If you are like me you buy a lot more tools than magic props. Thought it might be helpful for Café members to post their favorite tool purchases. Also tools they wish they would have passed on.

Heres mine,

The Bosch 12v lithium screwdriver/drill
Its small enough to fit in the pocket but powerfull enough for about any shop task.The battery last me all week with normal use. Comes with case ,charger and extra battery for around $120. Love it for small hardware its soo easy to handle.

Gimpy

I'm a big Bosch fan and I bought this drill and in less than a year both batteries puked. I'm about to call the manufacturer. as for the good stuff Fein multitask tool. Ive had it for about eight years and it's great. The new ones are even better

My two best purchases:

Dremel

Rotozip

My best purchases:

Anything by Bosch
Anything by Makita
Anything by Porter Cable
Anything by Delta

My best purchase:
MasterCam (17+ years ago)

TW

It's not one of the most fancy tools I own but I couldn't do without my Shopvac.

Nick

Hmm. My Ryobi portable table saw is one of my most-used tools... though it could probably stand an upgrade (if only I had the space for a permanent station.) Just around the house, the one I use most is a 6-in-one hand screwdriver given to me by my brother-in-law. The heads flip around for two different sizes of phillips and flat head screws. It's in my toolbox for home-improvement projects, along with the electrical testers and drywall mounting screws.

Great thread. Makes me wish I still had a shop - sometimes. All I have now is a Sharade Uncle Henry pocket knife. Do any of you still carry a pocket knife?? I use mine most every day. I've been carrying one since I was a kid. If not a real one, at least a color changing one.

Favorite tools besides the table saw would be a router table and a drill press or two.

-=tabman

I still carry a knife. I went to an NBA game and forgot and had to walk all the way back to the truck to leave it.

Richard

Tabby,

I'm a Uncle Henry fan from wayyyyyyy back! The one I currently carry is about 15 years old! I also have Buck, Case, Kershaw and a Spydico (sp?)! Gotta have a good knife!

Best tool: Jet mini lathe, varible speed w/ indexing!
Worst: Ryobi BT3000 table saw! (since replaced with Ridged Contractor model)
Longest lasting: OLD Skil drill motor that was my Grandfathers and I got it after he died in 81. I think it finally joined my Gpa in the mid 90's!

Longest lasting beat: My small anvil is a 100 pound Wilkinson anvil from Dudley England, has only one hardie hole, no pritchel. Richard Postman who wrote Anvils in America place mine being made prior to 1860. My big anvil (250 pound) Mousehole is 30 years younger.

I keep a Leatherman Micra on my key ring, and hardly a day goes by when I don't use it. I've gone through quite a few of these pocketknives. Not from wear, but from either losing it to the TSA at the airport (happened once, never again!), or giving them away as emergency gifts. I once gave one away to a coworker in Korea when I was stationed there for a job. I did a simple sleight with my regular full-sized Leatherman, causing it to "shrink" into a Micra, then gave the Micra to him. Worked great!

BTW, the last time I almost lost my Leatherman to security folks with metal detectors (at a restaurant/video game place -- go figure), I went outside the restaurant, tied a long strip of plastic film I cut from a shopping bag to the Leatherman, found a water drain, and lowered the pocket knife into the drain when no one was looking, leaving a bit of the plastic "flag" hanging out. Hours later, I returned to the drain and successfully recovered my knife despite a decent amount of nearby foot traffic. My friends who left similar metallic contraband in more obvious places (nearby bushes) weren't so lucky, and found their stuff gone when they returned.

Back on topic, one of my favorite tools has been my Sherline mill and lathe. I'm not a machinist by any means but these modest tools taught me a lot about fabrication, part design, and how to communicate with shop folks. I like to think it made me a better designer/engineer.

Ross

Richard, I don't go anywhere where I can't carry a knife anymore (knock on wood).

And I'm glad to see I'm not the only Uncle Henry fan. It's my second one. I still have the first one but I turned it all black from muratic acid while using it to scrape rust and salt deposits on my boat engine exhaust risers. And I had to ultimately replace both the knife and the risers.

That was a good trick with the Leatherman in the drain. I know a ton of road techs who never go anywhere withoug one on their belt. When I was a stage manager I never went anywhere without a small Maglight on mine.

If I can add another tool to my short list above I still remember the day I bought a nice Makita mitre saw with a 60 tooth carbide blade and set it up with a jig to cut the corners for the Tabman Drawer Tables I was making for Jeff Busby. That was a good day too.

So many it would actually be hard to think of just one tool but I know people who make a living with three; a ruler, a saw and a hammer. Add a square and a pencil and you can build about anything from wood at least.

-=tabman


-=tabman

My favorite tool purchase is the one I use at the time I need it. I carry two pocket knives. A swiss and an electricians knife. Both were presents from my kids. Can't play favorites.
Ray

A Fairmont ball peen hammer. It was already old when I picked it up for 2 bucks at the La Verne swap meet in '77. The handle is a beautifully patinated brown hickory, with a deep black scar caused by a horseshoe I dropped on it way back when. Used mainly for planishing copper or brass raised work, it also drives nails, peens rivets, and cracks walnuts with equal grace and ease.