Invest in basics for the perfect toolbox - Off Duty, Technology - Army Times

Invest in basics for the perfect toolbox

A garage full of tools is a beautiful thing, but not everyone has a garage — or the money to spend on a full array of tools for every purpose. A good way to winnow it down is to imagine you’re getting ready for a weeklong camping trip — or heading out on a deployment.

What would be essential — as well as portable and affordable? What would fit in a duffel bag, your closet or the trunk of your car?

These are the must-haves I’d want in my kit:

Hemostat

A hemostat can be an extra pair of hands, or it can clamp shut a fuel hose while you’re working on the line. Hemostats look like scissors but aren’t for cutting. They’re designed to clamp or secure delicate items, from your body’s arteries to the small pieces of that scale-model battleship you’re trying to put together. Clamping force is adjustable, too. Widget Supply has a great selection.

• Price: Starting at about $8.

Rubber mallet

Just about everyone, handyman or not, already has a hammer lying around. But a rubber mallet won’t dimple metal or wood, so you can budge what needs to be budged without ruining it. A good example of an everyday use for a rubber mallet is securing wheel covers/trim rings after doing a brake job or changing a flat tire. They’re also handy for tapping loose or stuck/sticky metal parts without damaging them, or coaxing a new window into place without messing up the frame.

• Price: About $7.

Maxclaw rubber strap wrench

This can come in handy for all kinds of jobs, from loosening an oil filter that’s in a really tight or hard-to-reach place or tightening a plumbing fitting that’s bigger than any wrench you’ve got in your toolbox. And unlike channel locks or vise grips, it won’t scratch what you’re working on. The wrenches come in two sizes, 5.5-inch diameter capacity and 3.75-inch diameter capacity. Available online.

• Price: $22 for a pair.

Tape set

With a roll of electrical tape and a roll of duct tape, you can usually solve almost any problem — at least temporarily — from a frazzled wire to a leaking sink. Duct tape can be a godsend on the road to seal a power window that won’t rise or to make a field-dressing bandage. It also works great for patching holes in clothes and camping gear. Keep a roll of electrical tape with you in your car, too. You can use it to rig a failed electrical connection that would otherwise leave you stuck and out of luck.

• Price: About $10.

PVC/conduit pipe

This is every handyman’s best friend. A 2- or 3-foot section of plastic pipe can be used to apply extra leverage to a breaker bar or ratchet handle in order to free a seized-up or super-tight bolt. Just slip the pipe over the handle of the ratchet bar and turn. Make sure the diameter of the pipe is larger than your socket wrench’s handle.

• Price: Less than $10.

JB Weld

This stuff is miraculous. It’s a superstrength epoxy “cold weld” that comes in two tubes you mix together, then apply to your broken item. Once dry, it can be drilled and tapped; exposed to oil, grease and motor fuels; and subjected to temperatures as high as 500 degrees without failing. It works on porous and nonporous surfaces and cleans up with water. It sets in about four to six hours and is fully cured within 24 hours. With it you can fix almost anything, anywhere, anytime.

• Price: Less than $6.

Tip-proof/magnetic level

From hanging pictures on a wall to framing an actual wall, a good level is an essential handyman’s tool. But sometimes it’s hard to get an accurate reading because the level tips over or won’t stay perfectly upright. This 24-inch professional quality level will stay put — and give you precise and accurate readings every time. It features tip-proof (and rubberized) ends and magnetized surfaces, so it stays in place while you work.

• Price: $14.

Noncontact voltage tester

This tool lets you quickly and safely check whether an outlet is working — and whether those wires you’re about to touch are “hot” (carrying voltage). And you can do it without dealing with bare wires. The single probe tester senses AC voltage from 50 to 600 volts and has visual and audible indicators. Even if you don’t do your own electrical work, a voltage tester can help you identify the problem.

• Price: $16.

Multipurpose saw with bit driver

This tool has three specific-purpose blades — wood, metal and drywall — as well as a hex socket adapter with seven different bits, including multiple sizes of standard and Phillips-head screwdrivers, eliminating the need to carry a separate set of screwdrivers. The handle is a compact switchblade type that folds out and can be locked into two different positions, giving maximum leverage when used as a driver and multiple angles of attack when used as a saw. The saw can tackle a variety of common household jobs and is also a great tool to take with you into the brush. The General Quad Saw/Driver is available online.

• Price: $20.99.

Suitcase socket set

This is a plastic case filled with the most commonly used standard and metric sockets, plus a ratchet driver, ideally from about 0.25 inches to 13/16 inches for the standard sockets and 4mm to 16mm for the metrics. This will cover most automotive, motorcycle and household jobs. Try to find a set that has deep well sockets for commonly used sockets. Go for the highest-quality set you can afford from brands such as Craftsman, SK and Snap-on.

• Price: $75-$200.

Stubby combination wrenches

Sometimes, a normal-sized combination wrench won’t fit. It’s either too long or doesn’t leave enough room to let you move the handle back and forth to apply sufficient force to remove the bolt or nut you’re struggling with. These combination wrenches are just like regular combination wrenches: three-point open-ended on one end, 12-point closed-ended on the other. But they are about half the overall length of standard combination wrenches.

• Price: $42.

Wobble extender bars

Every basic socket set is missing one important item: a set of wobble extender bars. These let you get a socket onto a fastener that would otherwise be hard or even impossible to reach because of obstructions. The head of the extender bar lets the socket flex slightly, allowing indirect access to the bolt you’re trying to get at.

• Price: $33.99/set.

Odds and ends

Toss in a pair of needle nose pliers, a Swiss Army knife or Leatherman tool, slip-joint pliers, some string, a pair of clamps and a small plastic bottle containing an assortment of drywall screws, nails and wire nuts in various sizes. Add a spray can of rust penetrant (PB-40 is exceptional).