Freight is Machine Mart, and they sell mid-grade Chinese stuff under the "Clarke" brand. There is a "professional" line which is a little more expensive, and it definitely not Snap-On quality, but is absolutely decent, and certainly good enough for pros to use for some purposes. I use a lot of it, and actually I have bought a lot of very satisfactory tools at Machine Mart. Even a lot of the cheap stuff is acceptable for some purposes. That which is simply carp is obviously so, and you just don't buy it.
__________________
"You sea! I resign myself to you also . . . . I guess what you mean,
I behold from the beach your crooked inviting fingers,
I believe you refuse to go back without feeling of me;
We must have a turn together . . . . I undress . . . . hurry me out of sight of the land,
Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet . . . . I can repay you."
Walt Whitman
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12-02-2018, 12:04
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#32
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 267
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dockhead
Indeed. The UK equivalent to Harbor Freight is Machine Mart, and they sell mid-grade Chinese stuff under the "Clarke" brand. There is a "professional" line which is a little more expensive, and it definitely not Snap-On quality, but is absolutely decent, and certainly good enough for pros to use for some purposes. I use a lot of it, and actually I have bought a lot of very satisfactory tools at Machine Mart. Even a lot of the cheap stuff is acceptable for some purposes. That which is simply carp is obviously so, and you just don't buy it.
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You do realise that Snap-on are made in China as well. They used to have Made in the USA stamped everywhere, but not anymore.
As for screwdrivers Facom and Wera outlast snap on 10 to 1, Snap on screwdrivers are relegated to the bottom of the tool cabinet
And Facom ratchets are far superior to Snap-on
As an engineer I have thousands invested in hand tools, several thousand in Snap on alone, but there are much better alternatives out there now for a lot less money
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12-02-2018, 12:10
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#33
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Skagit City, WA
Posts: 25,483
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Sometimes more expensive isnt better too. I've run into issues with high end tools that were built "too strong".
For instance, that one rusty nut under the engine that a socket wont go on due to clearance and an open end only partially will go on can be a PITA. The old style Craftsman weren't too bulky built and would work. A Snap On was too bulky in the shoulder (red arrow). Any cheap Chinese open end will work in an easy to get to place. It's the challenging places that matter.
__________________
"I spent most of my money on Booze, Broads and Boats. The rest I wasted" - Elmore Leonard
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12-02-2018, 12:28
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#34
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Home port: Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Boat: VIA 42, aluminium cutter
Posts: 141
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
I have a "go box" for smaller tools i am likeky to use frequently, and one of those handy open plastic bins, as my second "go box"
All other tools i keep in open bins (i have a wide shallow dry bilge) and i always put "occasionally used tools" back in the same place.
All my power tools I keep in their original boxes, and they get stored in the garage (3rd cabin)
I also try to separate electrical from wood working from socket tools. Its not a perfect system, buy it works for me - most of the time.
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12-02-2018, 13:23
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#35
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Helsinki (Summer); Cruising the Baltic Sea this year!
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 33,764
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Artif
You do realise that Snap-on are made in China as well. They used to have Made in the USA stamped everywhere, but not anymore.
As for screwdrivers Facom and Wera outlast snap on 10 to 1, Snap on screwdrivers are relegated to the bottom of the tool cabinet
And Facom ratchets are far superior to Snap-on
As an engineer I have thousands invested in hand tools, several thousand in Snap on alone, but there are much better alternatives out there now for a lot less money
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Good to know. I haven't lived in the States for 27 years so all my Snap On tools are ancient.
I love my Wera screwdrivers. I splurged last year and bought a whole bag full of them.
Amazingly, not one has been lost or gone overboard yet, but I'm sure there's plenty of time for that
__________________
"You sea! I resign myself to you also . . . . I guess what you mean,
I behold from the beach your crooked inviting fingers,
I believe you refuse to go back without feeling of me;
We must have a turn together . . . . I undress . . . . hurry me out of sight of the land,
Cushion me soft . . . . rock me in billowy drowse,
Dash me with amorous wet . . . . I can repay you."
Walt Whitman
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13-02-2018, 08:03
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#36
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Iowa
Boat: 2012 Seaward 32 RK
Posts: 242
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Wow! What a great bunch of replies. You guys are awesome!
We will glean much from this thread. Thank you.
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13-02-2018, 08:32
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#37
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Aventura, FL
Boat: 2008 American Tug 34 #116
Posts: 657
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjgill1
Wow! What a great bunch of replies. You guys are awesome!
We will glean much from this thread. Thank you.
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Yup dat's us. We bees 'awesome'.
__________________
And you folks thought I knew what I was talking about.
I do believe my intuitive gene has died.
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13-02-2018, 09:04
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#38
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Miami Florida
Boat: Ellis Flybridge 28
Posts: 4,057
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
I’ve made the switch to ratching box end wrenches. I rarely need to use socket wrench’s now. There are three styles.
The cheapest are flat wrenches that you just flip over to change ratchet direction. The problem with these is that without a bend, they can have knuckle clearance problems.
The most expensive has a bend, like a regular box end wrench, and changes direction by flipping a little lever. This is what I have and I like them a lot.
The middle priced wrenches are like the cheap ones in that you flip them to change directions. They solve the clearance problem by putting a flexible joint near the box end.
These may be the best way to go.
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Retired from Hopkins-Carter Marine Supplies
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13-02-2018, 15:45
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#39
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Sharbot Lake Ontario
Boat: Albin 25
Posts: 187
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Not to offend any of the pros here, but I have been gradually getting rid of all those useless and misguided Philips screws (absolutely despise them) and replacing with Robertsons. A screw/driver that actually grips and never strips.
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13-02-2018, 16:35
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#40
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Aventura, FL
Boat: 2008 American Tug 34 #116
Posts: 657
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunsetrider
Not to offend any of the pros here, but I have been gradually getting rid of all those useless and misguided Philips screws (absolutely despise them) and replacing with Robertsons. A screw/driver that actually grips and never strips.
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Good for you. I dont have enough enough money to invest in screws when I can waste my money on beer and women.
__________________
And you folks thought I knew what I was talking about.
I do believe my intuitive gene has died.
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13-02-2018, 17:16
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#41
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Australia
Boat: Milkraft 60 ex trawler
Posts: 4,653
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Tool kits are useless IMHO
Lots of stuff you'll never use and never the tool you actually need.
Better to buy what you actually need
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13-02-2018, 17:53
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#42
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2008
Boat: Bristol 32
Posts: 189
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Quote:
Originally Posted by mayberrybfd
10 mm
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This! You've got to be a yanmar guy....
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13-02-2018, 17:57
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#43
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֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎֍֎
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 15,136
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunsetrider
Not to offend any of the pros here, but I have been gradually getting rid of all those useless and misguided Philips screws (absolutely despise them) and replacing with Robertsons. A screw/driver that actually grips and never strips.
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According to a forgotten internet source, the Philips head was actually intentionally designed so that if it was overtorqued, the screwdriver would pop out, instead of damaging the screw head. Of course that relies on the proper manufacture and use of the right size screw, the real Philips pattern, and the metal and shape of the screwdriver. There are any number of similar shapes (i.e. Reed-Prince on electronics, or the miniature "Philips don't fit" screws on lots of Japanese electronics and camera gear) but they aren't necessarily Philips.
Also oddly curiously coincidental...The Philips folks came out with the PoziDrive screw at the same time that their original patent for Philips was expiring. The PoziDrive is supposed to be different, in that it is supposed to simply get tighter as it is turned harder--not popping the screwdriver out, in direct contrast to Philips.
While the two are somewhat interchangeable, that's a crude kludge compared to using the right tool for a properly made screw.
Somehow, Robertson never made it big in the US market. The one time I needed one, I used a square cut nail instead.
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13-02-2018, 17:58
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#44
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Bundaberg, Qld.
Posts: 2,192
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunsetrider
Not to offend any of the pros here, but I have been gradually getting rid of all those useless and misguided Philips screws (absolutely despise them) and replacing with Robertsons. A screw/driver that actually grips and never strips.
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.....and i'm doing the exact opposite
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13-02-2018, 18:07
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#45
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Alaska
Boat: 1989 Catalina 36
Posts: 236
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Re: Best self contained tool kit
In the spirit of buying what you actually need--we use three drawers near the companionway for the most commonly used tools (and quick access in an emergency, which we've already used!), but are gradually switching to Milwaukee Jobsite Organizers for the rest. Rarely used tools, connectors, etc rust, rot, and migrate--and you wind up on the spot when you need the damn things. The Jobsite Organizers are watertight and dustproof.
https://www.protoolreviews.com/tools...-review/18309/
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…being able to swim in the deep sea; and having a home that's a shell…
turtletraveling.com
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