Single Best Tool Purchase

Charlie from wmass

KNipex pliers. they last and they are strong. rigid wrenches and dies are always great. But those pliers are as good as I have seen.

Justin Topel

The one you cannot live without

Hey Wallies, I was wondering what is the best single one tool that you have bought? What the one that has saved you the most time, or given you the best bang for the buck. I would have to say my Ridgid 122 copper cutting and prep machine. I cannot imagine using pipe cutters on 2" pipe again. It saves me a ton of time and keeps the joints from getting too sore. Just curious if there is something else that I could add to the arsenal.

Mister T

J.C.A._3

Easy answer...

My Rigid 3' pipe wrench. It has saved me SOO much time...I give it a kiss on the jaws every time I have to use it. Chris

MikeyB

tool

Ridgid 700 portable threader, never thread by hand again, love it, and it was a gift which makes it even better

an old wrench puller

the ridgid 590 Chop saw. take it with where ever I go.

Big Will

Ridgid 122XL Copper cutting and prep machine

Saves boat loads of time in a mech room. The guys love it. Helps with the carpal tunnel and just hand abuse in general.

heatboy_24

Easy.........

.......my ProPress tool. My Knipex plier wrenches are a close second.

Bob Bona_4

roto cutters

for BX, my 700 Ridgid, and the Viega hand crimp set.

Also, Miwaulkee makes a almost 90 degree "right" angle thingy that you sock up in your cordless drill and the biz end takes a hex bit of your choosing. Man, what a lifesaver and timesaver in tight spots.

Jim Bennett

Stanley.....

25 foot Lever-lock tape measure.

With out it you might as well leave the rest of the tools in the truck.

Jim

clammy

hand /power

For hand tools i have to say knipex S and plumb plyers(german style)they are totally great for tight spots are also give some good leverage without slipage and of course fien tools professinal multi task tool makes awesomly clean cuts on just about anything find it really good for plaster cut ins and for cutting old stlye base molding with wood lathe and plaster for base board insalls 1000 times better then using a saw all ,blades are a bit steap also Feins line of constrution vacumes so quite you can think ,as for saw all porter cable are work horses and alot complain about them being a little hard to handle but recently brought a metabo sawall totally blows the PC out of the water big balls and lets not forget porta band saw the list goes on and on ,with out the proper hand and power tools it makes tough jobs even tougher ,the right tool for the right fool peace and good luck clammy

Ron Huber_2

top tools

Pro press (now have 3) Rigid pipe prep machine (no more stained hands) Knipex pliers( last until you lose em) Suneye solar site evaluator (sales, sales, sales).

Mark Custis

Gray

Ridge Tool pipe wrenches
6" to 36" I am finally understanding "pipe-fitters".

bob young

gotta have the sawzall

all steel plumbers wood chisel , 20 OZ> plumb hammer w/ ripping claw are two favorites. wiss airplane snips { left hand cut } luftken zig-zag extension 6 ' wooden rule & exact torpedo level. full set ridgid offset wrenches 6 " -- 2 ' + three foot aluminum. craftmen square shank screwdrivers , channelocks are a necessary evil ! S-K socket wrenches ridgid snap cutter & all ridgid pipe tools & ridgid 300 machine now i am ready to work.

Ray Landry_3

tools, my favorite subject! first favorite would be my threaded rod cutter! Next would be my ridgid angled spud wrench. works on anything from flushometers to inch and a half circ flanges without leaving marks. also love my douglas plumbers pliers by solder seal. I used to have a pair of knipex but lost them. every time I go to buy another pair all that's in stock is the type with the locking handle that you need to manually push the button to open. seems like a hassle. any one have these kind?

Unknown

Bob Young, old timer?

I read Bob Young's thread and glad to see another guy with a 6 ft folding ruler...
Just about everyone in different trades kid me about having a folding ruler as they are the tape guy. Been using it since I was a kid, 'borrowing' from dad...

bob young

folding rule

yep, 47 years in the trade. young old timer my ruler---don't leave home without it. despise tape measures. only for long streches of pipe , etc. too bulky & annoying to read. i open & close my ruler about a thousand times a day. i use a scale tape for blueprints. had that over thirty years. that is indispensable.

Rusty Powers

Great Topic

Our Rigid copper prep machine is second to our Eagle 1600# hydralic lift gate....what a back saver!

Unknown

I have a folding ruler

But it ain't for measuring ........

I prop it between 2 pipes to hold one straght when soldering .

It's hard to pinpoint the single best tool purchase . But the one tool that makes my work a hell of alot better than if I didn't have one ?

My 6 inch level .

martin

Metal chop saw

Since everbody seems to like the copper prep tool, has anybody tried the dewalt 14" metal chop saw will cut up to 5" OD black iron like butter and copper you don't even know your cutting anything.

Jeremy_14

Tools

The mini flash light, hammer holster, and fold up knife I wear on my belt. Don't you just hate the days you leave for work, and you forgot one or all of these. Or even worse, you forget your belt, something a skinny guy like me has done on occasion.
I also love my lithium powered cordless tools, what junk did we used to use?

Radiator Ranger

Favorite Tools

My favorite tools:

A photon flashlight - so small, so bright! My camera. The giant ratchet with cheater bar - for twisting radiator fittings. The Backhoe - the bucket for lifting radiators, the stabilizers for holding 'em down while twisting fittings.

Gwen

bob_46

Lufkin

I can open a bottle of Guinness in one second with a Lufkin 6Ft inside reading folding rule, try that with one of them yo-yos. Let's see, my 40 0z. hammer, Ridgid tri-stand with chain vise, Ridgid steel wrenches all sizes in pairs, Milwaukee portaband , torpedo level and a blumb bob. bob

bob young

never forget your ruler

a man after my own heart. one of the first tasks they ever taught me. i prefer bass ale but guinness is all good.

Rich Kontny_3

Most Important tool

In repair remodel is the sawzall. Some of the new compact battery models are sweet

Charlie from wmass

They make an 8 foot rule I prefer that one as I do residential a lot so that covers me most of the time from floor to ceiling. Yep I am called a dinosaur for having a folding rule but when working alone it is nice to not need to hold the flopping end out there for an accurate measure. I actually prefer 16 foot for tape measures, less weight hanging on my belt. But single best purchase is my 12 inch knipex I stand by that.

tim smith

Best tool

I would have to say our porter cable chop saw with fine tooth carbide blade for copper. Cuts like butter and leaves barely a slight ring on pipe that you can nip off with one light twist of pocket reamer. Use it on 1" and up to 4" dont even need to ream to speak of. Boiler manifold walls are great for it. Tim
As hotrod said, our dry cut metal cutting dewalt for steel is great also. Oh and I really like my small Lincoln wire feed welder for making brackets etc.

hot_rod

power to the people

Hard to pick one... here is my favorite trio

Probably the REMS Curvo at the top
REMS press tool with optional threaded rod, cutter jaws
The Dewalt dry cut saw

These tools paid for themselves in a few jobs and have been making money ever since. They all appear to be lifetime quality tools, with proper care.

hr

Cam_2

Faucet Nut Cracker

Anybody who has been wedged under a sink and the basin wrench in not working and the rust is in your eyes appreciates this tool...

MikeyB

HR

HR, great tools, just saw a demo of the pipe bender on you tube, is that a box of al plates you cut on the chop box? any burrs left over to be concerned about after the cut? What a great idea... I was looking into buying the metal chop from Porta Cable for Kindorf, angle iron, cast iron pipe, etc, heard good thinGs about these saws, I use a saw w/an abrasive blade for these kinds of metals, but i think it is time to up-grade, thanks

tim smith

re: plates and chop saw

We do clean up the cut end where the tube goes into groove as there is a bit of a sharp edge left after cut...

hot_rod

go with the dry cut

not abrasive, saw. It does so much more and the blade lasts for a long time. With care it cuts even 1/2" M copper (allow the blade to get up to speed first)

Sometimes it burrs the aluminum plates, but a trip around the groove with a pencil reamer or pocket knife works.

hr

Big Will

can I but one of those blades in my abrasive milwalkee saw. It makes a mess and not the cleanest cuts.

hot_rod

Will, no

wrong rpm for one thing. But you can buy non-ferrous wheels for those 10" chop saws. Freud makes a nice wheel for cutting aluminum extrusions and copper tube. Not for steel like unistrut, etc.

That's why the dry cut Dewalt is a much more versitlre tool. Heavier to carry, however.

hr

Tim_41

best tools

Ridgid seesnake. First time I used it was to find a frozen and broke heat pipe. Took the guess work of "where to cut" out of the picture. Use all the time. Also, the propress with viega jaws.

Unknown

I have a

1 inch wide by 20 ft. tape measure . No flopping end

To cut copper pipe the tape measure works so much easier . Catch the end of the pipe and roll er' out .

Radman

Best tool ever....

A dust pan and a broom. So few have them, so many need them. It takes only a minute to clean up after yourself, the impression on the client lasts a lifetime. A moment of silence please...

Mark Eatherton

On a side note...

I had a new employee take our copper cut off saw and cut 1-1/2" unistrut once... I was standing across the shop when he did it and I got peppered with carbide teeth. When I told him what he'd done, he said he thought it could cut ANY metal (was confused with another low speed saw we had that COULD do cooper or steel...)

THe blade was toothless and useless...

ME

bob young

incompetent personnell

like i said ,Mark.....they do not need a torch to kill you. they always find a way. stupid is forever.

bob_46

Mark

I take umbrage at your " toothless and useless" remark!

Darrell_4

I have two related tools that i use all the time. One is an LED penlight I got at NAPA...the 4a battery size. Fits in my shirt pocket just like a pen. Very bright. I even use it in church...its either that or a large print Bible...

The other is my head light. I found a good LED one at Home Depot that is true color...I don't even turn the lights on in the boiler room anymore...the lights are always in the wrong place anyway.

Mark Eatherton

Sorry bob :-)

You still have a brain, packed full of history and knowledge, and you allow us to pick on it freely. That's worth a LOT!!

Looks aren't everything ;-) You're not useLESS, you're useFULL.

ME