Cool Tools Kit Awards 2020

Will do tomorrow, it's only a few mm, just enough to securely locate it.

Mine doesn't actually fall out the holder, but it does kind of slide slight out of position when placed  back on to the holder. It is a bit annoying, but so far it hasn't caused any issue. But if trimming fixes it, I might actually try it as well. Could you post a picture of yours, so I get a better idea on how far back to trim the sleeve, thanks

That Tenma is actually pretty darned good for the money - once you've got rid of the sponge for a brass wool tip cleaner . . . .

Did you find you had to slightly trim the sleeve around the handle to stop the iron falling out of the holder?

gecoz  wrote:

The tool I use the most is actually not a tool, but it is my storage "tower", which originally was used for my kids toys. I keep all my bits and pieces: tools, electronic components, old spare boards, etc. It also made my life a lot easier, as it stopped the wife having a go at me for leaving my stuff scattered all over the places!

I love my storage towers - Really Useful Boxes - they are quite pricey, but one of my local supermarkets got some in a couple of years ago and for some reason was knocking them out at half list price. I couldn't resist!

Inside the drawers i use a selection of different sized Really Useful Boxes - again, purchased when the price is right! - to hold modules ans sub assemblies. Components are stored in a variety of compartmented boxes

As far as your desert Island is concerned, who could disagree with anything on your list, especially the espresso machine, but I would prefer a supply of coffee beans and a hand operated grinder.

The tool I like the most is the Tenma soldering iron a got a few years back. It turned out to be extremely reliable, and it was pretty cheap as well, which is always a plus.

The tool I use the most is actually not a tool, but it is my storage "tower", which originally was used for my kids toys. I keep all my bits and pieces: tools, electronic components, old spare boards, etc. It also made my life a lot easier, as it stopped the wife having a go at me for leaving my stuff scattered all over the places!

What  i would like to have with me on a desert island? Well, for a start I would like to have a solar panel system, to harvest the power of the sun, so that I would have my own electricity to power the following tools I would have with me as well:

- laptop

- soldering station and solder (wick and flux as well... I suppose I wouldn't need a fume extractor, as I would probably work outside )

- vast assortment of prototyping boards, wires and components

- power supply

- oscilloscope

- dmm

- tools (pliers, wire cutters and strippers, etc)

- a satellite phone, to be able to make call and, more importantly, connect to the internet!

- an espresso coffee machine, with unlimited supply of ground coffee!!!

As an undergraduate in the late 1960s I supplemented my meagre grant by moonlighting in an electronics shop

The shop sold a reasonable range of components, some medium quality HiFi amplifiers and loud speakers. They also hired out amplifiers, microphones and loud speakers for events needing a public address system, sometimes complete with an operator - sometimes me!! As you might expect, there were also repairs and sometimes I helped to build stuff from scratch.

Up to that point, I'd used my father's tools, such as they were. Working in this environment, with access to trade prices, gave me the opportunity to start to build my own toolkit. The bossman let me pay by instalments for each tool!

The first 3 tools I bought in that way were:

1. A pair of Lindstrom side cutters
2. A pair of Lindstrom wire strippers
3. A 6 BA nut spinner or nut runner, the handle of which has seen better days!

The side cutters don't get much use these days - a bit too bulky; the strippers are used a lot; 6BA doesn't map easily across to metric!!

My desert island would include a solar powered computer with satellite link to element14 and the web.

Very interesting thought experiment.  My desert island kit would include:

• A solid DVM, like my Agilent (Keysight) U1242A,
• A good power supply,
• A solar powered battery charger/converter to run my tool kit equipment,
• A good set of test leads,
• A calculator
• A good magnet to pick up all the tiny screws I drop (& to build a compass with),
• A good set of tweezers to pick up those tiny screws with,
• A compartmentalized container to place all my tiny parts in,
• A wearable magnifier to help see those tiny parts,
• A boat load of good flashlights (not the free one at Harbor Freight),
• A bigger boat load of batteries for the flashlights,
• My pocket knife,
• A good tape measure,
• A good set of screwdrivers, all sizes and tips (i.e. Flat bladed, phillips, pozidriv, torx, hex, etc.),
• A good set of hand tools (i.e. Slotted pliers, needle nose pliers, dental clamps, vise locks, tin cutters, wire cutters/strippers, wrenches, scissors, files, etc.),
• A set of different size brushes,
• A set of needles with thread,
• A good portable soldering iron (w/ solder and flux),
• A good solder sucker/removal tool (for my mistakes),
• A sonic screwdriver (if it's good enough for Dr. Who, it will be good enough for me),
• A good strong tool box,
• A solid glue,
• A reliable (& accurate) GPS,
• A satellite phone,
• A powerful transceiver to broadcast my rescue message and coordinates

I know I forgot many useful items and will remember them as soon as I post this.  Oh wait, I remembered, my fishing pole (now where did I put it?).

Oldest Friend (tool that you've had the longest): My multi socket wrench

Most Reliable (the tool you use most often): My DVM or Pocket Knife (hard to choose)

Weapons Rack (the tool that you'd proudly put on display if you had to): My hammer

Dream Tool (a tool that either you don't believe exists, or for whatever reason you've never purchased):

  A Star Trek Transporter or a T.A.R.D.I.S with operating manual(s) (another hard choice, but both helpful in getting off a desert island)

Regards, Gordon

On reading the post, I looked over at my tool box and immediately thought, I can't live without my Romex Wire Stripper. That is what it was called some 30 years ago when I bought it. An Google search returns a number of fancy wire strippers but none like the simple design in  picture. You insert the flat electrical Romex wire into the hole, pinch the jaws and pull, you get the outside insulation cut without nicking the internal wires.

If I recall the tool cost me close to $2 when I purchased it but, the amount of knuckle skin that I have managed to retain over the years justifies the purchase. Cutting insulation on large electrical wires using a manual tool you are surely going to rap your knuckles on something. Forget to cut insulation away from wires before inserting in the box?  No problem, the little beauty will reach into the electrical box and open the insulation without skin removal or curse words.

My son in-law borrowed my tool box one day. After discovering the Romex was missing I layed into him. When he found the tool he was surprised at why I had gotten so upset over a little piece of tin. Lose my drill or my skill saw that is fine. Just don't forget to put the wire stripper back where you found them son!

It is surprisingly hard to pick a favorite tool, but it is a lot of fun recalling all the great tools and trying to compare them. I am first going to narrow it down to just 3 candidates and even that was plenty hard. Believe me there are lots of tools that a am very fond of that could easily be on this short list.

In order that they were acquired.... first up is a lowly set of pliers purchased circa 1974:

These are not an especially high quality pair of pliers, they just happen to have the exact shape that makes them more useful than any other pair I have used. They have been used on countless projects, but are still hanging in there and they are still the most used pliers in my tool collection. I do have several other pairs of bent needle nosed pliers, but they have different bend angles at a different distance from the tip and just aren't as universally useful. If you don't have a pair with similar geometry, it will be well worth your while to spend some time looking for a pair like this.

Next up is an odd screwdriver I acquired circa 1979:

This is called a Screwball and is easily my favorite screwdriver of all time. It holds 4 easily accessed bits and has a great visible direction ratchet or lock. The large diameter ball makes it easy to apply a large torque without any ridges to shred your fingers. It also nicely distributes the load when you have to apply a large axial load. Most other screwdrivers will poke a hole in your palm in similar situations. That feature alone is worth the price of admission. The ergonomics of using this screwdriver are just phenomenal. I can't believe no other manufacturer has figured this out. Unfortunately mine broke (the ratchet) and they are not sold anymore. I would dearly love to see someone start making a similar screwdriver so I could snap one up. Maybe I could do a 3D printed ball on a regular ratchet, but the other features still wouldn't be as good. I actually did print a big round handle to hold a tap chuck and it also works great to spread the load on my palm.

Finally I have to include my Anycubic I3 Mega 3D printer purchased circa 2018:

I believe this is the most expensive tool I ever purchased (over $300). I own more expensive instruments, including an oscilloscope that I really really like, but I didn't pay for them, I won them on element14. Although the scope is awesome, I only use it a tiny fraction of the amount of time I use this printer. I even have a more expensive printer (also won from element14), but this is the machine I use all the time. It allows easy changing of the filament during a print and the prints just pop off the bed when it cools. I have not kept track of how many prints it has produced, but it is many hundreds. Needless to say, this expenditure has been well worth it for me, a 3D printer is now an essential tool for me.

Comparing these tools is an exercise in futility, they don't perform the same tasks, so performance metrics don't apply, and they have almost nothing in common.

However, my choice for favorite tool is the Screwball. It is just the most unusual yet perfect tool for its purpose.

One last note - the tool I would most like that I do not have is a Voltera V-One PCB printer:

This instrument can print double sided PCBs and even drill vias - the missing link in a complete electronics fab shop at home.