DIY Tools

I received a pair of mechanics gloves to review from Magid Glove & Safety. First, a disclaimer, I am not a fan of ANY mechanics gloves. I prefer the touch of bare hands, and don't mind getting dirty while working on cars. Sure I spend money on hand cleaner but when working in tight places and with small parts I have historically shied away from wearing gloves. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's get on to the review...

Overall construction looks solid and the stitching looks straight and strong. The gloves provided to me are the ProGrade Plus MECH106 Road Gloves, which have high visibility reflective stripes on the back side for maximum visibility. I guess the "Road Gloves" name is logical for these gloves as they would be perfect for changing a tire along side a busy road with these reflective stripes.

The palm of the gloves has a synthetic leather palm and PVC pads for gripping. The joints are flexible neoprene and provide a good range of movement. I have large hands, so the XL size was appreciated, and the fit was perfect. They slip on and off easily without feeling like they will fall off while in use.

I decided to wear the gloves to do a delicate task of changing the oil in my wife's car. The delicate part is removing the drain plug without dropping it into the oil catch pan. Her car is an SUV and does not require me to jack up the thing to get to the drain plug, but it's a tight fit to get the drain pan in there and remove the drain plug. Surprisingly the gloves were very sensitive and allowed me to spin the drain plug out and not drop it. The finger tips seem durable without being too think and limiting the feel.

It was 40 degrees outside when I did the oil change, so the gloves were a welcome accessory. Also when I finished the job, I have to admit it was nice to not have to wash up when I went into the house.

Conclusion: At $11.75 for a pair, the price is right. I am going to throw my pair into my roadside kit in the car for those late night roadside tire changes. And if it get's too cold or I am working on something really dirty (e.g. Panel Truck), I may just start wearing them while wrenching in the garage.

Images:

Links:
The Gloves I reviewed
Other Mechanics Gloves from Magid

Sears was kind enough to contact yours truly and requested that I review their Craftsman Stainless Steel 41” Toolbox Combo.  A few weeks later, the tool box combo arrived on my door step packed nicely on a pallet which I tore into and assembled in less than an hour. 

Here is a shot of the Craftsman box assembled and sitting next to my 20 year old Craftsman Box which has served me well over the years.  I just recently added a middle section (in black) that increased my capacity, but I was still running out of room.

 

Initial Impressions: This box is BIG, way more room than my old setup, it barely fits into my garage.  I love the look of the stainless steel, and the hardware seems to be top quality.

Construction:  The box is made from Stainless Steel and it is heavy.  The base unit is 260 lbs. and the top is somewhere around 125 lbs. making assembly a 2 man job unless you are Hulk Hogan.  The drawers are supported by ball bearing slides and support 70 lbs. of tools per drawer. 

The stainless steel has an attractive brush finish and has a protective coating which appears to be a clear powder coat.  It has a slight “orange peel” texture which is common to powder-coated finishes, but it does not distract from the beauty of the tool box. (see image to left)

 

The handles and casters are beefy, to support the weight.  Two of the casters swivel to help moving the box around the garage.  Always remember to put the swiveling castors on the end with the handle. 

My only complaint about the construction is the “Grip Latch” system which prevents the drawers from opening while moving the tool box around.  It just feels “cheap”  There is a small latch on each end of the drawer pull and it’s spring loaded using a thin section of spring steel.  The tactile feel does not agree with my engineering background.  Only time will tell if the latch system will hold up.  I personally park my tool box in the garage and rarely move it, so the latch serves no useful purpose to me.  I could imagine a mechanic who works outside on uneven ground would appreciate the drawers not popping open unexpectedly.  I had a few friends over to my house since I got the box, and had them all look at it and it’s 50/50 on their opinions of the Grip Latch system. 

 

 Final Impressions:  After getting all my tools into the box and maneuvering it into it’s new home at the back of my garage, it was time to start using it. 

My 1954 Ford Panel Truck is getting a new chassis under it, from a 1997 Ford Explorer, so the first task was to strip the Explorer of it’s body.  That task has taken a few weekends and I have had a chance to use the tool box. 

I appreciate the ball bearing slides on the drawers, there is little effort required to open and close even the drawers with the heaviest tools in it.  I still don’t care for the grip latch, and when opening the upper drawers, I have to remember to make a conscious effort to lift up, to get the drawer open.  My 20 year old box had no latching mechanism, and no ball bearing slides.  I would take this ball bearing combo and grip latch over my old box with no ball bearings.

I went to my local Sears store to buy some accessories, drawer organizers, socket holders and some liners.  Well something I did not realize, since the top drawers are full width, there are not a lot of options to fit perfectly into the 40” wide drawers.  They make precut drawer liners which fit into the base unit drawers, but I was out of luck for the top unit drawers.

The box is easy to clean, grease and dust just wipe off.  It looks great sitting in the garage, almost too good for the surroundings :-)  

 

So the big question, if I was in the market for a tool box, would I buy this one? 

No, I would personally go for the model without the Grip Latch and without the Stainless Steel finish.  It’s about $200 - $300 cheaper than the model I tested and has normal width top drawers which make buying accessories easier.  Click the image to the right to see what box may soon be in my garage.

 

Since this box was sent to me gratis, from Sears, they asked that when I was done with it, I either send it back to them, or give it away to one of my visitors!  Well, it’s time to figure out how to give this bad boy away.  In a few days, I will update this post with the details of how to enter the free giveaway.

It's time to start ripping apart my latest project so what better time to test the newest tool from B&D. Will report back when I have some panels off and I see how the tool performs. Well I guess I should make the disclaimer first,  Black & Decker was kind enough to supply me with the new Ready Wrench for me to evaluate.  You can buy one at Ace Hardware stores and many other places for around $30. I like the idea of the tool, and the tool seems to be very well built.  The idea is to carry one tool that fits a variety of sizes.  (Metric/SAE)  However, my first thought was that the wrench would slip when putting any torque on a bolt, due to the rotating head design.  I must say I was surprised when I turned the wrench for the first time on a rusted bolt on the old 1954 Ford Panel truck.  It did not slip and loosened the bolt with ease. Since the tool is designed to fit metric and SAE nuts and bolts, it fits loose on SAE fasteners, so if you have a rusted or slightly worn nut, it won't grab it like it should.  This is the compromise with this tool, and many others that claim to fit metric and SAE fasteners. The other issue I have with this tool, is the size of the head.  It does not allow you easy access to nuts and bolts if they are buried, or have something close by to get in the way.  I ran into this when taking the back doors off of the truck.  I had to grab another regular wrench to finish the job. So as with anything in life, it's a compromise.  If you have newer nuts and bolts, out in the open this wrench may be worth it.  But if you are working on something old and rusted, get a good set of dedicated sized wrenches.

The worst thing when working on your brakes, is not having the right tool. When changing brake lines or hoses, the proper wrench will save you a ton of time and frustration. Special line wrenches are designed to put the most amount of force to the fitting without slipping off. Anyone who has tried to remove a rusty brake line with a regular wrench knows that the wrench slips off way too easy and rounds off the fitting. Here is a picture of a line wrench... I usually advise people to buy cheaper tools if they are just a shade tree mechanic, but in this case, buy the best. Cheap line wrenches do not work, and will bend or round off the fitting before cracking it loose. Buy a snap-on, MAC or Craftsman set and good luck. Kevin P.S. Remember to use plenty of penetrating lubricant on the fittings before you try to remove the fitting. I use PB Blaster, or Kroil.

Don't want to spend tons of money on tools, just to change your oil or do some minor repairs. Snap-On and MAC tools are great for professional mechanics, but expensive for a shade tree mechanic. I usually recommend people buy Craftsman tools if they plan on doing a lot of work on their own vehicle. Craftsman tools are the best quality tools for the money, and include a lifetime guarantee. Shop online at www.sears.com If you are doing minor repairs or are on a budget, consider tools from Harbor Freight www.harborfreight.com which also generally have a lifetime warranty but are made overseas and not of the quality of Craftsman tools. No matter what tools you buy, keep them clean and organized and they will reward you with a long useful life.