ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area What are your three favorite tools?

1.NON CONTACT VOLTAGE TESTER
2.Speedo
3.Cordless drill/hammer drill

It was a close call between my NON CONTACT VOLTAGE TESTER and my square drive screwdriver..Klien of course!

mustang


[This message has been edited by mustangelectric (edited 09-19-2004).]

Not sure if this is the true spirit of this thing but
1] 6" half round file. Small, easy to carry. Use flat side to smooth straight edges, square conduit ends, etc. Use round side to de-burr inside of conduit. Use edge [~30º] to clean up mangled threads.
2] Vice Grip 12-LC. A very useful, large form of ViceGrips. Originally bought to stabilize one side of a compression coupling while tightening the other with GripLock or Knippex. Then discovered it to be the solution to the prohibition of vices on job sites. First I clamped it on the rail of a scissors lift to keep the conduit being cut from sliding all over the place and then realized that it was perfect for clamping said pipe to the railing and no problems since. Really good for holding small parts to do other wise impossible or unsafe work. Highly recommended. About ~$20 @ HD and elsewhere but not Lowe's.
3] 1/2" step drill from Harbor Freight, that mecca of tool fiends, with a 1/4" hex shank. This snaps into my Panasonic or other quick change, speedLock set-up.
~Peter

When I was on the floor in a plant full of relay logic, I carried a neon test light, a long blade straight screwdriver and an 18" clip lead. If I couldn't handle it with just those, I usually needed half a toolbox.

Mustang, what the heck is a speedo? Is it an offset screwdriver?

[This message has been edited by royta (edited 09-21-2004).]

More favorite tools:

Rot-zip, but blades/bits are always sold out. But, chews through plaster and lathe ,better than any trained rat.

Fluke 332 clamp-on, much better than waiting for smoke signals in the panel, and better than measuring voltage with my tongue!

My right hand.... Udjustable nut/screw driver, and spins out 6/32's - 3/8's better than a dewalt. If fact operates most of the other favorite tools.

3 cheers for the right hand.... unless you're a lefty.....

1,Milwaukee 18v cordless kit.
2,Bosch sds max.For ground rods.
3,Greenlee C418 circuit tracer

I just bought Ideal's new 7-in-1 screwdriver a couple of week ago and I have to say it's broken into my top 5 handiest tools. It has a wirenut driver in the butt of the handle that drives every brand of wirenut I've come across. The handle grip is longer than my Klein 10-in-1 and fits my large hands better. I bought an accessory #2 square bit for it and love it. My Fluke T5-600 and Klein Journeyman pliers are the two other tools I reach for most frequently every day. My LG cell phone and Palm Zire 71 are probably my most used tools on a daily basis but not always my favorites.

...Hmmm,...mine has to be,...[#1].Klein Journeyman Linesmans with crimping die,(blue grips),..[#2].Etcon voltage/continuity tester,[#3].DeWalt 18 volt hammer drill..Hey Joe, this isn't fair, it's impossible to choose from so many favorite tools..
Russ

 
Whittling it down to three is a tough call.

My bread and butter has been troubleshooting, so my all-time favorites are the original [1977] Fluke 8020A multimeter and Y8101 “clothespin” current probe.

Number 3 might be a Greenlee QuickDraw-90 punch or AC non-contact tester.

#1 Computer

#2 Fluke T-5 Tester

#3 (Toss up) Big Hammer, Chain Saw