Was thinking about this recently ...
Based on how much you paid for it, if anything, how long you've had it & how often you've use it.
Hopefully it should be more than a open end wrench or pair of vice grips
Mine was a Hobart handler 130. Bought it used with lrg bottle for $99. MANY yrs ago & its still going strong use it almost daily.
My two post lift. Best money I ever spent. No laying in the cat litter anymore.
Impact screw driver.
For a single tool that I've owned for a while, would be a floor jack. Bought probably 15-16 years ago, low profile aluminum.
If a "tool" also included wrench sets, then I would say my SnapOn socket/spanner set I bought some 35 years ago.
My Dell desktop PC for sure. My first PC I purchased the day after the first time I was laid off in "99.
Acetylene torch set, by far
One of these .
My brain. Generally essential, not easily replaceable and it didnt cost me anything, but upgrades are NLA.
for any of those with japanese bikes with buttery soft fasteners;
a jis (japan industry standard) driver set.
not the same as philips...
I've had the same socket set since I was 7 years old. 40 years.
I also got a pair of vice grips when I was real little. They're gone. But, real useful.
TiG welder. Miller 200 synchrowave.
A headlamp. It makes every job easier.
I really like my 914 ball joint tool. It makes it nice to take off and put on the ring nut without scarring it all up
My best tool ever
KERSHAW Speedsafe leak knife.
If I'm awake, It's on my side...PERIOD
Never leave home without it
O
For me the best tool that has been a prized position and money well spent is my power probe. It has made all my electrical jobs easier and a time saver. Its equally as important as a 10mm socket.
Cordless impact gun. It saves some actual work and time, but seems like a huge help when changing wheels.
My grinder with metal cut off wheel.
Best tool in my line of work, the rachet strap, you can get any car home, with enough straps...
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Bluetooth OBD scanner from Amazon. Not that useful on a 914, but repeatedly useful on the modern stuff.
Bought a Harbor Freight blast cabinet and turbo-charged it. Replaced the tube for a mixing valve and the gun with an Eastwood unit. That thing kicks butt and was invaluable when rebuilding my teener.
Hmmm. The tool I always love to use is my Sticky RX wheel hanger. It's great not struggling to get that first lug bolt in while also lifting the wheel.
The Tangerine engine lift plate is a close second. Great thread!
I would agree with the extendable magnet pen. I can't count the number of times that something dropped has managed to find its way to the most inaccessible crevice. That said, my "favorite" tool ever acquired is my father's wood handled framing hammer. Just guessing here but he probably purchased it around seventy years ago.
My Dayton Speedaire air compressor bought used off of the local Classified Gazette for $50 over 50 yrs ago. Still going strong and runs every air tool I have, no problem.
Dremel motor tool.
I've used that tool on just about everything. The one job that comes to mind where the Dremel saved the day was removing the rear wheel bearing races from my '86 930.
Procedure was to heat heat heat up the swing arm then pound the race out. No luck. Same with the race on the hub using a bearing splitter. Spent 2 days trying to get the races off. Then decided to slice the races with a cutoff wheel. 10 minutes later all the races were off.
I think my wife would say me….
I really like my Evolution 14” metal cut off saw, which I have owned it for about 3 years. Unlike most chop saws it uses a toothed rather than abrasive blade. The cuts are cleaner and the saw is cleaner in operation, producing MUCH less dust than an abrasive blade chop saw – actually more chips than anything. The only downside is that the blades are expensive ($80 & up) but they promise a 1000 cut life – in my experience that is probably accurate as I am still on my first blade and it will cut ½” stock clean & quick. The newer versions have detail refinements and are even better. I would buy one again for sure.
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My mill drillpress. It's old, weathered and makes all sorts of weird noises...Like me. Nice with a sanding drum too. It will even drill a hole right where you wanted it. It is older than the 914 and made with parts from three countries, but it works great.
My Bosch 4 1/2 inch angle grinder. I burned out 2 Black and Decker units building my car trailer in 1986. I bought the Bosch unit to complete the project and then used it for 10 years in the commercial garage business and still have it today restoring old Porsche’s in the barn.
Charlie
#1 - Big Bertha, the Bosch hammer drill I use to set bolts in rock for rock climbing.
#2 - Large Marge, the 3hp pneumatic angle grinder that I got at auction for 10 bucks. More power than my push mower. The manufacturer still makes rebuild kits, so the internals are all cherry again.
#3 - As yet unnamed Stanley #7 jack plane, found at a garage sale. Put an atom-splitting edge on the iron and still need to come up with a job big enough to need it. But if anyone ever breaks in to my house and I have that plane at hand, all they will get back is a big damp pile of a billion one-cell-thick anatomically correct slices.
This is a hard question.
The tool that has made me the most money is my Delta wood lathe.
The tool that made restoring cars easiest is probably the 60 gallon air compressor - though with good battery op tools I'm using less air these days.
I have a lot of nice tools, but those two are the backbone of my wood shop and restoration bay.
Zach
if the jis drivers fail, i like these (before resorting to an ez-out;
https://www.engineertools-jp.com/pz6465
My scissor lift.
My John Deere 5045E
Used for a thousand things on our 20 acres and maintaining our 1/2 mile drive (through neighbors property).
Also good once for lifting rear of 914 - as if it were a 2x4.........
But I think I'd give the impact driver a 2nd - but it's a long way from the tractor.......
GN
This is a question that is virtually impossible to have only one answer, but for removing tough screws, an impact driver has probably saved the most aggravation. Combo of kroil, or acetone/ATF soaking and a heat gun along with the impact driver has made life much easier than before. Here's a stock pic from amazon.
Dan
my 4 Post Lift
I don't know which is the best tool I've ever acquired for sure.
I can't decide between my small 8x19" Jet lathe or my 1950's era South Bend vertical knee mill.
If I have to choose just one, it's the lathe. A lathe can be used to machine all the parts needed to reproduce itself or even a mill (possible in theory but very difficult in practice). So I guess I have to go with the lathe.
The lathe makes modification of screws, bolts, washers/spacers, etc., so simple that I simply can't imagine living without it after having it for the last 20 years or so.
For my classic cars overall it has to be the automotive oscilloscope, snapon vantage pro - older unit but does the job and saves so much time on ignition problems
for the 914 has to be the electric needle sander
I don't have pictures, and not my best tool, but about 20 years ago I got a set of Stahlwille metric screwdrivers. When I first got them, I thought the handles felt kind of cheap, but they've held up well. There's a difference between SAE and metric screwdrivers and these have been great. They have a hex section on the shank just below the handle that you can put a wrench on for more torque.
Great gun, although the fuel and fasteners are pricey
My antique Plumb war finish combination 1/2” speed wrench and breaker bar. Bought at estate sale over 30 years ago for $3.00. Great for running lug nuts in and tightening. Breaks loose impossible nuts easily. Has swivel head and rotating handle. It’s been a reliable answer to many situations.probably manufactured in mid-1940’s. Lives in the 914.
Hehe he said tool
SirTools hub/bearing puller and install kit. I have used this on over 200 VAG hub carriers over the last 30 years.
Greg W.
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