What’s your best tool purchase ?

[BaldricParticipant @baldric]

Best buys for me are probably a DRO for my mill and ER32 collet holders for use in the lathe and mill.

Worst buy probably also cheap drill sets, spend the money on a reasonable set, I find even if you work in imperial a metric set in 0.1mm steps will be close enough for drilled holes and more convenient than having fractions, letters and numbers.

Baldric

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Best buys… Diamond tool holder from Eccentric & ER25 collet set & holders from CTC tools, DRO's with remote readout for mill… worst buys… as others cheapo drills… used for general drilling, plus plenty of spares… replaced as & when by Guhring, Dormer, or Presto over time.

George.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

On a much smaller level the mole grip clamp on my drill table. They were all over MEX for a couple of years back last century as the latest gimmic. As it is attached to the table it doesn't walk off and doesn't have an alternative use anyway so ensures ready availability and safe drill practice.

[BowberParticipant @bowber]

Best machine tool has to be a Denford CNC mill made in the 80's, converted it to Mach and it's been great, good quality mill with proper big ball screws.

Presto drill set, a good set of drills last way longer and can drill tough materials without a problem.

Worst , mmmm not sure on that one as even cheap crap tools get used if only to convert into a one use tool.

Steve

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

Best tool. My Vax Powa 4000 vacuum cleaner. It happily sucks up anything you throw at it – providing it can get it down the tube, that is. It's emptied waterlogged water taps in the street, sucked excess water off flooded carpets, cleaned carpets although I'm not too sure how good the process is, cleaned the lathe and milling machine of all the swarf, and so on. It's only 23 years old, and although somewhat battered by now, and the water pump for carpet cleaning failed late last year, it is still giving good service. Thankyou Vax.

Other than that, well I have a lot of good quality tools which will be capable of giving good service long after I've gone. I've also got a fair amount of medium/low quality tools which do the job, but only because I know their limitations and act accordingly.

Probably the worst tools are a digital caliper from ****, which a) isn't that accurate, and b) even the out of accuracy isn't consistent – work that one out. I've also got a 100mm dial caliper which has obviously been damaged at some point because it's uneven in action and the zero position seems to vary from 0 to – 0.1mm. And no, it's not dirt on the external jaws. Mind you, I did find recently that the main bar has a curve in it.

Peter G. Shaw

Edited By Peter G. Shaw on 12/05/2015 15:43:03

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Peter G. Shaw on 12/05/2015 15:42:31:

Probably the worst tools are a digital caliper from ****, which a) isn't that accurate, and b) even the out of accuracy isn't consistent – work that one out.

.

Peter,

For what it's worth; [according to my 'Boys Own Book of Pedantry'] you have just nicely drawn the dstinction between [poor] accuracy and [poor] precision.

MichaelG.

[JAParticipant @ja]

Having a good second garage built when I bought my house. Bikes in the original garage and workshop in the second, car outside.

As for tools: Swiss made digital calipers and a set of Dormer drills from 1.0mm to 10.0mm in 0.1mm steps. I should add apprentice tool kit (including 0 – 1" micrometer, calipers etc, all Moore and Wright) bought at 2/1 a week for four years. Overalls were included but those disappeared many many years ago (they would not fit me now anyway).

JA

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

WIfe, she cooks cleans etc. bargain and she only cost till death do us part😜

Bri

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Bison BIAL are polish company:

http://www.bison-bial.co.uk/history

Bison (structural concrete) in Swadlincote have a more impressive Bison statue though

Neil

[LathejackParticipant @lathejack]

Some of the best stuff I have bought is definitely the Taiwanese 6×4 inch metal cutting band saw, and the bigger 7×12 version made in China. These take all the toil and misery out of workshop activities, hacksaws! Pah!!

Also the replacement three phase motors plus inverter drives for most of my machines, they are simply fabulous, transforming noisy, vibrating and rattly machines into silky smooth machine tools.

And probably the Taiwanese made Warco VMC turret mill built in the late 1990's which I have owned for almost 17 years. Quite a bit of rework was needed but I have always liked this type of mill for use in the home shop. The current slightly heavier built Chinese made versions are quite a good buy.

Some of the worst gear I have bought in the past, and still have, is a Vertex badged K4 milling vice, and unfortunately a new Warco 1330 geared head lathe.

[martyn nutlandParticipant @martynnutland79495]

Nick_G

Absolutely right. Polish. Sorry about that.

Martyn

[maurice bennieParticipant @mauricebennie99556]

A friend was throwing away a 21" DISSTON panel saw because the blade was bent. He had already bought a new

saw. My grandfather was a blacksmith and showed me how to straiten them ,which I did .I now have a beautiful tool ,certainly my favourite . There are eight names ,(removed) and one still there N.STALLON ,I wonder who he was? My cheapest tool. My most expensive ,a set of useless drills , It seems that many of us are caught ,but only once .

Maurice.

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

My 4" Record bench vice. I bought it when I was 14 for 10/- (50p) in 1962, the vice jaws need replacing or re grinding. Here are some on E-bay :- .ebay.co.uk/itm/1-x-IRWIN-Record-PT-D-Replacement-Pair-Jaws-Screws-115mm-4-1-2in-23-Vice-VIC-/171296146753?_trksid=p2054897.l5659 £55 reduced from £90. I think I will have a go at regrinding mine.

Frank

[Johnboy25Participant @johnboy25]

I bought a Record No 4 in 1970 it think it cost me more than weeks salary! I remember I bought three bolts to fixe it to my bench that I that I 'acquired' from the Royal Aircraft Establishment which is another story! I've still got the bench and vice which has served me well over all these years.

John

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

I'd second Bowber, my Denford Novamill.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

My best buy has probably been the Silverline brand 1/2" drive socket set, bought after the end of my Apprenticeship in about 1970.

Still have and use it regularly, W/W Metric and A/F sizes marked, two sockets replaced (loaned and not returned) and the metal box has pretty much had it, otherwise it has given sterling service.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> My 4" Record bench vice. I bought it when I was 14 for 10/- (50p) in 1962

I can beat that, my Record No. 3 was free from the recycling centre, just needed a broken pin in the screw replacing IIRC. Could do with a shim where the moving part passes through the body, to be honest.

Neil

[brickyParticipant @bricky]

My best buy was my Mk1 Myford Super Seven bought in 1987 made in 57.It has been a joy to use and after a regrind

in 2005 is as accurate as new.I have a large bore Myford I bought at the Myford sale but don,t get the pleasure of using it as much as the old girl.My worst buy was a set of taps and dies ,the die wouldn't cut brass .Cheap.

Frank

[JonParticipant @jon]

So many brilliant tools its hard to list, unfortunately most cost. Off top of my head Kennametal threading tools, Ceratizit drill/turn/bore, Iscar Do Grip DGTR, Dewalt repo saw awesome, English old files and hacksaw blades.

Likewise so many bad experiences with tools I cannot also list but what springs to mind are:- Nutool beefy bench drill, Mini lathe, Glanze tools, unbranded drills, B&Q branded linisher and repo saw.

[Nigel McBurney 1Participant @nigelmcburney1]

I suppose my best tool purchase was the M & W and eclipse tools bought during my apprenticeship, and for a while afterwards, at 5 shillings a week, 1958 to 1964 my toolmakers cabinet was the most expensive at 147 shillings,the price was marked on it in pencil and its still there,it took over half a year saving.though there was some discount. When I had a bit of cash saved in the club and lived and breathed motor cycles I got my employer to get me a bench vise the same as we used every day at work,it was a Parkson as big as a record 6 inch but with narrower jaws ,nice vice to work with and I still use it every day.

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

I suppose one of my best bargains was the workshop compressor, 100L tank and a twin cylinder westinghouse compressor unit, needed a rewire and the pressure switch replacing, but it cost me £3, from the local recycling centre, in the days when they would still let you take electrical items.

One of my best tools is a Facom multi grip wrench (like mole grips on steriods) cost me £25 back in 1981 and still using them today along with a set of Stanley screwdrvers, bought in 1979 when I started my apprenticeship and still going strong.

[FatgadgiParticipant @fatgadgi]

Best Purchase ?

Perhaps not strictly the best, but I have some simple quality tools bought second hand, that I really enjoy using.

First to spring to mind is an eclipse tap wrench. Honest, quality tool that has the edges worn smooth through (I like to think) hours of useful past work.

Worst ? Yep, I agree, cheap, bargain tools that break first outing and have been replaced. I tend not to get "duped" like that nowadays !

(brilliant topic Peter, by the way)

Cheers – Will

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

A good quality 1/4" drive socket set with ratchet, extension bars, deep sockets, uni joint etc etc.

It gets into places on motorbikes and cars that simply would not be possible otherwise.

Couldn't live without it now.

[Phil CatchesidesParticipant @philcatchesides15448]

Dremel plus accessories, never gets put away

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Longest lived despite being well used: Elora socket set purchased in 1966 and still nothing has broken.

Best value for money: Edgar lathe bought in 1971 for £50, or was it the Atlas that replaced it five years later and is still in use despite a more recent lathe that has come and gone.

Russell.

[Author]

Posts