Main IndexAuto Repair Home Search Posts SEARCH
POSTS
Who's Online WHO'S
ONLINE
Log in LOG
IN









Search Auto Parts

Son graduating tech school soon, want to buy hime a set of tools


  Email This Post



Ram4x4
New User

Jun 11, 2017, 8:23 AM

Post #1 of 5 (1329 views)
Son graduating tech school soon, want to buy hime a set of tools Sign In

My son will be graduating from Wyotech in December of this year. His goal is to eventually work in a custom shop, but I suspect he'll end up starting in a dealership, or something along those lines to get some experience and get his career going. So far he has taken their core course, and is currently in the High Performance course. He recently completed the the SCT Tuning course (only 4 students in the class qualified and he was one of them). His next course is Chassis Fab and he graduates in December.

I'd like to buy him a set of tools for when he graduates. Besides the basic ratchets, sockets, and wrenches, what tools would you mechanics working in the field suggest? He seems enamored with Snap-On, but holy cow are they expensive (I can't afford that). I'm leaning along the lines of Craftsman. He may decide to go with Snap-On after he gets going and that's fine, that's on him, but I just want to get him a starting set up to get him going and don't want just go buy some random set and then him not have what he really needs.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jun 11, 2017, 8:39 AM

Post #2 of 5 (1327 views)
Re: Son graduating tech school soon, want to buy hime a set of tools Sign In

You have no idea what you are contemplating here. Buying tools is a never ending expense for as long as he works in the trade and the initial expenditure can be 10's of thousands. Hell, the box alone can cost $10K.

If the man wants to use snapon tools, don't waste your money at Sears. YOU cannot choose his tools for him, especially since he has already specified a choice. If you really want to help him buy his tools, then buy him a credit on the Snapon tool truck and let him choose how to spend it. He is going to be paying that tool truck large sums of money on a weekly basis for many years to come.

On HE knows what he needs and only HE can choose what tools he wants to work with.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jun 11, 2017, 10:51 AM

Post #3 of 5 (1312 views)
Re: Son graduating tech school soon, want to buy hime a set of tools Sign In

It's true - you can't choose the tools for a tech - several trades. Snap-On is good stuff and costs it too. Went thru some of this on another thread and want to add that many trade schools, both of my own were given tool cribs loaded with only Snap-On tools so as a tech you get use to those.


Even before (speak for individuals not a one size fits all for those of the regulars here) was fixing crap long before any tech schools slowly building up what I could.


Fast forward decades later you just never stop needing stuff for something new and doubles of things or more. Oh, then a fairly universal set for quick on the fly something you can get a vehicle just fixed safely to drive to the shop.


Assorted trades the tech owns their own tool to a point and the shop would have the place and some of the non portable tools now let's call it equipment.


If the aim is to go out on your own ( I did ) OMG sets in! You need almost everything costs just thru the roof.


The short of it by Hammer is right. Give the person the $$ towards the stuff they will chose what's needed and best for them. IDK Snap-On has several in my own collection other brands do much better for a specific need so would leave it open to choose,


Tom



Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jun 11, 2017, 10:58 AM

Post #4 of 5 (1306 views)
Re: Son graduating tech school soon, want to buy hime a set of tools Sign In

Here is a link to the other thread about Snapon tools


http://autoforums.carjunky.com/...ap-on_Tools_P189737/


also


Quote
He may decide to go with Snap-On after he gets going and that's fine, that's on him, but I just want to get him a starting set up to get him going and don't want just go buy some random set and then him not have what he really needs.


That is the biggest mistake made by people getting into the business. Why buy tools twice?

Buy a little at a time if necessary but if you buy the right tools, you will still be using them 50 years later.

Same goes with a box. Don't buy a small box now and trade up in a couple years. Buy one piece of a larger set. Buy the large, high quality bottom section first and when you outgrow it, you can simply add pieces instead of getting rid or a whole box.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Jun 11, 2017, 11:02 AM)


Sidom
Veteran / Moderator
Sidom profile image

Jun 12, 2017, 12:29 PM

Post #5 of 5 (1282 views)
Re: Son graduating tech school soon, want to buy hime a set of tools Sign In

As HT said, before you actually go out and put money down....you may want to let him chime in on the brand.....You can give him a nice gift card that you made in photoshop with the amount.......Go out to some garage sales and get some real cheap garbage and a trashed hand held box......fill the box with the junk and put the card at the bottom


Snap on is definitely the best...It can mean the difference between getting a bolt or line loose to the flip side to rounding off or stripping a fastener and making a tough job 10x worse...
That being said, after working 35+ years in the business....I don't think I ever worked with a tech that didn't have some cheaper line tools in his box..


For the line, Craftsman is a decent tool.....it does the job, they have a lifetime warranty.....After a while you "know" when you need to break out the good stuff to tear something down......reassembly is usually never a problem.....


I got a great box he'd love..........only 3k.........New it was 5.5k.......Wink






  Email This Post
 
 


Feed Button




Search for (options) Privacy Sitemap