Originally Posted By: brelandt
kinda leaning towards this one...
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00930569000P?prdNo=24&blockNo=24&blockType=G24
Reason being it has lots of extensions and the larger metric deepwell that i use just on my truck alone!
lipadj46 went to the site you provided but they had a few odd/broken links when i was attempting to look further into their products.....
Several good ideas but the basic set you have linked is a good start. The ONLY thing I would change is the ratchets for now. A good Snap-on 80 tooth or Matco 88 is worth the money. Check out Garage Journal or EBay for a good deal on one or buy one with your 50% student discount.
There are a few things that I would call a "must" from the truck. Buy with cash WHEN you can and AS NEEDED and you won't get into trouble with payments if anything happens. The Snap-on flare nut wrenches, gold colored heavy duty Torx sockets and Hex sockets are worth the money and almost any pro tech with have them.
Sears also carries pliers made by Knipex at a lower cost than the "Knipex" brand ones. Other than that, wait until you get into the business and see what is required in the shop you are at. You might need SAE and metric or just one of them, the shop might furnish pullers, DVOM's, etc. You should also look and see what the better techs in the shop have, use and buy. Not the techs that THINK they are good, but the ones that DO the work without comebacks. THOSE are the guys you want to talk to and ask questions about the tools of the trade.
I have a LOT of Snap-on tools and think they are some of the best available BUT they are VERY expensive for a beginning tech and a lot of them are re-branded from other suppliers. If they are re-branded, buy them from the OEM and save the cash. Examples of those would be PI and CDI for torque wrenches, Fluke for meters, Star for compression and fuel pressure gauges (they are the OEM for Matco). Other companies have some of the best gear out there but are limited in what they supply (Bondhaus, Channel Lock, Mayhew, etc).
All of those can come on an as needed basis. The general rule in a shop is if you have had to borrow a tool twice, buy it. Always remember, if you borrow a tool, RETURN IT CLEAN. If you break it, own up to it and buy the tech another of the same type. You will always have their respect and will not have a problem borrowing a tool that way. One BIG thing to remember. If you value your life, don't go digging around in another techs box without them telling you it is OK. You can and will get hurt doing that.....
For a box, I would suggest a GOOD cart to start with. They can be rolled all over the shop to where they are needed, will be an addition to your main box that you will wind up buying (if you stay in the business). A GOOD cart is not cheap but will be abused, rolled, dinged, have the casters dropped into holes, etc. I prefer Snap-on KRSC series (my current is a KRSC326) as they are made in Canada, tough as nails, have good casters and they LAST. If you can find an equal to them from Matco or Mac, go for it.
You can get a cheaper cart (HF comes to mind) but they will not hold up in a shop environment as well as a pro level box. They are great for home or light duty use however. Be very careful of the tools you buy at places like HF. Most of the hand tools are low quality and you need to sift thru a lot to find a few "gems".
kinda leaning towards this one...
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00930569000P?prdNo=24&blockNo=24&blockType=G24
Reason being it has lots of extensions and the larger metric deepwell that i use just on my truck alone!
lipadj46 went to the site you provided but they had a few odd/broken links when i was attempting to look further into their products.....
Several good ideas but the basic set you have linked is a good start. The ONLY thing I would change is the ratchets for now. A good Snap-on 80 tooth or Matco 88 is worth the money. Check out Garage Journal or EBay for a good deal on one or buy one with your 50% student discount.
There are a few things that I would call a "must" from the truck. Buy with cash WHEN you can and AS NEEDED and you won't get into trouble with payments if anything happens. The Snap-on flare nut wrenches, gold colored heavy duty Torx sockets and Hex sockets are worth the money and almost any pro tech with have them.
Sears also carries pliers made by Knipex at a lower cost than the "Knipex" brand ones. Other than that, wait until you get into the business and see what is required in the shop you are at. You might need SAE and metric or just one of them, the shop might furnish pullers, DVOM's, etc. You should also look and see what the better techs in the shop have, use and buy. Not the techs that THINK they are good, but the ones that DO the work without comebacks. THOSE are the guys you want to talk to and ask questions about the tools of the trade.
I have a LOT of Snap-on tools and think they are some of the best available BUT they are VERY expensive for a beginning tech and a lot of them are re-branded from other suppliers. If they are re-branded, buy them from the OEM and save the cash. Examples of those would be PI and CDI for torque wrenches, Fluke for meters, Star for compression and fuel pressure gauges (they are the OEM for Matco). Other companies have some of the best gear out there but are limited in what they supply (Bondhaus, Channel Lock, Mayhew, etc).
All of those can come on an as needed basis. The general rule in a shop is if you have had to borrow a tool twice, buy it. Always remember, if you borrow a tool, RETURN IT CLEAN. If you break it, own up to it and buy the tech another of the same type. You will always have their respect and will not have a problem borrowing a tool that way. One BIG thing to remember. If you value your life, don't go digging around in another techs box without them telling you it is OK. You can and will get hurt doing that.....
For a box, I would suggest a GOOD cart to start with. They can be rolled all over the shop to where they are needed, will be an addition to your main box that you will wind up buying (if you stay in the business). A GOOD cart is not cheap but will be abused, rolled, dinged, have the casters dropped into holes, etc. I prefer Snap-on KRSC series (my current is a KRSC326) as they are made in Canada, tough as nails, have good casters and they LAST. If you can find an equal to them from Matco or Mac, go for it.
You can get a cheaper cart (HF comes to mind) but they will not hold up in a shop environment as well as a pro level box. They are great for home or light duty use however. Be very careful of the tools you buy at places like HF. Most of the hand tools are low quality and you need to sift thru a lot to find a few "gems".
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