What tool do you wish you had bought sooner?

[HarryY]

For me it would easily be my desoldering iron, I've had it now for
over 10 years now, but it's one tool I wish I would have gotten soner.


What tool do you wish you had bought sooner?

 

[bwaslo]

Hot (wire) strippers.

And when I finally came to terms with aging eyesight, a 5x long-focus microscope.

 

[jackinnj]

Professional wire-strippers, crimping tool for RG-174 and other cables.

Guys who re-paved my driveway left behind a picaxe. This is one really handy tool. Planting jonquils for the spring you just have to use a couple strokes and you've got a nice trough for the bulbs.

 

[leadbelly]

Those cheap wire strippers that are just a couple of pieces of black metal and yellow handles. You would not believe how much electronics work I had done stripping wire with knives or scissors.

Love my desoldering iron. I have a cheap one with a little rubber squeeze ball. Love it.

My table saw was a big step up. Gotta have it for speaker boxes and cutting aluminum sheet for enclosures.

 

[Enzo]

I have had a Pace desoldering station now for over 30 years, but I do agree, it is probably the one tool I wish I had bought even earlier.

My pro wire strippers - field work, not a bench hot stripper - have been with me for decades as well, but I wish I had discovered them earlier

 

[dotneck335]

Capacitance meter

 

[HarryY]

I will agree with Crimpers for connectors, far better than soldering.

I have a few various pairs around here for Coax, and Power connectors.

 

[levistubby]

A couple of step drills. The only real way to make round holes in thin sheet material. Holes of sizes between the steps can be opened out with a tapered reamer.

 

[vdi_nenna]

Variac and a non-radio shack soldering iron.

 

[ruairi]

My Metcal soldering iron.

 

[Jonathan Bright]

On reflection it would have to be GOOD QUALITY stuff. Its the same with everything from soldering irons to garden tools.....

 

[Cal Weldon]

Diamond wheel 3 stage knife sharpener.

 

[AcoustatAnswerMan]

A 13-foot hose for my shop vacuum, purchased when the original 7-footer gave up the ghost.


An rechargeable LED headlamp. How did I ever live without this handy device?


A fiberglass scratch brush, wonderful for cleaning corrosion/oxidation from old parts prior to soldering.

 

[Cal Weldon]

A 13-foot hose for my shop vacuum, purchased when the original 7-footer gave up the ghost.

Fully agreed.

An rechargeable LED headlamp.

If you mean the lamp you wear on your head, again, fully agreed.

A fiberglass scratch brush, wonderful for cleaning corrosion/oxidation from old parts prior to soldering.

And for reaching that spot between your shoulder blades when your wife, letter opener, or chop stick is nowhere to be found.

 

[Tubelab_com]

My table saw was a big step up. Gotta have it for speaker boxes and cutting aluminum sheet for enclosures.

And I thought I was the only one crazy enough to cut sheet aluminum on a table saw. My shop teacher about had a cow when I showed him these pictures.

 

[Mark Johnson]

stereo microscope

 

[chrisb]

George - a higher tooth count blade would have made a cleaner and safer cut, but shop teacher would still cringe - can you remember if he had all his fingers intact?

 

[Pano]

He's having a cow because you are using the rip fence and the miter gauge at the same time!

A good table saw is a thing of joy. I have used mine to cut brass.

 

[Tubelab_com]

remember if he had all his fingers intact?

He was missing about 1/2 inch of his middle finger from a construction site accident when he was in high school in Kentucky.

I whacked a sliver off the end of my pinky trying to one hand a hedge trimmer while up on a ladder. It could have been worse, and most of it grew back.

a higher tooth count blade would have made a cleaner and safer cut

I had a better blade for the purpose, but it was an expensive blade for hardwood....I just decided to use the crummy blade that came with the saw.

 

[jackinnj]

Forgot to mention "Bo-shield" -- pick it up in the bike shop -- invented by Boeing --
wonderful for preventing rust -- i had to keep my contractor saw in the garage and this abated the rust on the cast iron table over winter.