What are your three favorite tools?

Mine include, my 9 inch lineman pliers, my six-inch Klein's screwdriver, and my "Wiggy"

Milwaukee "Hole Hawg" drill, just can't beat it for putting a hole in a stud in 3 seconds.

Check Point brand torpedo level, rare earth magnets keeps it from falling off the conduit & it has a 30 degree bubble for doing those no brainer offsets.

Klein ratcheting cable cutters, takes the work out of cutting large size cable.

Tom

I like the long screwdrivers too. The 602-6 and the 603-7 to be exact.

It's pretty hard to nail it down to three, but if I had to, I'd say my Kleins, my "Knopp" brand wiggy, and my Klein #11045 yellow handle strippers. Strippers you ask? Well, Klein started manufacturing them with larger plastic handles. I thought what a foolish idea, because they would be harder to put in my pouches. So, I bought all the original small handle 11045's I could find, which wasn't many by the way. I've probably got two or three brand new in the blister pack. I'll never use the big handle ones. I'll switch to Ideal first.

Whew! I'm long winded!

tom I love that check point level also
that thing has some dam strong magnets on it

My Milwaukee bandsaw, nothing cuts through pipe faster. I love to use this when roughing.
I would agree with the hole hawg and of course my Kleins(lineman pliers).

Klein offset #2 philips screw driver. Long handle Klein stripper. Little Fluke 73 meter. Not that it's "right" or "wrong" but I had a journeyman years ago who gave me a new Fluke meter and told me to learn how to use it. He took my wiggy and threw it away.

In defense of the wiggy, I never use the wiggy to measure voltage. I simply use it to feel for the buzz. Small buzz = 120 Big buzz = 240. If I'm only changing devices (receps or switches), I'll use my Fluke lighty up thingie. If I want to measure actual voltage, I take out my Fluke 87 or T5-600. The Knopp brand wiggy is small and fits in my bags nicely, unlike either of my Fluke products.

For me nothing beats a wiggy type tester for line voltage troubleshooting. I have plenty of 'fancy' meters but they are to sensitive to phantom voltage.

I also am very fond of my Fluke T-5 1000 volt, amp, ohm meter.

Other than that I would say the key to the truck when it is time to go home.

Knipex linemans, 1/3 less wieght to carry, but still keep the kliens in the truck. And, and Witte insulated flat, and phillips. Other than a fluke volt tick, the only things I carry on me. These are my fav's for the simple reason of wieght / performance. Klien makes some real nice (American made) tools and prefer them for most items, but those three items wiegh twice as much as the German stuff of equal or exceptional quality. (About the same price too.) Everything else is the tool box. I have some real favorites in there too, but too many to list.

My absolute favourite tool is the Klein bottle opener.
www.kleintools.com cat.# 98002BT in the Tool catalog.

1)My new cordless Panasonic metal circular saw...

(2)My answering machine with caller ID to screen out sales calls, and most of all...

(3)My bank deposit stamp (I love electrical work, but there are those tuition bills to pay).

Dave

I like my Bosch hammer drill, all of my Dewalt battery drills, battery sawzall, battery skill saw, flashlight (that entire package counts as one) and my side-cutters (9" pliers with crimp). I also really like my Kline 10 in 1 screwdriver.

You can do 90% of your work with just pliers and a screwdriver and maybe that ever-present battery drill.

MY Stanley 100-PLUS 5/16" screwdriver my Klein J2000-9NECR pliers and my 4Way torpedo level (and I think 4Way Level CO in Beaumont TX is out of business)does anyone know? I have looked for them on the web and I can't find them .

Best $30 ever spent: circuit tracer
Best $20 ever spent: two wheel cart
Best $10 ever spent: extension pole
Best $1 ever spent: spare car key

Three I carry in the plant at all times:
Klein 1/4" cabinet tip driver
Klein 5/16" cabinet tip driver
(both insulated)
Klein Insulated needle nose pliers

That handles 90%, the other 10% I go for the Fluke t5-1000, 87-III, and the other 22 pounds of tools in my pouch that stays in the cupboard until I need them.

LOL LOL

I have one tucked away, I have not needed it...yet.

My Milwaukee cordless screwdriver(6546-1)

My Ideal 9 inch pliers/hammer with crimp die

My Fluke voltage tick

shortcircuit

My Ideal vol-con elite (Wiggy on steroids with non-contact voltage detection & continuity)

My Klien "J2000" dykes - rated to cut through nails w/o breathing hard.

My Vaco "all in one" nut driver. Instead of the Klien version, which uses carbide teeth, this one has individual telescoping brass sleeves which are concealed in a shroud. Just push and turn. I don't think they're made anymore - my forman had one, and I got one when I scored the lot of tools from a friend's dad's estate.

My favorites are:

1) 7.2 volt makita cordless drill

2)Amprobe ac/dc clamp on meter

3) Klein lineman pliers with built in fish tape pulling grip

Cordless drill (with hex bit set).
Mini pliers.
Continuity tester (simple bttery-bulb type).

I have been tinkering with small electronics lately.

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

1. Vaco "twirly" screwdrivers

2. Cordless Drill

3. Fluke Non Contact Voltage Tester