Your favorite tools under $50

I love Pocket Ref. I have a rechargeable Craftsman flashlight that gets a lot of use. It came packaged with a drill for like $50 total.

tapered hole reamer - had it forever, extremely useful

Oh, and hemostats, too!

I've tried gearwrenches once, they weren't mine and I can't remember the brand. I was working in a really tight area and the engagement teeth were spaced too far apart so I'd end up just floating in the dead space between teeth.

Estwing 2 lb sledge, otherwise known as my "attitude adjustment tool"

Carson wrote: I've tried gearwrenches once, they weren't mine and I can't remember the brand. I was working in a really tight area and the engagement teeth were spaced too far apart so I'd end up just floating in the dead space between teeth.

mine are gearwrench brand and they don't have hardly any slop at all. The one time I ran into that problem, a 12 point combo wrench couldn't get it out either. I forget what I had to do to get to that bolt... I think remove something else that was in the way.

i dont know if anyone has ever seen them but i have a pair of hose clamp pliars that have a handle and like a 3 foot cable and then the clamping teeth at the other end of the cable. Its awesome for undoing hoses and such from hard to reach places. You can hold the ratcheting teeth over the clamp ends and you squeeze the pliers with the other hand and it locks and stays open so you can just slide it open. Seriously one of the best tools i ever bought. Exactly 50 bucks from the tools for techs guy that comes to my job.

Those hose clamp pliers are awesome, we have a set at the shop. The clamps on the intake pipes on a Mazdaspeed Miata will remove your fingers if you're not careful.

bludroptop wrote: tapered hole reamer - had it forever, extremely useful Oh, and hemostats, too!

That looks like it'll do a number on vampires as well.

I've got the HF Gearwrenches last Christmas and I love them. -Adjustable wrenches -Vice Grips -Screwdriver with swappable bit

Since this is a great place for gift ideas, anyone have a good suggestion for a cheap drill. My Father in Law wants one for under $35 and has to be chorded (not battery powered). Yeah, I don't get it either.

I don't get the Pocket Ref praise. I bought it and found it was full of useless stuff, stuff I'd never refer to or stuff I already knew. Three days later I returned it.

What kind of clamps can you use the hose clamp pliers? I've heard good stuff about them.

I have 2 sets of gearwrenches (original as well as the craftsman with the reversible switch and a slight angle which I like better).

If I had to carry 5 tools I think it'll be a multi-tool, stylus pro, a 6" crescent wrench, vice grips and a Knipex Cobra plier. If I can't fix it with these it's probably not a roadside repair.

gearwrench or its equivalent for sure, i love mine

SVreX wrote: gearwrench, gearwrench, gearwrench!

I got a Sears flier yesterday that had Gearwrench sets 50% off.

At $44.99, that's a steal.

Apexcarver wrote: strap wrench set--- less then $5 at harbor freight.. (useful as hell around the house)

i broke the $3 harbor freight ones and went with the kobalt set from lowe's

best tool under $50:

VISE GRIPS!