Technical Best non-essential tool purchase

For an active restoration - what is the single best “non-essential” tool or item you have purchased? Why did you make the purchase? Let’s also realize that everyone is a bit different and what someone finds essential someone else might not.

I will start - rotisserie. I would never do another full car without one. Totally transformed how I went about this work.

 

Non essential, that would be the hydraulic brake line flaring tool kit. Best $350 I ever spent on a tool.

 

Everything I buy has a purpose. I need it when I buy it, and can’t get it any other way. I’ve bought a few tools for a single job, but usually end up using them again for something.

 

I guess my lathe is non-essential but I'd sure miss it if I didn't have it.

Gary

 

Probably my snap on impact screwdriver. Had a cheap one I kept breaking bits on and had to wait on it to get it to work. And it always bothered the screw heads. Bought the snap on one to pull some screws that rats had been peeing on for 50 years. Barely tapped it and the screws came out easy. And only knocked rust off the head where it touched. Been meaning to buy one to go in my work tool box lol

 

My non-essential is buying multiple tools such as wrenches , visegrips , sockets etc. because wether from a store, yard sale or an estate sale I cannot leave a quality tool left behind. Same goes with power tools. Same electric, air and battery powered . I have the same problem with car parts wether I need them or not.

 

There is such thing as a non-essential tool?
I did not get this memo
I am a connoisseur fine quality tools and I have three vintage 1970s Craftsman tool boxes overly full of tools (My friends call it the Wall of Craftsman all three tool boxes I added center sections to you for extra space lol) now I am working on the fourth one, I don't think a single tool that I have is not essential.
I remember when I got my little Americano made (pre-tiky land era) Hobart welder when I was 20 years old it was two and a half weeks worth of my minimum wage paycheck I had to save for it for probably 4 months I thought at that time it was not an essential item As soon as I got it and used it a few times repairing rusty floors I realized how essential it was to my car hobby.
Another one was Snap-on flare nut wrenches I used to use inferior Taiwanese garbage for years then one day I rounded off my last flare nut about 5 hours before I was supposed to go to Viva (I think this was in 2004 ish) I ended up taking a Chinese pair of vice grips kinking over the brake line and pinching it shut and driving on front brakes only on my 73 Continental (that I still have and yes I know it was a bit to new for the Shifters car show but you do what you got and it was still older than all the guys with pompadours driving civics lol, I think back then there was maybe 40 to 50 cars that I would consider vintage going to Viva), amazingly enough driving to Las Vegas and back with only front brakes I made it home safely (There is a couple of step grades between Las Vegas and Southern California) and I pledged to myself as I was repairing that brake line and cussing at it that I was going to buy quality flare nut wrenches I wasn't making much money So I went on eBay and bought one at a time used Snap-on flare nut wrenches, once I bought them they were definitely and essential buy And I've never had another stripped flare nut...
I have very similar stories to pretty much every tool I own and this includes my pickup truck which is just a tool for my hot rodding hobby (I hope to replace it with a vintage pre smog tool soon).

 

Dimple die for pressing in 2 dimples on my front fenders.

 

Save me from Google. What exactly is it used for and how it it used?

 

All tools are essential as far as I’m concerned.

 

A portable band saw. One time I ordered something on Ebay. A one box item. UPS dropped off 2 boxes addressed to me addressed to me. I was never billed and they never asked for it back. I seldom use a hacksaw anymore.

 

My 2 post lift! At first, it wasn't essential but as I get older, it gets more essential!

 

With out a doubt, one of the most overlooked tools, but extremely essential in my opinion.

 

Every tool is essential in its specific application. If I have a job that needs done, and the choice is to hire someone to do it or buy the special tool required for the job, I will always buy the special tool. Down the road I will usually find another use for that tool.

 

I'd say my 4-post hoist is #1. I could do the stuff without it, but does it ever make tasks so much easier.

Also my porta-power. Don't need it all the time, but when you do it's extremely useful.

I also just bought a rivet nut tool. Sure, I could just weld a nut on in some cases, but this will do a treat when needed.

 

I guess my battery operated sawzall wasn’t essential, as I had a larger 110v one that I’ve used for decades, but it sure is convenient for tighter spaces…

 

Two-post lift and a planishing hammer. Both initially non-essential but they made this sooooo much easier:

 

A forty-something inch bolt cutter.
Can't really say I need it,
But when the occasion arises, Bingo
Beats a saw or a carbide disc.

 

My 4 post lift. Worked for years with out one, but it’s been a game changer for me as I am older.

 

I'm still in my 30's and it makes working on cars much less fatiguing.

 

There are no non-essential tools.

 

I'm still trying to think of one.......maybe the aircraft tools I bought for the airplane I never built. Sometimes tools set unused for years........but then when you do need them they save the moment. I have learned to remove the batteries from seldom used tools so they don't corrode and ruin the tool.........


Oh, just thought of one.......the distributor tester that I have never used.

 

I honestly don't own a tool that is not essential, from the ones I have purchased over the years to a few I have fabricated.

I am fortunate to have a network of friends who own tools that allow me to use when I need them, like big sheet metal brakes & lathes. HRP

 

I have to agree with this statement. I own a lot of tools, and while some very rarely get used, the time saved or more importantly, the improvement in the quality of the work proves their 'essential' worth. We've all 'made do' but how many times has that resulted in broken parts, being 'not quite right', or taking an inordinate amount of time to do?

 

I carefully examined the total cost incurred in chasing down tools to borrow, rent, or to be allowed to use in order to produce quality results.

The "chase time" is time that I cannot bill, nor do I have simply free to waste.

The cost has always been at, or quite close to purchasing the tool. The bonus is when I need the tool again.

 

Extra of common socket sizes. Those things can really hide themselves.

 

Exhaust gas 02 analyser. Hardly ever gets used but when it does it takes all the guesswork out of carb tuning and fault finding on the induction side.

 

Yep, there's that to consider also. I live way the hell out in the sticks and if I have to go to 'town' it's a minimum of 45 minutes, double that if I can't find what I need in Yelm (all too often). Besides the time lost, fuel costs aren't inconsiderable any more. I also keep a fairly large inventory of nuts, bolts, screws, wire terminations, and 'consumables' (drill bits, sanding/grinding/cutting discs) on hand to cut down on unneeded trips. Hand tools I'll always try to buy quality; power/air tools can vary, there quantity may be my choice. I use the cheap HF 4/5" grinders, but have enough of them that if one fails (and they do from time to time) I have another one to plug in. Their small air tools (die grinders, nibblers, drills) are pretty good too, but again failures aren't uncommon. The problem with their electric tools for a pro shop is a lot of them don't meet OSHA standards.

 

Yup. Everything I build has a wideband O2 sensor bung on the collector, or downtube.

Carburetor tuning takes an hour, if the engine is already warmed up.

 

Probably my $250 Jegs plasma cutter. Rolled the dice and won with that purchase