Just the other day in my first post about tools, I talked about my cheap drill that still gave faithful service even after smoking while turning the oil pump to prime the engine.  I am not a superstitious person, but today I used the drill for the first time since making that post and here is the result.

Maybe I should play it safe and not say anything good about particular tools just in case there is some sort of jinx at work.

This is the first post in the new tools category I created to document the equipment I use and my thoughts on tools in general.  While my use of tools is likely no different than most enthusiasts, I spent just over a year as the tool and equipment product manager for a major automotive warehouse distributor.  I don’t know everything about tools, but I do have some insight into the making of tools and how they come to market that is not available to everyone.

Tools should be viewed as an investment.  Good tools should last you a long time and if you plan to use them often, buying a high quality unit is worth it.  While I would love to buy the best of everything, but that isn’t possible, nor is it needed.

I buy Craftsman brand wrenches.  They aren’t too expensive, they have provided excellent service in the past, and their replacement policy is hard to beat.  I have also come to trust the GearWrench brand of products.  Danaher, is the parent company of GearWrench, and also the manufacturer of many Craftsman hand tools, including their wrenches last I checked.

I have some Blackhawk brand wrenches and Proto screwdrivers as a result of my previous job, and have found them to be the equal of the Craftsman or GearWrench products in all respects.  The problem is that they are harder to find, and the parent company, Stanley Tools, has mixed and matched tools of varying quality in the brands over time.  This makes purchasing decisions harder.

Generally, I try to buy American made tools.  Not only is it better for our nation, but they are also more often of higher quality.  It isn’t that you cannot find American made junk, just that the higher cost of domestic labor compared to China and Taiwan makes selling at the bottom of the price spectrum much more difficult.  Also, there are quality imports.  GearWrenches are made in Taiwan.  However, as a rule of thumb, the American made tool is the safer bet.

I am adamant about quality, American made tools when it comes to something that is designed to multiply torque.  I have shattered cheap Chinese breaker bars more than once.  I have seen a no-name imported bearing puller crack and fly apart when used.  I have bent a cheap pry bar such that it became jammed and needed to be cut out.  Just not worth it the time and aggravation, to make no mention of the safety risk.

There are exceptions.  If I am going to be modifying a tool, I will buy a cheap one.  Imported wrenches are perfect for putting to the grinder and making a low-profile specialty wrench that would otherwise cost a lot of money from a tool specialist or the dealer.

I don’t buy name-brand electric drills anymore.  The more expensive drills have plastic cases that seem to break just as easily as the cheapest ones when I knock them off the workbench on a 30° evening.  However, the cheap drills have their limitations.

The drill still works, but at the same time, if I am going to prime the engine again, I will need to get a stronger unit.

The other thing I like to do is make my tools better.  Not content with just modifying a car, I do modify tools as well.  Here is a really simple example.

With fabrication from metal stock becoming more common and my projects more ambitious, I am always on the lookout for ways to measure and cut more accurately.  While walking through Lowe’s Home Improvement, I made my customary search through the tool area.  I do this partly to see if there are any specials, partly to see if there is anything new, and partly out of habit from when I was a tool product manager and did comparison shopping whenever I had the opportunity.

There was a simple tool that caught my eye.  A triangle shaped tool from Swanson Tool Company, confusingly called a square.  I bought the 12″ Speedlite® Square.  Under five dollars and with the ability to help scribe lines parallel to an edge, measure angels and provide another right angle for making sure things are true, it seemed like a good deal.  It is designed to be used by roofers, and has directions on how to measure for rafters.  Roofs are a structure made of rectangular members, covered with a thing material.  Sounds a lot like a car which is just a rectangular frame covered with sheet metal or fiberglass.  At least that is what I told myself as I dropped it into the shopping cart.

The image in the link above is a bit misleading.  Here is what the unit I bought looked like.

The numbers are much harder to read than the one shown online.  I am not complaining; I bought the square while looking at it and didn’t see an online image until after the fact.  Thankfully, I knew how to improve the square.

Much easier to read and took very little time.  All I did was find a washable crayon, color everything, then wipe off the excess.  In a house with two kids, this is using what is available.  Here are some tips if you want to duplicate this on your own tools.

1. Use a washable crayon if the tool is plastic.  The chemicals needed to remove the regular kind might damage the tool.
2. When coloring, do so using  multiple angles, not just one pass side-to-side.  This will ensure you fill in all the numbers and hash marks.
3. Use low water pressure and a gentle touch with the rag to clean off the excess or you can pull the crayon off that you want to stay on.
4. This is a great thing to do with the kids.  You can color with them or even have them do it.  Just don’t use up their favorite color!

I have done this before on parts with numbers engraved.  It generally lasts as crayon is wax, and therefore naturally resistant to liquids.  However, putting it on a tool that will be handled a lot may push it beyond its limits.  I will let you know how it turns out.